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26 | January 23, 2020 | the frankfort station dining out
frankfortstationdaily.com
Quick Bites
Treats, not trends: Cupcake creativity still strong in SW burbs
Bill Jones, Managing Editor
People love to talk about
trends in food.
Cupcakes were the next
big thing, and then (depending
on who you ask)
cupcake shops were overbaked
and ready to be
tossed by the early 2010s.
Some would argue they
saw a resurgence near the
end of the decade, while
others say their moment
has passed.
But we say a well-crafted,
tasty personal treat never
really goes out of style.
(And we’re usually right
about these things.)
The proof is in the pudding
— or, batter.
What’s in a name?
Doughs Guys, 12248 S. Harlem
Ave. in Palos Heights
Owner Sharon O’Neill
said Dough Guys’ name is
a tribute to her husband and
son. But that has not always
sat well with everyone in
the family.
“My daughters felt
slighted,” she said of the
decision.
And so: Dough Girls
Cupcakes — a brand within
a brand for the bakery’s
roster of single-serving
treats that have grown to
roughly 40 jumbo varieties
($3.50 apiece). And all of
the names that precede the
selections are tributes to
real people.
It all started with Sharon’s
Strawberry Sensation — a
vanilla cupcake with fresh
strawberries inside, topped
with a strawberry frosting
and garnished with a chocolate-covered
strawberry
— and cupcakes with the
namesakes of her daughters.
The Kelsie’s Karmel Apple
original remains, while
Claire’s evolved into Crazy
Confetti.
The list has continued
to grow exponentially
— “the majority are relatives,”
Sharon said — each
cake filled with flavors
complementing the theme,
sometimes handpicked by
the named parties. Plus,
Doughs Girls presents four
special cupcake selections
around Christmastime, and
the treats go mobile for a
number of benefits.
Reporting and photo by Bill
Jones, Managing Editor
Flourless, gluten-free
chocolatey fun
Parmesans Wood Stone Pizza,
10235 W. Lincoln Highway in
Frankfort
Das German Chocolate cupcake (left) at Fleckenstein’s in New Lenox is geared toward coconut-lovers. Sharon
O’Neill (right), owner of Dough Guys in Palos Heights, shows off her Strawberry Sensation cupcake.
When Parmesans owner
Michael Papandrea came
up with the concept for his
restaurant’s flourless chocolate
fan cupcake, he had
a vision: to create “something
great.”
The resulting creation,
which happens to be entirely
gluten-free, surpassed
his expectations by quickly
becoming one of the restaurant’s
most popular cupcakes.
“This is like a risen and
fallen souffle,” Papandrea
said. “We have another
version that’s the full cake
that’s the same. You know
when something is good
for you, it sells anyway. So,
it became one of these bestsellers
because of the fact
that it’s gluten-free.”
Made with chocolate,
eggs and sugar, and paired
with a generous portion
of the restaurant’s glutenfree
chocolate mousse, this
concoction is designed to
appeal to chocolate aficionados
with and without
special dietary needs.
The flourless chocolate
fan cupcake can be purchased
for $2.95 at the restaurant’s
bakery counter.
Parmesans also offers several
other cupcake flavors,
including turtle cheesecake
and strawberry cheesecake
varieties.
Reporting and photo by Nuria
Mathog, Contributing Editor
A delicious swirl of cotton
candy, nostalgia
Artesa Bakery, 14045 S. Bell
Road in Homer Glen
One of the 30 unique
cupcake selections at Artesa
is the cotton candy cupcake
($3 for regular size),
which is pink and blue vanilla
cake that comes frosted
with a pink and blue cotton
candy buttercream. The
dessert is garnished with
cotton candy, as well.
Artesa co-owner, baker
and cake decorator Mikayla
Machlet said the vanilla
cake is dyed blue and pink
and swirled in the cupcake
liner to form the distinctive
cotton candy look.
“I like it because it makes
me think of all the summer
festivals,” Machlet said.
“There is more of a childish
fun to them.”
Those nostalgic memories
make the cotton candy
cupcakes most popular in
the summertime, though,
like all of the cupcakes at
Artesa, they are available
year-round.
Those interested should
note most flavors have to
be pre-ordered. The bakery
needs at least 24-hour notice
for cupcake orders.
For more information
on various flavors, sizes,
prices and pre-ordering
for Artesa’s cupcakes, visit
artesabakery.com or call
(708) 645-4850.
Reporting by Thomas Czaja,
Editor
Holding on to German roots
Fleckenstein’s Bakery, 352
West Maple St. in New Lenox
The paw-fect dessert for a pooch
Smallcakes,
14225 95th Ave.,
Suite 414, in
Orland Park
Abhinanda Datta
Contributing Editor
Priding itself as a family-friendly
business, Orland
Park’s Smallcakes
caters to the furry companions,
too, with a delicious
treat.
The Pupcakes have a
simple carrot cake base
with peanut butter icing,
topped with a dog bone.
According to Smallcakes
Orland Park owner Matthew
Hackney, these special
cupcakes are “more
basic than the ones we
make for humans.”
“The Pupcakes are devoid
of ingredients we
usually put in our carrot
cakes — such as cinnamon,
pecan or coconut
Fleckenstein’s Das German
Chocolate cupcake is
perfect for coconut lovers.
The devilish chocolate cake
is filled with chocolate buttercream,
topped chocolate
shavings and Ray Fleckenstein’s
own Das German
Chocolate icing, producing
an intense coconut taste.
It also contains pecans.
As with all of Fleckenstein’s
cupcakes, the Das
German Chocolate cupcake
($2.49) has filling inside
that reflects what customers
see up top.
And Ray makes fullsized
cakes similar to the
cupcakes. Employee Debbie
Buckley said if people
are looking to purchase a
cake for a party and are unsure
of the flavor, the cupcake
is a great way to get an
idea of the taste.
“It’s the same concept,”
she said.
And coming up, for
Valentine’s Day, Fleckensteins’s
will be selling
a variety of heart-shaped
— since we do not want
the dogs to ingest them,”
he said. “We make everything
from scratch in our
kitchen, except the bone,
which is your usual storebought
dog treat.”
Dog owners can ask for
the frosting to be customized
in honor of a special
occasion.
“Our customers often
come in with special requests
when celebrating
their dogs’ birthdays,
and we can put a design
on top or even the dog’s
name,” Hackney said.
Hackney is a dog owner
and understands that sugar
can be detrimental to canine
health. With that in
mind, the Pupcakes have
a cream cheese-based
frosting that has low sugar
content.
The Pupcakes — sold
in packs of four for $5
— are always available at
the store because of their
immense popularity.
cheesecakes, cupcakes
with heart toppers and other
heart-shaped pies with
messages on them. The
store also is to sell special
donuts and cookies.
Reporting by Sean Hastings,
Contributing Editor