Let’s get this out of the way. I think cupcakes are overrated. Eveywhere you look there’s a new shop or truck. They have shows and books about them. Here in Frederick, we have 2 cupcake shops a block away from each other. People wait in lines for an hour to get them. When all is said and done, I say that my wife’s cupcakes are better, and she’s just using the recipe from the can of Hershey’s cocoa powder. I find most of the cupcakes out there to be dry and, in general, lacking in the creativity department. That was, until today.
I’m not a food blogger and I’m not really interested in writing about places I eat. I’m more interested in sharing recipes and ideas. That being said, today I drove to DC to check out some restaurants and markets. The first stop I wanted to make was at Buzz Bakery (the Arlington location). I have been following pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac on Twitter for a while now, and see her doing some great stuff. Since I wouldn’t be around for dinner, I couldn’t hit up Birch & Barley where she also creates desserts.
Walking in the shop, my head almost exploded. I wanted everything, but settled for 4 cupcakes (and a homemade Pop Tart…and a scone). These are cupckaes worth waiting for, and there wasn’t even a line. What really excited me were the flavors. I ended up with:
WHITE RABBIT PARSNIP CAKE, CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM, TOASTED COCONUT, WHITE CHOCOLATE CARROT TOP
COOKIE MONSTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE, RAW COOKIE DOUGH CORE, OREO ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM, OATMEAL CREAM PIE
GINGERMAN GINGERBREAD CAKE, BUTTERCREAM, GINGERBREAD COOKIE
PUCKER UP LEMON CHIFFON CAKE, LEMON CURD FILLING, POMEGRANATE BUTTERCREAM, WHITE CHOCOLATE BARK
It’s nice to see thought and effort put into a cupcake. They’re very creative, with a lot of different flavors and textures in each cake. These cupcakes could hold their own against plated desserts in a restaurant. Surprisingly they all made it back to Frederick where my wife and I promptly crushed them.
Thanks for (briefly) making me a fan of the cupcake again. You’ve set a standard that I wish more shops would strive for.
