Delleicious DC

Lola's Last Week at the Farmers Market!

2010-10-07T15:06:00.008-04:00

This Saturday, October 9th, is Lola Cookies & Treats' last weekend at the Leesburg Farmers Market until NEXT SPRING. SO, be sure to take advantage of the nice weather this weekend (supposed to be 81 on Saturday!) and pay Lola a visit at the market to pick up some cupcakes, scones, biscuits, and other goodies. The cupcake flavors will be Chocolate, Coconut, Dark Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream, and Red Velvet.

Don't worry, you can still get everything at the bakery all year long. And speaking of the bakery, Lola's is offering their Cupcakes for the Cure all month in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All proceeds from these cupcakes (pictured below) go to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

And when you stop by the bakery, be sure to take this coupon with you for one free cookie of your choice. Good for 109 S. King Street customers only. Expires 10/9/10 at 5:30opm! (The coupon looks small here, but just click the image and it will take you to a screen with a larger image - print that one!)

Curbside Cookoff 2010

2010-10-07T13:03:00.005-04:00

Looking for something fun to do today and tomorrow?? Get your food-truck loving self over to New York Ave for the Curbside Cookoff! Twenty of DC's most popular food trucks are setting up shop at the CityCenterDC as we speak for two days of music, arts, and great eats!

Here's the list of who's participating: Curbside Cupcakes, Red Hook Lobster Truck, DC Slices, District Taco, Eat Wonky, BBQ Bandidos, Yellow Cart, Pedro and Vinny's Burrito Cart, DC Empanadas, Eat Sauca, El Floridano, Fojol Bros., Food Chain DC, Fry Captain, Yellow Truck, Pleasant Pops, Rebel Heroes, Sweet Bites, Sweetflow Mobile, and Takorean.

Curbside Cupcake's Menu for today is: Red Velvet, Classic Vanilla, Gluten Free Classic Vanilla, Gluten Free Classic Chocolate, Carrot Cake, Peanut Butter Cup, Lemon, Pumpkin Walnut, and German Chocolate!

Here's the D's:

CityCenterDC

New York Ave, NW @ 9th St NW

Washington, DC

11:00am - 9:00pm October 7th & 8th

DC Farmers Market Cupcakes

2010-10-07T12:29:00.006-04:00

Via the Washington Post's Market Roundup, here's your heads up for where you can find cupcakes in the District's farmers markets this weekend:

At Saturday's 14th & U Farmers Market, Pecan Meadow will have tiny carrot cupcakes made from its own carrots. Aside from their cupcakes, you should check out their Pumpkin Whoopie Pies which have apparently caused quite the stir - getting rave write ups in Washington Post and all over other local food blogs. I can't seem to find a website for them, but here's a picture of those infamous Whoopie Pies via Washington Post's photog James Thresher:

Over in Dupont on Sunday, the Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market will have Todd Miller of Hello Cupcake doing a demo at 11am. And speaking of Hello Cupcake, their Pumpkin Spice cupcakes are back! Available now through Thanksgiving.

New Add - Sweetz Bakery of Dulles, Virginia

2010-10-07T08:27:00.005-04:00

Another bakery has been added to the left side of the blog page - Sweetz Bakery of Dulles, Virginia! Their kiosk is located in the Dulles Town Center Mall in front of the Food Court, and they offer a variety of cupcake flavors including Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan options!

Regular Cupcakes are $36 per dozen and Mini Cupcakes are $12 per dozen with a minimum one dozen order. Find them on Facebook or check out their website to learn more about any specials they have going on, their daily offerings, and their Cupcake Club!

October at Georgetown Cupcake

2010-10-07T08:10:00.005-04:00

Not only are Maple & Pumpkin Spice cupcakes back at Georgetown Cupcake, but since it's the month of October, that means Halloween Cupcakes are back too!

Photograph from Georgetown Cupcake FB Page

Check out all the Seasonal Flavors and what's available each day by jumping over to Georgetown Cupcake's website. Pumpkin Spice will be around through November, so get it while it lasts!

Also, don't forget about their daily promotions via their Facebook Page. Their Daily DC Cupcakes Trivia ships a FREE dozen cupcakes to the first person to answer the trivia question correctly on their FB wall. And of course there's the daily Free Secret (Not-On-Menu) Flavor given away to the first 100 people who visit a shop and order it by name.

Halloween Deals!

2010-10-07T07:56:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite places for all things baking, FancyFlours is having a 25% off Halloween Sale! Your order has to be placed by October 20th, so jump on over and get everything you need for your Halloween goodies!

To celebrate the first week of October, Confectionary House is offering 15% off orders of $100 or more! Just use coupon code 15PERCENT at checkout. Hurry up and take advantage though - the code expires October 11th!

Georgetown Cupcake...The Show!

2010-02-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

That's right! Many of you probably know this by now, but for those of you who don't, check out this blog posting sent to me by the people over at NBC Universal:

"It's going to be a sweet Valentine's Day for the founders of Georgetown Cupcake. Not only are they going to be celebrating a second anniversary, but they are also about the become TV stars.
According to local blog DC Fab!, the show will be a "how to" for cupcake enthusiasts. The cameras will also go behind the curtain (or perhaps beneath the frosting) to reveal the success secrets of the booming business.
Sisters Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne co-founded Georgetown Cupcake together almost two years ago. They recently moved into a new flagship location on M Street. They also started delivering deliciousness across the country, sending their cupcakes to nationwide stardom."
And there you have it! Stay tuned for more details.

A New Year...A New Cupcake Shop!

2010-02-08T11:17:00.004-05:00

After a successful 2009, Charm City Cupcakes is celebrating the launch of the Mini Cupcake Factory Catering Company! With more than 65 Flavors, the Mini Cupcake Factory will serve the MD, DC and VA areas. I would list all the flavors here, but we'd be here for a longggg time. Some of the ones that stood out to me are Vanilla Praline, Vanilla Banana, Gourmet Pimlico, and Gourmet Turtle! Check out their website to view pictures of what they have to offer.

Vanilla Praline

Vanilla Banana

Gourmet Pimlico

Gourmet Turtle

Hello Cupcake - Cupcake Classes

2010-02-08T11:09:00.004-05:00

If you want to learn how to make cute little fondant pieces and pipe like the pro's, then you'll definitely be interested in the techniques being taught in Hello Cupcake's class!

Their first class will focus on cupcakes for Valentine's Day (that this weekend people!) and is scheduled for February 13th from 10am - 12pm. You should email them to make sure there is still room in the class (info@hellocupcake.com), but I do know you can sign up in person at the Dupont store. Classes are $50.

The Newly Opened Alexandria Cupcake

2010-02-08T10:53:00.004-05:00

Has anyone made their way over to the recently opened Alexandria Cupcake? They opened their doors January 2nd, so they've been in business a little over a month now!

Located at 1022 King Street, you can find Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Coconut, Strawberry, and Red Velvet each day. Their special flavors include PB&J, Rosewater, Carrot, Vegan Chocolate, Gluten-Free Chocolate, Raspberry Vanilla, Lemon, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Mint Chocolate. You should call ahead to see if they have your special flavor. They are still working on their website gallery, but they did have a few pictures up:

Check 'em out!

You Had Me At Hello Cupcake

2010-02-08T10:39:00.003-05:00

According to Daily Candy, share your best (or worst) pickup lines on the Web with Hello Cupcake and get a free cupcake in-store! This fun little promo is running from now through Monday, February 15th.

Hello Cupcake is located at 1361 Connecticut Avenue NW at Dupont Circle.

Post Says Cupcake Trucks Are In

2010-01-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Saw this the other day in the Washington Post and forgot to put it up! According to the Post, Cupcake Stores take a back seat to Cupcake Trucks in terms of "What's In." What do you think?

FREE Pumpkin Spice at Georgetown Cupcake!

2010-01-10T12:28:00.003-05:00

Today's Secret FREE Off-the-Menu cupcake is PUMPKIN SPICE! Drop by Georgetown Cupcake today and ask for a Pumpkin Spice and it's yours FREE! Make sure you do it quick though, only 100 per location.

And hey, become a fan on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to find out tomorrow's FREE Off-the-Menu flavor!

Charm City Cupcakes Big Mini Cupcake Sale

2009-12-30T08:00:00.003-05:00

Baltimore's Charm City Cupcakes is having a BIG mini Cupcake Sale! A Mini Variety Pack is $12 (normally $15) and includes Vanilla-Vanilla, Vanilla-Chocolate, Triple Chocolate, Caramel Praline, Black-Eyed Susan, Pimlico w/ Ghiradelli Drizzle, Dark Chocolate w/ Almonds, Mini Chocolate, Gourmet Turtle, Key Lime, Black Bottom & Red Velvet.

To get these cupcakes for New Years Eve (TOMORROW!) you'll need to pre-order before 5:00pm TODAY, December 30th. 410-244-8790!

Georgetown Cupcakes for New Years

2009-12-30T07:36:00.000-05:00

How cute is this cupcake?! Available by pre-order or walk in at Georgetown Cupcake locations!

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes at Lola's!

2009-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Take a look at this cute holiday cupcake

It's Chocolate Peppermint, and it's currently available at Lola Cookies & Treats in Leesburg!

SisterCakes of Springfield, VA

2009-12-15T11:19:00.004-05:00

On National Cupcake Day, I bring to you a new local cupcakery! (courtesy of blog reader Moo!) The business itself is not new, as they have been around for some time now, but it's new to me!

SisterCakes is their name, and they offer delivery to the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. They're based out of Springfield, VA and have a very extensive menu of at least 16 different flavors. Some flavors include German Chocolate, Red Velvet, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Boston Creme, and a couple fall flavors, Apple Spice and Pumpkin Spice. Take a peek at some of their goodies (pictures from their website) below:

Click here to check out their website, menu, and a little about the girls who run the company!

