Cupcake Quest: Kickass Cupcakes

This post is part of the Cupcake Quest series on Fork it over, Boston!

This was a kickass cupcake quest, in which we rescued five cookie dough cupcakes from the foul spray of a young skunk and had a late night cupcake picnic outside of Cambridge Common.

I spend a lot of time around Davis Square, but I had never made it over to Kickass Cupcakes until yesterday. To make up for lost time, I went twice. (On a somewhat related note, I think it's almost time for a cupcake hiatus. My pants are feeling a bit tight.)

Kickass Cupcakes Quest, Part I: The Beginning
Joel and I were sitting in Mr. Crepe in Davis Square, pigging out on crepes and talking about how I've been eating disgusting amounts of sugar lately and how I should probably take a cupcake break. Then, I realized I hadn't yet been to Kickass Cupcakes. We decided to go there after lunch and get it over with.

We got three cupcakes: cookie dough (one of Joel's favorite ice creams), s'mores (it had a toasted marshmallow!), and mojito (my favorite cocktail). They have frosting shots like Sweet, but we already know that that's a terrible idea for anyone over ten years old.

Cookie Dough (front left), S'mores (front right), Mojito (back)

Joel's roommate, Dan, works at an office where they get cupcakes once a month. Kickass Cupcakes is an office favorite. He was hanging out at home when we arrived with cupcakes, so we divided each in half so everyone could taste two different halves. I chose mojito and s'mores.

The Mojito: rum-soaked cupcake with sugar cane lime frosting and fresh mint...or not

The mint mentioned on the menu is missing. Too bad - I love mint! The frosting was sweet and summery, a smooth and creamy lime that extended into the middle of the cake as filling. It didn't really taste especially mojito-ish, but it was definitely enjoyable.

S'Mores (Friday Flavor of the Day): graham cracker cupcake with chocolate ganache and a toasted vanilla bean marshmallow...stick and campfire not included

Ah, s'mores. This one brings back memories of camp, sitting around the weekly campfire, waiting for the younger kids to finally go to bed. Then, the older kids and staff got to find sticks and roast marshmallows. Kickass' version is nicely charred, and the chocolate ganache is heavenly. The graham cracker cupcake works well, although it was a bit dry.

Cookie Dough (Limited Edition): Chocolate chip cookie dough in a vanilla cupcake and vanilla buttercream frosting with chocolate sauce

Well, I clearly made the wrong choice. Dan and Joel consumed the cookie dough cupcake while uttering phrases like, "I think this is the best cupcake I've ever had" and moaning inappropriately. My two flavors were good, but the cookie dough was apparently transcendental. You're probably wondering why it's called cookie dough; it's not apparent from the photo. A huge gooey glob of cookie dough resides inside the cake, just underneath the frosting. I eyed the cookie dough hungrily and made a mental note to return to Kickass Cupcakes soon, before this limited edition flavor goes away.

The Baseball Interlude
Kim was in town from New York. Her boyfriend is spending the summer working as a radio announcer for a collegiate baseball team, the North Shore Navigators, so a few of us drove out to Lynn to watch a game. We were bad luck; the Navs broke a four-game winning streak and lost 9-1 to the New Bedford Bay Sox. We had some great (cheap!) ball park food while we were there, though:

Kim had a blue snow cone, most of which ended up on the ground.

Jen got a caramel apple and made it smile :)

...and hot dogs and beer, of course. $4 beer! Rob the beer man was very friendly and even addressed us by name after checking our IDs. It's such a simple thing, but I've never heard a bartender do that before. It's a nice personal touch.

We discussed cupcakes since apparently that's all I can think of now (I even dream about cupcakes sometimes. Just kidding. Maybe.) Jen told me about a particularly dangerous cupcake place that I'll have to check out: ShotCakes at the Burlington Mall. Ice cream-filled cupcakes...what?!? Time for a road trip to the Burlington Mall. Joel and I discussed the cupcakes we had earlier, and somehow it was decided that everyone needed to try the cookie dough cupcakes. Kickass Cupcakes closed at 10pm, and it was around 8:30pm, so Joel and I left the game a bit early to procure more cupcakes, with plans to meet everyone at Cambridge Common later.

Kickass Cupcakes Quest, Part II: Skunks and Munchies
Joel live-parked in front of Kickass Cupcakes and I ran in. A few people were milling about trying to decide on flavors, but I knew what I wanted. I went right up and enthusiastically ordered five cookie dough cupcakes, and the girl gave me a weird look. It was only later when we got back to Joel's to regroup that I remembered my eyes were completely bloodshot. I'd been having some contact lens issues that day and I looked like a total mess. The Kickass Cupcakes staff must have thought I had a major case of the munchies, although I'd imagine that's not uncommon for them.

Anyway, cupcakes in hand, we started walking from Joel's to Cambridge Common to meet up with everyone. As we were nearing Porter Square, I glanced into a yard next to us and saw the glow of beady eyes staring back at me, accompanied by black and white fur. "Aww, it's a cute animal," I thought, until suddenly it dawned on me. "Skunk. Skunk!" The cupcakes must be saved! (Ok, cupcakes were actually the last thing on my mind. I was more concerned about myself.) Fearing the spray, we quickly debated whether to turn around and go the other way or walk by it quickly. We ended up sprinting across the street. When we looked back, Mr. Skunk was gone.

Finally, we arrived, although the others were running late. We loitered next to the bar for awhile, and once everyone showed up, we had a cupcake picnic...the best kind of picnic. After all the build up, I was a bit disappointed. It was a solid cupcake, but it was just too sweet for me. I think I've overdone it lately on sugar. Everyone else thought the cookie dough cupcakes were delicious, though.

The Verdict: I was pleasantly surprised. I've heard lots of complaints about how Kickass Cupcakes' cupcakes are too small and too dry, but I found them to be an average size and pretty moist, except for the graham cracker cake. Five of my friends thought the cookie dough cupcake was amazing. In general, all the flavors were a bit sweet for me, but then again, I've been eating way too much sweet stuff lately, so I've lost the taste for it. Anyway, as I'll be living nearby in the fall, I'll definitely return (after an extended cupcake hiatus). I might even buy some kittycakes for my kitty, Sierra!