By: Cori Sue

Do you remember when whoopie pies were a thing? Back in 2010, I Bitched about a heated debate with my then-boyfriend of the merits of cupcakes vs. whoopie pies. Well, much like our relationship, whoopie pies are so last year—and I’m so over it.

Judging by the 15 to 20 cupcakeries in Washington, cupcakes are a permanent fixture on the foodie scene.

But, if you’re looking for the newest and hottest baked good trends—a fun, flirtatious new lover, if you will—look no further than the cake pop.

The ladies over at Alexandria Cake Pops stole my cake pop virginity on Valentine’s Day (romantic, I know). And, I have to say, I’m hooked.

Photo credit: Alexandria Cake Pop

Cake pops—a circular globe of baked goodness on a stick—are approximately three bites of heaven. Richer than a cupcake, the cake is extremely moist and the outside is a hard shell that’s both candy and frosting at the same time.

Alexandria Cake Pop was founded by Tamara Wilson and Emily Baird, friends who tired of their job working at a regional magazine and decided to strike out on their own.

Wilson had been baking cake pops for fun. Her first large batch was whipped up for a change of command ceremony for her husband, who is a commander in the National Guard at Walter Reed Battle Company. They were such a hit at the ceremony, it was not long after that Wilson decided to make the bakery a full-time gig—and convinced Emily to join.

Now, six months in to their new endeavor, I met Tamara and Emily when they were kind enough to donate 200 cake pops to my Valentine’s Day trip to Walter Reed. As a military wife, Tamara valued our cause of helping wounded soldiers and was happy to assist.

Photo credit: Alexandria Cake Pop

Between munching on delicious chocolate truffle and red velvet cake pops, I asked the girls why cakepops beat out the cupcake as the best dessert around. Here’s what they said:

(1) For starters, they last a lot longer—because of the way they’re baked and they’re wrapped in cellophane. Cakepops last 7-10 days at room temperature and taste just as fresh as the day you bake them.

(2) They’re less messy. They stay on the stick and don’t crumble off. (Truth)

(3) They’re great party favors—you can eat them now or later.

(4) They’re smaller than a cupcake (and less calories), but equally as rich so you’re just as satisfied.

(5) You can get more creative when decorating a cake pop. Tamara’s favorite design is a moustache, which you can take pictures with at events. Meanwhile, Emily loves the sushi cakepops—which look exactly like sushi but happen to be dessert.

Photo credit: Alexandria Cake Pop

While the girls don’t yet have a brick and mortar location, they’ve been very busy whipping up their treats for parties and events. You can order cakepops by the dozen on their website for $29.99 with a $10 delivery charge. They also ship anywhere in the country. Come spring, you can find them in the Old Town Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

By: Cori Sue

Beyond politics, power, and poor dressing, Washington nowadays is also known for its food scene, more specifically, cupcakes and food trucks. (Is anyone sick of these two trends yet?)

Despite our burgeoning food scene, Washington has fairly limited options for middle-of-the-road, delicious, affordable dining. Dining out for lunch is often a chore. This is changing, mostly due to the expansion of Sweetgreen and the arrival of a dozen—then about a dozen more—food trucks that tool around downtown Washington bringing all types of cuisine to 9-to-5ers.

While I follow all the food trucks on Twitter, I rarely have a chance to check them out. I’ve tried DC Empanadas and Curbside Cupcakes, but beyond that, none. Last Friday, I popped over to Truckeroo to check out some more.

My healthy meal began with a hangover-curing rich and creamy goat cheese mac n’ cheese, topped with tomato jam and basil and tarragon panko crumbs from the CapMac truck. It was slightly cold in places, which I assume is a common problem for cuisine coming from a vehicle. Additionally, I would have preferred fresh tomatoes rather than a tomato jam. However, the cheese was creamy, flavorful and delicious and I wouldn’t change anything about the mac n’ cheese itself. Well done, CapMac.

Of course, I couldn’t resist cupcakes from a pink truck. So, I headed to Sweetbites, one of the very few cupcakeries in the DC metro area I have not visited. Sweetbites reminds me a lot of Hello Cupcake with the pink, the branding, and even the way the cupcakes are frosted.