Nostalgia Cupcakes Holiday Flavors

2009-12-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

For you Annapolis cupcake fans, Nostalgia Cupcakes is offering Eggnog, Chai Gingerbread, and Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes this holiday season. Be sure to scoop some up before January hits, when their seasonal flavors will change over to Pear Brandy and Toasted Almond!

Nostalgia Cupcakes is open Tuesday – Thursday from 11-6, and Friday-Saturday from 11-8. They are only open Sundays for advanced orders (until March 31) and they are closed on Mondays.

Lavender Moon Facebook Fan Page

2009-12-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

I just found out today that while Lavender Moon Cupcakery still does not have a website, they do have a Facebook Fan Page! (I dont know if that link will work since I was logged in when I hyperlinked it, so if it doesn't just search "Lavender Moon Cupcakery" in your FB search). And it looks like they update it pretty frequently too. Last update was on December 5th during Alexandria’s Scottish Parade – they had Cranberry Chocolate, Chestnut Ganache, and Buttered Rum! You can always count on LMC to be carrying unique flavors.

Hello Cupcake Holiday Flavors

2009-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Cupcake is featuring 3 holiday flavors – Gingerbread, Hot Buttered Rum, and Candy Cane. I remember HC having Hot Buttered Rum last year and never had a chance to try it; but I’m sure if they’ve brought it back for a 2nd year in a row then it’s a winner!

Above are two pictures from the Hello Cupcake website of their Hot Buttered Rum and Gingerbread Flavors. The Gingerbread flavor is a spicy ginger cake with lemon cream cheese frosting, and the Hot Buttered Rum flavor is made up of rum raisin cake with rum frosting and rum-soaked raisins on top. I didn’t see a picture of the Candy Cane flavor posted on the site, so you’ll have to drop into HC and check it out for yourself!

Cupcakes Actually Holiday Flavors

2009-12-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

Take a peek at the two holiday flavors being featured at Cupcakes Actually!

The Grinch Stole Christmas is definitely the most unique holiday flavor I've seen at any cupcakery in the area. It's a Pistachio Cinnamon cupcake topped with Pistachio butter cream, and of course the Gingerbread Cupcake is self explanatory - topped with a cream cheese icing and a fondant gingerbread man!

The shop will be offering new weekly flavors during the month of December, so be sure to check their website on Sunday nights to see their updated menu for the week. Also something to note is the store's hours during the holiday season:

Monday-Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

*Their hours will be shortened on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, and they will be closed Christmas Day and New Years Day*

Snowflake Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake

2009-12-10T11:45:00.003-05:00

A coworker went out for lunch and scooped up a box of these cute cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake in Bethesda, so of course I had to snap a picture. Love the snowflake!

Occasionally Cake Holiday Cupcakes!

2009-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Check out these adorable cupcakes being offered by Occasionally Cake this holiday season!

They've got a wide variety of holiay flavored cupcakes that can have some cute Christmas Decorations on top. Flavors include but are not limited to Candy Cane, Eggnogg, Perfectly Pumpkin, Cranberry Orange, Peppermint Patty and more!

And while you're there picking up your cupcakes, they have plenty of other festive treats - take a look at these sugar cookies and cakeballs!

Make sure you remember that Occasionally Cake will be closed for normal business from December 24th until January 5th 2010. They'll be doing custom cakes during that time, just not the normal cupcakes!

Pic of Curbside Cupcakes Truck

2009-12-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of the Curbside Cupcake truck! Now you'll recognize it when you see it!

Photo by urbnsuburbnite via Twitpic

Georgetown Cupcake News

2009-12-08T00:39:00.008-05:00

Did you hear? Georgetown Cupcake, who currently has 2 locations - their original Potomac Street location as well as their brand spankin new Bethesda Row location (GO VISIT!) - is moving their original spot! Yup, they're moving to a BIGGER (thank God!) space on M Street. 33rd & M at 3301 M Street, NW, to be exact. Stay tuned for Grand Opening info - there will be free cupcakes all day long!

In other Georgetown Cupcake news, are you Bethesda-Area cupcake lovers looking for a good place to get your cupcakes for all those parties this month? Well then make sure you visit the new Bethesda location (4834 Bethesda Avenue) to check out their holiday flavors! Special for the month of December, they've got White Chocolate Peppermint, Chocolate Peppermint, Gingerbread, Chocolate Egg Nog, Rudolph Red Velvet, Snowball (their coconut cupcake), Hannukah Cupcakes, Christmas Cupcakes, AND New Years Cupcakes. Holiday Cupcakes (the Hannukah, Christmas, and New Years cupcakes) are available every day during the holiday week and by special order during the entire holiday month. Check out some of the cute cupcakes below.

UPDATE: The Grand Opening is Tuesday, December 15th! Stay tuned for more details.

Gingerbread Cupcake; pic from Georgetowncupcake.com

Hannukah Cupcakes; pic from Georgetowncupcake.com

Rudolph Red Velvet Cupcake; pic from Georgetowncupcake.com

Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake; pic from Georgetowncupcake.com

Cupcakes Currently at Thyme Out

2009-12-08T00:15:00.000-05:00

Drop by Thyme Out at 11401 Woodglen Drive in Rockville for the Chocolate Eggnog cupcakes!

Curbside Cupcakes!

2009-12-07T23:50:00.000-05:00

Like an ice cream truck...only better!!!

Many Washingtonian's might have noticed a cute little cupcake mobile making its way around the district lately - it's Curbside Cupcakes! The Cupcake Mobile trend has been making its way around many major US cities, and finally has come to the DC/Metro Area.

Curbside Cupcakes says you can find their pink cupcake truck Downtown and around Capitol Hill. How can you find out where they are, you ask? Easy! Check them out at their website, on Facebook, or on Twitter! They also list what flavors are available each day on the calendar located on their site. Looks like today they will have Chocolate with a Peppermint Top, Classic Chocolate, Classic Vanilla, Red Velvet, and Vanilla Mocha.

Cupcakes from Curbside Cupcakes; photo from Curbsidecupcakes.com

This map, taken from Curbside Cupcakes' website, shows the area in which they serve up their goodies. Check their site for more details!

Cupcakes are $3.00/each, $15.00 for a Half Dozen, and $27.00/Dozen!

Open Letter to my Readers

2009-12-05T13:27:00.003-05:00

Hi guys! With the recent New York Times article, Yahoo Finance posting, and Channel 9 News interview, I wanted to take a couple minutes to reiterate the purpose of this blog and it’s separation from my business.

When I began this blog back in June 2008 it was to help promote the cupcake scene in the DC Metropolitan Area. I’ve been mentioned in the Washington Post, interviewed by Washingtonian Magazine’s Blogger Beat, Georgetown University’s Weekly News Magazine, as well as NOVA Magazine, and I think it’s safe to say that I didn’t get those interviews by constantly criticizing local bakeries. I got those interviews by visiting as many bakeries as possible, tasting hundreds of cupcakes, constructively critiquing these cupcakes, and relaying my finds to my fellow Washingtonians. I believe people appreciate this blog because when I was still reviewing, I provided genuine, objective, honest reviews, that I think my readers found useful. If readers agreed, they left comments agreeing; if they disagreed, they left comments disagreeing! In the end, I was honest in my opinions and objective in my criticism; I didn’t sugar coat anything. And you know what? I love 90% of the cupcake bakeries in this area! Those of you who have been following me for a while know I am always complimenting flavors from other bakeries – Baked & Wired, Hello Cupcake, Lola’s, the list goes on...

Never once in the 17 month history of this blog have I compared my business or my cupcakes to that of another bakery. I have much admiration and respect for other bakeries and enjoy most all of their cupcakes, and truly believe there is room for us all!

If you compare my critiques to those of Washington Post Food Editor Frank Bruni and his team of taste testers from the Cupcake Wars – our reviews are pretty consistent. Look at the left side of my blog. I list every single cupcakery, store that carries cupcakes, and online cupcake business in the DC/Metropolitan Area. That’s because I am, and always have been, all about helping those bakeries get business and helping grow the popularity of the local cupcake scene.

Since I have started my own business, I have consciously only reported on "cupcake news" and have laid off doing any reviews, with the exception of one at the request of that bakery (who was well aware that I had both a business and a blog and wanted the review for the publicity). I disagree with any beliefs that blogging about what is going on with the cupcake scene in the DC area while trying to run my own business is a conflict of interest. If the people who believe that it is a conflict actually read the posts, they will notice the posts are about who is opening shop, what flavors people are carrying, current specials/promotions, etc. – vital info for DC area cupcake lovers!

Thanks for all your continued support and readership! I love hearing from you guys.

Enjoy this beautiful snow!

Danielle

More Alexandria Cupcakes, Coming Soon!

2009-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

I got an email earlier this week from Melissa B, telling me about a new cupcake place she spotted in Alexandria! It's not open yet, and actually all it says in the window is "Coming Soon Alexandria Cupcakes," but with all the cupcake fans in Alexandria it's exciting to know there will be a new place to try out!

Photo by MarieMcC

Melissa was walking west on the south side of King Street (west of N Washington St.), and spotted it in an old multi-story townhouse-like building. Do anyone of you Alexandria natives know anything about it? I tried doing some research myself and couldn't find anything!

Lola's Open Late for First Friday Celebration!

2009-12-04T11:48:00.003-05:00

In honor of Leesburg's First Friday celebration, Lola Cookies & Treats will be staying open until 9pm this evening! They'll be selling hot cocoa and fresh-baked goodies including Christmas sugar cookies, full-sized lebkuchen gingerbread men, an of course, Gingerbread cupcakes. The Gingerbread Cupcakes are topped with a mild lemon cream-cheese frosting and have a tiny gingerbread cookie man on top.

So if you're in the Leesburg area, grab your cocoa and cupcake and watch the tree-lighting ceremony and carolers performing around town throughout the evening!

