Cupcakes Actually: Fairfax, VA

Cupcakes Actually
Dipped: $3.75
Speciality: $3.50
Regular: $3.25

Nestled in the hip and exciting shopping center of Fairfax Corner, is the home of Cupcakes Actually and their celebrated "dipped" cupcakes! We've had dipped cupcakes at other cupcakeries, since it is a growing trend in the cupcake world, but we were excited to try them at Cupcakes Actually since they boast it is their speciality. So we brought along a friend and embarked on what we hoped would be a memorable cupcake experience with chocolate on top ;)

They normally only have 8 or 10 flavors available for ready-sell a day, so check the website if you have a particular craving... however, the basic chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet are always available. Also they sell "milk shots" for 25 cents plus tax, which is a cute idea but based on the cup size a bit pricey.

Flourless Chocolate

Since it is a busy place, however, I didn't feel like the staff was very attentive... I understand the need to replenish the cupcake stock, but multitasking while trying to interact with customers is a difficult skill... customer service was lacking.

Now on to the cupcakes... We didn't notice all the flavors that were advertised on the website as being available for that day, but they seemed to be running short at the end of this particular day. Nonetheless, we purchased the Flourless Chocolate, Simply Red, Actually Dipped Black & White, and Dipped Peanut Butter Banana.

The Flourless Chocolate is their gluten-free option which was like a chocolatey-fudgey-brownie cake with a vanilla bean buttercream frosting that was smooth, light, and slightly sweet. Chocolate Ganache was a big fan and savored every bite, but she managed to share a crumb for me to sample... LOL it was literally a crumb, but it was all fair.

Actually Dipped Black & White

The Dipped cupcakes were really good, and were a perfect example of what a dipped cupcake should be. The Dipped Peanut Butter Banana was a banana cake with a luscious peanut butter frosting, generously dipped in chocolate ganache, topped with peanuts, and a banana chip. The cake was light so it definitely wasn't like eating banana bread, which was a good thing. The Actually Dipped Black & White had a flavorful vanilla cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting. The cakes were not dry but they had courser crumbs, so the cakes weren't as velvety or "bouncy" as finer crumb cakes are... it is what it is and it is good.

Dipped Peanut Butter Banana

The Simply Red was their red velvet that isn't a red velvet. Basically you could tell by looking at it's vibrant red color that it didn't have enough, or didn't have any, coco in the recipe (see our Cupcake Digest post on Red Velvet). The cream cheese frosting was really good, and even had a good vanilla bean taste that made it distinctive and flavorful.

Here's our cupcake score for Cupcakes Actually:

Gluten Free: Available
Sugar Free: None advertised
Vegan: Available

Simply Red

Cupcake Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 (simple and adorable design made for a happy cupcake environment)
Flavor Selection: 4 out of 5 (had gluten free and vegan available for ready-sell, but didn't notice all the flavors available that were advertised as being sold for that day)
Customer Service: 2 out of 5 (eye contact with the customer is important and making sure they feel at home... didn't really get that... but they were busy)

Overall Quality: 4 out of 5 (enjoyed the cupcakes, the customer service bothered me a bit, but we will return soon!)