Sweetbites offers 11 flavors of cupcakes on its mobile truck every day. Flavors include cookies and cream, piña colada, salted caramel, chocolate ganache and more. They also serve coffee, muffins, bars and other baked goods.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

My friends and I opted for red velvet and chocolate peanut butter. Again, the chocolate peanut butter cupcake tasted very similar to the same flavor I sampled at Hello Cupcake. The cupcakes were good. They weren’t cold, so the frosting was moist, which is a major plus. They were normal size, unlike the monstrosities at Baked & Wired and Crumbs.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

In sum, the cupcakes are good, certainly better than mobile competition Curbside Cupcake. If you’re a fan of Hello Cupcake, you’ll definitely like Sweetbites.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

The Cupcake 5 Factor:
Pretty? Yes
Extensive Flavor Selection? Yes.
Moist cake? Yes.
Good Frosting? Yes
Good Ambiance? N/A, outdoor eating.

Sweetbites Mobile, find their location on their Web site or follow them on Twitter.

By: Cori Sue

We all know I love cupcakes almost as much as I love brunch. We also know I rarely leave the District. But, there are two reasons I brave the red line to head to Chevy Chase: Bloomingdales (and all the other great shopping), and cupcakes from Frosting.

I first wrote about Frosting when it opened on Chevy Chase Circle in May of last year. The story is too cute to be true: Owners Michelle and Todd Bracken met on Match.com, fell in love, and he helped her fulfill her dream of opening a bakeshop. Their adorable story was covered by the Washington Post, and made into a book by well-known romance novelist Alison Kent. The bakery just celebrated its first year anniversary with a cupcake eating contest and free cupcakes in May.

Photo credit: Frosting

Frosting’s ‘nilla ‘nilla is the best vanilla cupcake in the city. It’s made using a secret family recipe and the finest vanilla extract. There are daily flavors–vanilla, red velvet, chocolate-vanilla, vanilla-chocolate, and chocolate-chocolate– along with a large expanded menu of creative flavor concoctions that rotate seasonally and can be special ordered.  Some that caught my eye: campire, a chocolate graham cracker marshmellow s’more cupcake, Joe n-Dough, a coffee cake dougnut bottomed cupcake (wow), The G’man, gingerbread with lemon frosting, and many more.

We’re loving on Frosting because (a) the cupcakes are yummy, (b) as writers, we love a good story, (c) as girls, we love a good love story, and (d) sweet Michelle is providing Summer Brunch Soiree attendees cupcakes to to take with you as you leave the party.

It will be a sweet, special day. We’ll see you there!

Photo credit: Frosting

By: Cori Sue

Another week, another cupcake shop opens. Between the media frenzy and ridiculous lines that accompany Georgetown Cupcake, the cupcake food tours, and the Crumbs Cupcake shops popping up on every corner, I thought D.C. was over it. I eat cupcakes, on average, five times a week (hey, this is a judgment-free-zone), and I thought we were over it. Then I saw the sign for Sprinkles pop up on M Street in Georgetown.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

I was honestly in no rush to get there—other priorities include brunch, work and grad school—and the lines made me risk-averse. However, last weekend while shopping in Georgetown we needed a sugar high to save us from the afternoon slump and Sprinkles was line-free.

From a business perspective, Sprinkles is well-branded. Everything—the cupcakes, the menu, the napkins, the take-home cupcake mixes and dog and person apparel—has the same little dot and logo.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Additionally, Sprinkles offers a good amount of flavor options: traditional flavors such as chocolate and vanilla, as well as cinnamon and sugar, banana and salted caramel. But, it offers nowhere near the extensive flavor selection as its neighbors Georgetown Cupcake and Baked & Wired.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

As always, I opted for the red velvet, because it’s my favorite and provides a good comparison between cupcakeries. While the cake was moist and soft, it lacked flavor. Moreover, the icing was overly sweet—to the point of making my teeth hurt and was missing any cream cheese flavor, the trademark of the red velvet cupcake.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Christina, who joined me, had the salted caramel cupcake, and also said the icing was too sweet.

She was, however, impressed by the service. “The staff was very friendly and helpful,” she says. “Every staff member I interacted with was efficient, smiling, and enthusiastic and seemed to love their job and stand behind the quality of their product.” This last part, in my mind, puts Sprinkles head and shoulders above Georgetown Cupcake.

Ironically enough, despite the name and the effort the company puts into branding, there are no sprinkles to be found on the cupcakes.

The Cupcake 5 Factor:
Pretty? No.
Extensive Flavor Selection? Yes.
Moist cake? Yes.
Good Frosting? No.
Good Ambiance? Somewhat.

P.S. – If you haven’t had enough of cupcakes in the District, our cupcake guide has been updated to aid in your search.

Sprinkles Georgetown
3015 M St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
(202) 450-1610

By: Cori Sue

Like any self-respecting female, I’m a total chocaholic. When ordering at a restaurant, I always order the dessert with chocolate. When baking, it’s brownies, chocolate-chip cookies, chocolate and red velvet cupcakes, and so forth.