Weekly Cupcakes at Thyme Out

2009-12-03T22:13:00.003-05:00

Thyme Out across from White Flint Mall has fresh cupcakes weekly! Available this week are Gingerbread and Cookies N Cream!

GTown Cupcake Bethesda Grand Opening

2009-11-23T10:13:00.005-05:00

For those that weren't able to make it, take a look below at some pictures from Georgetown Cupcake's Bethesda location's Grand Opening! Unfortunately I was unable to make it, but GC posted some pictures by Nakeva Corothers on their fan page!

Crumbs Invading DC Metro, Spring 2010

2009-11-20T13:42:00.004-05:00

Check it out cupcake lovers - looks like Crumbs will be landing in the DC Metro area early 2010! Check out their press release with all the D's below!

NEW YORK, NY (November 16, 2009) – Due to a tremendous demand, CRUMBS Bake Shop, the first bake shop to introduce the gourmet cupcake, will debut their signature sized cupcakes and delectable sweet treats in the Washington, D.C. market in March 2010. The stores will be found in several neighborhoods including the downtown central business district, Georgetown, Cleveland Park, Foggy Bottom, Rockville (Maryland), Clarendon (Virginia) and Reston (Virginia), offering a variety of their delicious cupcakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, coffee and other baked goods.

“The D.C. market was the next logical choice for our expansion,” said Jason Bauer, CRUMBS CEO and co-founder. “The CRUMBS brand has strong name recognition in the market and we decided to listen to our fans who have been asking us for many months to come to D.C.”

I was shocked to read they were opening so many locations - I was thinking it was just going to be one shop in DC, especially since there is so much cupcake competition in the area. I'm definitely interested to see how Crumbs competes with the rest of the area's major cupcake players!

Georgetown Cupcake Bethesda Grand Opening

2009-11-20T13:38:00.002-05:00

Drop by Georgetown Cupcake's Bethesda location this Sunday between 12pm - 6pm to celebrate their Grand Opening and to snag a free cupcake! They'll be handing out the free cupcakes - one per person - all day.

4834 Bethesda Avenue - be there!

Free Cookie or Cupcake at Lola's!

2009-10-28T15:10:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the late posting on this, but if you're in the Leesburg area and have never tried Lola's Cookies & Treats, then this is the perfect opportunity! It's Lola's 3rd Anniversary and they're celebrating by giving their customers some free baked goods! Just right click the coupon below and save the picture to your computer. Print it off and take it into Lola's for a free cookie or cupcake! Only good through the end of Saturday - so hurry up!

Halloween Cupcakes

2009-10-27T20:57:00.004-04:00

Tombstone & Spider Web Cupcakes available at Thyme Out - call for availability!

Martha Stewart Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

2009-10-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Looking for a Pumpkin Cupcake recipe this fall? Here's one from Martha Stewart! For a gallery of other Pumpkin-flavor dessert recipes from Martha, click here!

Ingredients

Makes 22
1 sugar pumpkin, (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and seeded
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree, or canned pumpkin puree
1 cup pecans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 seven ounce packages almond paste
Gel food color, orange, brown, and green

Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. Grate pumpkin in a food processor or on the large holes of a box grater (you should have about 2 1/2 cups). Transfer to a medium bowl, and add pumpkin puree and pecans.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; pulse to combine. With machine running, add oil and eggs; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add pumpkin mixture; pulse to combine.

Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake liner. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Make the marzipan pumpkins: Tint two-thirds almond paste orange, adding food color a dab at a time until desired color is reached. Tint a quarter of remaining paste brown and the rest green. Shape into leaves, stems, and pumpkins (see instructions below).

Decorate cupcakes with frosting and marzipan pumpkins. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days

Marzipan Pumpkin How-To: Using a small rolling pin, roll out green almond paste about 1/8 thick; use a leaf cutter to cut out leaf shapes. Roll brown into small ropes; cut and shape into stems. Using the palms of your hand, shape orange into three-quarter-inch globes. Use a toothpick to poke holes in tops of pumpkins and to press creases from top to bottom. Attach leaves and stems to tops with a bit of frosting.

Halloween Cupcake Products II

2009-10-17T00:02:00.000-04:00

And here are some Wilton Halloween-themed Cupcake Products to follow up the most previous post on products from Fancy Flours. These are all pretty much out of stock online, however I know for a fact they are in stock at Michaels stores, and I've even seem them at my local Target!

Halloween Cupcake Products

2009-10-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

Since I did a post yesterday on Halloween Cupcake Decorating Ideas, I thought I'd do a post on some products that could help you get that festive look on your Halloween Cupcakes this month. All of the Halloween-themed products in these pictures are available at Fancy Flours!

For a gallery of Halloween-related products from Fancy Flours, click here!

Halloween Cupcake Gallery

2009-10-16T09:35:00.000-04:00

I'm sure lots of people will be making Cupcakes for Halloween parties this year, so I went through some Google Images and gathered up a bunch of cool Halloween Cupcake decorating ideas!

YoCake Montgomery Mall

2009-10-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

I walked through the eatery at Montgomery Mall for the first time in I'd say about a month, and saw this new place called YoCake. They had TONS of cupcakes - has anyone tried them?? I'm on a strict diet so I can start trying on wedding dresses soon, so I refrained from buying one, but I'd love to know what anyone else thinks?

The flavors I saw: Pecan Hazelnut, Amaretto Chocolate Ganache, Amaretto, Chocolate Chocolate, Vanilla Vanilla, Chocolate Coconut, Red Velvet, Vanilla Chocolate, Coconut, Triple Chocolate, and Pecan Hazelnut Chocolate Ganache. There were a few more but I can't remember them!

Their website is still under construction, but you can access it by clicking here.

Creepcake Cupcake How-To

2009-10-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

Martha has some fun Halloween Cupcakes this year. To make cupcakes like the ones pictured below, you can follow these instructions!

Spider Creepcakes

Make a vanilla or chocolate cupcake recipe, pouring batter into 2 1/2 mini muffin tins with paper liners. Ice mini cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and coat icing with black sanding sugar. Use cinnamon candy for eyes. For legs, attach 8 pieces of black licorice. For fangs, cut out tiny cone shapes from a marshmallow and attach.

Tentacle Alien Creepcakes

Spread cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream tinted with a few drops of green food coloring. Cut strips of green taffy and attach around top of cupcake. For eye, slice a yellow gumdrop in half and press into top of cupcake. A piece of black licorice attached in front the gumdrop completes the creepy gaze.

Big-Eyed Alien Creepcakes

Spread cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream tinted with a few drops of green food coloring. For small eye, attach a mini marshmallow and create pupil by painting on melted chocolate (microwave 1/2 cup chocolate chips for 1 minute). For large eye, push chocolate chip, tip down, into regular size marshmallow, then cut gummy tape for an eyelid. For teeth, place 5 mini marshamallows along the bottom of cupcake.

Mummy Creepcakes

Spread cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream. Add jelly beans dotted with melted chocolate for eyes and red gummy candy for mouth. Using a ribbon tip (such as Ateco #44), pipe bands of buttercream.

Brain Creepcakes

Use a medium round tip (such as Ateco #12) to pipe a mound of Vanilla Meringue Buttercream in the center of cupcake, then outline and pipe a brain design over it.

Decorating Techniques
To decorate, use marshmallows and candy-coated chocolates for whites of eyes; jelly beans or gumdrops for peepers with an eerie glow. For pupils, paint on melted chocolate (microwave 1/2 cup chocolate chips for 1 minute). Or use candies whole: candy-coated chocolates will stick to marshmallows sliced to expose their stickiness; for our aliens' eyes, we pushed chocolate chips, tip down, into marshmallows, then made a hole in the other side with a toothpick and inserted a licorice lace. Cut gummy tape for an eyelid. Sandwiched between halved gumdrops, marshmallows form a toothy grin; snip irregular pieces for fangs. Bend licorice or gummy rings into grimaces, or cut taffy tape for a tongue or tentacles.

Vote for Halloween Cupcakes at Lola's!

2009-10-13T12:22:00.004-04:00

Lola's has two ideas for Halloween cupcakes and can't decide which decoration they prefer. The cupcake on the left is Chocolate cake with Vanilla Buttercream and Halloween-themed sprinkles, while the cupcake on the right is a version with chocolate sprinkles and a tinted white-chocolate pumpkin on top. Click here to cast your vote and help them choose!

Along with Halloween Cupcakes, Lola Pumpkin Cupcakes are back! These moist pumpkin cupcakes are iced with pumpkin buttercream and topped with a candied pecan. I've never tried them, but apparently they're a must have!

News From Cupcakes Actually

2009-10-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

Just a reminder for all you Northern Virginia Cupcake Lovers - Cupcakes Actually has new extended hours AND curbside pick-up!

They started their extended hours last month, with the shop now being open on Friday and Saturday evenings until 11:00pm. Curb side pick-up has also been in effect since September! So if you need your cupcakes in a hurry, be sure to utilize this service! It will be available Thursday-Sunday and may extend through the week once the holiday season starts. All you need to do is call-in your order, pull in to the front of the shop, and they'll run your order out within five minutes.

And also, incase you didn't know, if you use your College ID at Cupcakes Actually you can get 15% off your entire purchase! This offer goes through the fall season, and you MUST have your ID present to receive the discount.

Express' Best of 2009 Competition!

2009-10-12T00:01:00.006-04:00

Tired of looking at these "Best Of" competitions and seeing Cakelove round the top 3? Me too! Does it confuse and anger you? Me too! So don't forgot to check out the Best of 2009 Competition and vote for your favorites! (Most importantly, your favorite cupcake spot and favorite bakery).

