Welcome

Let us introduce ourselves:

We are ChocolateGanache and CarrotCake, both sisters who love sweets and are willing to try every cupcake until we find the best one. In a world of cupcakeries it has been a challenge! After trying many different cupcakes from bakeries and telling friends about what we found; CarrotCake thought it would be a good idea to make a blog, so we could tell others about what we devoured and let them share their thoughts too.

Leave us comments and let us know where we should go next. Enjoy!

We are now on Facebook!!!

November 21, 2013

Occasionally Cake: Alexandra, VA

Occasionally Cake
Regular: $2.75
Speciality: $3.50

Tis the season for yummy sugary goodness! There are a lot of sweetness out there this time of year, but we here at Cupcake Correspondents are here to help you navigate through the sugary sweetness and find some really cheery treats that will help keep your energy up in order to take on the holiday's with all the merriness you can bring!

Nothing is more charming then old town Alexandria during the Holidays. There is something special about walking around the old brick front buildings all decorated with sparkling gold, silver, red, and green. We would suggest you take in the old town Holiday beauty from a window seat at one of Alexandria's many cupcakeries, and Occasionally Cakes is a great place to do just that. This charming shop has some unique and yummy cupcakes that will bring some merriness to your Holiday season.

The lady behind the counter was very helpful in explaining the flavors, and even made some really good suggestions. For this trip to Occasionally Cakes we tried the Cinnamon Spice, Ginger Lemon, Red Velvet, and the Gluten Free Vanilla Strawberry cupcakes.

The Cinnamon Spice cupcake was a cinnamon cake with a cinnamon vanilla buttercream frosting. The
cake was moist and had a good light texture, and the buttercream frosting was smooth and had a good cinnamon flavor. The frosting was just a little too sweet, and the flavor was a bit one dimensional. However, it was a festive cupcake and we enjoyed it.

The Ginger Lemon cupcake was a unique flavor combination, with a Ginger Vanilla buttercream frosting and a lemon flavored cake. This was a delicious pairing, and is definitely worth trying on every visit!

The Red Velvet cupcake was had a nice red color, but the cream cheese frosting was just a little too sweet.

The Gluten Free Vanilla Strawberry cupcake was a vanilla cupcake with a fresh tasting strawberry vanilla buttercream frosting. The fresh strawberry taste with a moist vanilla cake was yummy, and a good representation of what a gluten free cake can be.

Overall we enjoyed our visit to old town Alexandria, and also enjoyed our time at Occasionally Cakes!

Gluten Free: Available
Sugar Free: Not Available
Vegan: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 (it was a charming cupcakery and was full of beautiful cupcake themed goodness)
Flavor Selection: 4 out of 5 (the Ginger Lemon was a great combination)
Customer Service: 5 out of 5 (the lady was friendly and welcoming)

Overall Quality: 4 out of 5 (the frosting was a bit too sweet for our taste but we loved Occasionally Cakes)


November 19, 2013

Lavender Moon Cupcakery: Old Town Alexandra, VA

Lavender Moon Cupcaker
Regular: $3.00 (full price that's including tax)

The gloomy fall weather in Virginia this weekend didn't stop us from exploring two cupcakeries. On this trip we brought a friend along and both CarrotCake and I loved the company. Friends and cupcakes are the best combination.

Our first stop, Lavender Moon who brightened our gloomy day with a flash of bright pink as we entered their cute shop in old town Alexandra. The cute cupcake art work and charm was all so cute. I fell in love with the little crochet cupcakes sitting on a shelf behind the "real" cupcakes. They were all too cute. We felt the space was charming and very lively. This one we thought the decorated cupcakes were by far the most beautifully done cupcakes we have seen. But, after writing about so many cupcakeries we expect a lot in the next ones. Even though the decorations of the cupcakes and the shop were beautiful; there wasn't that lighting that we expected to see as we made our way to the back to buy some cupcakes. We thought it was a little dark. Lighting would give these beauties all the more excitement as you entered. . Also, the cupcakes where on beautiful stands. We couldn't "see" the uniqueness of each one as they showcased the lovely cupcakes waiting to be tasted.