But, with age, comes an expanded palate. Some of my favorite desserts at restaurants—the egg nog sundae at Churchkey, the toffee concoction at Marvin—have drawn me away from chocolate. (I still become irate when you muck up my chocolate with fruit. Raspberry sauce in chocolate cake? No, thank you.)

Additionally, I have tried my hand at non-chocolate baked goods. I’ve made “The Perfect Blueberry Cake” from our Bitch Brooke, which was, in fact, perfect. And, because it was loaded with blueberries I labeled it a “health food.” Piggybacking off the lemon trend, and capitalizing on my love of anything with cream cheese icing, I whipped up these lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.

I brought half a dozen to my co-Bitch. She said the frosting was a bit too sweet for her liking, so I’d recommend using more cream cheese and less powdered sugar if you like your frosting less sweet.

Check out my precious pink-and-gold damask cupcake wrappers I ordered from Bake It Pretty , a great site for all you bakers out there. While spending far too much money on baking cups, I ordered a frosting kit, so, this was my first try using a frosting bag. Hopefully my skills will improve with time; try not to judge too harshly.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Cori Sue’s Lemon Cupcakes

(Adapted a long time ago from a Food Network recipe)

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
- 2 1/3 cup flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
-2 tsp. lemon peel
-2 tsp. lemon juice (approximately 3 squeezes)
- 1 cup buttermilk

Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
-2 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla together until well-blended and fluffy. Add lemon peel and lemon juice. Then, add eggs one-at-a-time.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Next, alternate one cup buttermilk and dry mix (while whipping mixture) into the large bowl.

Pour batter into lined cupcake pan, bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes (between 15-18 minutes, 17 works for my oven). Let cool.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

For the frosting: Mix softened cream cheese with lemon juice, add powdered sugar until well-blended.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

By: Cori Sue

A new Cupcakery opened Saturday. And I was there. Are you surprised? I didn’t think so.

Crumbs Bake Shop, which has locations in L.A., New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, opened on 11^th and F N.W. this Saturday. I’d never experienced Crumbs, but a few of my friends who work in New York absolutely rave about it.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Crumbs does set itself apart from other cupcakeries. First of all, the cupcakes are enormous. They blow Bake & Wired—previously the largest cupcakes in the District—out of the water. They have three sizes: taste (mini), classic (normal), and signature (the six-ounce enormity just mentioned). But, the signature is the one they offer in the most flavors in store. They also have basketball-sized cupcakes for parties. (My birthday is in July, just FYI).

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Second, they have a ridiculous selection with all types of flavors. The flavor selection destroys all competition, including Georgetown Cupcake and Lavender Moon Cupcakery, which both have plenty of flavors to choose from.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

They have all your regular flavors: chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, mocha, coconut. Then, they take those run-of-the-mill flavors and jazz them up with flavors like fudge chocolate chip, brownie, “black out,” “good guy” (vanilla with lots of sprinkles), candy, and vanilla coconut. Unique flavors include cookie dough, coffee toffee, pecan pie, cosmo (SJP would be proud), apple cobbler, and others. They also have Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, and Holiday collections.

Essentially, if you go to Crumbs, you will find the cupcake of your dreams.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Lastly, when you bite into (or, in this instance, cut open) a Crumbs cupcake, you discover it has filling inside. As my friend said last night during our cupcake discussion, “You, like, bite into it, and there’s … delicious shit inside.”

‘Nuff said.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

On our visit, I had Espresso and Bridget had German Chocolate. We were both in chocolate heaven. Our new friend who shared the counter space with us had Oreo, and was disappointed that it was vanilla cake rather than chocolate. (Rather odd, don’t you think?) We also got free coffee with our cupcakes, always a plus.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

The downside of Crumbs? No tables. They have one counter in the window for you to stand at, allowing passersby to witness you stuffing your face. And, the signature size cupcakes are not the type you would be able to eat on the go. So, for those of you who work downtown, you could bring it to your office. But, that could be bad because (a) your coworkers might try to steal your cupcake, or (b) they may judge you for eating a cupcake the size of your head in one sitting.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Lastly, Crumbs has a few (three) flavors of whoopie pies. So, I brought a red velvet one home for beau. It was slightly disappointing. A few notes: It was ugly. It was red velvet but didn’t have cream-cheese frosting (wtf?). I didn’t think it was very yummy. Beau and I decided we aren’t whoopie pie experts just yet so we can’t give an official rating, but it certainly paled in comparison to Crumbs’ cupcakes.

Poor, lone ugly little whoopie. Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Great flavors that come in three sizes. (We’re women, we love options).

