As I had gone on a quest to get in better shape the past year or so - 3 things happened: I lost weight, my cupcake nomming activities had dipped significantly and the cupcake industry went a bit South - we aren't in "Cupcake Oz" anymore, Toto! (The dog, not the 80's band)
Well news has come fast that the fluffy and sprinkled filled world of cupcakes are in a tailspin. With the sudden closing of Crumbs Bakeshop and the downfall of one of my old local haunts, Frosting in Washington, DC - it seems that people are moving on or maybe just tired of cupcakes?
Coincidentally, the closing of the Crumbs Bakeshop is the reason why I came back to my blog (aside from the sheer laziness, the loss of my nommer in crime at the workplace, the change in my fancy career, and the lack of cupcake nomming). And it was in much sad panda sadness that my last blog was about cupcakes from Crumbs, highlights which include dubbing the Cosmo cupcake "The tastiest cupcake, gay looking category." *tear*
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.
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!)
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!
All in all, I was able to take this to work and have some Seangie cupcake nomming time, but I must say it took awhile to tread through them, since it was overwhelming to eat them all in one or two sittings. (I know WTF is wrong with us)
So how do they rate on the OM NOM NOM ratings scale you ask? They are pretty up there, my two cupcakes I chose were the Cotton Candy and the Elvis. The Cotton Candy cupcake was a standout in Crumbs' display case as I think every 4 year old girl wanted the big pink cupcake. This is probably why Deanna and I both got the Cotton Candy cupcake!
Overall, I am pretty happy with Crumbs, all they have to do is open one closer to me....or maybe I should just move closer to one! =)
Crumbs, I'll be seeing you and one of your Colossal Cupcakes around soon!!!!!!
Cake Dreams of Rockville, MD - An OM NOM NOM Review
So here it is......time for the ratings!
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The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the nommy-est!)
TADA Factor: 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3
Frosting: 4
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: YUMMO! Caramel drizzle! I liked the brulee taste, but I wonder if that was intentional? Cake was vanilla and moist. But I think the cake was a bit too airy and a touch crumbly.
TADA Factor: 4
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5
Frosting: 4
Cake: 4.5
NOTES: Tasty, I'm always a big fan of fruit bread turned cupcake bottom, the fudge was similar to the texture of can frosting but the combo is a sure winner! I might try to make this at home!
TADA Factor: 3
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3
Frosting: 3
Cake: 3
NOTES: MEH. The cake wasn't super red, which was a new sight for me and the cupcake left oily cupcake footprints everywhere I placed it down. As my control, the cake was almost there - just needed more red and some more velvety-ness! The cream cheese frosting was a bit too whipped and had an odd after taste!
TADA Factor: 3
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Cake: 3
Frosting: 3.5
NOTES: The raspberry in the frosting tasted really natural and was not overly sugary.
Overall, Cake Dreams was not horrible and not amazeballs. I found the cupcakes to be a touch on the oily side and frosting sometimes a little overwhipped. I don't think I'll be craving these cupcakes in particular, but I think these would be a good alternative if I was dying for cupcakes!
One weekend I did a impromptu cupcake tour over state lines in Virginia and had some major pleasant surprises and some major sad panda disappointments! But that is expected in the cupcakery world, yes? I sure think so. Here are the Virignia Cupcaking Adventures of Deanna and Angie. So is that Deangie? Or Anganna? You decide.
***First Stop ***
SWEET BITES MOBILE CAFE
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| The Sweet Bites Truck = mobile cupcake nommy-ness |
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| Sweet Bite's Red Velvet and Pina Colada |
RED VELVET: Shame on you if you don't know what this is by now.
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 2.5
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: The frosting was really whipped and fluffy, something that you would not expect on you red velvet cupcake since we both were expecting a nice cream cheese punch. The cake was super moist and tasty, but we have had better. You know we compared it to Mecca, aka GTC.
PINA COLADA: Pineapple and coconut cake with Malibu rum cream cheese frosting
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 4.5
Notes: AMAZEBALLS! Now this is what I was looking for. Team Deangie or Anganna were super psyched over this cupcake. Not only did it deliver, it was good to see that someone was able to bake a fine cupcake with pineapple and coconut IN the cake rather than plopping it into their frosting. We loved this cupcake and was about to go buy another, but we were being good since we knew we were headed to more cupcake-ness in the next couple of hours.
OVERALL: Color me impressed. I would like to stalk this truck on a regular basis, I only wish it didn't stay downtown so much. Show me and my friends some NW DC love please! =) Van Ness in particular!
