Celebrate Sprinkles Georgetown's 2nd Anniversary with FREE Sprinkles Ice Cream!

Sprinkles Georgetown is celebrating their 2nd anniversary with FREE Sprinkles ice cream!! The first 200 customers will receive one free scoop of their signature red velvet ice cream on Sunday, March 3rd to celebrate! Doors open at 10AM...see you there Cupcake Lovers!

Road Trippin: ATL Cupcake Edition

Variety of flavors from CamiCakes in Buckhead

Recently I took a road trip to Atlanta, my birthplace. Known as the jewel of the south, this progressive southern city has more to offer than crunk, fried foods, and Housewives - although we like all those things too. I got the chance to taste CamiCakes, Gigi's of Buckhead and The Little Cakery who supplied cupcakes for the V.I.P. suites at Cirque Du Soleil. Peep game...



CamiCakes (Buckhead)

Flavors: Banana cream cupcake and a Strawberries-n-cream cupcake
Cost: $2.75 each 
Score: 4.9

CamiCakes has 4 locations; this is buckhead

Nestled in a busy shopping center in Buckhead is the bustling CamiCakes. Pink from tip-to-stern this neatly presented cupcake shop featured 10 different flavors of perfectly-portioned cupcakes waiting to be eaten. I walked away with a banana cream cupcake and a strawberries-n-cream cupcake for $5.89. By far the best cupcakes in Atlanta!

Banana Cream Cupcake from CamiCakes

Strawberries-N-Cream Cupcakes

GiGi’s Cupcakes in Buckhead
Flavors: Chocolate strawberry and Kentucky Bourbon Pie
Cost: $3.50 each 
Score: 3.7

Gigi's Cupcakes in Buckhead

Gigi’s Cupcakes is a popular franchise in the south whom I have deemed the beauty queens of cupcakes. Gigi’s packaging and presentation is flawless and friendly with huge cupcakes featuring large crowns of frosting. I walked away with a Kentucky bourbon pie cupcake and a chocolate covered strawberry cupcake totaling $8.59. Overall this cupcakes are pretty to look at and happy to hold but flavors wise they can be a bit too bold. The KBP was a rich cake but the frosting was mountainous and ultimately gave me a headache from all the sugar. The chocolate strawberry (a chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting covered in chocolate) reeked of artificial strawberry flavor which is a no-no for the Critic.

The Kentucky Bourbon Pie Cupcake

Gigi's of Buckhead's vast Selection

Little Cake Bakery

Flavors: The Marie Antoinette (vanilla cake with raspberry center; topped with caramel and whipped  cream)
Cost: $2.50 each 
Score: 3.9

Little Cake Bakery in Buckhead

After getting a quick manicure from Nail Favors in Buckhead, I happened upon a little place called Little Cake Bakery. A quaint shop that featured 6-8 flavors for $2.50 each. After debating between the Samoan and the mint julep, I chose The Marie Antoinette; their crown jewel of flavors. The cordial cupcake was a vanilla cupcake with a raspberry jam center topped with caramel drizzle (reminiscent of gold ornate) and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. It was gorgeous! 

The Marie Antoinette Cupcake

Little Cake Bakery Special's Sign

Meet The Baker: Warren Brown (Pt.3)

My new series, Meet the Baker, features CakeLove owner Warren Brown. CakeLove currently has 6 locations throughout the D.C. metro area and has been highlighted by American Express, Dell, Inc. magazine, and Oprah Winfrey. Brown, a former litigator, is the author of 3 books and the host of the Food Network's Sugar Rush. This is the third and final installment of my interview with Brown at his downtown Silver Spring store where we discuss business, parenthood, his challenges and triumphs. Enjoy and don't forget to comment below!

Pick up Warren Brown's Books today!

                                         

Win A Dozen Cupcakes From CakeLove & an Autographed Copy of Their Book- Contest Closed

         ******Congratulations to the Winner Sarah Parnass*******

Enter to win a dozen cupcakes from CakeLove AND a signed copy of Warren Brown's new book, CakeLove in The Morning! Try their new and improved red velvet, banana or my favorite the vanilla-based strawberry cheesecake cupcake. Or you could fill up on the toffee crunch- the Cupcake Critic's official Cupcake Boo! 