Now on to the cupcakes...we bought three beauties, Flour-less chocolate with almonds and sea salt, Devils food with peanut butter mousse, and Lemon Lavender Chiffon.

Left to right: Lemon Lavender Chiffon,
Peanut Butter Mousse, and Flour-less Chocolate
The flour-less chocolate with almonds and sea salt frosting was so good. The taste of the cake felt like a regular cupcake and a little dry. It didn't have the fluffy bounce that we talk about at Cupcake Correspondents. I loved the sea salt and almonds on it. Just the right touch.


Devils food with peanut butter mousse, this one's frosting was amazingly good. Our friend got this one and loved the frosting. She kept mentioning she wanted a bowl of it. If you don't like a lot of peanut butter taste this one is good. It still has that peanut butter taste but isn't over powering. Which I loved. You can still have this one on a date (wink!).

Lemon Lavender Chiffon, we heard online that this one is there most popular one. The lemon taste was good, but we couldn't taste the lavender in it at all. This one could be better in a yellow or white cake with hints of lavender and lemon rind in the cake. You can take this idea, Lavender Moon, make it yours. It will be great! We all felt we needed a bowl of each of our frostings to go. They were all good!

Gluten Free : Available
Sugar Free: Not Available
Vegan: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 4.5 out of 5 (the shop is clever and very fun. The bright colors were very cute, again the lighting around the selection of cupcakes was a little dark. We wanted to see sparkle.)
Flavor Selection: 5 out of 5 (best decorated cupcakes so far)
Customer Service: 2 out of 5 (quiet, but nice. they knew their cupcakes)

Overall Quality: 4 out of 5 (cute and fun)

October 18, 2013

Crumbs Bake Shop: Tysons' Corner Mall, VA

Crumbs
Taste (1"): $24.95 12 cupcake pack
Classic (2.5"): $4.50
Signature (4"): $5.50
Colossal (6.5"): $42 serves 6-8 people


There are few things in life that can't be remedied with a little retail therapy, and Tysons' Corner Mall has many choices to satisfy any shopalcoholic's inner most desires. Yet now Tysons' offers us another indulgent pleasure in the form of its' very own Crumbs Bake Shop. Now it is possible to give yourself a break from trying to find the most flattering pair of skinny jeans, and just eat a cupcake! Crumbs is famous for being the largest cupcake chain store in the nation, as well as, serving up some an assortment of cupcake sizes (from the colossal to little taste cupcakes).

Milkshake Cupcake

The store itself isn't the most appealing of cupcake shops. It is definitely designed for a mall where customers can easily walk up, see the cupcakes, pick one, and get on with shopping. Reminded us more of a Mrs Field's Cookie Vender than a cupcakery. However, we at Cupcake Correspondents were definitely impressed by the variety of cupcake flavors available, and they all looked absolutely yummy. So after a minute or two of deciding we settled on the classic sized Milkshake and Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes.


The Milkshake cupcake is a marble blend of chocolate and vanilla cake filled with a vanilla cream cheese frosting mixed with chocolate cookie crumbs, and finally topped with a swirl of chocolate and vanilla cream cheese frosting dusted with chocolate cookie crumbs. Wow! That is by far the longest description of a cupcake we have done so far! As good as it sounds it did not live up to our expectations. The cake was slightly dry and flavorless, and the cream cheese frosting was good but didn't save the cupcake.

Peanut Butter Cupcake
The Peanut Butter Cup cupcake was better than the Milkshake, and was a chocolate cake filled and topped with peanut butter buttercream frosting and decorated with peanut butter cup wedges and crushed peanuts and chocolate pieces. The chocolate cake still lacked a rich chocolate flavor and was dry like the Milkshake cake, but the peanut butter buttercream was yummy with a good balance of "peanutty taste" without being overpowering.

All in all we didn't much care of Crumbs, but we will give them a pass until we actually make it out to a shop were the baking is done in house. We figured that the cakes probably dried out during shipping to the shop location. Also this is probably the most expensive cupcakery we have been too.