From now through Friday, Oct. 16, you can vote for your favorite D.C. area people, places and things in more than 100 categories; the finalists in those categories were chosen by Express readers last month. You can (and should) comment, too -- they want to hear why you love what you love. The winners will be announced Friday, Nov. 6, in a special issue of Express.

The finalists in the Cupcake Category are: Baked & Wired, Cakelove, Georgetown Cupcake, Hello Cupcake, and Red Velvet Cupcakery.

The finalists in the Bakery Category are: Best Buns, Cakelove, Firehook, Le Pain Quotidien, and Sticky Fingers Bakery (Best Buns and Sticky Fingers both serve up cupcakes).

Go Vote!!

New Hello Cupcake Flavor!

2009-10-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

I just noticed a new flavor on the menu at Hello Cupcake, although it's been a while since I looked so it might not be that new! It's Gianduja - a Nutella-like Hazelnut Chocolate Cupcake topped with Hazelnut Chocolate Ganache and Caramelized Hazelnut Crunch. Has anyone tried it???

Gianduja is served up on Tuesdays and Fridays, which means Tuesday is now my favorite Hello Cupcake day since I can get both Gianduja AND Velvet Elvis. MMMMMmmmmmmmmm!

Pumpkin Spice at Georgetown Cupcake

2009-10-10T00:01:00.004-04:00

Pumpkin Spice is back at Georgetown Cupcake, and available Tuesdays - Sundays for the month of October!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcake; picture via Georgetown Cupcake's Website

Chocolate Orange and Halloween Cupcakes will also be available this month! You can call the store at 202-333-8448 to inquire about store availability.

Halloween Cupcakes, picture via Georgetown Cupcake

Neiman Marcus Cupcake Car

2009-10-09T10:31:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't seen this by now, I just had to post it. Neiman Marcus released their Christmas Book this week, and right in the front of the Fantasty Gift section - a Cupcake Car! So if you have an extra $25,000 laying around and are interested in purchasing a car that reaches top speeds of 7mph, then this is the gift for you. It even comes with a matching hat.

As ridiculous as it is, admit it, you know it's cute!

Taste of Georgetown

2009-10-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

Baked & Wired and Georgetown Cupcake will be two of the 26 restaurants at this weekend's Taste of Georgetown.

Drop by the Baked & Wired and Georgetown Cupcake tents this Saturday, October 10, between 11am and 4pm on Wisconsin Ave & M Street NW. Entry into the Taste of Georgetown does not require a ticket, but tasting does! You can buy your tickets Online (1 Ticket for $5 or 5 Tickets for $20) or the day of the event in the Eagle Bank Parking Lot.

Cupcakes For the Cure at Lola's!

2009-10-08T00:01:00.001-04:00

During the month of October, you can satisfy your sweet tooth for a good cause! All this month at Lola Cookies & Treats the Vanilla Cupcakes are dressed in pink. Scoop one up and a portion of the purchase is donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation!

Also currently available at Lola's, Apple Spice Cupcakes!

This Week at Cupcakes Actually

2009-10-07T00:01:00.003-04:00

Take a look below at the flavors available this week at Cupcakes Actually in Fairfax! (Not pictured are their tasty fall flavors: Pumpkin Harvest, Caramel Delight, and Apple Streusel.)

For the month of October, 30% of all their sales for their featured Pink Ribbon Cupcake (Strawberry Fields) will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Additionally, Cupcakes Actually will be selling Halloween Cupcakes this month. You can choose from a 3-D witches hat, a 3-D ghost, or a black cat!

Vanilla Bean

Strawberry Fields

Simply Red

Italian Stallion

Actually Dipped Chocolate

Flourless Chocolate

Black Forest

Actually Dipped Black & White

Georgetown Cupcake Ships Nationwide!

2009-10-06T11:40:00.004-04:00

Many people have been waiting for this day to come, and now it's finally here! Georgetown Cupcake is now offering shipping nationwide.

Picture via Georgetown Cupcake's Website

You can choose from their Classic Box (Red Velvet, Chocolate Squared, Chocolate & Vanilla, and Vanilla Squared) or their Seasonal Box (Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Hazelnut). The Classic Box contains 3 Red Velvet, 3 Chocolate Squared, 3 Vanilla Squared, and 3 Chocolate & Vanilla for $29.00. Flat overnight shipping is $26 nationwide, and Saturday delivery is an additional $20 for each order. All orders are shipped UPS overnight and must be made by 4pm EST for next day delivery.

Classic Cupcake Box, via Georgetown Cupcake's Website

Check out Georgetown Cupcake's website for flavor descriptions!

Cupcake Eating Contest

2009-08-27T14:30:00.003-04:00

Attention Cupcake Monsters! As part of the event lineup for the 3rd Annual Columbia Heights Day, there will be a cupcake eating contest! The contest is being hosted by Sticky Fingers Bakery (the vegan bakery in DC) and I believe to register you must contact Kenny Dubin by emailing him kennydubin@gmail.com.

There will be plenty of other restaurants, artisans, contests and events that day. Columbia Heights Day is being held this Saturday beginning at 10am at Harriet Tubman Elementary School, 3101 13th St. NW, at Irving St. The cupcake eating contest is from 3:30 to 4:15!

The Bacon Cupcake Buzz

2009-08-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting and waiting to see who would be the first to bake the Bacon Cupcake in our area - it's been at bakeries in NYC and Chicago for months now - and it looks like we have a winner! Buzz Bakery is whipping up...er, frying up...well, both...the savory treats at their Alexandria shop. Julia Beizer of the Washington Post recently went to have a taste herself, and here is what she had to say:

(This bacon cupcake photo by Zandy Mangold is NOT from Buzz Bakery and was NOT used in the Post Article; it's via NYC's Kumquat Bakery's Blog!)

"You Have to Try This Bacon Cupcakes at Buzz. Open a box of these Buzz Bakery treats and you're greeted with the overwhelming aroma of crispy-fried bacon. The experience is as discordant as it sounds -- until you try one.

The cupcakes themselves, as it turns out, are actually quite tasty. Peanut butter frosting flecked with itty bits of bacon tops a simple moist chocolate cake. It's a marriage of salty and sweet that had all four of our testers wishing only for more bacon in the icing. Seriously.

Buzz pastry chef Josh Short is the mad scientist behind the dessert, which is offered at the Alexandria bakery through at least the end of August. For him, the earthy flavors in the dark chocolate, peanut butter and applewood-smoked bacon tie the cupcake together. For us, the peanut butter played a crucial role, bridging the chasm between breakfast meat and chocolate cake. The cupcake is a food dare -- an I-bet-you-won't-eat-this challenge. If you're a bacon fan, you should."

The cupcakes are $2.75 each, and Buzz Bakery is located at 901 Slaters Lane in Alexandria, Virginia. So if you want to try one, you better hurry! Only 13 days left!!

Celebrate Hello Cupcake's 1st Anniversary!

2009-08-18T10:47:00.008-04:00

Next week, Tuesday, August 25th, is Hello Cupcake’s 1st birthday! To celebrate, Hello Cupcake will be hosting a “Free Cupcake Day." Could this mean what you think it means??! Yes! Free cupcakes!

Hello Cupcake will be making many of their best sellers that day. They're offering one free cupcake per person - no special orders, deliveries or multiple cupcake boxes that day, just one cupcake for anyone who wants one, to help them celebrate!

Remember, this is only while supplies last, so get yourself over to Hello Cupcake next Tuesday and say Happy Anniversary!!

Occasionally Cake Opens in Alexandria!

2009-08-10T14:07:00.007-04:00

Occasionally Cake has had customers hooked on their cupcakes, cookies, and amazing cakes for quite some time now, but the moment they’ve all been waiting for is finally here! OC opened the doors to their bakery late last month and has been luring in customers with the sweet smell of their cupcakes ever since!

OC has cupcakes every day; usually 6 different flavors from a rotating menu of over 50 flavor combinations!

The shop’s Grand Opening will be held on September 9th – so stay tuned to their website that month to watch out for the many specials they will be having. Speaking of specials, OC will be introducing a Cupcake Happy Hour after their Grand Opening which will feature half price cupcakes from 3pm to 4pm on Tuesdays and Wednesday. In addition, they will also have cake truffles for sale every day starting in September.

Aside from their website, you can check out Occasionally Cake on Facebook! Become a fan of their page and check back each day to see which flavors they have.

Speaking of their flavors, I’ve been really excited to check out the shop since they opened last month, so this past weekend I headed down to Alexandria and picked up some cupcakes! I snagged 4 – Peanut Butter Cup, Raspberry Lemonade, Carrot Cake, and Neapolitan.

I dug into the Raspberry Lemonade first. The Lemon Cake had a very light flavor which paired really well with the sweet Raspberry Buttercream. Usually my teeth are very sensitive to sweet buttercream, but this didn’t hurt them one bit! I really liked this one.

Next up was the Peanut Butter Cup (one of my favorite flavors to get anywhere I go). I love how the Chocolate Cake was dipped in Chocolate Ganache, it gave the cupcake a little something extra. The chocolate flavor was right on point – not too rich, which is good when you have such a strong frosting like Peanut Butter atop the cupcake. The cake was light and moist and the frosting was just the right texture – not too thick, and it didn’t taste like someone just gobbed peanut butter on top (I have come across that before!) This one was definitely my favorite of the bunch.

Next I tried the Carrot Cake Cupcake. I think the cake had too much going on for my taste buds – lots of carrots, raisins, and coconut mixed in – and it doesn’t help that I’m not a big coconut fan in general. I am a really big fan of spices – nutmeg, cinnamon, etc., and I definitely could have used a little more of that!

The last flavor which I was really excited to try was the Neopolitan. OC does their Neapolitan different than how you normally see it (with the split cake). This cake was a light, sweet Vanilla Truffle Cake, dipped in Ganache (again, good touch!) and a strong (but in a good way) Strawberry Buttercream on top. This is definitely one I would have again.