To Enter:

1. Subscribe to the Cupcake Critic's blog

2. Leave a comment below with your e-mail address  

(To contact you about your winnings) 

3. Subscribe to my YouTube page (Optional)

4. Follow me on Twitter  (Optional)

5. Follow me on Facebook (Optional)

And just for kicks, check out my pinterest page! The more "likes" or entries, the better your chances of winning! Contest ends Friday, March 1, 2013.  But don't worry, you can also buy all of Warren Brown's books below! 

Good Luck Cupcake Lovers!

                                   

Event Recap: CapMac & CakeLove Team Up

Chef Brian, Chef Vickie and Warren Brown

CapMac, D.C.’s favorite food truck, teamed up with CakeLove, D.C.’s favorite cupcake shop, to bring customers the Sweet-N-Cheesy event! Team CapMac (consisting of Chef Brian Arnoff and Chef Vickie Harris) were on site at CakeLove s Downtown Silver Spring location serving up samples of their Marco Polo Mac (mac-n-cheese with red wine meat sauce) and their original mac (mac-n-cheese topped with extra cheese and cheez-its). 

L-R: Original Mac & Marco Polo Mac w/ meat sauce

CakeLove's Cream Cheese Frosting Flavors:
Nutella, Coffee, Lemon, Chocolate & Vanilla

CakeLove owner Warren Brown, served up 6 of their new cream cheese flavors which will be available for purchase later this year. Customers were encouraged to vote for their favorite flavor and think of names for each flavor ranging from chocolate, vanilla, lemon, coffee, nutella, and peanut butter. Ultimately peanut butter and coffee were voted the best flavors. I will keep my Cupcake Lovers posted on CakeLove's signature frosting to be sold by the container very soon!

The demo was FIYAH!

Team CapMac: Chef Vickie & Chef Brian!

Chef Vickie, The Cupcake Critic & Warren Brown 

Pick up Warren Brown's Cookbooks today!

                                          

Katherine Kallinis Berman Has a Baby Girl!

Katherine (R) with her sister and business partner Sophie
at the opening of their L.A. store.
Photo courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake

Congratulations to Katherine Kallinis Berman (of Georgetown Cupcake) and her husband Ben! On Sunday, February 19th Katherine gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Iris Sydney Berman. Check out their special 'Baby Edition' of TLC'S DC Cupcakes on March 12th at 7PM EST.

           
                         

YoCake (Dupont Circle)

Review: YoCake (Dupont Circle: 1829 M Street NW, DC)
Flavors: Almond, Amaretto, Carrot Cake, German Chocolate Cake, Lemon Burst, Pecan Hazlenut, and Strawberry Champagne. 
Cost: $2.75 each (Buy 5 Get 1 Free)
Score: 4.8

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Montgomery County based YoCake recently moved into some cool D.C. digs a la Dupont Circle. Located next to Ozio's,  the tasty combination of both cupcakes and frozen yogurt is sure to be  a hit amongst daytime workers and late-night club-crawlers alike. I stopped in to try six of their numerous flavors that range from 12 daily flavors and 45 specialty flavors. My assortment of cupcakes included: Amaretto, Carrot Cake, German Chocolate Cake, Lemon Burst, Pecan Hazlenut, and Strawberry Champagne. Each retailing for $2.75 with a buy 5 get 1 free deal. I also tried one of their amazing Yocake sundaes.

L-R: Amaretto, Carrot Cake,  Pecan Hazelnut, Strawberry -
Champagne, Lemon and German Chocolate

The gentleman behind the counter was super sweet and patiently suggested flavors for my mountainous YoCake sundae. After I expressed my love for strawberries, he suggested the perfect combination: a strawberry champagne cupcake with a combination of cheesecake froyo and strawberry froyo topped with fresh strawberries. *Drool* The sundae was so big I couldn't get the top over it.

My hand-crafted YoCake Sundae!

Looking at the toppings bar I counted at least 10 toppings to choose from in addition to six frozen yogurt flavors. This is a great selection for creating your very own cupcake & froyo masterpiece. I took a quick spoonful of my sundae and it was awesome! The cheesecake and strawberry froyo was the perfect blend to accompany the sweet and delicate strawberry champagne cupcake. The adorning strawberries were the perfect balance of texture to make the sundae complete. I spent the rest of my weekend plotting how to get back to Dupont Circle and oh yeah...by the way...get another sundae. *tee-hee-hee*

Always personalized service with YoCake!

The cupcakes were an even better treat. Each cuppie had a delicate balance of incredible texture and a frosting that would melt in your mouth; but not too sweet. They were the perfect size with a distinct flavor all their own. Although each cupcake was amazing, the strawberry champagne, lemon burst, and German chocolate cake were my favorite. I highly recommend them. 

