When B and I moved here in 2005, we were so excited to try the bakery that we made almost an immediate trip to what was at the time a rather desolate section of U Street. What was all the world's--including Oprah--fuss about?
We looked in the window of the bakery across the street from the Love Cafe and swooned over the beautiful cakes being decorated in the window. So far, so good. And then we tried the cupcake across the street and we were like: "Really?!" Granted, we went in expecting to love these cupcakes in part because of the story, including Warren Brown's quitting his day-job to follow a dream. But the cupcake sucked on a variety of levels.
First of all the cupcake was served cold, really cold. Then there was the issue of the frosting consistency which was like a dense block of Crisco. And the cake itself was muted in flavor, dry and too dense. And perhaps the worst part was that we went back several times over the next few months. In our defense there were a dearth of bakeries (at least as newcomers) that we knew about at the time. We even tried one of the over-priced strawberry and cream cakes which while slightly better and more attractive than the cupcakes was still just okay.
Finally I want to add that as readers of this blog know, while I hate the lines at Georgetown Cupcake, I do think both the appearance and the taste of their cupcakes are excellent...though I will only pre-order for the foreseeable future. And with that, no more cupcake postings here unless there's some breaking news… I am cup-caked out!
Couldn't agree more! Have you tried the new cupcake place in Clarendon next to the flatbread pizza place? I just wish someone would make a nice, simple vanilla cake and chocolate icing cupcake these days with no frills.
ReplyDeleteWe've had similar experiences at Cakelove, although I haven't tried their cupcakes. To be fair to them though, they go heavy on the butter. A cake/cupcake with that much better has to be warmed slightly or at least come to room temperature. So their cakes do taste better if you let them warm up or zap them in the microwave if you can't wait. Perhaps they'd do better to warm their product up in the store for you, or at least keep some at room temperature in the store instead of just in the chiller.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you. I got some Cakelove cupcakes for the office from Silver Spring t celebrate finishing our proposal. I thought they were pretty, but dry and the frosting was poofy and the taste was thin. Plus they were $3 each. It's Lilly McGilley's for me from now on. $2.75 and much richer taste.
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