All Good Things to Those Who Cupcake

Today was a cupcake day. Don't judge.

There has been SO much going on lately - lots of stress (the good and bad kind), too much to do and not enough time to do it it in, a friend moved away, lots of changes, just...life basically. It just feels like it's all on fast forward while I'm still on pause.  

When I got invited last week to join some friends for cupcakes today, I dove at the chance. And in all honesty, it was as much for the company as it was the sweet treats. 

I had never heard of this cupcake place called Sweet Katie Bee's Cupcake and Coffee Bar. Which really doesn't mean anything because I'm not from around here (said in my best southern drawl.) Sweet Katie Bee's is located in O'Fallon, Illinois in the middle of a small town downtown. Charming. Picturesque. Awesome. Freakin' delicious. 

When I walked in, I was cautious about the flavors listed - today was vanilla bean cloud, Katie's chocolate cake, Tiramisu, Mojito, Fudge Cake, and PB&J. Here's the super cool thing - they serve regular sized cupcakes and mini cupcakes. That way you could try a couple small ones if you weren't sure what you would like. 

photo courtesy of Sweet Katie Bee's Cupcake and Coffee Bar Facebook page.

Since I'm so daring and adventurous, I tried a mini Katie's chocolate cake and a mini vanilla bean cloud. 

Oh. 

My. 

Word.

I LOVE vanilla anything. The cake was kind of like a pound cake texture but tasted so much lighter. And the vanilla icing? Buttery, sugary, heaven. Obviously, an excellent choice. 

And then I tried the chocolate. There are no words, people. It tasted like a chocolate buttermilk cake (which is my favorite kind of chocolate cake) and was rich without being too rich and very moist. The best part? There was a dab of cream in the middle, kind of like a Hostess cupcake, only 2 million times better. And no, I'm not kidding. Or exaggerating. Or simply on a sugar high.  SO good. 

My friends tried the mojito, vanilla bean cloud, and the tiramisu. All with rave reviews. We talked about it so much, that we went back and got more mini cupcakes so we could split them between us and try them all. They were all really good and we were all really full. The surprise like of the day for me was the PB &J. But I cannot tell a lie, I liked them all. But if I had to pick my top three, it would be the Mojito, Katie's Chocolate Cake, and the vanilla bean cloud - in no particular order. 

If you are in or near O'Fallon, Illinois, stop by Sweet Katie Bee's Cupcake and Coffee Bar. And make sure you try the David Rio Chai, which was the liquid highlight of my week!

This is what is looked like when we were done:

photo by Meredith McGill