One thing I didn’t get to try that I’ll have to in the future (as if I needed any more calories after consuming 4 cupcakes!) was their sugar cookies. I’m a sucker for a good frosted sugar cookie, and I hear OC’s are very good.

Occasionally Cake is located at 8859 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA. Their phone number is 703-780-CAKE (2253). Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM until 7 PM; they’re closed Sunday and Monday. Now go check them out!!

Going Out Guru's Party, with Cupcakes!

2009-08-10T13:11:00.004-04:00

Looking for something to do this Thursday?? Four of the Washington Post's Going Out Guru's are throwing themselves birthday celebration at Clarendon Ballroom!

Since David, Jen, Stephanie and Rhome all have August birthdays, they're turning their monthly happy hour into a joint birthday party. Georgetown Cupcake is providing 400 of their delicious treats (so come early to make sure you get one). You can also to enter a raffle to win their end-of-summer prize: a two-night stay at the Bellmoor Inn in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

On the main floor inside, there'll be free food from the Ballroom (while it lasts): look for veggie nachos, hummus and veggies, soft pretzel bites, grilled chicken quesadillas and lemongrass beef skewers. Sounds like a good time to me! 6:00 - 8:00pm Thursday, August 13th.

Almond Joy Cupcakes at Lola's

2009-08-08T15:59:00.000-04:00

Check out this flavor currently at Lola's in Leesburg - Almond Joy: Coconut cake iced with chocolate ganache and covered with moist coconut and toasted almonds. Looks VERY good!

Most days there are six flavors of cupcakes at Lola's - 3 regulars which include Coconut, Chocolate with Chocolate Ganache & Vanilla, and then 3 special flavors which can include any of the following: Ginger, Lemon, Carrot Cake, Red Velvet, Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream, S'Mores, Chocolate Mint, and Almond Joy.

Correction to Obama Mystery Birthday Cupcakes

2009-08-07T10:01:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone - just needed to make a quick adjustment to my last posting on the cupcakes Obama gave Helen Thomas earlier this week. While Baked & Wired DID send cupcakes to the staff and aides along with the Pecan Pie for Obama's Birthday, the cupcakes that Obama gave to Helen Thomas were NOT from Baked & Wired.

Thanks Baked & Wired for clarifying! One more thing we learned - Press Secretary Gibbs is a fan of B&W's Berry Cherry Berry Pie!

Obama's Mystery Birthday Cupcakes

2009-08-06T16:03:00.007-04:00

aaHA! Looks like the cupcakes that Obama gave to long-time White House Journalist Helen Thomas yesterday came from none other than Georgetown's Baked & Wired!

Photograph by Carrie Devorah, Washington Examiner.

To celebrate their mutual birthday, Obama surprised Thomas with a plate of cupcakes from Baked & Wired while leading the press in singing “Happy Birthday." Obama also reportedly ordered one of B&W's famous pies (Pecan Pie) for himself to enjoy later on. I haven't tried the Pecan Pie, but I was able to sample some of the other pie flavors at the Washingtonian Magazine Best of Party last month and they were great!

Photograph by Amie Parnes, Washington Examiner

And in completely random DC Cupcake news, the Washington Examiner reports that Madam Tussauds' threw the wax Obama, his wife Michelle, Bill and Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush an over-the-top birthday party in a balloon decorated “Oval Office.” An Obama-theme cupcake tower from Georgetown Cupcake — complete with presidential seals and birthday candles — was served to the party-hat wearing wax figures amid a sea of balloons and a nine-foot tall balloon column.

Cupcakes, Denim & Daily Candy at Tysons TODAY!

2009-08-06T14:33:00.006-04:00

Just saw this posting on the Daily Candy and thought I should share! "

Calling all jeaniacs. This Thursday, 7-9 p.m., join DailyCandy and Madewell Tysons Corner for music, cupcakes, tips on distressing your denim, and 20 percent off all jeans."
What better way to get girls to buy high end denim than seducing them with cupcakes and discounts?! The cupcakes will be from Fairfax's Cupcakes Actually, one of the latest additions to the Metro area cupcake scene. Enjoy!

Cupcakes Actually cupcakes from their website

Obama Birthday Cupcakes

2009-08-04T16:20:00.007-04:00

I just got an email from TMZ (the LA celeb gossip/news co.) asking if I made cupcakes for Obama for his birthday. I wish!

I found a picture posted by the AP/Chicago Sun Times of the cupcakes TMZ must be talking about though - anyone recognize these? Obama gave them to veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas, who shares the same birthday and turns 89 today. Anyway, they look homemade to me! Maybe Michelle made them!

The Obama's sure are cupcake lovers. The Prez gave cupcakes to Biden for his bday this past November:

And Michelle Obama made these berry-topped cupcakes with the kids of Bancroft Elementary when they stopped by the White House this past June for a little garden education and vegetable planting with the First Lady!

Diamonds & Chocolate at Mervis!

2009-07-21T00:08:00.007-04:00

I love how Mervis Diamond Importers decks out desserts with diamonds (see my past posting on their $60K cupcake), and wanted to let the readers know about this fun event at Mervis this Wednesday evening.

Attendees at the Diamonds and Chocolate event will be drizzling fresh fruit in their diamond-topped chocolate fountain and perusing Mervis' selection of jewelry at reduced prices. It's going to be a night to remember. (Or forget, maybe. They'll have their mixologists whipping up a chocolate martini!)

Wednesday, July 22. 4:30-7:30
1700 K St. NW.
Washington, DC
202.293.0600

Click here to RSVP for the event!

Free Cupcake with Dinner at Urbana!

2009-07-20T23:28:00.006-04:00

Urbana, the hip DC restaurant & wine bar, kicked off it's 3rd birthday celebration tonight with a DJ, sparkling wine specials, and week of specials and freebies. What does this mean to you? Free cupcakes!

Everyone who dines at the restaurant and becomes a Facebook fan during the week of July 20 will get a free cupcake! All you have to do is show your fan confirmation on a mobile phone or printout. Thanks NBC4 for the heads up!

Urbana is located at 2121 P St. N.W. in Dupont Circle.

Washingtonian Mag Best of DC Party!

2009-07-17T18:14:00.009-04:00

On Wednesday night I attended Washingtonian Magazine's Best of Party - what a GREAT time! Definitely worth the ticket price. The portions are plentiful and the drinks are strong!

Georgetown Cupcake and Baked & Wired were both at the event. Since Georgetown Cupcake was obviously bringing cupcakes, Baked & Wired decided it would be a good opportunity to show customers that they do carry other delicious desserts, so they brought their tasty brownies and pies and were doing drawings to give away some cakes!

Me with Teresa, owner of Baked & Wired

The spread at Baked & Wired's table

Posing with Sophie Lamontagne, who owns Georgetown Cupcake with her sister Katherine Kallinis.

Cupcake Heaven? Georgetown Cupcake's spread at the event

Georgetown Cupcake's Peanut Butter Fudge Cupcake was SO good. The chocolate cake was warm and rich, and was filled with a warm and gooey fudge sauce. Mike had the Red Velvet, Georgetown Cupcake's signature flavor, and loved it!

Georgetown Cupcake Weekly Giveaway

2009-07-14T14:46:00.002-04:00

Want to know how to make all your coworkers love you? Drop off your business card at Georgetown Cupcake every Wednesday in July & August for a chance to win a "Cupcake Break" for your office. 4 dozen cupcakes - flavors of your choice - delivered on the day of your choice!

Great American Bake Sale

2009-07-13T23:14:00.005-04:00

Georgetown Cupcake will be at the Tenleytown Whole Foods Great American Bakesale event on Sunday, July 19th. Come out and support the community to help end childhood hunger! The event takes place all day.

Speaking of the Great American Bake Sale, mark your calendars for July 19th and tune into Food Network at 10pm for the Ace of Cakes season premiere featuring Duff Goldman, Great American Bake Sale National Spokesperson, and the Charm City Cakes team as they hold a Great American Bake Sale of their own in Baltimore, MD.

The S'Mores Cupcakes are BACK!

2009-07-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

I almost don't even want to post this because I want them ALL for myself...Lola S'Mores Cupcakes are back! Seriously people, these are SO incredibly good, you don't know what you're missing until you have one. These cupcakes are a seasonal item at Lola's, so make sure you go and get one, or ten, before they're gone.

The S'Mores cupcakes are made up of Lola's Milk Chocolate cake, frosted with their rich chocolate ganache and then frosted again with a vanilla-infused marshmallow frosting. After all that, it's topped with graham cracker bits. When you take a bite into this thing, it's like you've entered a rich chocolatey gooey marshmallow heaven.

Go get one! Now! They're available in the bakeshop and this weekend at her farmer's market stand.

Georgetown Cupcake's Future Location

2009-07-07T12:08:00.005-04:00

Behold! The future location of Georgetown Cupcake - Bethesda. Georgetown's second location will be at 4834 Bethesda Avenue (in Bethesda Row). It's weird because the address is skipped - the stores go right from 4832 to 4836 - but 4836 is a large space and is currently vacant. So maybe they be cutting that space in half? Who knows.

Either way, it will be located between Organic To Go (4832) and Assaggi (4838). About a 5 minute walk from my office! The picture below is just a shot of the street if you're standing outfront of the store. Very nice location.

Hill Country BBQ & Cupcakes

2009-07-03T13:41:00.003-04:00

Looks like Hill Country - the Chelsea NY barbecue joint - is coming to Penn Quarter in July 2010. Why do I care, you ask? Because they've got PB&J, German Chocolate, and Red Velvet cupcakes! Hill Country-goers will be able to enjoy their cupcakes with the restaurant's signature slow-smoked brisket and ribs, Big Red cream soda all the way from Waco, and Blue Bell ice cream. Marc Glosserman - the Bethesda native who founded the restaurant - plans to dish up live music, including country, blues and Southern rock. Really, is there anything better than country music, barbecue, and cupcakes? I think not!

