Creamy, dreamy cupcakes

Cupcakes have come a long way: Once the second-tier choice of children’s birthday parties, they’re now the food trend du jour, with everyone from Manhattan socialites to Hollywood stars chowing down on these tasty little treats. Sweet Wishes was the first shop in Baton Rouge to cotton on to the trend; now, a second cupcakes-only bakery is making its mark on the other side of town. Cupcakes ’n Cream, located in a walk-up just above J.C. Kamado’s, offers jumbo-sized cupcakes in a plethora of flavors from white chocolate raspberry to pink lemonade. Owners Audrey and Chip Garrett also own the soon-to-open Londoner Pub next door, as well as Baton Rouge’s Voodoo BBQ franchise, and are familiar with Red Stick tastes. “I’m a cupcake connoisseur,” boasts Audrey, who taste-tests and bakes all of the cupcakes herself. The shop offers 16 flavors of ice cream and eight flavors of Italian ice in addition to between six and eight rotating cupcake flavors. Baking the batches is a big job. Though the shop has been open barely two weeks, word of mouth has spread, and flavors sell out quickly. Audrey admits that she’s in the kitchen nearly all day, churning out fresh batches and experimenting with new flavors. She’ll be juggling even more responsibilities soon, as a second location is slated to open before Christmas, next door to the Bass Pro Shop. The oversized cupcakes themselves are moist and fluffy, and most include a sweet filling inside that makes them an extra-surprising treat. Click here to see a slideshow of Cupcakes ’n Cream. 4215 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd, Ste 8A, 292-2411—Rachael Upton