We are looking forward to Crumbs opening up an all gluten free bake shop! We will let you know when one is expected in our area.


Gluten Free : Not Available at this location
Sugar Free: Not Available
Vegan: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 2 out of 5 (the shop is definitely designed for a quick visit while shopping, but it was a bit impersonally and poorly designed)
Flavor Selection: 5 out of 5 (anything you can think of or crave they have on hand, and in any size)
Customer Service: 2 out of 5 (we had very little interaction with the one person on staff, which is surprising since we were the only ones there)

Overall Quality: 2.5 out of 5 (we won't be going to this location again... there are other cupcakeries that will satisfy our craves better that are worth the drive)


September 16, 2013

Cakes by Happy Eatery: Manassas, VA


Cakes by Happy Eatery
Regular: $3.00
If you're happy and you know it, eat some cupcakes (clap, clap). If you're happy and you know it eat some cupcakes (clap, clap). If you're happy and you know it and your smile will surely show it. If you're happy and you know it eat more cupcakes (clap, clap).

German Chocolate, Eclair, Chocolate Chantilly, Cookies and Cream
First, it's a good thing you can't hear us singing along or trying to find out how to change the words so they mention drinking milk or eating cupcakes with your friends. Both of us seem to be in a singing mood this whole summer and we had to write one more tune, until we get that singing buzz again (future sighting or singing...maybe the Christmas season. Just warning you). 

This song fits our visit to Cakes by Happy Eatery. This bakery has been around for sometime in the Centreville and Manassas area. It has been known by the locals for many years and has a great standing with them. When you start your sentence with "Cakes by..." it is finished by the person you are talking with followed by some story they have about them. So, naturally we ventured over to Libra Street in Manassas to have a visit and partake of this story in Northern Virginia.

German Chocolate
They have a good variety of cupcakes to pick from. But, this time CarrotCake and I decided to go with our eyes than with a list of things we had to try. We picked four this time: German Chocolate, Chocolate Chantilly, Cookies and Cream, and a Eclair cupcake. The first three are from their Chocolate Series line (I like the sound of that). These cupcakes all begin with a rich chocolate Devil’s food cake batter and are taken to the next happiness level of yumminess. 

The German Chocolate Cupcake topping is a coconut pecan praline topping. The cake was divine but we felt the frosting needed to be smaller and more coconut pecan praline added. The latter seems to be the best part of any german chocolate cake. But, the chocolate frosting was smooth and buttery.

The Chocolate Chantilly has a creamy center of white filling; like the small cakes from the store with the same topping as this cupcake. We like the topping of this one more than those cakes from the store, because this one is dipped in ganache. This was a wonderful ganache! I think I should have asked for a bowl of it ; )

inside the Chocolate Chantilly
Cookies and Cream....this has to be the one to get everytime, if not, just for the topping. Have you ever had a cookies and cream cupcake and thought "yea, that kinda taste like an oreo in there." Well, the verdict is out now, you were eating the store brand oreo. Sorry, but it's the truth. You were fooled. It wasn't until we tasted this cupcake that the realization hit us. We were relieved to know real oreo frosting for the first time. All silliness aside...or is it? LOL. This frosting really taste like eating oreos. Just with a creamy frosting mixed into it. You can taste and see the white inside, that we all love, in their frosting along with that chocolate cookie. Now, back to the cake part. We felt it needed to be a lighter cake. The frosting is heavy and also having a heavier cake just was a lot to get through.

Cookies & Cream
The only cupcake we tried that wasn't chocolate was the Eclair cupcake. It was a vanilla cake with a buttercream frosting topped with dusting of mini chocolate chips. The cake was a little dry but we could taste the good flavor it had and the frosting was very smooth and dreamy. We would just add a little more mini chocolate chips to the top.

Over all the experience was delicious. It left a tune in our heads, our taste buds singing and tummies full. 

