Thank You!

Despite the announcement of a return from my hiatus, after careful thought, I have decided to discontinue The Cupcake Critic blog. 

My decision to discontinue the blog after an amazing and rewarding two years has been a hard one to make and derived after many sleepless nights. Beginning this Fall I will be teaching in Prince George's County Public Schools through Teach for America. Teaching is a passion that I have held for some time and I am excited about this opportunity. However to fully focus on the bright pupils of PGPS, I have to be singular in mind and focus. 

My blog has been a major part of my life and it's difficult to imagine it no longer being here. I have delighted in creating, writing, and managing the blog since its inception; watching it grow. Further to be recognized at the Black Street Awards, along with numerous other opportunities, are things that I could not have imagined when I began this journey. 

More than anything I will miss the love, support, and camaraderie of my fellow Cupcake Lovers. I have thoroughly enjoyed tweeting, reading, liking, and corresponding with each of you. Therefore my decision has come with teary-eyes but I thank you for your passionate and unyielding support.

All my best....*Big Hugs & Back Rubs*

Stephanie, 
The Cupcake Critic

The Cupcake Critic is on hiatus

Hey Cupcake Lovers! 

The Cupcake Critic blog will be taking a break until mid-May. In the meantime, check out previous cupcake reviews, articles and interviews. Also, visit The Cupcake Critic's Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram channels. 

See you in the summer Cupcake Lovers!

~ Stephanie :-)

Sprinkles Cupcakes & Ice Cream Opening in Atlanta

A few month's ago,  my 2nd vlog featured 'The Word on The Street' where I announced that Sprinkles, Georgetown Cupcake and Crumbs will be opening locations in Atlanta's Buckhead area. Today via Facebook, Sprinkles officially announced their store opening in Buckhead's Lenox Square Mall alongside a 24-hour cupcake ATM and a Sprinkles Ice Cream shop. Owner Candace Nelson was inspired by her husband's southern roots and may introduce a peach-inspired cupcake. In the meantime, check out my second blog giving you the 411 on what's going on in the Cupcake Streets! (fast forward to 3:45)

                   

                         

Sprinkles Celebrates St. Patrick's Day!

Sprinkles Green Velvet Cupcake/ Photo credit:
Sprinkles Cupcake

Sprinkles Irish Chocolate Cupcake/Photo credit:
Sprinkles Cupcake

Sprinkles is rolling out two flavors for St. Patrick's day: Green Velvet and Irish Chocolate!  The Irish Chocolate will indulge your senses with Belgian dark chocolate topped with Bailey's Irish cream cheese frosting and topped with a green shamrock. Or take pleasure in their green velvet cupcake! 

You can pick up both of these treasures between now and March 17th!

Danielle's Desserts

Danielle's Desserts (2001 international Drive McLean, VA 22102) 
Flavors: Caramel, Double Chocolate, Red Velvet, Coconut, Sour Cream Banana Walnut, and Strawberries-n-Cream
Cost: $3.25 each
Score: 4.5

L-R; Caramel, Sour Cream Banana Walnut, Strawberries-N-Cream,
Red  Velvet, Coconut and Double Chocolate

 Recently, I was contacted by the team for Danielle's Desserts on doing a review for their cupcakes. I was thrilled because I've been following Danielle's Desserts on Twitter for sometime and assumed she focused more on elaborate desserts, and not cupcakes. Within days I had a box of six cupcake faces smiling at me! My box contained flavors ranging from fruity, salty-sweet, and traditional. 

For $3.25 each, these cupcakes were a healthy size. Although I didn't have to travel to their location in Tysons Galleria, I do know that their location is metro accessible by train and bus but driving there would probably ideal. Also, for those who do drive there, expect valet parking service which is sweet!

Each cupcake had a silky smooth texture and flavor. The frosting was a bit sweet but overall an absolute treat. Check out my breakdown for each flavor:

Caramel Cupcake with bits of toffee

Caramel
The caramel cupcake was moist, very flavorful, a bit sweet but the heath candy bits were a nice addition. The cake seemed larger than the others and reminded me of Baked & Wired's cupcakes for two. The mix of salty-sweet was great, I just wish that they would have been less sweet. 

Coconut
The coconut cupcake we essentially perfect! The cakes texture was unusually delicate while the frosting strayed away from traditional super-coconut flavor and immediate sweet-ness. It was well planned, took it's time and delivered!

