Do you have a word that you just hate?

Like, a word that when you hear someone say it out loud, it makes your skin crawl and you wish you could rinse out your ears with bleach?

Sometimes it’s that you hate the way that someone in particular says a particular word. Sometimes it’s the word itself. Maybe a turn of phrase or a seasonal epithet. For instance, when someone says “Hot enough for ya?” when it’s summer and 98 degrees outside. I have to take a deep breath and silently count to ten before I am capable of assuming the bland smile and toneless, “Yup, it’s hot alright” that is socially appropriate.

My husband has lots of little quirks, all endearing in their own way (remind me to tell you sometime about how he can’t be in the same room with someone who is eating cereal. Weird.) but perhaps my favorite is his almost palpable aversion to certain words. When we’re in public and someone says one of them, I watch his face to see the look of revulsion flit across, so quickly that you wouldn’t notice it unless you knew him well. What does all of this have to do with cupcakes, you ask?

Well, the problem is that there is one word that I really really want to use to express to you how much I enjoyed these particular cupcakes and how well made and scrumptious they were. I’ve struggled with the thesaurus and tried to find a synonym that would work, but it just isn’t happening. So, here goes.

The cupcakes from Cupcakes Gourmet were…..moist.

There. I said it. If you listen really closely, you can hear his head exploding all the way here in New Hampshire.

But, the fact of the matter is that when we received some samples of the cupcakes from Cupcakes Gourmet they had achieved something that is very difficult to do when shipping baked goods. Often, by the time you receive them, the cupcakes have lost some of their moisture and the parched crumbs are only rescued from total disaster because of the sugary frosting. Instead, Cupcakes Gourmet has managed to deliver a product that tastes like they were baked and delivered the same day.

Cupcakes Gourmet was born out of a friendship between two women who enjoyed the creative process of baking and quickly realized that their partnership would translate into a thriving (and yummy!) business. Happily for cupcake lovers everywhere, the Pennsylvania-based bakery opened their virtual doors to allow shipping of their mini cupcakes nationwide. At CupcakesGourmet.com you can drool your way through such mouth-watering flavors as Triple Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Vanilla or their Collections, such as the Black Tie Collection (Dark Chocolate Vanilla, White Chocolate Vanilla, and Triple Chocolate) or the Classic Collection (Classic Vanilla, Red Velvet and Milk Chocolate), to name a few.

For now, Cupcakes Gourmet only ships their mini-cupcakes (which are the perfect size to have a few without feeling guilty!) but if you’re fortunate enough to live near their stores in the Philadelphia area you can get regular size cupcakes as well. Plus, Cupcakes Gourmet bakes from scratch using flour, sugar, eggs, milk and the very finest gourmet ingredients so you’re truly getting a quality, homemade product. cupcake5

The cupcakes that were sent to us barely made it out of the box before they were inhaled by the three of us. I’m a big fan of the classic cupcakes – vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, etc – but it’s shocking how often a bakery manages to screw those up. I often see bakeries pay more attention to their fancier, gourmet cupcakes and the more basic stuff falls off a little bit. Cupcakes Gourmet makes the most incredible vanilla and chocolate cupcakes!! The vanilla bean buttercream frosting that goes on both is so sugary and sweet, but without going overboard. The cake itself is impeccably…ahem…moist…and delicious – no small feat when sending baked goods through the mail! Anna’s favorite was definitely the Triple Chocolate – Belgian dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate buttercream dipped in dark chocolate ganache. They taste indulgently rich, but the mini cupcake is the perfect size to give you enough chocolate to feel luxurious without the guilt.

Cupcakes Gourmet can help with your wedding, special event or important occasion! A dozen mini-cupcakes would make for an amazing gift, too!

WIN IT! One lucky winner will win their choice of one dozen mini-cupcakes from Cupcakes Gourmet (ARV $25)!!! To enter, tell me which kind of Cupcakes Gourmet cupcake you’d love to try AND become a subscriber of this site (if you aren’t already) You MUST confirm your subscription for it to count! I check all entries and if you are not a subscriber, your comment will be deleted. That’s it!

I have received compensation in the form of Cupcakes Gourmet products in exchange for this post, but the views and opinions expressed are solely my own and no other compensation – monetary or otherwise – was received.

Comments will close on March 31, 2010 at 10 PM EST. One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). Open to continental US entries only (no Hawaii or Alaska). Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement of the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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