Gluten Free: Available (limited flavors daily)
Sugar Free: Available (Vanilla or chocolate sponge cake with vanilla, chocolate or strawberry cream)
Vegan: Available (Egg and diary-free chocolate cake topped with non-dairy vanilla or chocolate cream)
*They advertise on their business cards and website that they do cater to customers with special diet limitations. That was nice to see :)


Cupcake Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 (feels like you are walking into someone's large kitchen)
Flavor Selection: 4 out of 5 (great basic section, just bigger sizes and more toppings)
Customer Service: 3 out of 5 (the staff were friendly, but we felt rushed. It was our first time and they didn't ask if it was or if we had any questions about the cupcakes. Like other cupcakery's have done.)

Overall Quality: 4.5 out of 5 (the cupcakes were good, but customer service is a little lacking)


September 13, 2013

Cupcaked Bakery: Clifton, VA

Cupcaked Bakery
Regular: $3.50
Mini: $1.50
Gluten Free: $4.50

One of the newest cupcakeries in Northern Virginia is seeking to make a splash much like the upcoming Autumn colors! Cupcaked Bakery is located in the charming old town of Clifton, VA, but did the cupcakes live up to the old town charm? Well, we will say that Cupcaked is an adorable little shop with a beautiful decor of bright purple and a tasteful cupcake themed decor. The staff was friendly and welcomed us to their new establishment with eager enthusiasm and warm hospitality. But the BIG question of the day... were the cupcakes any good?

Chocolate Mocha Cupcake
The Red Velvet cupcake is a staple of any good cupcakery, and this Cupcaked version was a simple representation of the classic. Although, the cream cheese frosting was smooth and creamy, the red velvet cake itself was... dare we say it... too chocolatey. Now before you hard core chocolate lovers out there start leaving us comments about how nothing is "too chocolatey", and reminding us that we have established many times before that red velvet must have coco as a staple ingredient... well, we (and especially ChocolateGauche) agree with you, BUT we have to be honest and say that red velvet is not a chocolate cake... it is a complex and beautiful balance of coco and brown sugary tastes that can be a magical flavor balance... it is not a vanilla cake dyed red and it is not a chocolate cake... it is a red velvet... a catagory all its own ;)

Pear & Brie Cupcake
Speaking of chocolate cakes, the Chocolate Mocha was a good chocolatey and moist cake that was topped with a creamed coffee buttercream, drizzled with caramel, and topped with a chocolate covered coffee bean. The buttercream was a bit too sweet, so with the edition of the caramel drizzle it was a too much... but the cake was good.

Cupcaked had a lot of interesting fruit inspired cupcake flavors that definitely stood apart from other cupcakeries. The Pear & Brie is a great example of a classic fruit and cheese pairing turned cupcake. The vanilla cake was filled with caramelized pears, which really drove the theme home and helped add texture and flavor to the cake. However, the brie buttercream didn't have enough brie flavor tones, and again the buttercream was too sweet. Although, the addition of brown sugar pecans on top was charming and continued to play with the old town homestyle theme.

Lemon Coconut Cupcake
The best cupcake we had during this visit was the Lemon Coconut cupcake. Once again Cupcaked is showing off its unique fruit inspired pairings, and it definitely worked well here with a different take on the old classic coconut cupcake. The addition of lemon really contrasted well with the nutty coconut in the cake, and the marshmallow icing topped with toasted coconut was once again unique and delicious. Great cupcake!

Gluten Free: Available (limited flavors daily)
Sugar Free: Not Available
Vegan: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 (this was a charming space that had a welcoming atmosphere, and there was plenty of indoor seating too)
Flavor Selection: 4 out of 5 (there were definitely some unique fruit inspired cupcakes, but the other non-fruity flavors were not as interesting)
Customer Service: 5 out of 5 (the staff were really friendly and inviting... they even served us complimentary water )

Overall Quality: 3.5 out of 5 (the cupcakes have potential BUT some of the frostings were too sweet)

September 4, 2013

UPDATE Cake Love: Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, VA

Our tummies and taste buds are in shock, still, when we came across a boarded up Cake Love at the Fair Oaks Mall a few weeks ago. We hope that they will reopen back to the Fairfax area soon. As we are in need of a cupcake while shopping. We will miss you Cake Love at the Fair Oaks Mall. Cake Love still has their DC store open. Here is an address for you Cake Love fans: 1506 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009                 Chocolate Ganache and CarrotCake send our condolences. 

