Saturday, December 31, 2011

Georgetown Cupcake

Washington, D.C. is famous for its history, politics and … cupcakes? Unlike many a politician, Georgetown Cupcake is something that really lives up to all the hype. The quality of its cupcakes is consistently good and the prices ($2.75/cupcake), though pricy compared to a 99 cent cake mix from the grocery store, are fairly reasonable when one considers the competition: $3.25/cupcake at Cake Love, $3.50/cupcake at Hello Cupcake and Baked and Wired. (Bear in mind, though, that GC cupcakes are slightly smaller than the others. Still, quality trumps quantity).
I haven’t loved all the flavors I’ve tried, but there’s something good to be said of all of them. The cake itself is moist without being too dense and is served at the right temperature (I’ve had cold cupcakes at other cup cakeries before. Very unexpected and equally unpleasant) and the frostings are the right consisency: buttercream, vanilla and cream cheese frostings are fluffy yet smooth, and the dark chocolate frostings are rich and satiny. Additionally, the flavors in the frosting and any extra/decorative drizzles complements flavors in the cake. The chocolate fudge drizzle on the strawberry champagne cupcake, for example, is more than mere decoration; the cupcake would taste rather plain without it.
Another thing worth noting is the decor. During all my trips to the D.C. landmark, there are always fresh flowers perfectly arranged on each of the three tables in the store (remarkably, even in the winter) — a small detail, but one that adds to the charm of the store. A wall is accented with a Andy Warhol-like cupcake prints. Overall, the decor is simple, yet charming — a setting that alows the cupcakes to take the stage as the main attraction.
Needless to say, what keeps me coming back are the red velvet cupcakes and the confidence that what I buy will be a consistently superior product. Fortunately, the stream of foot traffic through the store means patrons will always get a fresh cupcake that has not previously been frozen (a common practice in traditional bakeries).
Just a warning: Avoid peak hours unless you are willing to wait in line for upwards of an hour. In my experience, a line starts to form at around 2 pm, so anytime before that would be ideal.
My favorite Georgetown Cupcakes: Red velvet (my favorite cupcake), chocolate2 (extra special with its unique and rich dark chocolate frosting), lemon blossom, key lime, salted caramel.
Skip: Chocolate banana

Strawberry champagne cupcake (only available in January)



(Originally posted May 22, 2011)

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