Memorable Birthday Treats from The Chocolate Swirl

This past weekend, my family celebrated their trifecta of birthdays with a big shin-dig at my parents' house.  Aside from all of our favorite people coming out to celebrate, the food (and the dessert especially) is always a big highlight.  I'm usually the one that takes care of the latter, as I typically call on the experts to create something special and interesting.  This year, I engaged Lisa from The Chocolate Swirl in orchestrating these fabulous personalized cupcakes.

Chocolate Swirl's Birthday Cupcakes - Being able to customize virtually anything at the Chocolate Swirl, I wanted to create three unique cupcakes, tailored to the likings of my Mom (Mira), Dad (Paul), and Brother (Peter).  I thought it'd be cool to display everyone's ripe old age on fondant as well, which luckily no one objected to.

In terms of flavors, we went with three varieties including: Mira (banana cupcake with mocha frosting), Paul (chocolate cupcake with vanilla chocolate chip frosting), and Peter (Guinness/chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting).  All three looked beautiful and festive, but one stood out the most in terms of uniqueness and flavor, which was definitely the Peter.  I loved the deep chocolate flavor of the cupcake with slight hints of that smoky, coffee essence from the Guinness.  Devouring the peanut butter frosting, it was soft, creamy and really peanut buttery, which was awesome.

Service and Cost:
Since the Chocolate Swirl is available solely online, you can contact Lisa directly or you can message her on Facebook.  Responsive and very accommodating to all sorts of preferences, I have confidence that you'll get a great experience and that you'll love your order.

Cupcakes range between $3.50 - $4.50 a piece, which is a decent price for a truly customized treat.

The Chocolate Swirl 

Hubby's Chocolate Swirl Surprise!

Today was a lot of fun, as we celebrated Dan's 35th birthday - a few days early, but still special, as we got together with the whole family and indulged in comforting Italian food and some pretty tasty birthday cake courtesy of The Chocolate Swirl.  It's no secret that Dan loves his Miami Dolphins, so the cake took on a fun dolphins design, incorporating his semi crazy obsession with designer sunglasses too.  


This beautiful birthday cake was made up of a rich dark chocolate dough filled with Dan's two favorite flavors of peanut butter and oreo cookies. I loved how The Chocolate Swirl incorporated two types of flavors into the filling, which made the cake unique and special. It was fun to watch the expression on everyone's faces as the cake made its grand entrance, especially our little Maddie.
If you like what you see, you can custom order your cake from the Chocolate Swirl and infuse the design and flavors of your choice. Happy Birthday, Dan!

3 Fun Easter Specials for This Sunday

Image by La Guli

With the Easter bunny rearing its floppy head this Sunday, you may be wondering what's in store in terms of the food scene.  Here, I've put together a mini roundup of places you can go to sit down and have a proper meal, as well as just something sweet to pick up.

Astor Room - Serving both a celebratory brunch and dinner, Astor Room will be cooking up plenty of delicious eats and mixing those famous drinks.  For brunch, you get a starter, an entree and a morning cocktail for $28/person while dinner is also a 3-courser for $55/person, and includes some luxurious menu items such as a roasted leg of lamb, a short rib stroganoff, beef wellington and more.  34-12 36th Street, Astoria.  718.255.1947

The Chocolate Swirl - If you're looking for something sweet (and beautiful) there's still time to order delicious signature cake pops as well as the cute little bunny pops they have in time for Easter.  Festive cupcakes and ice cream brownie pops are also a great way to go and will definitely get you noticed when bringing these over for Easter.  

La Guli Pastry Shop - I just couldn't believe how much they're baking up at La Guli when I saw their Facebook page.  From Easter bread with colorful eggs inside to Easter basket cupcakes, bunny cupcakes and all of their usual mini Italian cookies and cakes, you can't go wrong here.  29-15 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.728.5612

Queens County Market at Sac's Place is a Hit

As some of you know, yesterday Sac's Place hosted yet another fabulous Queens County Market.  I went over there to check it out for its novelty factor, but also because I wanted to come out and support Meg in her book signing.  The afternoon was a really fun experience, as a lot of folks from the neighborhood came out to support local food artisans.  It was really inspiring to see the beautiful things that our local experts are making, and I was happy to lend my support where I could.  I was surprised to see some vendors from Brooklyn too, which is OK, but I loved seeing Queens dominate with awesomeness.

Here are some of my highlights:

Charlito's Cocina - Because I love me some cured meat, I couldn't refuse trying theirs, including the smoky chorizo, which was flavored with paprika, garlic, and Mediterranean sea salt.  Additionally to the meat , I was really intrigued by their vegetarian "salami," which came in a fig flavor.  It looked like a salami for sure, but deep, earthy fig flavor couldn't fool your tastebuds.  It was just fabulous on its own or perhaps coupled with its meaty siblings.

Mel's Melting Pot - I also enjoyed this station, which boasted a big variety of chutneys, ketchup and apple sauce.  While the chutneys and ketchup looked amazing, I decided to sample the spiced applesauce with quince, which was refreshing and not overly sweet.  It tasted really natural and seemed like a good way to enjoy a little snack.  Mel's also recommends putting it on pancakes or even pork chops. 

The Chocolate Swirl - Of course I have a huge soft spot for Lisa's amazing treats and that's partially the reason why I came to the market.  Happy to see her newest addition, which are the Girls Scout cookie flavors such as Samoas and Thin Mints, I bought a cake pop in each.  So far, I've sampled the Samoa cake pop, which was incredible and really tasted exactly like my favorite nostalgic cookie.  All I had to do was close my eyes, as I was envisioned reaching into that familiar cookie box.