Red Velvet Cupcake

Red Velvet 
It's never a secret that the Critic doesn't care for red velvet anything! *cue childhood memories* But on the chance that I am forced to review a red velvet cupcake, it's really saying something if I can enjoy it- and I did. There was a balance of sweetness with the flavorful cake which didn't rely on the over usage of cocoa powder. The color was perfect and the texture moist without overkill (slow down on the palm kernel oil, folks!). 


Sour cream Banana Walnut
My initial thought was, "I like banana but in a cupcake? What a funny name..." This cupcake reminded more of a sweet muffin as the cake was nice banana (with real banana) while the frosting was delicate, it was really there to decipher this cupcake from a muffin. In essence, it wasn't bad (I wouldn't kick it out of bed) but compared to its siblings, it wasn't that great either. 

Strawberries-n-Cream cupcake

Strawberries-N-Cream
This was my first cupcake in the bunch. It was love at first sight! The vanilla cupcake was delicate and topped with an even more delicate cream frosting with perfectly sliced strawberries adorning it. All of the components came together beautifully and it was my favorite out of the entire batch.

Double Chocolate
Chocolate, chocolate and this cupcake delivered on the promise! Although it is a double chocolate cupcake, both the frosting and the cake could their own or do the tango in tandem. I could taste the coffee (used as a softener) but it was perfect and gave that excellent punch that good chocolate (cup)cake needs. 

Overall Danielle's Desserts are a treat that shouldn't be overlooked, especially for my Virginia Cupcake Lovers! 

*The cupcakes in this review were gifted however no compensation was received in connection with this review. Nor were the views of reviewer compromised or swayed. 

Katherine Berman Preps Arrival for her "Mini" Cupcake

Photo courtesy of TLC

Georgetown Cupcake's own Katherine Berman is expecting and TLC's DC Cupcakes has a front row seat for all the action! A special episode will air showcasing the entire pregnancy from start to finish and all the high jinks that ensue between Katherine's business partner/sister, mother and staff. The show is slated to air on TLC on March 12th at 10/9c.

Cool Cupcake Stuff: Cupcake Chapstick

Photo courtesy of A Thrifty Diva

ChapStick is offering limited edition cupcake Chapsticks. The cake-inspired flavors work just like regular sticks to moisten your lips with the sweet flavors of velvet cupcake and cake batter flavors. A perfect gift item, ChapStick has even made the back of the wrapper accessible to personalize. You can find these limited edition Chapsticks at Walmart, CVS and Walgreens nationwide for a limited time.

Cupcakes Actually

Cupcakes Actually (11944 Grand Commons Ave Farifax, VA 22030)
Flavors: Cherries Jubilee
Cost: $3.75
Score: 3.8

Cherrie Jubilee cupcakes

Spending a few days with a college pal in the Commonwealth, I was pleased to discover that their home was within walking distance to Cupcakes Actually. Cupcakes Actually is tiny storefront housed in a gorgeous outdoor shopping center. Decorated in full cupcake fashion, parking was a breeze and we found a spot directly in front of the store. 

I was immediately greeted with at least 8 different flavors to choose from  ranging from 'The Italian Stallion' to key-lime and cannoli. They also advertised milk shots for $0.25 cents and cake bites for $1.50. I walked away with the cherries jubilee cupcake for $3.75 and a cute box. I must note that Cupcakes Actually was next door to Pinkberry (my new obsession) so I looked forward to both cupcakes and Pinkberry. 

Cupcakes Actually's Assorted Cake bites

When we arrived back at my friend's house, we both looked at our cuppies, then to our Pinkberry, then back at our cuppies like, "which one do we choose first?" I went with my beloved cuppies and upon first bite, found it to be a solid "B" student. The frosting was abundant although heavy on the shortening. The cake was good but could have been a bit smoother. To their credit, they were replenishing their stock when we came in so those cupcake may have been made earlier in the day. Nonetheless, the cupcakes looked better than they actually tasted. 

My cherries jubilee cupcake topped with a
cherry jelly belly

Neither bad nor crave-worthy, Cupcakes Actually are a great choice for suburban-dwellers who want to be tied-over until their next cupcake-fix. 

                                                           

Sticky Fingers Bakery Debuts Spring Cupcakes

L-R: Irish Cocktail cupcake and Easter Favs from

Sticky Fingers Bakery. Photo courtesy of Sticky Fingers
Bakery

Sticky Fingers Bakery, D.C. favorite vegan bakery is debuting their spring lineup! To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, they've created an Irish Cocktail Cupcake: a chocolate stout cupcake with Jameson Irish whiskey frosting! Yum
Also, to celebrate Easter grab your favorite cupcakes decorated with Easter candies! 

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.