St. Louis, MO (January 25, 2013) – Two of St. Louis’ sweetest spots, The Cup and Kakao Chocolate joined forces to create a delectable local treat, the Salted Caramel Crunch cupcake. The new treat is a unique partnership between two of the area’s most popular dessert venues.
 
The idea was born during an afternoon of taste testing. “We had a variety of buttercream frostings from The Cup, and Brian Pelletier from Kakao Chocolate presented different sauces, truffles and chocolates. We spent several hours trying different combinations to see what worked best,” explains Jon Baker, The Cup's Central West End manager.
 
What worked best was a light chocolate cake with sweet and salty pretzels baked into the crust and topping. After it is baked, the cupcake is frosted with freshly made chocolate buttercream, topped with pretzels, drizzled with Kakao’s handcrafted burnt caramel sauce and finished with a light sprinkle of kosher salt.
 
“The combination of flavors and textures is like nothing we have made before,” explains Erica Arrowsmith, The Cup's head of Research and Development.
 
The cupcake follows a national trend that highlights the popularity of the salty-sweet mixture that is salted caramel. Started in France where heavily salted caramels are a traditional treat, the trend has expanded to global businesses such as Starbucks. “It is a great opportunity for us to offer a new, exciting flavor that people may not have tried, while also supporting another locally owned business,” says Arrowsmith.
 
The Salted Caramel Crunch is available at all Cup locations until Feb. 4. www.cravethecup.com