Sprinkles Cupcakes

No baking for me today. I'm home sick with all kinds of stomach problems, which couldn't come at a worse time. On Sunday, I am running my first half marathon! Even better, it's the Chicago Rock n' Roll Half Marathon. There are bands performing at every mile and a concert after the finish line. It sounds really cool.

No cupcakes or sweets of any kind today (worst day ever), just rice and applesauce. I'm doing whatever it takes hoping this will pass in 24 hours. I'll be devastated if all of this training was for nothing.

I tend to get stomach pains when I'm anxious or stressed, so I'm not really surprised this happened with all of the anxiety of the race coming up. (Although it could be some bad Subway I had last night...)

To try and soothe my anxiety, I'm thinking past the race and on to the best cupcake bakery in Chicago: Sprinkles Cupcakes. Cupcake lovers, whenever you're in Chicago, Sprinkles Cupcakes is a must. I'm hoping to make a stop after we conquer this race.

www.sprinkles.com

 

Sprinkles Cupcakes was the world's first cupcake bakery, opened by Candace Nelson in Beverly Hills in 2005. Candace Nelson is a judge on Cupcake Wars. I got to go to the bakery in Chicago a few months ago and fell in love!

This is why...

Yes, that's exactly what it looks like: a cupcake vending machine! Well, they call it a Cupcake ATM. You pick which cupcake flavor you want, swipe your credit card, and your beautiful cupcake comes out in a box with a fork, which, along with all of their packaging, are made with recycled materials.


www.sprinkles.com

The bakery itself is a cute little shop with a beautiful display of flavors to choose from and a cupcake bar (my kind of bar!). Sprinkles also sells their cupcake mix at the shop. I wanted to get a box, but the line was pretty long and I had my ATM cupcake in my hand, waiting to be eaten.

I chose a classic flavor, vanilla milk chocolate, mainly because I didn't want to keep the line waiting and it was the first choice. It was incredible. The frosting was rich and creamy, while the cake was moist and delicious. Although it comes out of a machine, it tastes just as fresh. The vending machine was what really made the experience unique, and I highly recommend it.

They top their cupcakes with colored dots to mark the flavors.



thechicbrulee.com

A cupcake from Sprinkles will be the reward I look forward to after the race. I'm thinking either the chocolate coconut or red velvet.

For now, I'm going to focus on that cupcake rather than the thirteen miles I will run before the cupcake. I would think that cupcakes dancing around in my head can lower anxiety.

Readers, any tips for lowering anxiety?


Happy cupcake thoughts!