August 21, 2013

Sweetz Bakery: Dulles Town Center Mall, VA

Sweetz Bakery
Regular: $3.25

Here at Cupcake Correspondence we eat, drink, and sleep cupcakes! Well, that may be an overstatement, but we do spend time thinking about cupcakes and where we will go next. Lucky for us sometimes cupcakes just appear before our eyes, as if our Cupcake Fairy Godmother sprinkled fairy dust more sprinkles, and a cupcake kiosk materialized in the food court of the Dulles Town Center Mall… Sweetz Bakery.

This nondescript cupcake stand was almost to good to be true, and left Chocolate Gauche and I wondering if these beautifully simple cupcakes where actually real. The available flavors all sounded and looked delectable. Plus they had gluten free, dairy free, and vegan cupcakes all displayed and ready to buy in multiple flavors. So we selected a GF Double Chocolate cupcake, Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake, and Red Velvet cupcake. We soon discovered that our Cupcake Fairy Godmother had a few treats up her shelves, because these cupcakes were anything but nondescript…

GF Double Chocolate Cupcake
The GF Double Chocolate cupcake had a moist and fluffy dark chocolate cake, with a smooth chocolate buttercream filling and topping. The chocolate buttercream was one of the best we ever had, with a perfect balance of a sweet and chocolate. With most GF cupcakes it is easy to distinguish them from their gluten counterparts, but Sweetz Bakery gets a gold star for creating a moist GF cupcake that could fool anyone into believing it’s not gluten free… must be that Cupcake Fairy Godmother at work again.

When thinking of Mexican Hot Chocolate two things come to mind chocolate and spice. Well, this cupcake had both, with a perfect blend of the chocolate and spice flavors working together in harmony. The dark chocolate cake was just that… chocolate! This chocolaty cake was topped with a chocolate buttercream that had just a hint of spice. This combination of flavors could have been overpowering, but Sweetz Bakery has clearly spent some time balancing the flavors and it paid off.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcake

The Red Velvet had the best cream cheese frosting we have ever tasted. It was smooth and perfectly sweet, and tasted like an actual cheesecake with just a lighter texture. The cake had a beautiful burgundy color, which let us know that Sweetz Bakery knew what they were doing with their red velvet recipe (no neon red coloring here). The cake had a nice rich coco and brown sugar taste to it that is reminiscent of any good red velvet.

All in all, the Cupcake Fairy Godmother granted us a magical wish when we found Sweetz Bakery. These are definitely gourmet cupcakes, and you can taste the quality of ingredients in every bite. So head down to the Dulles Town Center Mall’s food court and visit our friends at Sweetz Bakery. According to their website they are opening a retail store in Leesberg soon, and we can’t wait to visit them there too!

Red Velvet Cupcake


Gluten Free: Yes (multiple assorted flavors offered daily)
Dairy Free: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Sugar Free: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 3 out of 5 (The kiosk was clean but not eye catching, but the cupcakes are all displayed. We are looking forward to seeing the new retail store in Leesberg when it opens!)
Flavor Selection: 5 out of 5 (many yummy flavors available that where both on trend and innovative)
Customer Service: 5 out of 5 (the two cupcake representatives greeted us with a smile and seemed to be working hard)

Overall Quality: 5 out of 5 (This place was a great surprise! Thank you Cupcake Fairy Godmother :) )



July 21, 2013

Buzz Bakery: Arlington, VA



Buzz Bakery
Regular $3.25
Gluten-Free $2.75
Have you ever been to a place were your sweetest dreams comes true? 
You wake up and "hold your breath...Make a wish...Count to three..." 

Next you find yourself standing in a bakery and the words straight from Willy Wonka enter your mind..."Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look and you'll see into your imagination. We'll begin with a spoon, tasting the buttercream of their creation. What we'll see will defy temptations." 