No cookie-cutter flavors here...both their cupcakes and frozen yogurt can stand alone while complementing one another. It's good to know that YoCake can walk and chew gum at the same time.

*The cupcakes in this review were gifted however did not sway the opinion of the reviewer. No compensation was received for this review. 

Cool Cupcake Stuff: Wooden Cupcake Table

Picture courtesy of HearthSong 

Playing tea set was one of my favorite things to play when I was younger. Seeing this white wooden table complete with two cupcake chairs (one pink and one green) only gives me memories of pouring coke  into my teapot to act as tea. Retailing for $149.00 this table is safe for ages 3 and up and is perfect for the mini- Cupcake Lover in your life. 

                

Meet The Baker: Warren Brown- Part 2

My new series, Meet The Baker features CakeLove owner Warren Brown.  CakeLove currently has 6 locations throughout the D.C. metro area and has been highlighted by American Express, Dell, Inc., and Oprah Winfrey. Brown, a former litigator, is the author of three books and the host of the Food Network's Sugar Rush. This is the second installment of when I sat down with Brown at his downtown Silver Spring store to discuss: business, parenthood, his challenges and triumphs. 


                                      

Cupcake Project: Twinkie Cupcakes

Twinkies are arguably America's favorite snack cake (next to cupcakes). Twinkies' owner, the Hostess Brands, has been teetering on bankruptcy threatening to discontinue the famous golden sponge cake with its signature creme filling. Despite being purchased by processed foods magnate, Apollo Global Management, Twinkies won't be back on shelves until September- Yipes! In the meantime, the recipe above should satisfy your sweet tooth, at least until school time. Tell me, what school-time treat would you like to make into a cupcake? 

Happy Anniversary Georgetown Cupcake!

Photo courtesy of J. Jackson for The Cupcake Critic

Georgetown Cupcake officially opened their doors five years ago today on Valentine's Day. Since then they've grown to 6 stores (Bethesda, Boston, Georgetown-DC, L.A., and New York (2), a television show, and several books. To celebrate they are offering customers 40% off of their treats beginning at 7PM today (2/14) until tomorrow (2/15) at 11:59 PM EST. To receive the discount you must watch their 'County Fair' episode and enter the exact number that was bid for their cupcakes. I don't know about you but I will tune in and watch! 

             
                       

Sweet & Cheesy: CakeLove & CapMac Team Up

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

One of D.C.'s favorite food trucks, CapMac, and D.C.'s own CakeLove are teaming up for a day of Sweet & Cheesy pleasure.  Team CapMac will be giving a live cooking demonstration to satisfy your cheese-loving side and CakeLove will be serving up 3-4 sweet samplings of their new cream cheese frosting for your sweet side. Attendants are encouraged to come up with some creative names for the frosting which will be used for CakeLove upcoming line of packaged goods. 

Also CakeLove's Warren Brown will be on hand to sign your CakeLove books...so bring'em out! Don't have one? No worries, click on the advert below and order your copy today!

When: Saturday, February 16, 2013
Where: CakeLove (8512 Fenton St. Silver Spring, MD)
Time: 1:00PM -3:00PM

                                                  

Red Velvet Cupcakery (Redeux)

Review: Red Velvet Cupcakery (501 7th St NW,DC)

Cost: $3.25

Flavor: Lemon Burst

Score: 4.6

One of my early reviews as The Cupcake Critic was Red VelvetCupcakery.  After a lot of feedback from my audience disclaiming my less than stellar review, I decided to give them another try. Almost two years later, I had a chance to pop into the Penn Quarter cupcake shop located one block from the Chinatown/Gallery Place metro stop. 

Red Velvet's Flavor Selection: Sold Out! 

I was headed to the movies with a friend and while waiting decided to get myself a sweet treat. I noted in my original review that the customer service was awesome. I was greeted by a handsome young man who explained what was left of the flavors long gone after a full day of sales. I chose the lemon burst cupcake, forked over my $3.50 and was on my way.

Cupcake Art

I decided to save my treat for post movie, dinner and drinks and wait until I was home. Once home I dug into the creamy treat and to my surprise found it to be a sheer and utter delight. The frosting was creamy, smooth and bursting with lemon zest. Not too sweet or pungent with lemon flavor the uber-soft cake rounded out my overall experience.

