Sprinkles Cupcakes started offering Flaming Hot Cheetos cupcakes yesterday. I learned this through Instagram. This sounded too weird to pass up, so I ordered a half-dozen to the office. And, despite their apprehension, my beautiful and talented colleagues dug in. (Thanks, guys.)
About those cupcakes: Flaming Hot Cheetos are stuffed into the center of vanilla cake. The frosting is similar to a cream cheese version, except made with white cheddar. It’s topped with crushed Cheetos.
Eating the cupcake was somewhat bewildering; it was sugary, cheesy, spicy, crunchy, and then sweet again, and then extra spicy, and then it settled into an aftertaste akin to eating too many chips and cake at a birthday party and throwing up.
One of my colleagues suggested serving the cupcakes with Big Red. Another is a giant baby and really upset with me for making him try one. And another enjoyed the desserts so much that she would consider ordering them for her son’s birthday.
According to the woman who answered the phone at Sprinkles this afternoon, the Flaming Hot Cheetos cakes are only available until July 29. So if you want to try them, you’ll need to head there this weekend. In the meantime, here’s what the D Magazine staff thought.
“I have never been so confused in my life. Pleasure and pain, disgust and ecstasy, all rolled into one. I don’t regret this, but I will never do it again.”
“I’m worried for Sprinkles that they feel they need to go to these bizarre and unnecessary lengths with their cupcakes. Just do you, Sprinkles!”
“Surprisingly not that bad. Reminds me of things that are salty and sweet that don’t seem to go together, like bacon jam. Would I go out of my way to order it? No.”
“Tasted like a regular cupcake until the hot powder hit the back of my throat, felt like I got a sore throat. Interesting experience though.”
“I really kind of liked it, but I feel like people will judge me for admitting that. Is this anonymous?”
“Hmm… I don’t hate it. Definitely better than I thought. Reminds me of like a chocolate-covered pretzel in a way. I don’t think I’d ever buy one, but not bad.”
“This tastes like regret. It’s a sharp salt bomb at the front followed by an tooth-achingly sweet sugar blast, a trashy mix of flavors that make me want to go back to three minutes ago when these were in a box, away from my mouth. This is the hangover of desserts.”
