Chaos Theory Cakes

So last night I had a chance after the Cubs game to ride over to Chaos Theory Cakes to try out some of their ware I was with a friend and we tried three cupcakes (Lemon/Blueberry with Peppercorns, Curry with Cardamom Ganache, Carrot with Cream Cheese) and one tart (spicy chocolate).

All were extremely tasty flavor-wise, though the cake itself (with the exception of the lemon/blueberry one) was definitely on the dry side. The confections are baked in the kitchen at Bleeding Heart and brought over, and since we were there at almost 10pm, the cupcakes had been sitting for a minimum of, what, 16 hours, so I can't really blame them too much. That said, I do wonder what the shelf-life of a cupcake is and whether they keep the unsold ones around for a couple of days, which is pure speculation on my part, but would explain the dryness. The tendency of cupcakes to go dry quickly is one of the reasons that I'm generally not a fan of the format.

Now, in addition to the tarts and cupcakes, Chaos Theory has sheet-like layer cakes as well, which far and away had the most interesting flavor combinations. It appears as though they have a set of basic flavor combinations and in each of the three formats - cupcake, tart, layer cake - will have an instance of that combination. Given the limitations of the cupcake format (one cake flavor, one frosting) they just can't jam that many things in, but with the layer cakes you have lots of options. For example, we had the carrot cupcake which was good, the layer cake version has "Walnut dacquoise, pineapple gelee, cream cheese mousse, roasted caramelized pineapple slices, carrot mousse". While most of those flavors may have been present in the cupcake, the format limitations preclude the separation of the elements so you don't get the full experience.

They sell the layered cakes 3 sizes - with the smallest unit being a slice large enough for 3-4 people and coming in at $12 (website says $8, but the tag had been changed on the display case). I really wish that they had a slice size more in the $4-6 range so that 2 people could go in and try two slices. As it stands, one slice would be too much by volume for 2 people (well, I suppose it depends on the people) and makes for some hard decisions on what to try. This is why we went the cupcake/tart route, but as described above, I think the layer cakes are really the way to go. Perhaps I just need to go with a group (check the events board - maybe I'll get a group from the board together) so that we can try one of each of the layer cakes and not be overstuffed.

The place is open late (10pm) which I think is fantastic, and I hope that they'll consider staying open even later. We got there just before closing and there were several groups of people still there, indicating to me at least that there's good demand for late-evening sweets.

The last thing I'll say is that the woman who was working at the counter was phenomenal. She was friendly, energetic (at 10pm), happy to walk through each of the flavor combinations, give advice, and just went well beyond the call of duty. The sweets stand up on their own as a reason to go there, and even if the barista was just so-so or even downright unpleasant, I'd probably still go back for the cake, but she was awesome and definitely set the tone/vibe for the place.

Chaos Theory Cakes
2931 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60686
(773) 281-2353
http://www.chaostheorycakes.com

-Dan

p.s. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a big Bleeding Heart Bakery fan (same owners) and so I guess I was predisposed to like the place.

I went in here about a week ago and was sorely disappointed. They do have some interesting sweet/savory flavor combinations, but the quality was not what I would expect - and certainly not at their ridiculous prices. I opted for the 2-for-1 cream puff special, and I don't think I've ever had a worse cream puff. I know that pate a choux (or whatever it's called) can be difficult to make, but this was dry and didn't taste good. I at least thought that the cream part of the puff would be at least adequate - but it was not. In general, prices seemed very steep. I did not try the $3.75 cupcake but at that price - it should be pretty great - so I'd be interested to hear from others who did try the cupcakes or other offerings.

I also tried Chaos Theory Cakes last Friday evening. As mentioned above, the woman working the counter could not have been more friendly and accomodating. The shop was adorable, with bright paint and decoration. However, I ordered a carrot cake cupcake and was very disappointed. Again, this was evening and the cupcakes may have been sitting out, but mine was very, very dry. I'm rooting for this place to succeed in the neighborhood. I know they're going for some real out-of-the-box flavors and mixing sweet and savory, but the end product still has to taste great.

Ah the siren call of Cake.



I went straight for the s'mores tart - a $6 investment that we enjoyed quite a bit over a two day period. We made the dollar/day ratio work in our favor.