The Lemon Burst Cupcake & Red Velvet Bag

I immediately regretted ever saying anything horrible about this friendly and centrally located shop. With hours of operation as late as midnight, I believe that I have found a new after-hours cupcake spot. 

                                                       

Celebrate Fat Tuesday with Georgetown Cupcake

The Mardi Gras Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake

Celebrate Fat Tuesday with  Georgetown Cupcake's Mardi Gras Cupcake! Vanilla cupcake with swirled buttercream in classic green, gold and purple with a fondant mask. Available only on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at all Georgetown Cupcake locations! But hurry...it's only while quantities last.

           

                

Cool Cupcake Stuff: Edible Arrangements Cupcake

Photo courtesy of Edible Arrangements

Edible Arrangements has a fruit basket featuring cupcake-shaped pineapples dipped in gourmet white and semisweet chocolate with rainbow sprinkles that mimic frosting. The edible bouquet features cantaloupe, honeydew, (chocolate-dipped) strawberries and grapes. Arrangements come in small, medium, and large and range from $59-$81 dollars. 

Meet The Baker: Warren Brown

The Cupcake Critic presents a new series called, Meet The Baker. Our first entry is Warren Brown, owner of CakeLove. CakeLove currently has 6 locations throughout D.C. Warren Brown, a former attorney, is the author of three books and the host of the Food Network's, Sugar Rush. I sat down with Brown at his downtown Silver Spring store to discuss: business, parenthood, his challenges and triumphs. Check out part 1 of the 3-part series. 

                                 

Cupcake Project: Valentine's Day Rose Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is next week and I have scoured the internet looking for an awesome cupcake recipe fit for my sweetheart. I found this video from My Cupcake Addiction's youtube page and became smitten with these red rose cupcakes. I can't wait try out the tutorial although I will substitute the red flowers for pink color to cut down on the dye used. I also favor pink roses; they're my favorite. Enjoy Cupcake Lovers!

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Sprinkles Cupcakes' Marry Me Box

Photo courtesy of Sprinkles

Celebrate Valentine's Day by sending your sweetheart a Sprinkles XOX box with  your choice of Sprinkles Cupcakes topped with XOX sugar decorations. Propose to your sweetheart with the Sprinkles Marry Me box complete with a sugar decoration ring. Both boxes are available from February 8-17.

Sprinkles Georgetown: 3015 M Street NW, DC

CakeLove Gets a Cupcake Makeover

Lemon blueberry Cupcake

Akin to the difficult decision of getting bangs or going from blonde to brunette, D.C.’s own CakeLove recently underwent a make-over by revamping three of their most popular flavors: banana, vanilla, and red velvet. After intense feedback from their customers, CakeLove owner Warren Brown blogged that he and his team went back to the lab and re-worked their  cupcake recipes from the ground up. Since many of their flavors rely on a vanilla cake base, the majority of their cupcakes have a completely different texture, taste and buoyancy.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Recently I stopped into CakeLove's Downtown Silver Spring location and tasted their new vanilla and red velvet cupcakes. The new vanilla cake is absolutely divine! It’s fluffy, moist and has a homemade flavor that is unmatched. Their red velvet cake is also moist however, flavor wise, it fits neatly into the category of “adequate” when compared to its competitors.

Tiramisu Cupcake

CakeLove has also added more alcohol-infused cupcakes to their offerings:  the lemon blueberry cream (a vanilla cupcake soaked in blueberry schnapps and topped with lemon Italian buttercream) and tiramisu. Both were outstanding and may leave you feeling a bit buzzed. In addition I had the pleasure of tasting their strawberry cheesecake cupcake which may be competing with the toffee crunch cupcake for the title of my “Cupcake Boo”.

L-R: Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry, Lemon Blueberry,
Salty Caramel, Tiramisu, Red Velvet 

Overall I’m a huge fan of the new changes and highly encourage you to try them out again. I’ve already been back- twice.

The Downtown Silver Spring CakeLove Crew

                        

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Duff Goldman's War on Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of Eater.com

It was recently brought to my attention that Duff Goldman (Baltimore's Charm City Cakes  and the Food Network's Ace of Cakes) hates cupcakes! *Gasps* I saw a clip of Duff Goldman using precious cupcakes for target practice and stated, "What bothers me about cupcakes is that most of the people that bake cupcakes think they can actually bake." Ouch! Can Duff say that when he makes baby lamb cupcake kits and holiday cupcake tattoos? So not gangsta. Perhaps he only hates them as much when someone uses his products. *shakes head* Poor Duff...his PR people should know better.