Meg's book of course! - It's always a highlight to see my friend Meg doing what she does best - spread her enthusiasm for good quality food in Queens.  It was lovely to see a lot of folks asking her questions about the book and the copies literally flying off the table.  Great job, Meg! I've got my book all marked up with places to hit.

The Queens County Market takes place usually every month at rotating venues - stay tuned on their site for more information about the next event.  

3 Great (Local) Ways to Get your Holiday Sweet Fix

It's holiday time, and my gorging has officially started.  From various blogger events to work lunches and dinners, it just doesn't stop.  And the worst (I mean the best) part is that there are sweet treats everywhere.  Cookies, cupcakes, magic bars, cake...it's hard to refuse a festive holiday treat, so I made a pact to just give in for the time being and work it off later.  If you're looking to satisfy your sweet fix for the holidays or to simply share something delightful with your friends and family, here are three great (local) resources.

The Chocolate Swirl - It's no secret that I love the indulgent little bites from this Astoria based home baking business, run by the talented, Lisa Bracigliano.  For this holiday season, there will be plenty to choose from including their signature cake pops (the red velvet rocks!), holiday chocolate truffles and even festive gift towers and baskets.  See their full menu.  

Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery - Having the pleasure of trying their goodies just today, this neat little bakery business with humble beginnings is on the brink of something really big, real soon, recently being discovered by Chef, Tom Colicchio.  I can personally vouch for their oatmeal, brown sugar cookie bars that make me think of the magic bars at Buttercup Bake Shop (but better), the chocolate chip cookies with fleur de sel and the dark chocolate explosion cookies.  Contact them directly for a full menu and to place your order.

Miss Amy's Baby Cakes - Another local small business sweet shop, they specialize in cupcakes with a classic as well as a couture flair.  You can personalize the flavors to your specific liking, and even brand your cupcakes, whether for a company party or a special celebration with family and friends.  Feel free to peruse their offering and place your order.

Valentine's Day Red Velvet Special

Image by The Chocolate Swirl

Here's a fun V-Day special for you, if you're still thinking about treating your loved one to something sweet and delicious.  Sure, you can get a box of truffles, flowers or whatever's the norm, but there's also cupcakes.  Red velvet to be exact, that pay homage to V-day in the nicest way.

One of my favorite sweet shops in Astoria, The Chocolate Swirl is featuring a great Valentine's Day special on red velvet mini cupcakes at 50% off.  Here's the deal:

1 dozen mini cupcakes for $12 (usually $25)

Supplies are limited, so order these today to get them in time for tomorrow.  To order, email: info@thechocolateswirl.com

I can vouch that you won't be disappointed.

www.thechocolateswirl.com 

The Chocolate Swirl - Fun, Local Treats for Easter

Image by thechocolateswirl.com

Here's another heads-up for Easter, Passover or any holiday or non-holiday of your liking.  This one comes from one of my favorite Astoria-based businesses, The Chocolate Swirl, which produces homemade truffles, brownie pops, cakes, cupcakes and other confections.  I adore this company for their thoughtful and creative presentation (they're not afraid of color and texture) and the decadent, rich and delicious flavor of their products.  My ultimate favorite of theirs is the red velvet brownie pop (the moistest cake pop I've had to date) closely followed by the s'mores brownie pop, which is slightly more indulgent.

But for holiday themed sweets, check out their Spring collection, which includes:

Bunny Brownie Pops (they're super cute and would make a great gift for kids)
Springtime Easter Cupcakes
Chocolate Pretzel Nests (pictured above - a clever little treat worthy of a conversation starter)
Truffle Topiary (for Mother's Day)
Double Decker Brownies
Brownie Pop Flower Pot and more...

Intrigued?  You can check out The Chocolate Swirl in person at Astoria Market on May 1st or you can learn about their goodies online.  Enjoy and don't forget to lick your fingers.

The Chocolate Swirl

Astoria-Based Chocolate Swirled Sin

While checking out Astoria Market the other week, I noticed a very sweet booth, showcasing homemade chocolate truffles, brownie lollipops and apple-caramel crumb bars that caught my eye.  I briefly chatted with the lovely women selling these wares to find out that their business, The Chocolate Swirl is an Astoria-based online sweet shop, selling all sorts of things, including custom made cakes, cookies and other demand-based confections.

They had a raffle going for a special holiday sampler, and naturally loving giveaways of all kinds, I entered.  Well...fast forward two weeks - I open up an email from The Chocolate Swirl informing me that I won the raffle.  How fun! It totally made my day, and I planned to pick up my winnings right before Thanksgiving.  I wasn't necessarily going to eat them on Thanksgiving day, but I wanted to celebrate the holiday early by trying some of these yummies. 

I picked my goods this past Wednesday and was excited to find:

A box of assorted truffles
A box of assorted brownie pops
A mini pumpkin pound cake

Brownie Pops - "Amazing, delicious, delectable," don't do this dessert justice.  I was simply amazed by how wonderful these were both in aesthetics and taste.  They looked pretty and colorful, with a thin layer of chocolate frosting, further decked with sprinkles and graham cracker crumbs. 

I received three different flavors including red velvet (our hands-down favorite!), s'mores, and chocolate chip.  The red velvet was pure perfection, boasting the moistest interior I've ever tasted when it comes to red velvet cake.  The white chocolate cream cheese frosting was also delectable - the right amount of sweet from the chocolate and just a little bit of tang from the cream cheese.  We were delighted that we received two of these, and they certainly did not go to waste.

The other brownie pop that was well received was the s'mores, which was just as moist (if not moister) than the red velvet.  It almost tasted fudgy, with mini marshmallows inside, and the whole thing dipped in milk chocolate and then covered in toasty graham crackers.  Heaven on a stick.

If you're interested in checking out this awesome local business, visit their website or say hello to them at the next Astoria Market.  And please tell them I sent ya.