I found Licks Cake Design through Groupon, and I’ll be back. The idea here is that the special offers introduce people to restaurants, shops and brands. I think this is the argument Groupon’s smiling sales team makes, right?
Despite being pretty much a Groupon rookie and with some minor hiccups, my experience with Licks was great. The cupcakes I got tasted amazing and were cheap!
I’ve mentioned the hiccup, so let’s get that over with. The Groupon deal was for six cupcakes. Press a button to order and then use the calendar to find a pick-up time.
That was easy! Licks are pick-up only. There’s no room for even a seat inside, and I wouldn’t bring a pram.
After I ordered, I saw something that Groupon hadn’t made clear; use the comments to pick your cakes. This isn’t an issue with Licks. It’s with Groupon.
I found the menu and went for 3x Raspberry and 3x Chilli Chocolate.
Licks had made the call for me and gone with not-chocolate to make Raspberry. Since the cupcakes were fresh, they were still being decorated, so Licks kindly made half Raspberry and half Rainbow Sprinkle. It was the same base.
I wasn’t bothered at all. Someone else might have been. I was more irked at Groupon.
The food
I think we know the Groupon experience can be a tricky one. The important thing is The Food.
I’m pleased to report that all six cupcakes were incredible. I ate two straightaway!
I would have to walk home in heavy rain in my defence, and the cupcakes come in a cardboard box. I worried that they might get trashed in the journey. I knew they would never be fresh out of the oven again.
I ate two the next day. I ate two the day after, and, honestly, they still tasted fresh and yummy.
As a kid, I would have called these fairy cakes. That’s not a phrase I encounter anymore. So, if it’s unknown to you, I’d use it to mean small and delightful, often colourful. I’d argue cupcakes are bigger, usually more solid.
At worst, these are small cupcakes. They’re so cheap, though! I’d happily pay twice as much as I did.
The presentation was simple but effective. These are the cakes you serve to visiting friends to silently Impress. Licks’ straightforward approach here is not ostentatious. People will appreciate the taste, might even be pleasantly surprised, but they won’t accuse you of showing off.
Packaging and Information
Remember how I worried about the cakes not surviving the 30-minute walk home in the rain?
They did. No problem. One raspberry cupcake fell over and survived unscathed from that trauma. I ate it the next day.
I’ve no idea what went into the cakes or how many calories I wolfed down. It’s not as if I order six cupcakes off the internet in the interest of healthy eating! I always appreciate knowing kcals and ingredients, but don’t expect it from small indie local bakers.
Nice Touches
I got to Licks about 5 minutes early, and the cakes were still being decorated. Well, if you want freshly made, you have to cope with newly made!
I popped next door to the local deli and ordered a coffee to wait. While I was there, my Licks Cake Design order was brought to me!
I think that’s above and beyond. That’s a nice human effort.
I’ll be back
The jury is out whether I would walk to Stockbridge through an Edinburgh storm for cupcakes again.
I’m determined to order from Licks, though. My birthday is in May; perhaps I’ll see whether the cake design can be ostentatious if given permission to be. I feel it scientifically appropriate to test the visual flair on offer from Licks given that I’m now satisfied with the baking prowess.
Licks Cake Design
Summary
Some delicious cupcakes! Simple, elegant and delightful. These came fresh, with the baker braving the rain to deliver to me, and now I’m plotting my own birthday cake.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
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