The Cupcake 5 Factor:
Pretty? No. (Enormous? Yes.)
Extensive Flavor Selection? Yes.
Moist cake? Yes.
Good Frosting? Yes.
Good Ambiance? Somewhat.

Crumbs Bake Shop
604 11th Street NW (F Street)
Washington, D.C.
(202) 737-4001

By: Cori Sue

Artfully Chocolate Kinsbury Confections (quite the mouthful), also known as ACKC, is a charming chocolate boutique with locations on 14th Street in D.C. and in Old Town, Alexandria. Not only is it a boutique, offering lots of cute gifts, cards, chocolates, and artwork; it’s also a café, serving hot chocolate, coffee, and dessert; a wine bar, with happy hour specials; and a restaurant, providing brunch as their sole meal (as if they needed anything else). In the summer, they have an all-you-can-eat ice cream bar on Saturdays. On Sundays, their brunch offers bottomless mimosas for $10. (Don’t worry, Bitches, we’ll be reviewing that ASAP).

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Despite all of this, and the fact that it’s three blocks from my house, I’ve only been to ACKC once. Why? I have no idea. Because this place is chocoholic heaven. Perhaps I was avoiding it like a recovering drug addict avoids his old haunts: don’t get too close to the chocolate, CS, you might have a relapse.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Upon my arrival to meet my dear friend Julie for coffee, it was clear that relapse was coming. I certainly wouldn’t be having a plain-old-boring coffee what with the plethora of options ACKC offers.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

I’m not sure whether their collection of “Diva” hot chocolates – a selection of 14 hot chocolate creations named after famous females – appeals more to gays or gals. But, you can have a “Marilyn Monroe” bold white hot chocolate with crème de menthe, whipped cream, and crumbled Oreos. A “Liz Taylor,” semi-sweet chocolate infused with lavender, topped with whipped cream and pistachios. Or even a “Carmen Miranda,” a mix of raspberries in dark chocolate with whipped cream and dried strawberries and mangoes. They even have a hot chocolate sampler where you can pick three. I’m definitely going back for the toffee-infused “Eartha Kitt” in the near future. (Perhaps I’ll sing “Santa, Baby” along the way).

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

I went for a standard Belgian Milk Chocolate, topped with whipped cream, as I was also having a cupcake and didn’t want to collapse into a sugar-induced frenzy following the combination. It was rich and delicious and the best cup of cocoa I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot).

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

The red velvet cupcake, made in-house, was phenomenal. Very light, fluffy red velvet cake, topped with cream cheese icing, also light and flavorful, and chocolate shavings (a nice touch!). Devoured within seconds. You could tell they were made in-house by how fresh it was.

Julie, who behaved herself with a cup of coffee with steamed soy milk and a bowl of chicken noodle soup, was surprised by how delicious the soup was. She reports that both were scrumptious and kept her warm on the cold winter’s day.

So, if you’re looking for a place to catch-up with a friend, or do some holiday shopping, stop by ACKC. We’ll let you know how brunch is ASAP.

ACKC
1529C 14th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
(202) 387-COCO
and
2003A Mt. Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, V.A.
(703) 635-7917

By: Cori Sue

I like to think Old Town Alexandria is the new Georgetown. At least, it’s my new spot for brunching, shopping, and a stop at a cupcakery with girlfriends on the weekend. The neighborhood is filled with adorable boutiques, including a lot of upscale consignment and sample-sale boutiques for great deals on high-end goods. I’d stopped at Lavender Moon Cupcakery before, so it was only fair I stop by its recently opened rival, Alexandria Cupcake.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Located right on King Street, Alexandria Cupcake has a prime location for a mid-shopping snack. The décor is sparse—definitely not as charming as its rival down the road. When we stopped in, they were out of a lot of flavors, including their “signature” and my favorite, red velvet. (This is unfortunate for my comparison of all red velvets in the city, sigh.)

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

At three dollars, Alexandria’s cupcakes are cheaper than those in the District. They have plenty of special menu items, including Vegan and gluten-free chocolate cupcakes, which are a bit more expensive than the regular ones ($3.75). The menu also says they have a rosewater cupcake, another signature menu item that was regrettably absent on our visit.

