Search

Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« More on the REI/Loomis/SPD Debacle | Get Some Free Shit Over Here »

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Chow Tomato Soup Cupcakes Don't Taste Like Tomato Soup

Posted by Megan Seling on Tue, May 19, 2009 at 4:02 PM

a041/1242774020-cupcaketrio.jpg I finally had the chance to try Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. in Belltown (they opened officially on May 15th). Their trademark cake is the Tomato Soup cupcake and when I posted that on Slog on Thursday people said:

"Tomato soup? That makes me want to hurl."

"Tomato soup does not sound appealing to me... I'm not sure I've ever had a savory cupcake I've liked. And not for lack of trying..."

But it's not a savory, tomato-y cupcake at all. It's basically an orange-colored, sweet spice cake with a swirl of light, creamy chocolate frosting on top (it's the small cupcake on the left in above photo). You'd never guess there was soup in it. If you like pumpkin bread, chances are you'll be a fan of the tomato soup cupcake.

The lemon and black forest cupcakes were also tasty (I liked those more than the tomato soup cupcake, actually... as the latter was just a tad dry). They're no Sugar Rush, but a) they're new and b) they're not all the way over in West Seattle. Tomorrow's flavors will include root beer float and peanut butter and jelly, but get there early if you want your pick of the flavors. They're still trying to figure out how many cupcakes they'll need each day, so they often run low later in the afternoon.

Also: they plan on posting their flavors of the day on their Twitter account. A fine use of Twitter if I've ever heard one.

Photo by Robby Macdonell

Share via

Comments (11) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Megan, how do their cupcakes fair when compared to those of Cupcake Royale?

Posted by Lacking Creativity

on May 19, 2009 at 4:23 PM

Someone got out of the office early.

Posted by Joh

on May 19, 2009 at 4:31 PM

@1 I like them both about the same. It will depend on what you like in a cupcake. Cupcake Royale's cake is a bit more dense than Yellow Leaf's, which is moist and airy. And CR's frosting is more sugary, while Yellow Leaf's is smoother. But both are tasty! I applaud Yellow Leaf's ambitious menu (they have over 30 flavors, with about nine available at a time), but they don't have the (fantastic) salted caramel, which Cupcake Royale recently made a permanent part of their selection.

@2 Lucky for me, leaving early to investigate cupcakes for a Slog post is technically still working. My job is hard!

Posted by Megan Seling on May 19, 2009 at 5:03 PM

1) How much are these cupcakes?

2) Their use of the phrase "Pike's Place Market" on their website (http://www.theyellowleafcupcake.com/) inspired me to ask this question: http://questionland.thestranger.com/ques…

Posted by stinkbug on May 19, 2009 at 5:38 PM

Black Forest cake is like, the greatest thing that has ever existed. Drool....

Posted by Urgutha Forka on May 19, 2009 at 6:16 PM

I beg to differ @5. Salted caramel is the greatest thing that has ever existed. I haven't had Cupcake Royale's version, but I had a salted caramel cupcake from a place in Chicago a few months ago and it was amazing.

Posted by Julie in Eugene on May 19, 2009 at 6:42 PM

I'm going to pick some up before work tomorrow, but $3 a piece is steep!

Posted by doug on May 19, 2009 at 6:49 PM

Crazy cakes! Tomato soup cake has been a around for many years, popular in trailer parks and at midwestern church bizaars where "creativity" is treasured. See also: sauerkraut cake, potato cake, carrot cake, etc. Vegetables add moisture almost as well as fat does(i.e. mayonnaise-loaded cakes). With tomato soup cake you get both.

Posted by Karl Schuck on May 19, 2009 at 7:00 PM

that black forrest cake cupcake made me shoot a load in my jeans!!!!

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on May 19, 2009 at 7:59 PM

I have to disagree @6

Salty/sweet desserts definitely have their place at the table of honor, but if you're gonna be decadent about sweets, then it's gotta be sweet, with sweet, and more sweet on top. Salty/sweet is a worthy contender, but ultimately can only play second fiddle in the sweet hall of fame.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on May 19, 2009 at 10:45 PM

My mom made a tomato soup cake in the 70s with a spice cake mix, eggs and Campbell's instead of the water & oil. Make cream cheese frosting and you're there. Like a carrot cake but more tomato-y

Posted by Chefgirl on May 20, 2009 at 4:50 AM