Cupcakes!

For a treat, tonight we visited a new bakery that recently opened its doors in Barra: Cups & Co. They've got other locations in the city, in Leblon and Gávea, but I'd never tried them before. Partly because I'm sort of a food snob and if I can make it at home, I tend to do so, but also because I've had Brazilian cake and with rare exceptions, I just don't like it. Sorry, Brazil, but the United States beats you hands down on buttery, sugar-laden confections that are topped with even more buttery, sugar laden icings. (And our icing is actually creamy!)

But this place was so cute, and my Mom was visiting, so we went. They were still putting the finishing touches on the place, but it was open and we weren't the only customers wandering in to look at the pretty eats.

After some deliberation, we decided on three different flavors. We had a Red Velvet with cream cheese icing, a Coconut one with what seemed to be coconut brigadeiro inside and White Mountain frosting (the kind that is cooked and gets all shiny and whipped and fluffy), and a Chocolate with Coconut with great chocolate ganache frosting and the coconut brigadeiro filling. Moist cake, proper frostings and apparently, they're going to do jazz on Friday nights (or was it Saturday? I didn't catch the day, so enthralled was I with the prospect of live jazz!). But hands-down, it was the best cake I've eaten in Rio. 

Yippee! 

Check them out when you have a sweet craving:

Leblon: Almirante Pereira Guimarães 72C

Gávea: Shopping da Gávea

Barra: Olegário Maciel 366, Loja E

I didn't get free cupcakes for posting this review. But I totally should have asked the owner...dang. Maybe if you all print out my review when you visit… :)