Ok, we changed the words a little, but who can blame us. This is our childhood dream treats on steroids. How can we not walk into this bakery and not get "buzzy" thinking about cupcakes filled with cookie dough and grown-up pop tarts and such. It's bliss (now thats a nice name for a cupcake shop. It's now copyrighted, lol).

Picking which cupcake to try was "the" hardest selection we had . So we picked the following for this tasty stop: 
Gluten-free Chocolate on Chocolate Cupcake


The Gluten free chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. The cake itself was very moist and had a great chocolate taste. A better grade of chocolate than we have tasted in the past. Very impressed to see gluten free getting better and better out there. The frosting was just as divine as the cake. It was frothy and very smooth. Having three more of these would have been bliss. The colorful sprinkles on top is the prefect touch. I love sprinkles!

The COOKIE MONSTER, has a chocolate chip cookie cake with raw (yes, you heard me-yummy moment) cookie dough core covered  with an Oreo italian buttercream topped perfectly with a oatmeal cream pie. This speaks for itself. This is the one both of us were dying to try after seeing this Bakery on TV and they talked and showed this dream of a cupcake. If only TV's were are scratch and taste. Life would be more complete. 
inside Cookie Monster cupcake
We have never heard of Italian buttercream before, so we looked up the recipe and thought you would enjoy making this too: 
1/2 cup of cold water
2 1/4 cups of caster sugar
1 cup of egg whites (about 6 egg whites) 
1 1/2 pound of soft unsalted butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract

9:30 Club Cupcake










The 9:30 CLUB, which is devil's food cake with vanilla buttercream filling and dipped with delicious chocolate glaze. This design looks a lot like another cake we are all so familiar with. This is by far the replacement of that other cake. This is a must try. It is moist and smooth. I personally could eat a bowl of the glaze. It's my favorite kind of glaze. But good thing we brought Mom along on this trip. This was her pick and it was gone in seconds.
White Rabbit Cupcake

The WHITE RABBIT, is a parsnip cake with a yummy cream cheese buttercream topped with toasted coconut and a carrot (how cute is that? A wink to the people who know us). Another "must try" on our list for this Bakery. The design is cute, and the taste wasn't too strong, but still carried the favor throughout. The cream cheese buttercream was a little to tart, but CarrotCake enjoyed every moment of it.

Over all, this was a dream to visit and we hope that Buzz Bakery continues to amaze it's tasters with the most imaginative cupcakes. Until our next visit we dream with sweets and cupcakes dancing in our heads. 








Gluten Free: Yes ( Chocolate and Vanilla offered daily)
Sugar Free: Not Available
Vegan: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 (Classic and cute)
Flavor Selection: 5 out of 5 (Must imaginative cupcakes)
Customer Service: 4 out of 5 (Happy staff and willing to help. Loved that they asked if the gluten free need to be in a separate box)

Overall Quality: 4 out of 5

July 6, 2013

Second Bite - Cake Love: Tysons Corner Mall, VA

Cake Love: Tysons Corner Mall
Regular: $3.35 each

Like any guilty pleasure (or bad boyfriend), it is hard to just give it up, because there was something that drew you in the first time and just keeps drawing you in again and again... For us at Cupcake Correspondents it is Cake Love, and our undying hope that one day it'll return to that guilty pleasure we once knew and loved.

Toffee Crunch Cupcake
In this Second Bite Edition of Cupcake Correspondents we rediscovered Cake Love, but we forsook our old flame at the Fair Oaks Mall and ran off with its' cousin at the Tysons Corner Mall. All part of the same Cake Love family of confections, yet the Tysons Corner Mall Cake Love restored our faith in cupcake redemption. Alas! The Toffee Crunch Cupcake and Vanilla Cupcake with Strawberry Buttercream were a step in the right yummy direction!

We haven't been shy in our disappointment in the dry and flavorless cakes that have been coming out of the Fair Oaks Mall location, but the two cupcakes we had at Tysons were moist and flavorful. We will say that the Cake Love bakers should pay closer attention when filling the cupcake molds so as not to splash the cake batter over the sides of the cupcake pan, because it makes for an irregularly shaped cupcake top...  but enough about that...

