Random Letters to the Public

Alrighty, and we're back to Crumbs!  This return to Crumbs was after a debate at a party with a couple of friends which included my friend Davy that told me that my choice of lurving Georgetown Cupcake was whack and that Crumbs was better IHO. In the past, my experience with Crumbs was pretty neutral but leaning towards the good rating, since to me personally - these cupcakes are bigger than the others and does not allow me to further "sample" other flavors in the same sitting....I know, I know.  But as a person that is really interested in cupcakes and enjoys having the opps to try others, it is hard with this mammoth of a cupcake.  And this takes a toll on my optimal freshness non-biased nommings! Since Davy was in a super hurry and let the lady behind the counter choose, I ended up getting gifted the Cosmo Cupcake and some unknown choco, vanilla, caramel concoction that is not currently listed on their website.  Buttscratchers. So let's start with the Choco-vanilla-caramel cupcake.  Pretty decent, although this cupcake is rather pedestrian as in I can totally make this with box mix (hmm...good idea there!) The cake was a marble choco-yellow cake, similar to one that you would find in sliced loaf form at Starbucks, the cake was topped with a Duncan Hines-esque rich choco frosting and topped with somethat that looked like a slice of a candy bar that had caramel in it.  My brain is having a hard time to figure out which candy bar it really was!  Overall as the elements together were really good, IMO I think it was just average since I feel like it is something that could be easily duped from my local grocery aisle and some Better Crocker mixing and baking.

The other cupcake is a mos def different story.  So the Cosmo is green and pink "FAHHHHHBEWLISSSS."  Taking a cue from my fave show 30 Rock, Intern Kenneth's 'everyone is my best friend in the whole world' theory combined with categorization similar to award shows.  I would like to officially dub, that this cupcake is "The tastiest cupcake, gay looking cupcake category."  As the cupcake colors are what adds the excitement to this cupcake, my problem with it was whether I did or did not know that this is a "Cosmo" flavor - personally I wouldn't know what the heck it was supposed to be taste wise on a blind sitting.  Although I hafta say that this is a pretty good cupcake as I did enjoy the cake texture and the frosting, the sanding sugar cupcake rim, and the surprise frosting squirt of whatever frosting in the middle of the cupcake.

 But as I research the real undertones of the cupcake   - on the website the Cosmo is really vanilla cake tinted pink filled with strawberry buttercream frosting and topped with a lime cream cheese frosting edged in pink sugar. Okay so from what I can taste - vanilla cake tinted pink(check), pink sanding sugar(check), but that is it.  For all I knew that the strawberry buttercream and lime cream cheese frosting were just colored frostings, and I came away disappointed that it was not more Cosmo-y, as if I know what a Cosmo cupcake should taste like!  Anyways, again a tasty cupcake- cake was a good texture and presentation was fun, but I would give a thumbs down on overall execution since this was not the flavor as presented.  Don't get me wrong this won't deter me from returning, this will be my go to when I just want a good regular cupcake.

Anyways, thanks to Davy for his donation to my nomming philanthropy!!!  I owe you some cupcakes the next time I see you yo!  (Insert Cupcake Salute!)

Now on to Lavender Moon Cupcakery in Alexandria, VA!  This was a cupcake spot that my friend Deanna discovered in Old Town Alexandria, which is not obvi as one of my main hang out spots.  Seeing that we were in a cupcake kinda mood and in the area we decided to go off the beaten path of our usual delicious cupcakes.  So off to Lavender Moon!

The flavors offered were a bit limited but were plenty different than most.  Aside from the regular choco and vanilla varieties, it seemed that Lavender Moon incorporated some different flavors that incorporated fruit.  And thinking back most of the cupcakes that did have fruit were cream cheese based, which make me wonder if all of their frostings are cream cheese. (boring)  Since we ate this last month and they don't have a website (WTH, I can't website stalk their flavors!  How odd).  I'm going to guess-remember what we had.

Deanna's clear choice was the Peanut Butter Choco - Choco cake, peanut butter cream cheese frosting and a magic shell like choco topping, as not a PB whore like Sean I was sorta out of my element.  I ended up really liking it! (WHAAA?) The PB mixed with the cream cheese really kept the pb to the side, but gave it a tang that was complemented by the likes of the choco magic shell! It wasn't overly choco and PB, it was a good balance!

 My clear choice after the presentation from the sales girl was the Blackberry Lemon - a lemon bottom with a blackberry cream cheese buttercream.  I really enjoyed the natural blackberry taste in the frosting and the lemon cake wasn't dry or crumbly!  Although, I remember thinking the blackberry frosting overtook the lemon cake.  After ordering our two, we sorta though we needed to have a cupcake trifecta and also ordered a blood orange dreamsicle cupcake as our palette cleanser- which I can't remember if it had orange cake,  but I do remember that the cream cheese frosting was hella awesome!  =)

Overall, cupcakes were pretty tasty and if I am ever back in the area, I would go again and order more to take home!  =)  And obvi order my Red Velvet control, which I totally neglected!

First, Hello Cupcake's bacon cupcake was paired with maple and pecan, so formally it was a Maple Bacon Pecan cupcake and further described as "moist maple cake made with pure, real maple syrup topped with browned butter frosting, candied pecans and bacon."


Second, wording problemo: "moist" - my cake was not very moist as the description inferred, in fact my cupcake was a bit crusty the clown on the outside, which I think suited the cupcake better since you can pretend it was wafflely (that's totally a word...Imma going to try it on my next opp on Words with Friends...watch out for that Sean...WAFFLELY...right in the dangeah zonage) or even french toasty - something needed to be crispy in the cupcake...since the bacon was not crispy (refer my fif point below).

Turd, toppings problemo: "canded pecans and bacon".  HEY!  I thought this was the bacon show, not the pecan and bacon show!  While I do enjoy my candied pecans, the mixture sorta felt like filler.

Fourth, missing in action problemo: while I think maple syrup pairs well with bacon and the brown butter frosting was quite tasty, I feel like the bb frosting should have been choco.  I mean choco bacon is yerms!

Fif, type of bacon problemo:  The texture was really odd, and not yo momma's breakfast bacon (or shall I say my dad since my mom would never fry us up some bacon...EVAR) It was neither hearty or crunchy, it was just loose and stringy and had a weird bacon dust and film on it.  I want to say that the bacon used was one from a jar...you know like the ones that you could buy on the salad aisle. And no not uber red Bacos, but like the more "natty" bacon in a jar.  EEP!  I get it, bacon is a pain in the culo to fry up and crumble in the ktichen, BUT if you are gonna do a bacon cupcake justice you have to fry some oinky for reals!

Overall a bit of disappointment.  I'm super bummed.  But the light at the end of the tunnel was that I can now say, I Kissed Bacon Cupcake and I didn't like it.

Behind the sneezeguard and droolguard

Menu with their Teethbreaking fondant Flavor Legend

Sticker on the side - rockin' like a rad "side-pony"

Deanna has a lazy eye!

Photo of me by Deanna in her cool iPhone App that keeps crashing my iPhone