A guest review: Denver's Lovely Confections Bakery





One of the best things about cupcake blogging is that friends old and new find this blog. Alissa Bader, a self-described "lifelong sugar afficionado now living in Denver," who blogs at GeekGirlCooks, has given us these photos and review of Denver's Lovely Confections Bakery (and plans to visit more Denver cupcakeries!). For those in Denver, do check out the The Denver Cupcake Club Meetup Group. Next up she'll be reviewing The Shoppe.

Want to be a guest contributor to Cupcakes Take the Cake? (We can't pay, but will give you credit and plenty of link love) Email us with your idea for a post; we're always on the lookout for bakery reviews, recipes, news and more.

Here's Alissa's review, all photos by her:

After a corporate downsizing, Porche Lovely fulfilled a long-term dream of attending culinary school. This past February, she opened her shop, Lovely Confections, on East Colfax Avenue in Denver.

The shop carries seven regular flavors: chocolate, chocolate with vanilla frosting, vanilla, vanilla with chocolate frosting, lemon, coconut, and carrot. Porche says that most new customers will start out “safe” with the chocolate with vanilla frosting. Then customers tend to move onto the additional flavors. Lemon and coconut are becoming more popular.

On weekends (and on some weekdays too), the shop features special flavors of the day. One of the most popular is a chocolate mint cupcake: chocolate cake with a mint ganache and chocolate icing. On the day I was there, the shop featured a turtle cupcake: chocolate cake with caramel and vanilla icing, topped with nuts.

Verdict on the cupcakes: the chocolate icing is heavenly, rich without being too sweet. The vanilla icing tastes a little bit artificial to me, maybe too much of a shortening aftertaste? The cupcakes themselves are a little on the dense side, which I personally like. They're substantial cupcakes, which is needed to hold up all of those mounds of icing. And the cupcakes are decorated beautifully: pink or white sprinkles on the vanilla, chocolate flakes on the chocolate, glittery sugar on the lemon.

Lovely Confections is located on a sunny corner space not far from the Bluebird Theatre district, a rapidly-growing neighborhood not far from the state capitol. There is some parking offered in the back (nice, as parking is becoming more a premium in the neighborhood) and free WiFi. There are many tables where you can hang out and have a coffee, some milk, or some ice cream along with your cupcake(s). I do wish the space wasn't quite so sterile. It would be a much nicer place to hang out if there was more to look at on the walls.

Lovely Confections Bakery
1489 Steele Street, Unit C
Denver CO 80206





Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you for the review, Alisa!

Alisa and I first met when we worked for the same company. Small world! :)

I know that everyone has different tastes and preferences and thankfully there are enough cupcakes to satisfy everyone. :)

But, I just wanted to clarify one thing.

I don't use shortening in any of my recipes (cake or buttercream.) We use organic butter in all of our icings and cakes.