Vanilla Cupcake with Strawberry Buttercream

The Toffee Crunch Cupcake was a moist yet dense chocolate cake topped with vanilla buttercream frosting, caramel drizzle, and sprinkled with toffee chunks. The vanilla buttercream was on point with a light and smooth texture, and a perfectly sweet vanilla taste. The toffee chunks gave it a pleasant crunchy texture on top too.

The Vanilla Cupcake with Strawberry Buttercream frosting was a perfect summertime treat! They worked fresh strawberries into the vanilla buttercream, which reminded us of a classic summertime pairing of strawberries and cream... YUM! The vanilla cake was good and moist, but like the chocolate cake it was denser than other cupcakeries' cupcakes... all about what you prefer.

Way to go Cake Love! We look forward to seeing more improvement, and will be willing to volunteer our tastebuds for many more Second Bites!

Overall Quality (updated): 2.5 3.5 out of 5

June 13, 2013

Sweethaus Cupcake Cafe: Charlottesville, VA

Sweethaus Cupcake Cafe
Cute Mini's $1.00
Regular $2.50
Gluten-Free $2.75


First things first. Their logo is the cutest thing ever and there website; so check it out!!! The cafe is adorable!!! The theme throughout...lets just say I'm redesigning my place (this is ChocolateGanache speaking. CarrotCake might have to take away the pink). It is so adorable and perfect. CarrotCake found this gem and we were in the area after our Ashlawn 5k Run, so a refill we needed and what better than cupcakes. 
We found the building to be under construction, however it had a retro vibe. We were not sure to say the least, but the closer we got we saw the vision these owners have and what a fantastic find. You are greeted by a poster, 50's style, of a little girl holding a cupcake. This one picture reminded us of childhood days that focused around laugher and cupcakes. It was a step back in time for us. Thank you Sweet Haus!



As we stepped in we could smell the sweetness. Now, don't let the remodeling stop you from going. The cupcake chefs were so nice and we felt welcomed by them. It has that small town happy feeling and we love that around cupcakes. There are so many fantastic things as you look around. But one design really caught our eye. It was the gum drop chandelier. Yes... I know. How cool is that? You can also sit and watch them make frosting and the cupcakes. I can go on and on. But, now to the yummy part: 

What is fantastic about this one is the cute mini cupcakes. ChocolateGanache loves mini size things. Not this time around, CarrotCake took the cake on this one (get it...ok I'll stop). It's a good idea for a party or if, like us cupcake tasters, you want a variety of yumminess. There where so many choices that the lovely chefs picked out their top favors for us. The selections devoured were: marble cake and chocolate cake, pistachio cake, strawberry cake, lemon cake, red velvet,  and chocolate coconut cake. AND one regular size gluten-free chocolate walnut chocolate frosting cupcake. Yumm! Here is a quick take on what we thought on the mini's:


Marble cake and chocolate cake - really good balance of flavor (not too sweet good chocolate and vanilla taste); moist and tender texture.

Pistachio cake - good pistachio flavor with smooth lightly sweet frosting with pistachios mixed in for crunch; cake texture was moist but a bit chewy.


Strawberry cake - fresh strawberry flavor frosting that was slightly sweet; vanilla cake had a good moist and tender texture and vanilla taste.

Lemon cake - same as strawberry just lemon flavor. This was like good-old lemonade, tart and sweet. Love it!

Red velvet - good cream cheese frosting; good cake flavor but the cake texture was moist but an odd crumbly texture… the crumbs weren't fine enough for a velvet cake also.

Chocolate coconut cake - beautiful with the coconut flakes on the deep chocolate frosting and cake; frosting and cake as good as the chocolate cake mentioned above.


The gluten-free was so good, I'm having day-dreams about it. So fluffy, chocolaty (which is a must for happy people), and the frosting was soft and buttery....sorry I forgot I was writing, thought I was going to have a bite : ) 
The walnuts had a toasted taste to it, which really brought out the flavor. That was my favorite part. Sadly CarrotCake only had crumb of it. 

