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