Hill Country will be located at 410 Seventh St. NW.

Best of Washington 2009

2009-07-02T00:01:00.003-04:00

It’s that time of year again – time for the Verizon Wireless Best of Washington!

For the past 30 years, Washingtonian Magazine has invited readers to vote for the best people, places, and services in the area. Readers rate everything from pizza parlors, pot stickers, and cocktails to Congress members. Washingtonian editors weigh in too with their picks of the best Washington has to offer.At the Verizon Wireless Best of Washington Party, Washingtonian invites the winners to set up booths and serve up their best. In 2008 more than 1,200 guests, celebrities, restaurateurs, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supporters filled the National Building Museum to sample, sip, and socialize.

Both Georgetown Cupcake and Baked & Wired will be serving up their sweets at the annual party.

The Verizon Wireless Best of Washington 2009 party is on Wednesday, July 15, from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM at the National Building Museum in DC. Tickets are available for purchase on the event page, which you can access by clicking here. There are two types of tickets available:

VICE PRESIDENTIAL TICKET, $95: 7pm admission to cuisine from more than 50 of Washingtonian's very best restaurants and unlimited beer, wine, and cocktail from the areas best bars and lounges.

PRESIDENTIAL TICKET, $125: Offers early admission to the Best of Party. Skip the lines and gain early access to all the best food and drink when you arrive at 6pm – a full hour before the VP Ticket Holders. Ticket price includes a Limited Edition Best of Washington Event T-Shirt.

Butttttt after a lengthy Google search, I found a couple discount codes to save you some money on the ticket prices. For the VP ticket, use the code DC1BEST to get $10 off, and for the Prez ticket, use the code LLS1 to get $30 off per ticket!

For a full list of restaurants, bakeries & brews at the event, click here.

Red, White & Blue Cupcake Tower

2009-07-01T19:59:00.005-04:00

How great is this??? My vote for dessert displays this 4th of July are definitely the Cupcake Kabobs and THIS - a delicious and festive cupcake tower!

Fancy Flours, one of my fave websites for buying fun baking stuff, shows us how to make to make this great display. I've copied and pasted the instructions for you below! If you do make it this weekend, be sure to send a picture!

You will need:
1 large styrofoam cone (at a local craft store) and around 24 3-6″ wooden dowels, plus several toothpicks for the fruit.
5 cups fresh fruit (red strawberries, raspberries and blueberries preferred)
Cupcakes can be baked and frosted as usual, however a more dense cupcake batter will work better for attaching to the tower. Try using a pound cake, chocolate cake or carrot cake for best results. Lightly frost with buttercream or cream cheese frosting using a star tip. The heavier the frosting, the more likely it will not stay connected to the tower as it will be side heavy.
Affix cupcakes to tower by first sticking the wooden dowels firmly into the styrofoam tower. Place them evenly apart, making sure to be able to affix fruit in between each cupcake. Attach cupcakes to wooden dowels by pushing cupcake onto dowel (you may need to cut a small hole in the bottom of the cupcake wrapper (or don’t use any wrappers to avoid this step).
Now poke each strawberry, blueberry or other piece of fruit with a toothpick and push toothpick into styrofoam, in between each cupcake. You can make fruit kabobs as well and place a few pieces of fruit onto each toothpick. Make sure to completely fill up styrofoam tower so there is no syrofoam showing. Add sprigs of fresh mint to complete the look.

Maryland Cupcake Wars

2009-07-01T07:11:00.000-04:00

Anyone see the Recession Fuels Cupcake Wars article in the Gazette last week? Looks like Maryland cupcake competition is heating up as the Bethesda location of Georgetown Cupcake is coming soon. You can read the whole piece by clicking here, but I’ve taken the main points below for you:

Competition to create — and sell — the ultimate cupcake is heating up in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., region, as the culinary craze gains steam in metropolitan areas, driven by the recession.
Georgetown Cupcake, which jump-started the movement locally in 2008 when it opened a location in Washington, is preparing for its second location in Bethesda this fall.

"We are opening our second shop in response to the overwhelming demand we've had from our customers in Montgomery County," said Sophie LaMontagne, who owns the high-end Georgetown bakery with her sister, Katherine Kallinis. "We think cupcakes have, and will continue to be, an affordable treat, even during recessions."
Cupcake businesses are doing better than most bakeries during the recession because smaller treats tend to sell better during hard times, said Paul Sapienza, vice president of operations for Retail Bakers of America in McLean, Va.
"People like to award themselves with little treats that don't cost much," Sapienza said.
Competition in Bethesda is growing stiff with the arrival of Georgetown Cupcake, which sells thousands of cupcakes each day and employs more than 60 part-time workers at its current location, LaMontagne said.
The renewed interest in cupcakes has brought in many customers who order cupcakes in lieu of traditional wedding cakes, she said.
Not too far from Georgetown Cupcake's proposed site in downtown Bethesda, Leslie Goldman-Poyourow is using the cupcake allure to supplement her creative cake shop, Cakes by Leslie. She said customers are often coming in to sample the miniature treats and then buying party cakes, too.

"I think that people are so used to eating very low-quality food in general, and around here, there's not that many great bakeries. Some of these new places actually have a great taste, but they have to keep the quality up," she said.
Goldman-Poyourow, who has owned her cake shop for 14 years and just moved it from Gaithersburg in October, said the cupcake market is becoming oversaturated, with many people "hyper-focused" on them. She suspects the trend may die down soon, with Maryland on the tail end of the craze.
"There will always be something new," she said.

Georgetown Cupcake July Flavors

2009-07-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

Looks like I was mistaken (luckily!) about Georgetown Cupcake's Strawberry Cupcake flavor ending in June. The cupcakery will have this flavor as well as BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE (how good does that sound????) for the month of July, along with 4th of July themed cupcakes. I will definitely be heading over there to try out this Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcake...mmmm!

Get Your Fourth of July Cupcakes!

2009-06-30T16:54:00.003-04:00

If you're planning on buying, not baking, your patriotic cupcakes this Fourth of July, I've got you covered. Check out this list of local places who will be selling the festive treats all week long:

Bittersweet Catering
Flag Cupcakes made up of white cake with Vanilla Buttercream, decorated with red stripes and blue stars, for $3.00/each

Buzz Bakery

Patriotic Themed Cupcakes

Cakelove

Yellow butter cupcakes topped with buttercream, raspberries, and blueberries.

Cupcakes Actually
Choose from Apple Struedel with Cream Cheese Frosting, Simply Red with Cream Cheese Frosting and Vanilla Bean with Vanilla Buttercream. Each cupcake is adorned with a handmade 4th of July themed decoration.

Georgetown Cupcake
Fourth of July Cupcakes are available every day during the holiday week and throughout the holiday month by special order.

Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe

Heidelberg's Patriotic Themed Cupcakes are either Yellow or Chocolate cake with white icing and red, white and blue sprinkles on top. They're $1.25 each.

Hello Cupcake

Fourth of July Cupcakes are available all this week. They are the "HC Originals," (vanilla or chocolate cake with vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting) with special Independence Day decorations and are the normal price, $3/each. Note their holiday hours: 10am-9pm July 3rd, and 10am-5pm July 4th.

Red Velvet Cupcakery

RVC will definitely be selling patriotic-themed cupcakes this week, but weren't able to tell me which flavors they'll be using as the baker hasn't decided yet. The themed-cupcakes will probably only be available Saturday, Friday at the earliest!

Springmill Bread Company
All the local locations are baking Patriotic Themed Cupcakes, priced at 4 for $8.

Know of anywhere else? Let me know and I'll add it to the list!

4th of July Decorating Ideas

2009-06-30T11:57:00.015-04:00

As requested by Cupcake Meetup Group Member/Delleicious DC Reader LIESA :), here is a roundup of 4th of July themed cupcakes to give you bakers some decorating ideas for those BBQ's this weekend!

Flag Cupcakes from Country Living Magazine

Martha Stewart Flag Cupcakes, with a How-To on their website and other Patriotic Indulgence How-To's

Firecracker Cupcakes from Flickr User GinaMig

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes by Fancy Flours, with a How-To here!

Patriotic Cupcake posted by CTTC via Flickr

Cupcake Kabob's which are all the rage right now, from CTTC reader Kristin_A

Red Velvets from Sue Doeden of Inforum on CTTC; click here for the recipe

Cookie Stencil Cupcakes; the stencils can be purchased at Cakeandcandy.com for $2.49

4th of July Cupcake from GettyImages

American Flag Cupcake Cake by Betty Crocker

Flag Cupcakes by Peggy Trowbridge Filippone of About.com. Click here for the recipe!

Washingtonian Mag's Best of Washington

2009-06-30T11:34:00.005-04:00

Each year Washingtonian Magazine polls their readers to get the lowdown out what everyone deems the best restaurants, celebrities, nightlife, and more. For the past couple years, they've made sure to poll on who has the best cupcakes - and the results are in!

Photograph by Renne Comet

1. Georgetown Cupcake

2. CakeLove

3. Baked & Wired

I can't believe it happened AGAIN this year!!!! How on EARTH does Cakelove keep pulling this off?! Shock. Calming down now...the top 3 remain the same from last year's results, only Cakelove has dropped down to the second spot while Georgetown Cupcake moved from 2nd place to 1st place. Baked & Wired has remained in the 3rd best slot.

The July issue is on stands now.

Larry's Should Stick to Ice Cream

2009-06-30T10:06:00.007-04:00

I recently became aware that Larry’s Ice Cream in Dupont also carries cupcakes, so when I was in Dupont with my boyfriend Mike visiting some of his friends, we all walked down to the shop. It was a cute little place right in the heart of Dupont. Anddd that’s where the cuteness ended.

