Be My Valentine

I have a confession: Valentine's Day rivals the Fourth of July as one of my most favorite holidays. I'll tell you my secret--I was born on Valentine's Day 20-something years ago. Yes, that's right, regardless of whether I actually have a Valentine, I get flowers and presents. As much as some people think Valentine's Day is a cheesy holiday manufactured by greeting card companies in collusion with florists to sell more products, I think it's a day to remind your loved ones that you do, in fact, love them. Sometimes life gets busy and we forget these simple things!



D.C. Cupcake Decorating Contest

Hello Cupcake, a cupcakery located in Dupont Circle, held a cupcake decorating contest last Saturday challenging contestants to decorate a cupcake inspired by their favorite DC neighborhood.  The contest was open only to amateur decorators, and entrants could only consist of one cupcake, not a "diorama" of several cupcakes strung together.  Additionally, all decorations had to be handmade, edible, and made/created by the contestant.  The submissions are so creative and distinct that I'm having a hard time picking my favorite, although the tribute to Chinatown, the Metro map, and the Arborium are in my top three.

tribute to Chinatown

Metro map (it's accurate!)

Arborium

tribute to Ben's Chili Bowl

Larry Craig's "Wide Stance" cupcake

Cupcakes Cupcakes Cupcakes

If you live in DC, you have heard of, and probably visited, Georgetown Cupcake (original storefront, and my cute mom, to the right).  You may have heard of Georgetown Cupcake even if you don't live in DC (my sister, who lives over 1,000 miles from DC, follows Georgetown Cupcake on Twitter).  These cupcakes are, in a word, phenomenal.  I never realized that a cupcakery could exist on its own, without also offering cookies, cakes, pies, etc. on its menu.  The first time I heard of this trend was when Magnolia Bakery was referenced in Sex and the City.  Apparently cupcakes from Magnolia were so great that people would stand in line for an hour just to purchase a single cupcake.  I also thought this was silly and a ridiculous waste of time.

Enter Georgetown Cupcake.  There was a big to-do about the opening of this store, as it was the first true cupcakery in the DC area.  Two sisters left their successful and high-paying careers to opening the bakery, and as they say, the rest is history.  The lines used to stretch at least 2 blocks on Saturdays and Sundays in the summer time (see left); DC gets pretty hot in the summer, so you know those people wanted their cupcakes, not to mention that the original location was not air-conditioned.

The menu varies by day, but they have some standbys that are available each day--red velvet, chocolate and vanilla, vanilla and chocolate, chocolate ganache, and plain ole vanilla2 (vanilla squared).  As for their specialty flavors, the pumpkin spice is to die for, the lava fudge is full of gooey goodness, the key lime is the perfect balance between tangy and sweet, the strawberry has real strawberry bits in the cake and the icing, and my favorite, the white chocolate raspberry, is just perfect.  You can also purchase a cute pink box for your cupcakes to make them feel at home before you devour them (picture borrowed from the internet).  So. Freaking. Cute. 

When my mom came to visit me last year, we held our own un-scientific taste-test to determine who had better cupcakes, Georgetown Cupcake or Hello Cupcake, located in Dupont Circle.  While Hello's offerings were very tasty, Georgetown's were downright divine. 

I haven't been back to visit in a while, not even since they moved to their new, larger and air-conditioned location right on M Street.  Guess I'll have to put that on my agenda for the weekend!  Georgetown Cupcake delivers and caters, too!  (Picture to the right and those below are borrowed from the internet.)

L - R: Lava Fudge, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Coconut, Vanilla Coconut

Red Velvet, Georgetown Cupcake's signature flavor

Gingerbread

Caramel Apple

Pumpkin Spice

Toffee Crunch, Lemon Berry (raspberry icing)

Carrot Cake

Key Lime, Vanilla Chocolate