Tea and Cupcakes

This past weekend my good friend Devinne invited me to tea and cupcakes in Elmhurst, the western suburb of Chicago where I grew up.  It sounded like a lovely way to spend a Sunday.

Yesterday afternoon I boarded the Metra and, once it reached Elmhurst, I walked over to Elijah's coffee shop to meet Devinne.  It's her go-to coffee shop, and it's easy to see why.  It's warm and cozy, decorated with original artwork, and the baristas make great drinks.  The Elijah's we went to, located on First Street, is actually the second location, the first being on Vallette St. on the south side of the city.

Devinne ordered her usual pumpkin chai and I chose black raspberry green tea.  We very well could have stayed there, but we opted to seek out cupcakes.  Our quest led us to Courageous Bakery, a great, relatively new(ish) bakery which donates a portion of its proceeds to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I think it's fantastic that the owners are taking advantage of the cupcake trend to do something good, and I love that they don't stop there; judging by the cupcake I tried, they make sure customers keep returning with heavenly baked goods.  Not only do you feel good about helping a cause, your sweet tooth is satisfied!

Inside Courageous Bakery

Devinne and I both ordered the same Raspberry Lemon cupcake, which is a lemony cake and raspberry filling with whipped cream cheese frosting.  It was so moist and rich - though fluffy and light - that it was more like cheesecake than cake.  It also paired very well with my blackberry tea from Elijah's.

By the time I thought to take a picture, I'd already eaten half of it.

The shop itself is cheery, with sunny floor-to-ceiling windows and walls painted in bright green and orange.  The service was very friendly, and while Devinne and I chatted a man serenaded the shop with an acoustic guitar.  I tipped him, mostly for his seamless mash-up of "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" and Radiohead's "Creep."

We would have stayed much longer but Courageous Bakery closes at 2:00 on Sundays.  I'd like to go back again, maybe for brunch to try their breakfast menu.  Though it would be hard to resist ordering another Lemon Raspberry cupcake.

Elijah's Coffee

111 E First St.

Elmhurst, IL 60126

(630) 833-2033

Courageous Bakery

108 W Park Ave.

Elmhurst, IL 60126

(630) 834-2253