 |
She bakes the apples separately and then slices them very thinly, lightly spices them, and stirs a few into the batter in each aluminum-lined cupcake tin. The buttercream frosting is flavored sublimely and the result is delicate and delectable. ...
Short & Sweet is the name of the enterprise cooked up by 16-year-old Norwalk twins Kate (the baker) and Gavin (the business manager) Nelson. Last year, the twins purchased a truck online and fitted it out with two commercial ovens, a sink, countertop and bakery shelves and had it decorated with bright vertical neon green stripes and their cheery logo.
They went about securing permits for a mobile bakery from state and local agencies (enough permits to fill a book, Gavin says). Their business plan was to sell enough cupcakes to add to their college fund and have fun at the same time.
This summer, business has boomed, thanks to the yumminess of the cupcakes, word of mouth and social networking. The twins post their locations and times to Twitter and Facebook and fans can rendezvous for a sugar fix.
The choices, which may vary from time to time, usually include apple pie with apple spice buttercream icing, banana with walnuts and peanut butter icing, chocolate cheesecake and red velvet, in addition to plain vanilla and chocolate. All are mixed and baked fresh daily within the mobile bakery by Kate, who can?t remember when she didn?t love to ice a cake.
She laboriously tests recipes, many of them family heirlooms, to achieve perfection of texture and taste. Take, for example, the apple pie cupcake.
Trust me, this is not a heavy mass of dough with canned apples slathered in dreary, gelatinous sauce. Kate?s version is exceptionally light and fluffy, engineered simply with butter, sugar, flour and baking powder.
She bakes the apples separately and then slices them very thinly, lightly spices them, and stirs a few into the batter in each aluminum-lined cupcake tin. The buttercream frosting is flavored sublimely and the result is delicate and delectable.
Amy Thomas and Matt Stern were at Cove Marina one day recently to play miniature golf when they spied the Short & Sweet truck. Thomas had the red velvet and Stern went for the banana with peanut butter frosting. (They sell for $2.50 each, $25 for a dozen.) There were no complaints.
?The cream cheese frosting is awesome!? opined Thomas. ?Very good!? said a satisfied Stern. Kate and Gavin have also been making the rounds of birthday parties from Darien to Weston, where they arrive with undecorated cupcakes, typically for the preschool set, and partygoers decorate their own, with candies and other treats.
?If you have to ask, you shouldn?t eat one,? is what Kate says her grandmother tells them to say. She said the cupcakes freeze well and so can be enjoyed at home with a glass of milk when the spirit moves.
Short & Sweet cupcakes also go well with oysters. Look for the colorful truck with the cupcake logo and neon green balloons at the Oyster Festival September 9 ? 11.
[["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Hey, you forgot to let us know how you feel \u2014 please enter a comment."}],["validates_length_of",{"too_long":"Easy there, Tolstoy. Your comment cannot exceed 1500 characters.","maximum":1500,"allow_blank":true}]]
Let Them Eat Cake Pops! Dog Days of Summer Pose Health Hazards for Man's Best Friend From Easy to Elaborate, Risotto Satisfies Video:
12-Year-Old Girl Killed in Car Crash in Maine Stamford Woman Robbed and Sexually Assaulted Near Downtown Condo Hundreds Attend Mass For Brian Bill Cafe Ooh-La-La Robbed A Week After Crash All Aboard!
[["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter email address."}],["validates_format_of",{"with":["^([^@\\s]+)@((?:[-a-z0-9]+\\.)+[a-z]{2,})$","i"],"message":"Email address is not formatted properly. Please try entering it again."}]]
[["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your email address."}],["validates_format_of",{"with":["^([^@\\s]+)@((?:[-a-z0-9]+\\.)+[a-z]{2,})$","i"],"message":"Your email address is not formatted properly. Please try entering it again."}]]
Enter your tip here and it will be sent straight to Chandra Johnson Greene and Editor Jamal Powell, Stamford Patch's (incredibly grateful) editors.
[["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your email address."}],["validates_format_of",{"with":["^([^@\\s]+)@((?:[-a-z0-9]+\\.)+[a-z]{2,})$","i"],"message":"Email address is not formatted properly."}]]
Email* [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your email address."}],["validates_format_of",{"with":["^([^@\\s]+)@((?:[-a-z0-9]+\\.)+[a-z]{2,})$","i"],"message":"Your email address is not formatted properly."}]] Password* [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your password."}]]
Your name* [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your name."}],["validates_length_of",{"too_long":"Your name must be shorter than 100 characters.","maximum":100,"allow_nil":true}]] Email* [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your email address."}],["validates_length_of",{"too_long":"Your email address must contain between 5 and 100 characters.","maximum":100,"allow_nil":true}],["validates_email_format_of",{"message":"Your email address is not properly formatted. Mind giving it another shot?"}],["validates_uniqueness_of",{"message":"The email address you entered is being used by another member. Please try a different address.","client_can_validate":true,"exists_url":"/users/exists?email="}]] Password* [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your password."}],["validates_length_of",{"too_short":"Your password must contain between 4 and 40 characters.","too_long":"Your password must contain between 4 and 40 characters.","allow_nil":true,"minimum":4,"maximum":40}],["validates_format_of",{"message":"Your password may contain only letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens. No emoticons, please. :p","with":["^[a-zA-Z0-9\\_\\-]*?$",""]}]] Confirm password* [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please confirm your password."}]] I want to receive the Stamford daily newsletter and updates about Patch!