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***Next Stop***
BAKE SHOP
This was our next stop, deeper into Arlington in Clarendon. This nugget of a place I discovered when I was condo shopping, and this is the cupcakery across from the building I have been looking at. Super excited and scared that there was a cupcakery across the street from the condo building, I didn't know what to think - excitement for cupcakes being so close? or scared that I would probably hand over my home owners association fee on a monthly basis to a cupcake shop? Ah, it is mos def like that time Jesse Spano took those caffiene pills, "I'm soooo excited, I'm soooo excited.....I'm...so...scared..." Let's just say, after we went - I left really, really scared and then missed my performance as part of the Hot Sundaes singing group with Kelly and Lisa. Buttscratchers!
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| A Sunny, Sunny Day for a Bake Shop adventure |
These Om Nom Nom Chronicles for the Bake Shop were pretty much the same for all three flavors we chose: Strawberry Shortcake, Toffee and Red Velvet. Let's just say, my friend and I had one bite of each and decided to use our caloric intake at the chocolate shop next door.
TADA Factor: 2.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 2.5
Cake: 1.5
NOTES: How disappointing! This is an all time low for cupcake rating in my Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles. The cake crumbled all over our clothes right as we bit into the cupcakes or if we inhaled too hard it would go up your nose (you know that beignet demise.) As we both hoped it was only the fate of the toffee cupcake that we sampled first (which I drooled over in the display) it was in fact the fate of all the cupcakes. We did have hope for the frosting, but it didn't do anything for us. And in the end just a major disappointment for Deanna and I, good location - meh cupcakes. We ended up just one biting each cupcake and throwing the rest away. How sad, to waste cupcakes - that is mos def not a Deanna and Angie thing, but we had to - they sucked! So much for a cupcakery neighbor, but let's just say it would all go to the chocolate store next door!
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| Cupcakes Actually Plate 'o Cupcakes |
CUPCAKES ACTUALLY
Here is the far, far away. Fairfax Corner. Desperate to get the last cupcake fiasco behind us, it was time to find some more cupcakes and cross out fingers that they were nommy. The advise of these cupcakes came from my friend Anna which she claimed were da bomb shiznit. Alright, let's give it a whirl. Let's just say, Cupcakes Actually did not disappoint and even on full tums-tums Deanna and I were able to make room and to scarf them down. As we checked out the landscape of cupcakes Deanna and I settled on Simply Red (Red Velvet) and Cherries Jubilee.
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| Cupcake Actually Simply Red - NOMMY! |
TADA Factor: 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 4.0
NOTES: Not your momma's Red Velvet cake! It was so good to meet another red velvet cupcake with proper cream cheese frosting. The frosting was still pretty whipped, but really smooth and tasted perfect with the nommy moist and properly color red velvet cake. In addition, the cake had the touch of choco goodness that some of DMV cupcakeries have missed often. Let's just say our eye widened at first bite of this cupcake. NOMMY! I also like to say that this cupcake is good contender in my world of red velvet cupcakes as it could be considered a close second to GTC's red velvet cupcake. And best of all, the heart that adorn the top was chocolate! No cheesey fondant or hard necco wafer candy and nice smooth piece of red choco! Double rainbows!
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| JUBILEE in my mouth! (that's what SHE said!) |
TADA Factor: 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 4.0
Frosting: 3.5
Cake: 4.5
NOTES: Um. NOMMY! Cake was AMAZEBALLS! It was the perfect amount of tart cherries that were countered by the subtle lightly sweetened and fluffy buttercream. This cupcake brought smiles to our faces and was the perfect finale to our Virginia Cupcake Tour.
Cupcakes Actually we'll be back!!!!
