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Friday, 10 June 2011

Finally...a week of coconut-ing and cupcaking


Sorry for the lack of blogging.  In the week when I am in London our macbook is back in Milton Keynes...so is lightroom, and I refuse to blog unedited photos so I apologise for the wait! 
This week I've mostly continued on my coconut kick! After Mara told me about an amazing new coconut chocolate bar she had tried at Marks & Spencer I knew I had to try one too.  It was amazing and definitely one of the best coconut products out there on the market right now, not that it would be hard...our nation is not one for Coconut loving - we need to learn a thing or too from the Australians in that area that's for sure.


It just so happened that on the day that we bought this chocolate bar it was Monday, and I recalled that Hummingbird's Monday special for summer is a Coconut cupcake.  I decided we should head to their Wardour St store and give them another chance after our very disappointing pineapple cupcake we tried last time.

It was not a good cupcake.  I tried the cake part by itself, minus the frosting and could detect no flavour at all - not even a hint of coconut.  The frosting was far too buttery and the whole thing left me feeling distinctly unimpressed.  This is Hummingbird Bakery! They are known to many as the 'best' and certainly most well known cupcakery in England, yet how can they not make good tasting summer special cupcakes! Surely they would have had to have a tasting panel and their cupcakes would have to be approved etc... how did these cupcakes get past the taste panel? I just don't know, what I do know is that I won't waste anymore of my time trying Hummingbird's mediocre and tasteless summer offerings.  


We also washed down our so so cupcake with yet more coconut - I told you I was obsessed! I decided to try out this 'dreamy coconut drinking fudge' by the Fudge Kitchen... 


and just because you can never have too much coconut, I added coconut marshmallows and shredded coconut with a sprinkling of cocoa! It was a coconut treat, and they do a whole host of yummy flavours of drinking fudge plus regular fudge in a zillion different flavours - it's definitely worth checking them out.


Luckily our week had a happy cupcake ending because we stopped off at The Cupcake Company just before our tasty Mexican on Tex Mex Tuesday.  The Cupcake Company is a cupcakery that has never let me down, there was the one time when we tried to visit it on New Year's Day and they were closed but I suppose everyone is entitled to a holiday! otherwise every time we have gone we have eaten delicious, moist and fresh cupcakes...and this time was no different!


and just because we're coconut crazy, we tried this delicious coconut & walnut bar.  I don't even like walnut but I could have easily devoured the whole bar and it was a pretty hefty slab too! 


We opted for some mini's, just so we could try lots of flavours without being fatties.  Their chocolate cupcake was a little too rich for me, but the red velvet was amazing - they had got their cream cheese frosting just right, I hate it when it's too tangy.  I'm usually not a fan of orange flavoured things but the orange cupcake was so fresh and fruity I couldn't help but be impressed and the banana cupcake was still our stand out favourite.  

So my advice to you is that if ever you're in the Notting Hill/Portobello area walk straight past Hummingbird Bakery and walk the couple of minutes to The Cupcake Company where a far superior and more delicious cupcake awaits you! 

6 comments:

  1. Wow that hot chocolate coconut looks amazing. Love the sound of the walnut bar too. Not visited that cupcake company before so will have to try it next time I'm in London. I've tried Hummingbird and wasn't impressed either

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  2. I think I've given up with Hummingbird also - last ones we had tasted of nothing as well which is disappointing as they used to be good.

    Can't believe you got good cakes at the Cupcake Company - we went earlier this year and the cakes were inedible and definitely more than a few days old. The cookies were great though!

    Btw I LOVE coconut - made some coconut and raspberry cupcakes recently and loved them.

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  3. OMG! How have I missed the coconut choc bar at M&S?!?! I need to go there and stock up ASAP! I have a feeling that they'll be very similar to the Coconut Cream Hershey Kisses that I brought back from the US. There was also an amazing chocolate coconut bar that I stocked up o while in Belgium. Sadly I at them all far too quickly, and now I have none left.

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  4. i'm still on the fence about coconut, i think its ok but im not a huge fan... it seems you are, the hot chocolate looks great though :D

    www.missmathful.blogspot.com

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  5. That walnut and coconut bar looks DELICIOUS! I wish there was a recipe for it!

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  6. I love the coconut bars! Oh, If you love fudge you should check out Fudge Fancies for the best Fudge i've ever had, plus some great flavours.

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