Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Central Avenue Becomes Cupcake Central

Highland Park residents can enjoy the sweet taste of competition with two new cake shops settling on Central Avenue.

Turtle Cupcakes opened its doors on April 30 at 469 Central Ave. Sweet Bites is scheduled to open May 25, just across the street at 478 Central Ave.

Turtle

Turtle co-owner Max Tempelmann Stacie Foster and have always loved cooking, but it's their first time to do it professionally.

"We decided to leave our office jobs for something softer," said Foster.

Before opening the shop, they worked cooking for parties, starting with their friends, but building a client list by word of mouth.

"For the past year we have tried recipes, experimenting with the ingredients until we have not done," said Tempelmann.

While the turtle is just a two-man operation, the duo can bake the cupcakes cool in 1000 one day. Daily offerings include cheese with red velvet with vanilla frosting and cupcakes Madagascar Bourbon vanilla top with vanilla butter icing.Other choices from their menu of 30 small cakes are available seasonally or by special order, as the spice in pumpkin for fall and winter.

"We wanted fruity sour, sweet, salty and savory," said Foster. "We wanted to have all the flavors of a place of ice cream."

Sweet Bites

Sweet Bites, which should have its opening on June 9, which specializes in extra-large cupcakes with fillings such as multiple strawberry lemonade that features lemon cake with strawberry buttercream.The store will also stock the standard size cupcakes, small "wee cakes, pies and cakes whoopee appears.

Owner Marla Levitt had belonged to a candy manufacturing company, whose products were distributed in 26 states and Puerto Rico. She will be selling some of its candy caramel Sweet Bites including English, maize white chocolate iced caramel and candy apples. She has visited more than 25 stores nationwide to find cake ideas for Sweet bites.

"I did my research," said Dr. Levitt. "I went to all places cake I could find. Everyone who knows me, I make them cupcakes and I make them lunch."

Cupcake Parties

Both will serve pastries and coffee and milk will feature outdoor seating. Both plan to offer parts frosting cupcakes for children and adults.

Orange Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Walnut Glaze and Cream Cheese ...

It’s been crazy hectic around my house lately. The end of the school year is looming ever closer, summer trips and vacations back to the mainland are being scheduled and planned, and Flat Stanley has been visiting . Not to mention some crazy weather, including a crab storm. It’s not enough that we had some unseasonable stormy weather (which I actually loved the whole time), but then we woke up to a giant crab climbing our walls outside (yes, it really was giant…my fear goggles did not make it appear bigger than it really was…really). One crab quickly became two, and two grew into half a dozen before we knew what was happening.

We were drizzled with large crabs for two days. Culminating in five great big crabs scuttling around our front entryway, creeping me the heck out. To get to our front door from the driveway, you walk down three steps into a sunken little courtyard. The crabs had made their way down the steps and promptly gotten stuck. Bastards. I could hear them through the front door…sinisterly scraping their shells along the bricks, and tip tapping their pointy little devil legs through the leaves.

If you know me, you know this was practically my worst nightmare…crabs are entirely too spider-like for me. And you may remember how I feel about spiders . If not, let me tell you now: spiders are ALL evil, and they ALL must be killed on sight (I’m convinced they’re in cahoots with The Silence )…but sleep with one eye open, they have big families.

Fortunately, the hubster, armed with a head lamp and a flashlight, plus a long shovel, came to my rescue. He gently forced the crabs away from the house and back up the stairs, closed the gate, and proved to me, once again, that he’s my hero. I did help, though, believe it or not. I provided the comic relief by yelping each time a crab lunged at the shovel, brandishing their giant crusher claws, and looking far more evil than I’m sure normal people would ever believe. I also stood in a far, safe corner and repeatedly said, in my best  Finding Nemo impression , “Hey, heyyy! Hey! Heyyy!” I’m not entirely sure the hubster was amused, but I found it hilarious. Until another crab lunged.