WOW we had a lot of cakes at this one…I hear a round two, three... ok we might be coming monthly.


Gluten Free: Yes (they told us that they have a separate cooking and prep area for them. These cupcakes also have there own chef who is a celiac herself)
Sugar Free: Not Available
Vegan: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 (This one wins the award for "Best Atmosphere for a Cupcakery," congrats)
Flavor Selection: 5 out of 5 (We thought they covered a good amount of flavors)
Customer Service: 5 out of 5 (Happiest cupcake chefs yet. They just looked so happy working around cupcakes)

Overall Quality: 5 out of 5 (Can't wait to see the cafe finished)

June 5, 2013

Fluffy Thoughts Cakes: Washington Nationals Park, Washington, DC


Fluffy Thoughts Cakes
Stadium: $6.00
McLean Shop: $3.00
Fluffy Thoughts Cakes
Washington Nationals Park Section #135 
Take me out to the ball game cupcakery. Take me out with the crowds. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks cupcakes! I don't care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team eat, eat, eat all the cupcakes, If they don't win it's a shame. For it's one, two, three strikes cakes your out, At the old ball game cupcakery!♬ 

Okay... So we changed the wording a little bit and our lyrical rhyming is not great, but seriously who needs cracker jacks when cupcakes are available? 

At the Washington Nationals Park in Washington, DC, we at Cupcake Correspondents were thrown a bit of a curve ball when we found Fluffy Thoughts Cakes! Yes, it appears cupcakes are now available at a ballpark! Move aside regular old hot dogs...

We just couldn't resist the need to find out if Fluffy Thoughts' cupcakes could play for a major league or an amateur bush-league...
Cookie n' Cream Cupcake

First up to the batting fork is the Cookies n' Cream cupcake. This cupcake had a moist chocolate cake that was very flavorful and fresh tasting, which is impressive coming from a stand in a baseball park. The vanilla buttercream with a cookie infusion had a light and creamy texture, but was just way too sweet. It wasn't a very original flavor, and the sweetness was to much to make me want to order it again. Sadly this Cookies n' Cream cupcake striked out of this cupcake ending... much like the Nationals did from the top of the 4th to the bottom of the 8th endings...

Candy Bar Crunch Cupcake
Alas, this cupcake team would not be beat, and with their bases loaded they made a home run with the Candy Bar Crunch cupcake! This moist and fluffy marble vanilla and chocolate cake was filled with a creamy caramel center that truly complimented the vanilla buttercream frosting with chocolate crunchies on top. This particular cupcake was recommended to us by the cupcake staff at the Fluffy Thoughts stand, and we are glad they took the time to recommend it. It was Yummy! And a Grand Slam!

Also, according to the cupcake staff, they are doing so well at the Nationals Park selling cupcakes that the Phillies have asked them to open a cupcake stand at their stadium! So we look forward to a future where cupcakes become a part of an all American baseball food tradition!

Here is the final score for Fluffy Thoughts Cakes at the Washington Nationals Park...
Caramel Filling inside Candy Bar Crunch Cupcake

Gluten Free: Not Advertised (there is a gluten free food stand next to the cupcake place but you should really get a cupcake)
Sugar Free: Not Available
Vegan: Not Available

Cupcake Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 (Nationals Stadium... doesn't get better than that)
Flavor Selection: 3 out of 5 (They had four or five flavors and a mini cupcake sample box available, but I would have liked to have seen some flavors related to baseball foods like cracker jacks, cotton candy, peanuts etc... NO hot dog flavor though! That would be nasty.)
Customer Service: 5 out of 5 (Very friendly and helpful!!!)

Overall Quality: 4 out of 5 (Really enjoyed the Candy Bar Crunch cupcake but couldn't get past the excessive sweetness of the Cookies n' Cream cupcake's frosting)


Oh... and just in case you were wondering about the game... the Nats won in the 9th ending 2-3 against the Mets... It was awesome! Let's Go Nats!!!