So another Groupon cupcake ad came into my inbox. And no, it was not a delivery cupcake place that fell off the face of the earth after the Groupon buying time was over. (I STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO ORDER MY CUPCKAKES FROM BONAFIDE CUPCAKES, BTW!) I was hesitant at first to purchase this Groupon since I haven't been able to redeem my last one, but since it was close to work I decided to take a leap of faith on Frosting A Cupcakery (A Boutique Bakeshop & Coffeehouse) located in Chevy Chase, MD. So my first impressions, was frustrating - the first time I went to redeem my cupcakes I went on July 4th, where their website stated that their hours were from 10 AM - 6 PM. So I drive to the bakeshop desperate for some cupcake goodness to share with my friends on July 4th. I drive up. BAD NEWS, they were closed. CRAP! How depressing! My next visit was more successful (since I got freaking cupcakes!), but the whole parking situation was quite odd, I had to choose to either enter the open parking lot area behind the cupcakery or go into the depths of a parking garage, I took a dare and went to the open parking behind the building, thinking there would be some convenient trail for people to go through to get to the other side. No such luck! So I walked around the building and then some to get to the cupcake place on the corner. I'm okay with walking for my cupcakes, as I could very use the exercise and circulation in my legs, but it was a bit aggravating on a day that was humid and rainy (and umbrella-less). =(
I walk into Frosting and it was a really cute shop. Not in a cute, GTC or Herrow (it is really Hello, but I'm adding my Asian spin) Cupcake baby pink all over the place way, but it was more masculine with their modern brown, blue and cream decor. It was like a MR. GTC or a MR. Herrow Cupcake store. It felt like more like what my living room would look like. I guess they took their cues from a Starbucks and GTC together, pretty savvy! (Sorry no photos of the store! I left my iPhone and camera at work!)
So I grabbed my eight cupcakes and headed back. And made my long humid and drizzly walk to my car, splashing gravel-ly water that pooled into the ridges of my flip flops and made it an even more interesting stroll. As I weaved in the parking lot I was being stalked by multiple luxury cars. (What no valet?) I get back to work, and it is TIME FOR SOME CUPCAKE BIS-NASTY! Or shall I say, cupcake BIS-NOMMY?
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The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest!) Ratings are averaged between Team Seangie and Stevie the Wonder Intern (Yes, Team Seangie has hired an intern to eat cupcakes with us...FYI, we will be taking intern applications for next summer starting in Feb 2011)
FLUFFER NUTTER: vanilla bottom filled with marshmallow with peanut butter buttercream and topped with a honey drizzle.
TADA Factor: 4.5
Flavh Flav Creativity: 5.0
Frosting: 5.0
Cake: 3.5
NOTE: This was the reason for me getting to the store on this day. UM. FLUFFER NUTTER? Nuff said! First observations, was the cake was more crumbly than other cupcakeries, the frosting was piled high on top of the cake (you practically have to unhinge your mouth to eat from top to bottom) and the cupcake were a bit more petite than other cupcakeries (but as they were priced at $2.75 I didn't feel robbed like other cupcakeries around town). Anywho, the frosting was AMAZEBALLS, and being the non PB slut of Team Seangie, I was really impressed! And most of all it TASTED LIKE NUTTER BUTTER!
JOE 'n DOUGH: coffee cake doughut bottom with mocha fudge buttercream top with a choco covered coffee bean
TADA Factor: 4.5
Creativity: 4.75
Frosting: 4.0
Cake:4.75
NOTES: Okay, this cupcake had me at doughnut-tyness goodness. The cake was the texture of a beignet but still was a touch cake like and had a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar on top. AND the buttercream was awesome! Even Sean, the non-Mocha buttercream slut enjoyed this combo! The thing that both of us commented on, was the fact that the buttercream at Frosting was amazing, light, not grainy, not too sweet and tasted like what it was advertised. Hey Frosting -color us impressed.
CREMA DI CIOCCOLATO: Gluten-free, flourless choco bottom with cream cheese and fudge top
TADA Factor: 4.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.75
Frosting: 3.25
Cake: 4.0
NOTES: Sean lurved this cupcake. Me, not so much. It was flourless, gluten free, and "moistfull." (I know this a not a real word, but it really should be nominated next for Webster's dictionary) I mean the only thing I am allergic to is penicillin, so why am I to suffer? But I'm happy people that are allergic to OG cupcake ingredients can have a cupcake. Kudos to frosting.
CAMPFIRE: graham cracker bottom with milk choco ganache & marshmallow top (pictured above on the front left)
TADA Factor: 4.0
Flavah Flav Creativity:4.75
Frosting: 3.25
Cake: 3.75
NOTES: This would of got a higher rating if this cupcake was put together better. The choco dallop needed to be bigger and the marshmallow could of used a touch of a little blow torch action. I must say that this single cupcake it is the most appealing looking cupcake we have ever set our eyes on, so I think we were a bit disappointed in the taste. More choco please!!!! And some toasty blow torch action please! Then talk to us again!
FRENCHIE:(or what I want to call FREEDOMIE-yeah I'm taking a page out of the freedom fries book) french toast bottom - oops I mean freedom toast bottom with maple buttercream top
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 4.0
Frosting: 3.75
Cake: 4.25
NOTES: It's mapley, it's frenchie, AND IT SURE TASTES LIKE FREEDOM! YUM!
