about
I was gabbing away at the Spring Lyceum Market last Sunday when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to say, “Wha..?” Before I could finish the “t,” my husband popped a sweet, moist and lightly crunchy caramel toffee mini cupcake into my cakehole. Now that’s what I call love.
Lisa Bracigliano is the pastry chef and owner of The Chocolate Swirl. She is a graduate of the Institute for Culinary Education’s Pastry and Baking Program, with a previous background as a theatrical stage manager. Her creativity and enthusiasm for her confections are obvious not only in the variety of products she creates, including handmade truffles, mini-cupcakes, and brownie pops, but in their fine flavors and textures. She also makes beautiful custom cakes and cupcakes, such as these incredible yoga cupcakes and this tie dye cake, which I read about on her blog. My birthday is 10 months from now, which is why they invented the Half-Birthday, only 4 short months away.
We tried several of the truffles and the red velvet mini-cupcake too. Each one was perfectly delicious, balanced, and carefully concocted. I appreciated the choice of flavors and combinations, like the brownie pop covered with crushed pretzels and the multiple ingredients and textures on that caramel toffee cupcake. Lisa clearly knows a good thing when she tastes it. And then she takes things to the next level, as you’ll see in Spring 2011 Collection – chocolate pretzel nests, truffle topiaries, and more. The Chocolate Swirl’s motto is, “Better living through chocolate.” Indeed.
The Chocolate Swirl will be at the Brooklyn Craft Central’s Shop the Archway in Dumbo on Saturday, May 21! Come by and try a mint chocolate brownie pop!
