Savvy Treats

Review: Savvy Treats

Location: Online/ Delivery

Flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Vanilla, Salted Caramel and Carrot Cake

Price: $29 per dozen or 2 dozen minis

Score: 3.7

Amidst the growing number of online and delivery based bakeries, some simply stand out. After happing upon Savvy Treats’ Facebook page, I was intrigued with their very professional photos, prim logo and tri-color packaging. What sold me was the banner pic of a kind woman posing in her kitchen with an apron on. That woman is owner Cheryl Savastano who took her knowledge of sales, baking, and marketing and decided to go full-time with her dream of Savvy Treats.

Savvy Treats' Packaging 
Copyright: The Cupcake Critic

Known amongst friends, family and co-workers for her signature carrot cakes, she began to get orders for them and had a light bulb moment for Savvy Treats. Now she creates her mini-cupcakes for corporate galas, catering companies and even real estate open houses. Having been open for less than a year, she’s already hired a professional cake decorator for her specialty cake orders and leases commercial kitchen space. 

Savvy Treats' Signature Carrot Cake Cupcake 
(Photo courtesy of  Savvy Treats)

On a muggy afternoon, I met with Cheryl who graciously presented her well-branded goods and supplied me with four flavors: signature carrot cake, raspberry lemonade, salted caramel with caramel filling and vanilla bean. After an awesome presentation, I made it home with the cupcakes choosing to start off with the minis.

Vanilla Cupcake (Photo courtesy of Savvy Treats)

Retailing for $29 per 2 dozen, the minis are the perfect 2-bite treat. I was disheartened that they were mounded with frosting but they served their diminutive purpose. I tried the vanilla bean cupcake first which was a bit sweet with a dense texture. The flavor was there but it was hard to define which is necessary in a vanilla cupcake. Next up was the raspberry lemonade which had a great flavor and texture but was a tad too sweet for my taste.

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcake
(Photo courtesy of Savvy Treats)

My next cupcake was the salted caramel which I adored! I could taste the homemade goodness in the hand spun caramel. I also liked the caramel filling which was just right and not too sweet. My final and absolute favorite cupcake was her signature carrot cake. This cupcake is a winner! I can see why people fawn, praise and chase Cheryl down for her carrot cakes.

Savvy Treats' Salted Caramel Cupcake
(Photo courtesy of Savvy Treats)

The cake was the perfect balance of carrot, nuts, pineapple and coconut. Exceptionally moist and very flavorful, I was sad to eat my last bite. The frosting was a tad sweet but all-in-all a great accompaniment to delicious cake. Look for Savvy Treats at pop-ups around DC and definitely visit their Facebook page. This is a savvy woman serving up some savvy treats!

*The cupcakes in this review were gifted however that did not sway the opinions of the reviewer. 

The Sweet Lobby

Location: The Sweet Lobby  (404 8th Street SE)
Flavors: Red Velvet,Chocolate Salted Caramel, Champagne Strawberry
Price: $2.75
Guest Reviewer: Universal Em


The Sweet Lobby, located in Eastern Market, is in plain sight from the metro and literally less than a block away. WMATA is my life so the proximity earned this place extra kudos. A cute little walk-in, The Sweet Lobby is clearly a get- in and get-out type of operation. When I arrived the spot was popping and I soon found out that the constant traffic was due to the recent success the store received by winning The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. 

The broadcast which premiered on Super Bowl Sunday ensured that when I arrived there were no personal menus to peruse and no macarons available for sale. Besides the cupcakes, The Sweet Lobby is known for their take on the French confection. This information was made readily available by the employees, who were not only friendly, but very knowledgeable on the store and the 19 different flavors on hand that day.

At $2.75 a cupcake, I decided on three flavors: the Chocolate Salted Caramel, the Red Velvet (those two being their most popular) and the Champagne Strawberry. The Champagne Strawberry was a no-brainer, simply because my love for alcohol is well documented and knows no bounds. Out of all three selections, this was my least favorite. 

Described on the menu as more of a cake, the champagne left the white chocolate filling feeling spongy and hearty, while the champagne butter cream icing tasted more like some sort of orange whip. It didn’t help that even though fresh strawberry chunks were used, I could barely taste them. The Red Velvet, I thought, was an appropriate second option since it’s like the Holy Grail flavor for aficionados.  The particular icing used is a tangy cream cheese frosting, which I am sorry to report overshadows everything. I’m talking like the city of Philadelphia was harmed while making it.

Thank god for the Chocolate Salted Caramel. Hindsight is 20/20 and in retrospect I would have gotten this three times over. Everything from the rich Callebaut chocolate, the gooey salted caramel core, and the milk chocolate butter cream topping with the salted caramel swirl was just divine. The thing literally crumbles softly, melts in your mouth while all the flavors complement each other well. 

Although the shop opened a little under a year ago, word of mouth and recent success have allowed it to keep that fresh relevancy. With that lone cupcake, it’s not hard to see why. Also offering shortbread cookies, madeleines, and their own brand of teas and hot chocolate, this Barracks Row shop is sure to lobby their way into your mouths and hearts….see what I did there?

Universal Em is a freelance writer and all around Joe who calls Cardozo home. A Sagittarius with a love of all things hip-hop and sports he can be found trolling on twitter (@universalem). If left to his own devices, he would steal someone else's words to describe himself, "commonplace & different, intimate & distant, fresher than an infant."