SKINNIMINT: choco bottom with peppermint vanilla buttercream top with choco sprinkles
TADA Factor: 4.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 4.0
NOTES: PALETTE CLEANSER FTW! So my question is, why is this called skinnimint? I get the mint part, but where does the skinni come from? Do they make these cupcakes when they are nekkid? Or do we get skinni when we eat them? Well, by the looks of what we have eaten so far, I think we could use a couple more of these cupcakes then, you know...for palette cleansing. I would like to say, that unlike my past experience with Herrow Cupcake's mint concoction this SURPASSED them by a landslide. (Insert Seangie happy yummy om nom nommy noises here)
DADDY'S JOY: choco bottom with almond coconut buttercream top (average scores come from Stevie the Wonder intern and I, since Sean left me)
TADA Factor: 3.25
Creativity: 3.75
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: VERY interesting! It's like they married marzipan and a coconut macaroon together and then plopped it on top of a choco cupcake. I did really like their almond buttercream that is prevalent in their cupcake menu. So I am quite excited to try another cupcake with it! Not bad!
Overall, our impressions of Frosting a cupcakery were very positive. We enjoyed their creative flavors and their execution that some of the other cupcakeries cannot touch. I will mos def be back! Especially, since in my excitement of being in the presence of cupcakes I forgot to use the two Groupons that got me to the cupcakery! I think this ranks second highest on Sean's list of stoopid things that Angie did that benefits Sean. (first was when I melted a Coldstone Choco PB ice cream birthday cake for a co-worker in the trunk of my car in February thinking it would hold up, guess who ate it?) So Frosting, I'll see you soon - I still have 2 Groupons to burn!
So being the cupcake princess that I am, I wanted to see what were the potential new cupcakes that all the local cupcakeries had to offer. And I ran across this magical sounding flavor on HERROW Cupcake (it is really called Hello, but I'm adding my cute Asian spin on things) called DREAMSICLE. Um, HERROW! After my experience with Herrow Cupcake's flavor du jour, Margarita in the month of May, I think I almost peed myself dreaming of this cupcake touching my lips. OM NOM NOMMY. So as Sean and I studied the cupcake flavors on Herrow Cupcake's menu, and we decided that we needed to go on a Thursday, well, to go get the PB (you know to give Sean his daily PB fix) and banana concoction called the Velvet Elvis!
So on the hot, hot Thursday I ventured to Dupont Circle and grabbed some cupcakes for Team Seangie and even for Stevie the Wonder Intern (because I felt guilty for teasing him my GTC cupcakes from last week) and decided to have a mini cupcake party! Okay a really big cupcake party, cause I bought 8 cupcakes. And THAT'S A PARTEEEEE! (really I swear!)
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Team Seangie (with guest Stevie the Wonder Intern, but we let he only partake in 2 of the cupcake reviews - you know he had real work to do...you know like take pictures of us eating nommy cupcakes) Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest)
VELVET ELVIS: Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich - peanut butter and banana - IN A CUPCAKE! Moist fluffy banana cake made with real bananas, topped with Herrow Cupcake's sweet peanut butter frosting (that's the velvet part!)
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 4.25
Frosting: 4.25
Cake: 4.25
NOTES: This was surprisingly tasty to me. As the non-PB slut (you know who that is of Team Seangie) I did not think I was ready for the deliciousness. I think I'm now in love with cupcake bottoms that are more of the "bread" variety, as I have approved of GTC and Baked and Wired "bread" cupcake bottoms! OM NOM NOM. Note that Team Seangie agreed that out of the three Elvis' that are pictured with his cupcake above, this was mos def the old fat Elvis' cupcake. (one in the middle MAMA!)
DREAMSICLE: A cool, creamy summer treat. Orange cake, vanilla bean cream filling, and orange buttercream with a sprinkling of orange sugar. This is Herrow Cupcake's July flavah of the month!
