#5 Buzz Bakery

First, let me start out by saying, its not easy to make my Top 5. There are dozens of shops in the DC area that make cupcakes, and I've tried most of them. While there is no formula that I used to develop my Top 5 list, here are a few of the key elements to a good cupcake (shop):

• Taste (it has to taste good)
  
• Size (I don't want to finish a cupcake in two bites)
  
• Cost (more expensive doesn't always mean better)
  
• Accessibility (being able to get one easily when you're craving one is key)

We open the series with one of my staples: #5 Buzz Bakery in Alexandria, VA. Since its on my boyfriend's way home from work, I probably have a Buzz cupcake at least once a week. The uber trendy coffee shop offers an incredible array of baked goods-- cupcakes are just one of the delicacies.


Permanent menu flavors include traditional cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, red velvet) and more unique flavors like their Bumblebee & 9:30 (quite popular). They also offer some of the most creative seasonal/rotating varieties: Guinness, Pumpkin, their famous Bacon Cupcake, and many more.


Obviously my favorite flavor is vanilla-vanilla, but I've tried the red velvet and bumblebee cupcake and both were delicious.

• Size: Just right-- not too big or too small
• Cost: $2.25 -- best tasting cupcake under $3 in DC, hands down
  
• Cake: Perfect, definitely buzz's strongpoint
• Frosting: Delicious, but can be a little dry sometimes

I like Buzz because its strong across all categories (though not truly spectacular in any). Most of my Top 5 fall short in a few categories, but more than make up for it in the others. The cupcakes are very delicious, the shop is a great place to just hang out (they have great coffee too), they are open till 11pm everyday, and they are some of the cheapest in DC.

They also have some of the cutest to-go containers-- regular boxes are over done!