#1 Baked & Wired

Drumroll please.... the moment you've been waiting for! The #1 cupcake shop in the DC area (IMHO) is...


Baked & Wired!!!



This adorable coffeeshop tucked away near the canal in Georgetown has been serving cupcakes since it opened in 2001-- well before it was trendy, and well before any of the cupcakeries opened in the area (even before Cakelove which is often considered the first). BAKED & WIRED BLOWS GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE OUT OF THE WATER.

I'm sure very few of you are surprised (I rarely talk about cupcakes without mentioning B&W), and a number of you have been there with me and have experienced the heaven that is inside every bite of a B&W cupcake. Everyone has their favorites, but mine is a tie between the vanilla-vanilla and strawberry (with real strawberry puree in the cake batter). Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, and Pretty Bitchin (chocolate & pb) are other popular flavors.

I recently spoke with B&W owner, Theresa Valezquez, who said she uses her grandmother's recipes for many of her cupcakes. She said cupcakes were definitely not "in" when they opened, but just thought it was a more portable way to sell her cakes.

B&W is responsible for my gourmet cupcake fetish after I tried one in 2006 at Taste of Georgetown. It was the first cupcake I'd ever bought (having stuck only to the homemade variety), and it was the best cupcake I'd ever eaten. For more than three years I've been on a quest to find a cupcake that beats it... no such luck! Here's why I love them so much:

• Size: Very large
• Cost: $3.50-- just above average, but the size makes you feel like you're getting more for your money.
• Cake: Dense but moist, you're not paying for air or fluff here! The strawberry cake is amazing.
• Frosting: Creamy with gourmet ingredients-- beyond ordinary!

I'm beyond convinced there's no one in DC who does cupcakes better. I am always so surprised when Georgetown Cupcake takes first prize in many local polls/contests. True cupcake fans know (I've talked to several of them) the truth... Baked & Wired is #1.

#2 Red Velvet Cupcakery

Red Velvet Cupcakery has been open less than one year, but already has established itself in the DC cupcake market. The shop keeps it simple, offering 11 flavors on their menu + 1 seasonal cupcake at a time.


Red Velvet Cupcakery has made very smart choices in its locations-- metro accessible with lots of foot traffic. Its original location is just south of the Gallery Place-Chinatown metro, close to the Verizon Center, Regal Cinemas, a number of local theatres, and dozens of restaurants. Everytime I'm in the area for a game, movie, or dinner I always swing by and get a treat. It also has great hours, open till 10:30 or later everyday.

Red Velvet recently also started selling cupcakes out of TangySweet (its sister treat shop) on P Street in Dupont Circle-- also very metro accessible and close to shops and restaurants.



The key to its success: using the finest ingredients to make classic cupcakes decadent. Take for example their classic vanilla-- it has vanilla bean cake (you can see this in every bite) with an insanely delicious madagascar bourbon frosting. After a recent visit Southern Belle (red velvet), Morning Call (coffee), and Summertime (lemon w/coconut) also got high marks.

Unfortunately, Red Velvet loses points in their size--significantly smaller than most. And at $3.25 a piece, they aren't cheap! I have to admit, this hasn't kept me from picking one up everytime I am in the area. Red Velvet reminds me of Georgetown Cupcake in size and price, but blows it away in the taste department.

• Size: Small-- no way to get around it
• Cost: $3.25-- just above average, but the small size makes you feel like you're getting less for your money
• Cake: 4 stars
• Frosting: Creamy with gourmet ingredients-- beyond ordinary!

You might be wondering, if they are so small why are they in the Top 5? Because they are that delicious!

#3 Hello Cupcake

Hello Cupcake is the first true cupcakery (sells only cupcakes) on the list. Buzz & Something Sweet are both bakeries that have lots of treats on their menu, but Hello Cupcake was one of the first cupcake-only shops to open in the area.


Hello Cupcake has one of the largest menus on my Top 5 list, with 8 permanent flavors plus more than 20 rotating and seasonal varieties. Check out their weekly menu to be sure they have your favorite in-store. In addition to their vanilla-vanilla (one of Hello Cupcake's "Originals" flavors), I love their Lucy & Princess varieties.

Hello is the first cupcake on the list whose frosting holds up to its cake. While similar texture to Buzz & Something Sweet, the cake at Hello has much more flavor, and its frosting outshines both. It's definitely on the sweeter side and piled high-- just the way it should be.

• Size: The cupcakes are a very good size (bigger than Gtown cupake, smaller than Something Sweet)
• Cost: $3.00-- which is about the average price in DC
• Cake: Perfect-- not too moist, not too dry
• Frosting: Just like mom's homemade! Divine.
• Cake to Frosting Ratio: Perfect-- sometimes I squish it down a bit so it covers more of the cupacke and so I can fit it in my mouth.

Hello Cupcake definitely gets extra points for its metro-accessible location. Unlike #5 & #4, Hello is located right across the street from the Dupont metro stop. Unfortunately its hours aren't quite as good as the others on the Top 5, not open on Sundays and closing by 8pm most nights.

I couldn't wait for this shop to open up in 2008, and I remember waiting in line with my colleagues on opening day when they ran out. It wasn't long before Hello became one of my staples, and a special treat whenever I'm in Dupont.

There are rumors that Hello Cupcake is looking to expand into the Arlington area, I have lots of friends who hope this is true!

#4 Something Sweet

Our next top cupcake is definitely from the newest shop on the list. I first reviewed Something Sweet a few months ago (read full post here), and have been back a bunch of times since.

Located in NW DC near the Cathedral, Something Sweet is more than just delicious-- their cupcakes are huge, and affordable.

As you might have gathered, I tend to be drawn "hurt your teeth" sugary sweet frosting that most resembles the homemade delights my mom used to make. But Something Sweet is the shop that perhaps deviates the most from this on my top 5-- the buttercream frosting is tremendously light and creamy, making it a favorite in DC for a number of my friends. In addition to vanilla, chocolate ganache, and red velvet are other top picks.

So far the reviews on Yelp are mixed (take that at face value considering that Georgetown Cupcake repeatedly beats out superior cupcake shops in public polls), but my verdict is in--- #4 in DC.

Check out my full original review!

#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!