TADA Factor: 4.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 5.0
Frosting: 4.5
Cake: 5.0
NOTES: This cupcake was an extra 50 cents! Well I'm not chitty-chitty-bang-bang (well give me some red wine and well talk again), but when I was informed there would be an extra cost for the Dreamsicle cupcake, I then inquired why it was 50 cents extra and the guy behind the counter just said that 'it was the special flavor and they cost 50 cents extra.' Well gee, that sounds like a stoopid answer. So hypothetically if you were a prostitute, could you be like the hand job with my left hand is 50 cent extra? And when clients asked why a hand job with your left hand was an extra 50 cents it would be..well, it is just the other hand and it cost 50 cents extra. See? Doesn't make sense. Maybe it would of been better if he just justified it with the Chewbacca defense. So like he should of said, "This cupcake cost extra, this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it; that does not make sense!" Then I think the answer would of sufficed. DONE. ANYWHO, after splitting the cupcake in half, Sean and I figured that the extra 50 cents was most likely for the little squirt of vanila bean cream filling in the middle of the cake. Okay mystery solved, thanks pesky kids. On a side note, this cupcake was AMAZEBALLS and I think that Sean and I would be able to clear a full dozen of these, that is as long as we also had the Velvet Elvis as a palette cleanser! OM NOM NOMMY!
PRINCESS: Hello Cupcake's vanilla cake with fresh strawberry buttercream frosting and a sprinkling of pink sugar.
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flava Flav Creativity: 2
Frosting: 1.75
Cake: 3
NOTE: Frosting was way TOOOO SWEET! I think it rotted my fillings out of my teeth. I didn't finish it. Sean being the trooper that he is, ate his and then ate my leftovers. And then something punched him in the face, (no not my fist) he then found out it was too sweet to. And that is where we had to end the cupcaking for the day, the Princess cupcake max'ed out our palette and it time to pass out on the floor from the sugar rush. (Also that is Peekles the Penguin checking on the Princess cupcake before it caused me to convulse on the floor!)
These Cupcakes are Frosting Heavy!!!!!!!!!
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Part Deux-Deux (aka Day 2)
So after we recovered and let Superman guard the cupcakes, it was time for the last three cupcakes on our list. I must say after eating the strawberry frosting on the Princess cupcake last, I was scared and skeptical of all the rest of the cupcakes. I was bracing myself, but as I like to tell myself a girl must do it for science. =) Let the Om Nom Nomming (or the not so Om Nom Nomming) begin!
RASPBERRY BERET: Choco cake with a sweet little cap of raspberry buttercream frosting and choco sprinkles.
TADA Factor: 3.25
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.25
Frosting: 3.75
Cake: 3.25
NOTES: To our surprise, it was actually pretty decent. The raspberry frosting tasted like raspberry sherbet! YUM! But I must say that the frosting was a little grainy to be called buttercream IMO. Let's just say I thought it was a Prince song in my mouth...not that one about Purple Rain or Doves Cry. it was more of a 1999 jam. You know, it happened and I have already forgotten about it.
PEPPERMINT PENNY: Rich choco cake with peppermint buttercream and choco sprinkles. (aka known as a Seangie Palette cleanser)
TADA Factor: 2.75
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.0
Frosting: 2.0
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: OH DISAPPOINTMENT. PALETTE CLEANSER FAIL. You know when something has an after-taste? Well this had a before-taste! WTF! It was a bitter creme de menthe taste that ruined the cupcake. Sean thought it was a good idea in theory, but the execution was poor. But let's just say Sean liked it better than I did! BLEHHHHH!
COOKIES-n-CREAM: moist vanilla cake studded with chunks of choco cream cookies topped with a cookies n cream frosting and adorable mini cookie.
TADA Factor: 4.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.0
Frosting: 2.5
Cake: 4.25
NOTES: We were at first skeptical of this cupcake, but were pleasantly surprised. I must say that this cookies and cream cupcake tastes waaaaay better than GTC. The cake was awesome but the frosting could use a little less of Oreo stuff. More cookies, less stuff please!
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Life as a cupcake Om Nom Nommer
So after I went to Dim Sum, my friends and I went to the Red Velvet Cupcakery located downtown in Penn Quarter. This was my second visit to Red Velvet, but first to this specific location (the first was to their Dupont Circle locay.) So we wandered through the FTs (stands for f*&king tourists) covered street and found my cupcake mecca of FroYo and cupcakes. We entered and I discovered that this specific locay separated their FroYo and Cupcakery businesses unlike its Dupont Circle counterpart. When you first enter, all you see is the cupcakes behind a huge glass wall, and employees staring at you. No hello, nothing, they just stare at you and not even in a friendly way. They just stare. While we were checking out the flavors and examining the cupcakes, I want to say about 6 people walked IN and then OUT. I have no idea why. Could it be that they thought it was the famous Gtown cupcake place and realized it wasn't? Or was it the sign on the wall that said that each freaking cupcake was $3.25+ DC tax price tag? Or was it they were just stared at and not acknowledged? It was just odd, they would walk in and walk out as fast as they entered. I have no idea and do not blame them, in fact we probably should have before I spent $14.75 on 4 freaking cupcakes that were just okay. But then again, this is all for research. =D
So after mulling over the case of cupcakes, I sauntered over to the counter where the blank stare fell as I made my order and paid. All my friends and I got cupcakes and were all discussing the cost when we left the store. WTF did we just spend our money on? These better be good. By the time we got to the car to leave DC and go back to the suburbia of MD, I did a major boo-boo. I sat in the car and dropped my cupcakes. My initial reaction was to cry, but it was so hot, it was replaced by tears of sweat. Crap. Not only did I over pay for 4 freaking cupcakes, but they are all over the place, but still edible. (Your know some scraping here and there required and some reassembling of cupcakes.) My friends were nice and tried to convince me that things were going to be okay. But really, I just dropped my cupcakes! WANH!