I had the vanilla bean: bourbon vanilla bean cake with vanilla bean butter cream frosting topped with a blueberry. They took the vanilla bean to another level with large specks that emitted a lovely vanilla scent and a very strong flavor.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Far braver, Maggie had the PB&J: vanilla cake, layered in the middle with grape jelly, and topped with peanut butter frosting, which she said was phenom. The almond cupcake, which had both almond cake and frosting, she described as pouring almond extract into your mouth—overpowering and not-so-good.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

I brought beau back a strawberry cupcake and was very pleased they had biodegradable cupcake to-go-cases (which I saved and now use for my lunches).  Beau loved his strawberry cupcake– but what does he know? He’s more of a whoopie pie expert.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Good cupcakes, nice they have vegan and gluten-free options. But, in Alexandria, we like Lavender Moon Cupcakery better—better ambiance, more flavors, cuter/yummier cupcakes. Definitely beats out Red Velvet, Curbside Cupcake, and Cake Love here in the District, however.

The Cupcake 5 Factor:
Pretty? Yes.
Extensive Flavor Selection? Decent.
Moist cake? Yes.
Good Frosting? Yes.
Good Ambiance? Somewhat.

Alexandria Cupcake
1022 King St. Alexandria, V.A.
(703) 299-9099

By: Cori Sue

In the fortunate absence of real problems, the boyfriend and I enjoy arguing about nonsensical issues like whether I wear too many bows (perhaps), whether the Daisy Mae is too spoiled (impossible!), and which baked goods are best.

That last reference refers to the great cupcake vs. whoopie pie debate. Beau claims that whoopie pies are better than cupcakes because you can eat them like a sandwich and they’re less messy. Cupcakes, he says, are stupid (gasp!) and messy. I maintain that cupcakes are better because they’re pretty, and this trend isn’t going anywhere. (Anyone see that Sprinkles is opening up shop in Georgetown?)

Well, apparently beau was on the forefront of the baked goods trend while I, in my cupcake-educed haze, had fallen behind. On our recent trip to Dallas, we stopped by Society Bakery, as recommended to us by Dallas blogger Deux Maisons. Society Bakery offered both cupcakes and whoopie pies. (Point 1, beau).

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

We had two whoopie pies—Italian vanilla cream and pumpkin. And, of course, I got a red velvet cupcake. Unfortunately, the red velvet’s flavor didn’t match up to my favorite D.C. bakeries like Baked & Wired and Frosting. It lacked flavor and wasn’t very pretty. I think the icing was regular vanilla rather than cream cheese—bummer—and if it was cream cheese, it lacked the flavor altogether.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

But, the whoopie pies were delicious and less messy—as evidenced by the fact beau was crumb-free but I was covered in red velvet crumbs. (Point 2, beau).

So, upon my return, I did some research. The New York Times covered the whoopie pie phenomenon last year and Metrocurean reports that the 14th and U Farmer’s Market has pumpkin whoopie pies from Pecan Meadow Farm. Our local Whole Foods just started baking whoopie pies. Then, U Street Girl informed me that D.C. has its own whoopie pie specialist: B. Hall Baker, Whoopie Pie Maker. Look out for an interview from her soon. (Point 3, beau).

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Has a new foodie trend hit the District? I suggest going out and tasting a whoopie pie for yourself. They can’t possibly replace my beloved cupcakes, can they? Anyone willing to weigh in and settle the score of this great debate?

By: Cori Sue

A former vegan (I missed cheese, people; don’t judge me), I would have died for a vegan bakery like Sticky Fingers in my old South Florida locale. Instead, I baked my way through Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. (It’s a real book, I swear.)

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Point being, I know first-hand the challenges of making a light-and-fluffy cupcake with flavorful frosting that’s egg-and-dairy-free. It’s a challenge, to say the least. Sticky Fingers Bakery in Columbia Heights, with its delicious cakes and cupcakes, makes it look like a breeze.

The traditional vanilla was sweet – but not too sweet – and moist, with very fluffy frosting. In my other experiences at Sticky Fingers, I’ve sampled chocolate and chocolate-peanut butter, which were also lovely.

Photo credit: Cori Sue Morris

Though I’m not a vegan any longer (I consider myself a pescetarian), I believe that non-vegans and non-vegetarians can (and should) go dairy or meat-free on occasion to help improve their health and reduce their environmental impact.

If you’d like to check out some Vegan treats or are in Columbia Heights, stop by Sticky Fingers, you won’t be disappointed. Oh, and PS, they also have a brunch! Weekends until 2:30, choice of pancakes, French toast, or biscuits ‘n gravy served with roasted potato home fries and hearty tofu scramble for $10. Not bad!

Great cupcakes that are better for you, and better for the environment.

The Cupcake 5 Factor:
Pretty? Not really.
Extensive Flavor Selection? Not really.
Moist cake? Yes.
Good Frosting? Yes.
Good Ambiance? Yes.

Sticky Fingers Bakery
1370 Park Road N.W.
Washington, D.C.
(202) 299-9700