Doing something different in Newport News

If you have lived here any time at all, you are familiar with all the nicknames that are associated with Newport News, Virginia: “Bad Newz,” “The 7-5-7,” “Newport Snooze.” As a life-long native to the area, I am here to prove that there is more to do in Newport News than cruising around Walmart, or “venturing” to Port Warwick and back.

Hilton Village, located on Warwick Boulevard about ten minutes from Christopher Newport University’s campus, offers a wide range of shopping opportunities and good places to eat. The strip consists of businesses such as The Bread Store, Fine Arts Shop, The Pineapple Patch, and more–but my main focus is the fairly new addition to Hilton Village, Couture Cakes.

Owned by a Shanika Covington, all the gourmet cakes and delicious cupcakes are made from scratch. Covington began decorating cakes as a hobby about eight years ago, but did not make the switch to three-dimensional sculpted cakes until two years ago.

“At times, 3-D cakes can be stressful,” said Covington, “with the whole process of making sure it’s stable and will not fall over, but when it’s all said and done and the client sees his/her personal creation, it makes it all worth it. I can’t resist a good challenge!”

Other than a food occupation class in high school, Covington has never taken a cake decorating class. She has learned everything she knows by browsing cake decorating books and searching the web.

Covington also writes that sometimes she misses making basic sheet cakes because so much work goes into creating a custom cake, but she’s a firm believer in the saying, “Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life.”

Couture Cakes is carrying a Valentine’s Day special of chocolate dipped strawberries, or cakes adorned with chocolate dipped strawberries, for your special someone. But if strawberries don’t make your mouth water, maybe some of the available flavors will: Banana cake with fudge icing, dark chocolate fudge cake with homemade peanut butter buttercream, or chocolate cake with raspberry puree filling topped with raspberry flavored buttercream. For those of you that are 21 years of age or older, Couture Cakes also carries alcohol infused cupcakes for an additional cost. All the cupcakes are $2.25, or a dozen for $25.00. Coming soon, Tres Leches, Dulce de Leche, Chai tea and sugar-free vanilla pound cupcakes with chocolate or vanilla icing.

Recent customer and CNU Alumni, Lindsay Fauver, speaks highly of Couture Cakes ‘Strawberry Overload Cupcake.’

“It has strawberry cake batter, strawberry icing, with strawberries on top,” she explains. She also mentions that Couture Cakes’ strawberry icing does not carry the acidic after-taste of some store bought strawberry icings.

If you’re looking for something different, venture away from your local grocer’s bakery section and visit Couture Cakes–it’s sure to add some flavor to your day.

Posted by Jessa Lane on Feb 8 2011. Filed under Daily Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.