YoCake Review

This past September, YoCake opened in the Montgomery County Mall. It’s taken me a few months to get out there (not metro accessible), but it’s definitely worth sharing.

YoCake capitalizes on the cupcake trend and the fat-free frozen yogurt trend, offering several options of both at its food court location. I was surprised at just how many flavors there were! 16 cupcake flavors and 7 yogurt flavors. More on the yogurt in a bit, let’s talk cupcakes!

The spread of cupcakes is impressive (there are over 20 varieties on their menu, 12-16 of which are offered daily). Few cupcake shops offer that much variety everyday. I was immediately drawn to the classic vanilla-vanilla, but was also intrigued by the Amaretto, described to me as tasting like an almond cookie—yum!

They looked delicious, but I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of food court cupcakes. Let’s admit it, Panda Express doesn’t stack up to your local hole-in-the-wall Chinese take-away. But I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of YoCake’s cakes! Here’s my take on the vanilla:

• Size: Just right—not too small, not overwhelming. Very good size—think Hello Cupcake.
• Cost: $2.50 – perfectly priced for the size, taste, and location
• Cake: Dense and delicious, but a little dry.
• Frosting: Very creamy, even overnight it stayed soft. More butter/oil than sugar in the recipe, but still sweet enough.

These are definitely Top 10—maybe even Top 5, but I’d need to do some comparison tasting to be sure. I didn’t expect these to be so tasty, and will definitely be grabbing one every time I’m at that mall. The amaretto was definitely tasty, but a little too intense on the almond flavoring—so much so it didn’t taste like a cupcake.

The Amaretto had actual pieces of almond in the cake batter

After buying my staples, I inquired about the yogurt. Despite explaining that I wouldn’t be buying any yogurt this time, the girl behind the counter insisted I try a few samples. The vanilla and cheesecake were delicious (I don’t like the sour ones), and I can’t believe they’re all fat-free! If only the cupcakes were the same!!!

YoCake is open every day 10am-9pm in the Montgomery County Mall food court. Whether you choose yogurt or cupcakes, you won’t be disappointed!!

Cupcake Decorating Classes at Hello Cupcake

Hello Cupcake will be offering a series of cupcake decorating classes in their Dupont Circle location. From their website:

"Ever wonder how we make those beautiful swirls, flowers, or monograms? It's easier than you think, and now you can learn how at Hello Cupcake! Join our talented pastry chefs to learn basic decorating techniques, try your hand at it, and take home a dozen of your own beautifully decorated cupcakes."

I just heard about this a few days ago, and their first class (Valentine's Day themed) is already filled up. But don't worry, you can still register for St. Patrick's Day, Cherry Blossom, and Mother's Day themed classes. Each class is $70 and includes 2 hours of instruction and 1 dozen cupcakes.

Email info@hellocupcake.com to register for an upcoming class. Let me know if you sign up, I'd be very interested in hearing what you think!

Grand Opening: Alexandria Cupcake

Finally-- a new cupcake shop to review! There's lots of new shops coming, but few have opened their doors. I had heard rumblings that a new cupcake shop was goin to open on King Street in Old Town, Alexandria-- but just two weeks ago when I was there, there were no signs of it. Then this week- bam, Alexandria Cupcake is open!

Until yesterday, there wansn't even a sign up. Now it has a temporary banner up announcing its grand opening, and some paper signs with their hours.

Inside, the cute shop appears to have opened before the shop is completey finished. There's no seating yet, but is plenty of space for some. The counter is relatively small, but still has enough room for about 8-10 flavors. There's no menu persay (or at least not yet), but it appears they carry a number of traditional cupcakes (vanilla bean, red velvet, chocolate w/chocolate) and more creative flavors like strawberry, coconut, and rosewater.

I tried the vanilla bean and strawberry and I was impressed. The cake on both flavors was amazing, and while plenty tasty, the frosting didn't blow me away as much.

• Size: Relatively small
• Cost: $3.15-- just a smidge above average.
• Cake: Definitely the best part! Moist, perfect density. Real vanilla bean and strawberries
• Frosting: Very creamy, but also dense. Seems to have more butter/oil than sugar in the recipe. I didn't fall in love with the strawberry frosting-- tasted more like puree. The vanilla was better, but not as sweet as I like it.

Alexandria Cupcake definitely holds its own, and will give nearby Lavender Moon a run for it's money (I'm not a huge fan of L.M.). I can't wait to visit again in a month or so once it's had some time to establish itself. It's already received rave reviews from 5 visitors on Yelp.

Old Town Alexandria is definitely a great area for cupcakes to expand-- it's very similar to Georgetown, but there's less competition and perhaps a more local/loyal clientelle compared to Gtown's trendier, more transient crowd.

Alexandria Cupcake is located on King Street between Henry and Patrick streets in the heart of Alexandria. It's hours are convenient and easy to remember. Definitely, worth checking out!

Tuesday-Sunday - 11am-7pm
Monday - Closed

Stabucks Cupcakes are Back

Starbucks seasonal cupcakes are back--I don't get into Starbucks very often or I might have noticed sooner! For the past few years Starbuck's has offered three flavors:

• Vanilla Bean
• Double Chocolate
• Red Velvet

When I first tried these last year, I doubted they would be any good. I don't think Starbucks does a great job with coffee, so who would have guessed they actually do a decent job with their cupcakes!?

This year's look about the same as last year's.. just decorated slightly differently. Vanilla Bean is obviously my favorite, but I also really liked the Red Velvet. My chocolate loving friend's liked theirs, but admitted the vanilla was superior. The best part? They are only $1.85-- that's right, $1.85. They aren't that small either! Just be sure to eat them shortly after you buy them-- I waited a day to eat one and was pretty dried out.

So sure they don't make the Top 5 and aren't close to as good as local shops, but they're a wonderful accessible and affordable alternative!