An international brand has recently added to its inventive range of drinkable treats, so we set off to indulge ourselves...
Most of us enjoy a cheeky cupcake and luckily we live in a city where there’s plenty of choice. If you’re a red velvet connoisseur or tiramisu tantalises your taste buds, you’re in the right place.
You can imagine our intrigue then when we discovered that you could combine a sweet treat with your caffeine hit right here in Dubai. A coffee chain in the region has done just that and now you can enjoy a daily energy boost simultaneously with your favourite cupcake treat.
Caribou coffee, which has been operating in the UAE for more than ten years, has introduced a range of drinks to meet the needs of our discerning sweet tooth. And if you enjoy your sweet treat ice cold, cool or warm, all you do is select your preferred blend.
RICH PICKINGS
We pick the coffee shop’s cool Lotus Biscoff blended cupcake. The ingredients are simple: a mix of espresso coffee and fresh milk, a famous French company’s syrup and the crowning glory, a Lotus biscoff-flavoured cupcake blitzed in a blender. This European bickie, which has a cult following in the region, has been around since 1932 and is considered one of the finest accompaniments to coffee out there.
Topped off with a squirt of whipped cream (yes please) and a scattering of freshly crushed biscuits, the drink seems to have every avenue to sweetness covered. Yes, it’s enticing but it’s also refreshing and gives us that caffeine boost we were looking for to start our day.
THE POWER OF CHOICE
As we’ve come to expect, the drink is fully customisable, so we can go for low-fat fresh milk and even forego the cream entirely. In fact, if you choose your ingredients wisely, you can reduce the calorie count in your cupcake creation significantly. Adversely, if you’re feeling particularly decadent, like us, our barista gracefully accommodated our request for an extra splash of cream to top off our treat.
Lotus biscoff isn’t limited to cupcakes at Caribou. It’s also an ingredient in the chain’s blended cooler and Lotus Latte limited edition drinks for the festive season, so if you’re not as sweet toothed as we are, you can still get your gourmet biscuit fix.
REST ASSURED
In an age when we are becoming increasingly particular about the ethical ramifications of parting with our hard-earned cash, we’re pleased to see that our sugar hit’s ingredients included Rain Forest Alliance-certified coffee beans and the freshest ingredients.
If you have any appetite after your cupcake drink, Caribou has also introduced some seasonal food to its menu, to complement its array of light bites ranging from croissants and muffins to salads and quiches. I guess we’ll have to save our barista’s festive recommendation – the holiday turkey sandwich - for our next visit.