Mike walked right in and saw 3 different types of Red Velvet cupcakes – one with cream cheese frosting, one with buttercream frosting, and one with chocolate frosting. He looked at a big man on a Blackberry behind the counter and said, “I hear your Red Velvet is good, which one should I get?” The guy proceeded to look at him and say “Does it look like I give a shit?”

I have no patience for people like this, and at that point was ready to turn around and walk out but Mike still wanted to order one. He ordered the chocolate cupcake with raspberry filling and the red velvet with cream cheese frosting. At the register, Mike tried to make conversation again, asking the guy “so are you the baker?” The guy looked at Mike like he just asked the stupidest question in the history of all time, and said “Does it look like I’m the baker?” Mike fired back and said “Maybe? What kind of question is that?” The guy slammed the drawer shut, pushed the cupcakes at Mike, said “here you go” and walked off to play with his Blackberry some more.

Seriously, nobody is asking for this guy to be Mary Sunshine, but are you kidding me??? When your customers are trying to make conversation with you and ask you about your product, it might behoove you to engage in some pleasant conversation and not curse and be a smartass. I have been to DOZENS of bakeries since beginning this blog over a year ago, and have never encountered someone so rude.

Not only is the customer service horrid to say the least, but the cupcakes taste awful. The cake was dry, the frosting on the red velvet was sour and didn’t even taste like cream cheese frosting – I threw it out after taking 2 bites. I wouldn’t even try the Chocolate, but Mike who will eat pretty much anything wouldn’t even finish it.

Walk a couple hundred feet over to Hello Cupcake, take a trip down a few blocks to Baked & Wired, Georgetown Cupcake, or Red Velvet Cupcakery. Whatever you do, do not give a single penny of your money to this place. The service at Hello, B&W, Georgetown & Red Velvet is friendly and the cupcakes are worlds better. Larry’s ice cream may be good, but he clearly jumped on the cupcake bandwagon to make a quick buck. His product is awful and so is his attitude; avoid this place at all costs.

Georgetown's Strawberry Cupcake

2009-06-29T17:20:00.003-04:00

If you're a Strawberry Cupcake lover and have yet to pick one up from Georgetown Cupcake, you better hurry! Tomorrow is the last day of June, and so ends this flavor of the month!

I must say, it was pretty amazing. It has chunks of strawberries both in the frosting and in the cake. The frosting is one of their standard cream cheese frostings and fit perfectly with the fruity cake. Baked & Wired Strawberry cupcakes are still my favorite, but these were very good!

Watermelon Cupcakes

2009-06-24T17:34:00.003-04:00

Seriously, this is one of the cutest ideas for a cupcake EVER. Found this on a Google search - isn't it perfect for a 4th of July BBQ?! Or any summertime BBQ for that matter. I'm going to bake these for a get-together next week, so I'll let you guys know how they turn out and how to do them!

Cupcakes, Champagne & Discounts at Fresh!

2009-06-24T17:29:00.003-04:00

I received a press release from Fresh, the chic Georgetown boutique, regarding their Cupcakes & Champagne happy hour tomorrow to ring in the summertime! FREE cupcakes and champagne to all shoppers! And for you summer-dress loving ladies, their dresses will all be buy two get one free!

The event is tomorrow, Thursday June 25th from 6-8PM and is open to the public. Located right next to Georgetown Cupcake, at 1205 Potomac St. NW 20007, Fresh is only one step off of M street. So stop in, grab a cupcake (which I'm assuming are from Georgetown Cupcake), and find a perfect 4th of July dress.

Engagement Cupcake

2009-06-14T14:29:00.003-04:00

How cute is this? One of my long-time friends asked me for my help in making him a "Will You Marry Me" cupcake so he could propose to his girlfriend. The cupcake turned out really cute, and she said yes! Congrats Jill & Steve!

This Week at Lola’s

2009-06-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

Lola Cookies & Treats will be baking their Luscious Lemon cupcakes this week -- the treats that Northern Virginia magazine dubbed "tartacular." Other cupcakes on this week’s menu include Coconut, Milk Chocolate, Chocolate/Vanilla, Vanilla/Chocolate and Madagascar Vanilla.

Going along with the Lemon theme, they’ll be serving fresh-squeezed lemonade at the bakery. You can enjoy you Luscious Lemon Cupcake & fresh squeezed Lemonade under the shady trees in their outdoor area!

At this weekend’s Leesburg Farmer’s Market, they’ll be serving up their Coconut, Vanilla/Chocolate, and Luscious Lemon Cupcakes.

Owen Wilson loves cupcakes!

2009-06-11T11:29:00.002-04:00

Pretty much everyone knows Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, and Paul Rudd are in town filming their new romantic comedy, “How Do You Know,” and according to NBC Owen Wilson took some time off the set to drop by Georgetown Cupcake:

WASHINGTON -- Actor Owen Wilson was spotted eating in Georgetown Tuesday.
After dining at the Peacock Café, he stopped by Georgetown Cupcake for a red velvet and a white chocolate raspberry cupcake, according to Georgetown Cupcake. He ate alone at a table in the store.
According to the staff, Wilson dropped by Georgetown Cupcake on Monday but it was closed.
My question is, how in the world did he manage to snag that one lonely table! It’s always taken!

Vanilla/Chocolate Cupcakes from Lola

2009-05-28T11:33:00.004-04:00

What's available this weekend at the Leesburg Farmer's Market from Lola's Cookies & Treats? More delicious cupcakes, of course! This Saturday they will have their Coconut cupcakes along with their new Vanilla/Chocolate Cupcakes - Madagascar vanilla cake with chocolate ganache on top and a drizzle of white chocolate. They'll also have these gorgeous Vanilla/Chocolate Cupcakes now through the end of June at the bakery.

The other goodies from Lola's at the Leesburg Farmer's Market this weekend will be Scones: Cranberry Buttermilk; Apricot with White Chocolate and Walnuts; Date with Orange Zest; and Cheddar Chive. Breads: Almond Bread (pictured below) and Honey Wheat Bread. Plus: Great Big Blueberry Muffins and their usual line-up of award-winning cookies and bars.

The market runs from 8 a.m. to noon; arrive early for the best selection!

Cup-A-Cake Carriers at Hello Cupcake

2009-05-28T11:25:00.002-04:00

Hello Cupcake's Cup-A-Cake Carriers made the paper yesterday. They're perfect for picnics this summer, so get yours at Hello Cupcake or at one of the many USA retailers, like Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Crate & Barrel!

Georgetown Cupcake Monthly Flavor: Toffee

2009-05-27T18:54:00.004-04:00

Georgetown Cupcake's special flavor for the month of May is Toffee Crunch, and since my sister lives in Georgetown I'd been asking her to pop in and grab one! She actually bought two, along with a Lemon Blossom and Chocolate Hazelnut (two of their regular flavors).

Steph, not being much of a toffee fan, said it was sweet and had toffee bits not just on top but also baked into the cupcake itself, and that she had no intention of sharing with her roommates. She also added that the icing was very creamy and goes well with the toffee. SO, there's only 4 days left in May - so get on over to Georgetown Cupcake and pick one up while you can!

Next month Georgetown Cupcake will be featuring two new monthly flavors: Strawberry and White Chocolate Raspberry.

Farmer's Market Cupcakes Weekend Roundup

2009-05-22T13:58:00.004-04:00

It’s Friday, so that means Farmer's Market info! If you're in the Leesburg area, be sure to drop by the Leesburg Farmer's Market this Saturday to pick up a couple of the goodies from Lola Cookies & Treats!

I mentioned last week that Lola doesn't normally have her cupcakes at the Farmer's Market (summer heat and frosting usually are not a good combination) but since it's not quite summer, this week they'll have their Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes and Coconut Cupcakes. In Lola’s bakery this week, they’re whipping up Carrot Cake, Milk Chocolate, Coconut, Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream, Red Velvet & Madagascar Vanilla cupcakes.

Other treats they'll be bringing to tomorrow’s Farmer’s Market include Cherry-Chocolate Scones, Cranberry Buttermilk Scones, Apricot with White Chocolate & Walnut Scones, and Cheddar Chive Scones, as well as Almond Bread and Honey Wheat Bread.

The Leesburg Farmers Market takes place from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday in the parking lot at Virginia Village Shopping Center (which is at King Street and Catoctin Circle). Go early for the best selection!

If you're in the Alexandria, VA area, drop by the Alexandria Farmer's Market to scoop up some of Chateau Gateau's cupcakes. The Alexandria Farmer's Market Hours are 5:30am-11:00am every Saturday.

The Old Town Alexandria Farmers' Market is located in the Market Square at 301 King Street. The best parking is in the underground lot off Fairfax Street, directly under Market Square.

Donut Cupcakes!

2009-05-21T21:00:00.005-04:00

For fun, I made some donut cupcakes for a friend who's been asking for them for months. It was really fun decorating them! Just buy some small glazed donuts from your grocery store, use a simple glaze made of confectionary sugar & milk to make them sticky for sprinkles, and then just place them on top of your frosted cupcakes!

Lavender Moon Cupcake Meetup

2009-05-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Not deterred by the weather, the DC/Metro Cupcake Group had their monthly cupcake meetup at Lavender Moon Cupcakery yesterday afternoon. Since the ground was wet from all the recent rain, we weren't able to go to the park with our cupcakes as planned. However LMC has recently set up some tables inside, so we just took them all over!

The menu looked very enticing - Flourless Dark Chocolate, Almonds & Sea Salt; Vanilla Bean Lemon Curd; Buttermilk Cupcake with Mexican Chocolate Pudding; Devil's Food Peanut Butter; Vanilla Vanilla; Triple Belgian Chocolate; Blood Orange Dreamsicle; Coconut; Coconut Macaroon; Lemon Thyme & Blackberry; and Mocha! All cupcakes are $3 or $30 for a dozen, and they only accept cash or checks (no credit cards yet folks - bring cash!!)