Gotta say it was a paper-lickin' good experience. The meringue was perfect and plentiful and the quantity nicely accented the chocolate ganache, which was quite sweet. I prefer a slightly more bitter chocolate filling, but the viscosity of the ganache was right on. The tart shell, made from graham cracker crumbs, brought everything together and was neither too crumbly nor too hard.

I mean, really. It is s'mores...how can you go wrong?

We also tried the curry/chocolate/cardamom cupcake but didn't enjoy it as much as the tart. The cake was a little greasy (it was not dry, not in the least) and the icing was flecked with what appeared to be parts of cardamom pods. I'm not much for eating cardamom whole, so I also picked off the cardamom garnish. The fudge icing itself was great- rich, smooth texture, just bitter enough. I could eat it by the tub were it stripped of the cardamom interloper.



I wonder if there is a need for more basics on the menu...something people can eat every day. The more unusual cakes would be splurge and differentiating items - they shouldn't go away, but there should be offered affordable everyday indulgences (think BHB) other than marshmallows and pate de fruit, lovely though they are.

I hope they do work out their assortment. I want them to do well!

edit: to add photos, y'all

purplestar wrote:I'm rooting for this place to succeed in the neighborhood.

Queijo wrote:I hope they do work out their assortment. I want them to do well!

I want to believe all the good reports and disbelieve all the bad ones, because I, too, really want them to succeed. Or, let me put it another way: The neighborhood (mine) really needs them to succeed! We are (as oft-noted) a relative wasteland, culinarily-speaking--bafflingly short on interesting food and drink in proportion to how many people there are around here with money and (you'd think) the interest to spend it on same. When I saw the cool Chaos Theory signage go up, I got excited. Live up to your neighborhood-rescuing promise, Chaos Theory!

riddlemay wrote:Live up to your neighborhood-rescuing promise, Chaos Theory!

Have you gone to Chaos Theory?

G Wiv wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Live up to your neighborhood-rescuing promise, Chaos Theory!

Have you gone to Chaos Theory?

The implication being that unless I have, I'm not doing my part to help them save my neighborhood? Or maybe you're just asking for my own take on their baked goods, if I've been. Well, whatever your implication, I haven't been, yet. Haven't been walking by at a propitious time. Intend to check them out soon--but don't feel it's incumbent on me to do so! What I was hoping to communicate is that the burden is on them, to be great. If they are not great, my patronage won't make them a success, and if they are great, the lack of my patronage won't stop them from being a success.

But the question behind your question is a very good one, if I read you right. You're saying, "Why do you care whether Chaos Theory is a great resource in your neighborhood, if you don't intend to use that resource yourself?" And a very good question deserves a serious answer, so here's mine. Cool places confer coolness upon a neighborhood, whether you go to them or not. I want my neighborhood to be cool. And I want the coolness of Chaos Theory to invite other cool establishments to open up in the area, so that my neighborhood will not just become cooler, but become a veritable epicenter of cool. For only then will I be able to feel good about myself.

Was bicycling this afternoon in the direction of Chaos Theory and thought it would be a good opportunity to sample some wares. Unfortunately, mrs. riddlemay was biking with me (that wasn't the unfortunate part) and said, "You don't need cupcakes!" (That was.) But then a few minutes later she relented (in a manner of speaking) and said, "Fine. You want to eat a bunch of sugar and fat, go ahead!" So I said OK, and did.

I bought two cupcakes to go, and had my way with them at home. (Half of each. The other half of each saved for later.) The vanilla/cracked pepper/avocado one, and the chocolate-with-chiles one.

Neither one was dry at all. I'm more with Queijo on that one. Not greasy either. In fact, I'd say the cake part was perfectly moist, except that it was so moist and dense, and the topping so heavy, that the cupcake had a tendency not to hang together once removed from the paper wrapper. This was not a taste/texture negative, but a practicality issue. If I'd been trying to eat the cupcake while walking, half of it might have separated and fallen to the ground. As it was, the cupcakes were on a plate, on the kitchen counter, with me hovering over, so no problem.

The vanilla/pepper/avocado one was interesting, but for me too sweet. The chocolate-chile one was a real winner, though. I expected there to be maybe a hint of chile hotness, sort of accenting the chocolate but just barely detectable. In fact, it was hot. The thing had a real kick to it, while not stinting on the chocolatey goodness. I loved it.

All the cakes in Chaos Theory have a very modern look to them, as does the energetic, informative, friendly, tatted girl behind the counter.