[Model D] Woodward Gardens Block Development on track to be completed by end of 2013

Construction on phases III and IV of the Woodward Gardens project on the 3900 block of Woodward is humming along nicely. Eric Means, a representative of the Woodward Gardens Block Development, says that the project is on track to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of this year.

The 32,505-square-foot Garden Theatre will be completed first, targeted to open by the end of the third quarter. The theatre will host live performances that "align with the Midtown energy;" more grassroots and indie performers "geared to attract the audience that makes up (the Midtown) demographic." The theatre will have a total occupancy of 1,300, with mostly standing room on the main floor and a VIP balcony for private functions. The front portion of the theatre will have a café.

Read more.

[Real Detroit] Easter Candy (Detroit-Style)

Gayle's Chocolates.

If you gave up chocolate for Lent, get ready for the ultimate post-deprivation binge. If you didn't give up chocolate, or don't even observe Lent, well – still get ready for the ultimate binge, because these metro Detroit candy makers and bakers are in full-bore chocolate bunny (and beyond) production mode. Grab your pink plastic baskets, fill them up with neon green "grass" and stuff them full of chocolate bunnies, peanut butter eggs, marshmallow Peeps and jelly beans (the good kind, not those cheap crappy ones where half of them are licorice flavored). Your days of sacrifice are over and spring is here! EAT MOAR CHOCOLATE.

Read more.

[Model D] Cupcak'n is sweet on Hamtramck, will open this spring

Hamtramck is definitely experiencing a growth spurt. Another new food business is set to open, a cupcakerie and gourmet ice cream shop called Cupcak’n located at 2756 Evaline St.

Owners Faness and Anthony Gray will debut their interactive cupcake bar concept this spring. Like a Cold Stone Creamery where you pick your own ingredients, they will offer eight different cupcake flavors with 14 kinds of frosting and over 20 different toppings so you can build your own cupcake. Chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting with Oreos and fudge on top? No problem.

Read more.

[Metromode] A Cupcake Supreme

Taste Love Cupcakes opened a year ago on April 16 on a busy stretch of Main Street in downtown Royal Oak. At a time when it seemed like cupcakeries were populating storefronts faster than upscale BBQ joints it was hard to see what set Taste Love Cupcakes (TLC) apart from the rest.

That was a year ago. Now it's a little easier to see what separates this stylish cupcake bakery from their competition: a win on the Food Network's Cupcake Wars.

Read more.

[Fox News] Will Macarons Be the New Cupcake?

Macarons from Cup.Cake in Royal Oak. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

Everyone is looking for the new cupcake. Ever since the cupcake craze seems to have calmed down (after populating nearly every corner of the country with dedicated cupcakeries), food experts, trend analysts and next-it-thing-seeking foodies have been anxiously anticipating what will be the heir apparent to the throne of exalted confections.

It may still be a little too early to tell, but the macaron—a French sandwich cookie/biscuit that is as eye-catching as it is palate-pleasing—seems to be a strong contender.

Read the rest of the article here.

[Real Detroit Weekly] Coo-Coo for Cupcakes

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg

"There we were: four frenzied foodies, two photographers and a writer staring down over 70 sexy cupcakes, each more visually tantalizing than the last.

'Before us were fudge-covered, sprinkle-splattered representatives from seven different local cupcakeries: Cupcake Station (Birmingham), Rockin' Cupcakes (Rochester), Just Baked (multiple locations), Cupcakes & More (Detroit – Renaissance Center), Cup.Cake (Royal Oak), Nom Nom's Cupcake Factory (Westland) and Pink Elephant (coming soon in Saint Clair Shores). We had a cornucopia of colorful cupcakes ranging from strawberry cheesecake and Key lime pie to German chocolate and Drumstick (like the ice cream cone). We had four different kinds of Red Velvet, five variations on Bumpy Cake, five kinds of carrot cake and a variety of candy- and cookie-themed flavors like Snickers, Heath, Oreo and M&M's.

'The task was this: sample each and every cupcake. Take some notes to share with the masses. Try to get through to the end without succumbing to sugar shock. And that was all. Easy, right? 'We're all going to puke tonight,' one in our illustrious number of iron-clad stomachs and steel pancreases moans.

'And so it begins..."

Read the full story here.


Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set.

944 Detroit: Cupcakeries

"Good things come in small packages — nowhere is that more evident than with the current cupcake craze. These metro Detroit bakeries will create your wedding cupcake tower in any custom color, theme, flavor or design you desire..."

[Note: since this printed another cupcakery opened in Royal Oak, Taste Love Cupcakes.]

Read the rest of the article here.