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The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest)
NOTE: The following pictures of intact cupcakes are from the cupcake boxes of my 2 friends (WANH!)
KEY WEST: Key lime cake with a Swiss white choco butter cream and garnished with white choco shavings.
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 3.0
Cake: 3.0
NOTES: The frosting was really light and tasted more like" cool hwip" (pronounced ala Stewie Griffin) and I didn't taste much white choco. MEH.
CARROT CAKE: A spiced cake with shredded carrot and whole pecans topped with whipped cream cheese topping.
TADA Factor: 2.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 2.5
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: The spiced cake was decent, not as good as other cupcakeries, but I could live with eating a lot of these cupcakes - that is, until I went to another cupcake shop.
SUMMERTIME: Lemon cake with whipped cream cheese topping, smothered in coconut. (aka dubbed LeCoCo by my previous review with Sean)
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 3.0
Cake: 2.5
NOTES: MEH. A comment, the same freaking frosting. UH-GAIN. And when you think about it, the majority of the cupcakes I saw in the case was covered in this same frosting. How about some variety? Didn't score as well as it did in my last review, maybe Saturday is an off day for cupcakes. I have no idea what happened!
CAMPFIRE: Choco cake with graham cracker topping with a schmear of fudge underneath a whipped marshmallow topping that was torched for the marshmallowy torched taste.
TADA Factor: 3.5
Flavh Flav Creativity: 3.5
Frosting: 3.5
Cake: 3.0
NOTES: The frosting was great! It was airy like a marshmallow and then blow torched on top for added campy effect. Overall the fun part of dismantling it AFTER I dropped it on it's side. But it was a good solid effort.
Overall, not that great of a cupcake experience. Or maybe I should just stick to the Dupont Circle locay. Maybe it was an off day, but then again my cupcaking style rarely changes. Off to the next cupcakery! Hopefully, a much better one and cupcakes that don't scare people away...
CUPCAKE FAIL!
Alas, I am back at Georgetown Cupcake. I mean could I really resist? Never. It's cupcakes! DUR. I ended up tagging along (inviting myself) with two co-workers as one of them was on a cupcaketastic mission - buying cupcakes for a birthday! Not that I personally need an occasion to buy cupcakes, but often they are to celebrate a food baby!
With the new July flavors out, it was really hard to resist as I bought my perfect half dozen, full of flavors that I have not tried before and some that were completely new to the taste buds of my fellow cupcake reviewer Sean. After teasing the intern and showing him the cupcakes I trounced over for some cupcake sampling time. Half for Sean and half for me (the bargain is, he gets most of the Choco PB cupcakes to satisfy his Choco PB whorish ways). 
Personally I was excited about the Blueberry Coffeecake cupcake because it not only was burned into my retinas when I saw it, but the smell of it's sweet, sweet aroma blueberry-licious-tastic-ness kept on escaping from the box. I kept talking to the Blueberry Coffeecake cupcake too! "Please don't disappoint me, please don't disappoint me!" Sean and I decided on our order of attack and we ended up going: Strawberry (the heart), Pumpkin Spice (the maple leaf), ChocoBanana (yellow flower), Milk Choco Birthday (sprinkles), Choco PB Swirl (um duh), and the blueberry coffeecake (deformed blue flower cupcake).
CHOCO BANANA: varlhona chocolate and fresh banana cupcake with a banana frosting topped with a yellow flower.
PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE: (also known as Sean's cupcake vertigo-like eye patch) varlhona chocolate with creamy peanut butter core topped with a rich callebaut chocolate ganache and a peanut butter swirl.
Overall, another good experience at GTC. I'm proud to be addicted to their cupcakes!
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