Some of the group members thought the Vanilla Vanilla and Flourless Dark Chocolate Almonds flavors were dry, but two flavors that really stood out were the Blood Orange Dreamsicle and Lemon Thyme & Blackberry - SO good. If you happen to swing by LMC and see them on the menu, we highly recommend them! Other flavors the group members enjoyed were Devil's Food Peanut Butter and Triple Belgian Chocolate.

We're not sure where the next meetup will be, but we're thinking about trying out Cupcakes Actually in Fairfax since it's the new spot around town. Stay tuned to the blog and to the group page on Facebook, as I'll be updating both with new meetup plans!

Lavender Moon Cupcakery

116 S. Royal Street

Alexandria, Virginia

703.683.0588

Cute Cupcake Making Kit

2009-05-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

Looking for a cute cupcake-oriented gift? Take a look at this Cupcake Kit!

The colorful kit includes a 64 page book with 14 mouth-watering recipes, 250 decorate liners in two sizes, one pastry bag, and an assortment of fun piping tips. The kit sells for $19.95 and can be purchased by clicking here!

Mervis 60K Diamond Cupcakes!

2009-05-16T00:05:00.000-04:00

In late April I received an email from from Jonathan Mervis (you know the radio commercials: Mervis Diamond Importers, deep in the diamond mines of Africa, her love, all that good stuff) sharing some pictures of “the world’s first diamond cupcake!” Jonathan and Ronnie Mervis made two of them – frosted with $60,000 worth of diamonds. – to showcase at the Wedding Rings and Diamond Cupcakes Trunkshow earlier this month. Take a look at the cupcakes!

Jonathan Mervis using a diamond loupe to inspect his cupcake! Photos all from Laboroflovephoto.com

Cupcakes (edible, non-diamond cupcakes!) for the event were provided by Classic Bakery of Gaithersburg, MD. I’ve heard of Classic Bakery before as I’ve had a couple friends get their wedding cakes from there, but never knew they had cupcakes. Classic sells their cupcakes for $1.75/each, though they might only be available by advance order – so call before going by! They didn’t have any pictures on their website, but look at these cute little Tiffany’s boxes they did! Adorable.

MallowDrama's Latest

2009-05-16T00:01:00.000-04:00

Heads up everyone – MallowDrama is no longer selling cupcakes at Dinner Zen so I have removed them from the list to the left, but I did want to let you know that mini MallowDrama cupcakes will be for sale at at Play Cafe in Hunters Woods Village Center in Reston (including Secret Garden -- their vegan carrot cake -- and more).

Also, MallowDrama is currently offering a free delivery service within Reston for orders of 1 dozen or more cupcakes! Service available Monday-Friday, 10 AM-6 PM, and Saturday 10 AM-12 PM. They ask for 48 hours notice.

Lola's Cupcakes at Leesburg Farmer's Market

2009-05-15T00:07:00.005-04:00

On the subject of Farmer's Markets - if you're in the Leesburg area, be sure to drop by the Leesburg Farmer's Market this Saturday to pick up a couple of the goodies from Lola Cookies & Treats!

Lola doesn't normally have her cupcakes at the Farmer's Market (summer heat and frosting usually are not a pleasant combination) but since it's not quite summer, they'll have their Coconut Cupcakes and Milk Chocolate Cupcakes - their two most popular cupcake flavors at the bakery.

Other treats they'll be bringing this weekend include their Strawberry Rhubarb Bars, a variety of Scone flavors: Cranberry Buttermilk, Blueberry, Cheddar Chive, and Date With Orange Zest, along with their most popular cookies and bars and two types of bread -- Almond Bread and their new Honey Wheat Bread with Cinnamon Swirl. MMMMmmm!!

Lavender Moon Cupcakery Meetup

2009-05-15T00:05:00.001-04:00

If you’re looking for something to do this Sunday, head on over to Reston for the DC/Metro Cupcake Group’s monthly cupcake meetup!

The group members have been dying to hit up Lavender Moon Cupcakery, so I thought we could make another outdoor meetup out of it! I’ve posted about LMC many times in the past, but for those of you a little less familiar, Lavender Moon Cupcakery is located in Alexandria, Virginia, right in the heart of Old Town on S Royal Street. They made a name for themselves with exotic flavors like Passion Fruit Mousse Pistachio, Carrot Cashew & Cardoman, Peach Meringue Pie, and Pumpkin & Fennel, to name a few.

We will be taking our cupcakes and sitting in Founders Park overlooking the Potomac a few streets up from the Cupcakery. Founders Park is located on the water, between Queen and Oronoco Streets. If you go to Google Maps and type in “Founders Park, Alexandria, VA” it will show you exactly where it is.

We will be sitting somewhere on the side of Founders Park closest to Queen Street. I figure we’ll meet at 1pm at Lavender Moon, buy our cupcakes and walk over to Founders Park at 1:15. If you think you’re going to be later than 1:15, just grab your cupcakes and come meet us at Founders Park!

On another note – the DC/Metro Cupcake Group has migrated from Meetup.com to Facebook. Why you ask? Well, Meetup.com charges a $19 monthly fee to have a group, whereas Facebook is free. After shelling out $19 a month for the last year I decided to make the move! I know this is a pain for some and I do apologize for the inconvenience, but I hope you jump on over to Facebook and join us!

Hello Cupcake at Dupont Circle Farmer's Market

2009-05-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

It’s Farmers Market Season again! Woohoo!

This Sunday, May 17th, drop by the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market and check out Hello Cupcake for the Freshfarm Markets Chef at the Market series! They will be there demonstrating the use of fresh, local, in-season ingredients to create complimentary treats for farmer’s market attendees!

The Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market runs from 9am to 1pm, so don’t go too crazy on Saturday night! It’s located In the 1500 block of 20th St., between Massachusetts Ave. and Q St., in the adjacent parking lot of PNC Bank. Click here for map. The nearest Metro stop is Dupont Circle on the Red Line.

If you’re a Farmer’s Market fiend like me, then you will appreciate this website. It’s a guide to all the Farmer’s Markets in the DC/Metro Area. You’re welcome!

Hello Cupcake Donates to Share Our Strength

2009-05-14T13:07:00.004-04:00

Make sure you drop into Hello Cupcake this week. I’m a little late on getting this out, but from May 11th through May 16th, Hello Cupcake will give 100% of the proceeds from the sale of its “Original” flavor cupcakes to Share Our Strength to help end child hunger in America.

Original flavor cupcakes include Chocolate or Vanilla Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate or Vanilla Buttercream topped with colorful confetti sprinkles.

Best Buns At Tonight's National ZooFari!

2009-05-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Don’t miss ZooFari 2009, taking place tonight at the National Zoo from 6:30 to 10:30pm! Help celebrate elephantine appetites and the National Zoo’s commitment to Asian elephants. This enchanted evening will bring together an oasis of culinary delights, fabulous wine, live entertainment, a chance to meet celebrity chef Carla Hall and a spectacular auction.

Just a little background - ZooFari brings together 100 of the Washington, D.C., area's finest restaurants, and more than 20 vintners from around the world for an evening of gourmet foods, fine wines, fabulous entertainment, a great silent auction, and dancing under the stars. ZooFari began more than 20 years ago as a catered event drawing several hundred visitors, and has since become one of the premier events in Washington—hosting master chefs from 100 of the area's best restaurants and thousands of guests.

Best Buns is on the long list of fabulous bakeries and restaurants that will be serving up some fantastic food at the event. For the whole list, click here.

ZooFari tickets are no longer available online. You may purchase tickets at the Zoo's Visitor Center tonight at the event. FONZ Member Ticket prices are $125 each, and Nonmember prices are $175 each.

For more information on the wonderful cause, check out the event page by clicking here!

Cupcake Newcomer! Cupcakes Actually

2009-05-13T10:34:00.000-04:00

A big welcome to the newest member of the metro area cupcake family – Cupcakes Actually in Fairfax, Virginia!

Cupcakes Actually counter, picture from CupcakesActually.com

To get the cupcake party started, Cupcakes Actually is having a block party this Saturday afternoon from 12:00 to 4:00pm. I haven’t heard anything about free cupcakes, but it should be a good time nonetheless!

The cute shop features fun flavors like Italian Stallion (Butter Cake with Cassata filling and Italian Buttercream), Mint Julip (Chocolate Cake with Mint Buttercream), Champagne Taste (Champagne Cake with pink Champagne Buttercream), and Caribbean Queen (Pina Colada Cake with Coconut Rum Frosting), to name a few! Take a look at pictures of them from CA's website below. You can take a look at all 19 flavors by checking out their menu. You won’t see it on there, but they have a weekly Gluten Free cupcake as well.

According to their website, most of CA’s cupcakes go for $3.05 with the exception of Cherries Jubilee ($3.50) and their signature dipped cupcakes: Dipped Chocolate, Dipped Caramel, and Dipped Peanut Butter, which are all $3.75.

So swing by Cupcakes Actually this Saturday and give them a try! They are located in Fairfax Corner at:

11944 Grand Commons AveFairfax, VA 22030
571.522.6315
Monday – Saturday, 10am – 9pm
Sunday, Noon – 6pm

Cherry Blossom Festival Cupcake Meetup

2009-04-13T15:55:00.000-04:00

On April 5th we held another fun cupcake meetup on the Tidal Basin in DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival! While it turned out to be pretty crowded and crazy, and we probably wouldn't do it during the festival EVER again, it was a good time once we got settled! Check out some pictures from the event below. Try to come out to our next meetup in May at Lavender Moon Cupcakery!

The Group at our Cherry Blossom Meetup!

Cupcakes baked by one of the group members!

Adorable Cookie Monster cupcakes made by one of the members!

The beautiful Cherry Blossoms as seen from our meetup spot!