Rockin' Cupcakes in Rockport

On our day-trip to Rockport today, Gail had penuche from the Rockport Fudgery for a treat. My treat was a pastry called a Bone from Rockin' Cupcakes. Look at this thing: chocolate cake with creamy icing covered in soft chocolate. It reminded me of the Hostess Ding Dongs of my childhood. The cake was moist and firm covered with a sugar-rush of smooth frosting. It satisfied every urge for chocolate cake a guy could have.

Rockin' prides themselves on their cupcakes, though. You can see in their picture how they get a balance of frosting and cake while still getting the beautiful, high-topping of frosting. First, they cut a divot out of the middle of the cake and fill the hole with frosting.











Then the bakers take the remaining cake piece and invert it on top of the frosting. This makes a base for the frosting mound that tops the creation off. They cut each cupcake in half when they serve them, which makes them the easiest cupcakes to eat ever. At home, we usually cut the bottoms off our cupcakes and spread half the frosting over the cut-off bottoms to get a more consistent ratio of cake to frosting. Rockin's method does that job and makes for a dramatic presentation, too.

           

I'm hoping that Adam Richman from Man v. Food tries their contest. They said nobody has won the challenge yet. I think the four minute limit might be insurmountable since I couldn't eat a single cupcake and scoop of ice cream in one minute. But given how delicious the cakes are ... and a full hour, I might try.

Penuche from the Rockport Fudgery

Gail and I took a day-trip to Rockport today. We had a delightful time eating lunch on an outdoor terrace overlooking the water, but the food was uninspiring. So, we hoped we could find a good sweet treat to satisfy our hearts. Gail's joy was penuche from the Rockport Fudgery. The penuche had a smooth, firm texture and melted in my mouth with gooey caramel flavors. It's all gone now.

This is the classic seaside fudge and candy shop, and they make their fudge right on the premises. We know this for sure because we were fortunate enough to watch as they were cooling and texturing a batch of fudge. The candy maker scrapes the hot fudge off the edge of the big copper pot, occasionally lifting the big spoon in the air and pouring it back into the pot.

He let me have a go at it. He said to work the fudge like rowing a boat with an oar. The fudge was thick and  much harder to row than water. The candy maker said he works each batch for about 15 minutes before pouring it in pans to set up.