I didn’t run this by Mikey, but I doubt he’ll mind too much. Tonight I’d like to spotlight one of our fine readers before my review. Her name is Amy and not only does she have awesome taste in food blogs, but she can bake a thing or two as well. How do I know this? Well she dropped some samples of one of her newest creations by my office the other day. It was our first official fan gift, so I just had to write about it.
Amy is the creator of Stolen Sweets Bakery. I’m pretty sure everything that she makes is created with ingredients stolen off the back of a hostess truck. I’ll have to confirm that though. Anyway, I’m not usually a cupcake guy, but these were just too interesting to pass up. They are called “high-hat” cupcakes and are made of chocolate cake and an interesting marshmellow creme frosting which is then dipped in chocolate. Think ding-dongs, but like 1000 times better. Here’s the interior view:
What really makes these cupcakes different from the kind that I make is the fact that they are really tasty. The cake was super moist and the frosting tasted like a mix of marshmellow creme and powdered sugar. It had that grainy texture that you only get from something that you know is really bad for you. The chocolate coating just flakes off and melts in your mouth like a little bonus gift. Did I mention that they taste really good?
Mikey didn’t get to try these because my coworkers stole them all before I had a chance to save him one. Maybe Amy will be nice enough to share her next creation with both of us. Stay tuned to EatMeCalifornia.com for more on Stolen Sweets. We’ll let you know as soon as she is officially open to the public. Right now were just lucky to be the guinea pigs.
Also, you should know that Amy is a great writer and has her own blog. You can see it in our Sites We Like on the right side of this page. It’s called Parenting With Duct Tape. Check it out and read all about Amy’s adventures with life, parenthood and raising kids and one incorrigible husband. (Sorry Dean)
In keeping with the sweet theme, I chose to review a place I had heard about, in Thousand Oaks, which is supposed to have the best donuts. Did they? You’ll have to keep reading to find out…
Stan’s Donuts – Moorpark Rd. by the Whole Foods Market in Thousand Oaks
My friend Christine originally tipped me off to this place a while back, but I had never tried it because I tend to stay loyal to my local donut favorites. My absolute favorite donut of all time is the chocolate old fashioned so I grabbed one of stan’s interpretations. I also got a maple/caramel concoction that is supposedly a house favorite.
The chocolate old fashioned did not hold a candle to my local shop’s version. It was a little on the dry side, but got more moist in the center. The thing that really pissed me off was the frosting. First, there was barely any on it. Second, it tasted like it was watered down. I am supremely disappointed with this fake version of my all-time fav and vow to never get it there again. The second donut was much better.
Now that’s more like it. This was like a maple covered doughy baseball. The pecans were a nice touch and added a crunchiness that offset how sweet this sucker was. The dough was cooked well and very chewy. They still were a little cheap with the frosting, but at least it tasted good. The real bonus was the caramel that they had baked into the middle.
Despite the fact that this was a good donut, I still don’t think I’ll be going back. I know donuts are a very subjective topic. But you know the special ones when you eat ’em. These can best be described as severely overrated.
A special thanks goes out to the Starbucks crew at Avenida de los Arboles and Erbes. Thank you to Aaron, Scott and Veronica for letting me use their lobby as my dining room. They even provided the fine china upon which these inferior donuts posed for their pictures. You guys are the best!
Maybe next time I’ll review the best donuts in T.O. But for now, I just have to keep that secret to myself. Tell us where to get your favorites in the comments.
EatMeCalifornia 
Oh man. I went to Stan’s a while back because I had read they were voted Ventura County’s best coffee and I was told by my friend, a Newbury Park lifer, that Stan’s blueberry donut holes were the bomb. I was impressed with the donut holes, though I wondered what they were using for the blueberry, because they had small, intensely flavored blueberry flecks that were decidedly not blueberries.
Donut holes are the jewels of the donut world if you ask me, so when you do reveal your super-top-secret coolio donut joint let me know how their holes measure up!
Thanks for the shout-out for the cupcake! Wow. I did not expect that. I’m just a regular ole’ groupie who likes to bake. But rest assured you and Mikey have secured top spots my taste tester list! What with all the damage you guys do to your stomachs my worst creation will be kinder than the 45 min in-n-out greasy spoon.
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