HUMOR – I’ve recently returned from a tour of local cupcakeries on a mission to determine which St. George bakery concocts the finest cupcake.

I began my quest out of deep concern for my readers – I feel that cupcake consumers should be well-informed, just like voters and people who buy Priuses.  That, and I wanted to spend the day eating cupcakes. Hopefully I can get this thing written before the sugar high wears off and I slip into a post cupcake-binge coma.

My first stop was Twentyfive Main Café & Cake Parlor at – you guessed it – 25 North Main Street in St. George. The thing about Twentyfive Main is that I have put off eating there for a few years because it is much too trendy and cool for the likes of me, who still enjoys listening to Air Supply. Today I asked for “whatever cupcake people order the most.”

“Just ONE cupcake, that’s all?” the girl said.

“Yep. Just one cupcake. Whichever one people say is the best,” I said, doing my best to act trendy and cool.

She sent me away with a Strawberry Crème cupcake and a weird look.

After Twentyfive Main I stopped at the Paradise Bakery located next to Old Navy across from the outlet mall and discovered that they do not sell cupcakes and Old Navy is no longer in that parking lot. When did that happen?

After that I drove over to The Sweet Tooth Fairy on Red Cliffs Drive, where the girl behind the counter produced a Strawberry Shortcake cupcake and even threw in a Sweet Potato Pie cupcake because I am so beautiful. She did not say that specifically, but it is my assumption. Or it may have been because I mentioned that I was going to write about their cupcakes. Maybe. Note to self: Use this trick more often.

As it turns out, the Sweet Potato Pie cupcake led The Sweet Tooth Fairy to victory on the Food Network program, “Cupcake Wars,” only a few months ago. Did you know that we have a celebrity in our midst, St. George? And that celebrity’s name is Asia Carrera. The Sweet Potato Pie cupcake is also moderately well known.

On my way home from The Sweet Tooth Fairy, I went through the Kneaders drive-thru to pick up some Boston Cream Pie and Raspberry Lemon cupcakes. Five hours later – have you been through the Kneaders drive-thru?! – I arrived home to sample my cupcakes in the privacy of my kitchen, where I also have a stash of my sister-in-law Sheree’s chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes hidden behind the romaine lettuce in my fridge.

Here is a summary of my findings:

Twentyfive Main’s Strawberry Crème cupcake was simple, soft, and sweet. The frosting tasted of fresh strawberries and the cake was spongey and fun. Kneader’s Boston Cream Pie cupcake was coated in this delicious chocolate frosting that reminded me of a doughnut and I immediately enjoy anything that makes me think of doughnuts. My sister-in-law’s cookie dough cupcake was rich and delicious and she offers them in trade for frozen halibut or babysitting.

However, the grand prize goes to The Sweet Tooth Fairy. Their Sweet Potato Pie cupcake was moist and flavorful. The marshmallow-y frosting is perfect. Plus, it contains a vegetable so it could easily pass as dinner or lunch. At least that’s what I had for lunch today.

Cupcakes anybody?

Elise Haynes chronicles family life in her blog Haynes Family Yard Sale. Any opinions stated in this column are her own and not necessarily those of St. George News.

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