While I was in Alexandria over the weekend, I fought the urge to head back into Lavender Moon for the delleiciousness that is their cupcakes, and instead headed over to Bittersweet Catering Cafe & Bakery. I figured it's been a while since I was last there and I've yet to do an official review for the blog. Always looking out for you guys!
I picked up a Pistachio Cupcake and a Spice Cupcake. I sat down at one of their many tables and with my plastic fork, and as I pulled the cupcakes out of the bag I could feel that they were kept really cold. Ugh - refrigerating cupcakes always ruins the flavor. I thought I'd try a bite anyway, but when an attempt to fork into the Pistachio cupcake proved to be a little too hard, I packed them back so they'd have a chance to get to room temperature.
Flash forward an hour - irritated that I couldn't have my cupcakes when I wanted them, I sat at my kitchen table and opened the Pistachio Cupcake back up. Gross! The cake portion looked soggy; like it had wilted skin from being in the water too long or something. I cut the cupcake in half and forked off a piece from the middle. Just as I suspected. Dry. Refrigeration tends to do that. Aside from being unpleasantly dry, the flavor was really odd. While there were bits of pistachio thrown in here and there, the cupcake didn't taste like other pistachio cupcakes I've had. The frosting was way too creamy and greasy, I'm pretty sure they used Crisco, and way too much. After eating one bite of this cupcake I felt oily and like I needed a shower.
Moving on, the Spice Cupcake. The outside of this cupcake was soggy looking, just like the Pistachio. Trying to get past that, I can say that the blend of spices was good; the flavor was mild and not too heavy. You could definitely taste some ginger and nutmeg in there. But even still, the cake didn't taste like anything special - just a very generic cake. The frosting here was made with butter and had a better consistency than that of the Pistachio, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I closed the plastic top and threw it in the trash can, right next to the Pistachio.
Why anyone would ever buy a cupcake from Bittersweet when Lavender Moon is a 5 minute walk down King Street is beyond me. Yes, the cupcakes are bigger and cheaper, but they're awful!! Please do yourselves and Lavender Moon a favor and walk right past Bittersweet, down towards the water, and make a right onto South Royal. Your taste buds will thank you.
5 comments:
I was in Old Town last Tuesday (unfortunately LM was closed) but went into Bittersweet and two minutes later walked right out.. The cupcakes looked like big lumps of tastelessness... glad someone else tried them so I didn't have to.. :) Hopefully when I finally make it to LM their cupcakes won't disappoint.. so far the top choice for me is Georgetown Cupcake..
When I first started working in Old Town, ( 6 years ago) I went to bittersweet my first week. And BITTERsweet is the perfect name.
Now their sandwiches and salads...Sweet....The baked goods....bitter!
EVERY SINGLE time I have tried their cupcakes/cake they have been horrible, in my experince when you use a crisco in the frosting you absolutely must use high quality flavoring or it wont pull through.
Bittersweet cupcakes - looks great! Taste Terrible!
And the tagline "Angels Famous Sweets" famous for what? I guess the bars and browinies, those are pretty good.
Bottomline, ANYTHING but sweets, Bittersweet is good for, their lunch catering is awesome!
I tried the carrot cake and the cookies and cream cupcakes there a bout a monet or two ago. They were HORRIBLE. The carrot cake even had HARD things in it which I couldn't even identify by taste or site.
Honestly, I'd never had a cupcake which I thought was inedible, til Bittersweet's. It's a wonder they sell any!
Love your blog.
Bittersweet should be ashamed of their cupcakes, I agree.
The two things they've got going for them in the baked goods department are the Angel’s Strawberry Chocolate Fantasy Cake and their homemade donuts available on Saturdays.
I for one, love Bittersweet's cupcakes. Anyone who knows buttercream knows that this is the real deal. And, the cupcakes are HUGE! The Peanut Butter and Jelly and the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes (with meringue) keep me coming back for more. Forget Lavender Moon - they're tiny and waaay too fussy.
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