Georgetown Cupcake Tour

Seeing as how 2013 is quickly disappearing, I need to get some things finished. A recap of my trip to D.C. being one of them. As I've mentioned before, and for those who know me well, it is to no one's surprise that I happen upon seek out the best bakeries in any town that I visit. I like to think of these "bakery tours" as really fun and tasty ways to explore new places! It is always a guessing game as to what I'll find. Georgetown, did not disappoint when it came to places to visit. I had a great time wandering the quaint, brick-paved streets filling my arms with all sorts of bakery treats! (This doesn't make it exactly easy to carry the rest of one's shopping bags, but the taste-testing party at the end of the day makes the juggling act worth it!) Sacrifice is necessary when it comes to sweet treats and cupcakeries!

First up was a shop called Baked & Wired. Just off the beaten path, this little shop is home to both a bake shop (Baked) and a coffee bar (Wired). My mission was simple...find a cupcake. The choices were many and the treats all looked decadent. What I loved most about the shop was the handcrafted look and feeling of both the displays and the products. 

(Someone please give this dog a treat...all he wanted was a cupcake! Is that so wrong?!)

the goods

my choice: The Tessita (vanilla cupcake w/dulce de leche filling 

topped w/ a hazelnut ganache & hazelnut)

Next up, the famous Sprinkles. While I've tried Sprinkles before and had not been overly impressed, it had been years, so I decided to give it another go. Not to mention, when in the vicinity of a cupcake shop, you go. Period. 

so pink and inviting

I will give them credit. The Sprinkles aesthetic is super chic. So simple and modern. 

I took home a Salted Caramel.

Last but not least, the grand mecca, the epic moment...THE Georgetown Cupcake! Never did I think that I would actually make it to this shop in person (or D.C. at all for that matter) during my lifetime, but I was supremely excited to actually have the opportunity. Raise your hand if you, like me, have watched DC Cupcakes and have dreamt about the perfect icing swirl and huge sculptures built out of mini cupcakes....I digress. Anyway, I had heard various reviews, but definitely wanted the chance to decide for myself!

Georgetown Cupcake

the menu ( I chose a chocolate peanut butter & a caramel apple.)

Cuteness in Cupcake form!

Quite the memorable experience for this Cupcake Lover!

As an added last minute bonus to my bakery adventure, I found an adorable shop called Olivia Macaron! Next to cupcakes, macarons are right up there on the list of indulgent, delicious, must-have treats! So light and tiny, and packed with flavor... 

I do have to give some props to the ladies at Olivia Macaron. They were super nice and quite pleasant to chat with. I must also mention that if you are ever in the Georgetown area, stop by, their macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) are delicious!

wall o' macarons

They had a rather large variety. I walked away with a pumpkin, a rose, and a chocolate. 

All good choices!

I had an absolute blast visiting these shops! Taste-testing wasn't too shabby, either. As far as ratings go, well.....I'll be honest and say that after tasting, my favorite treats ended up being the caramel apple bar (Baked & Wired) and the rose macaron (Olivia Macaron). Can you believe it? The cupcakes were good. The Chocolate Peanut Butter from Georgetown and the Tessita (Baked & Wired) were probably the best. I would even give the award for best looking cupcakes to Georgetown Cupcakes... A+ for appearance. Seriously, adorable! However, my tastebuds weren't overwhelmingly thrilled. Decent choices as far as cupcakes go, but none that I would shout over the rooftops for. Don't get me wrong though, that didn't make it any less enjoyable! Bakery adventures will continue no matter where my travels take me!

Coconut Cream Mini Cupcakes

Before a recent visit home to see my family, I may have promised to make cupcakes, specifically coconut cream cupcakes! My mom loves coconut cream anything, and apparently so do several other people I know! This made it an easy choice when it came down to what flavor to make for the 4th of July. Additionally, since I was going to a party, minis were the natural choice for a "finger food" type dessert. That, and well...cupcakes are pretty much one of the best desserts ever invented! 

Enjoy the recipe!

*Note: As a general rule, I prefer not to use cake mixes when I make cupcakes. I don't have anything against boxed cake mixes, I just enjoy the challenge and satisfaction of making everything from scratch! However, due to time and the nature of the event, I caved in this time and used one. No complaints though, because the end product turned out great! 

Coconut Cream Mini Cupcakes

Recipe makes 4-5 dozen mini cupcakes. 

Cupcakes:

1 box Pillsbury White Cake Mix

4 eggs

2/3 c. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 c. milk

1 pkg. coconut cream pudding mix

2-3 t. coconut flavoring

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, butter, milk, pudding mix and coconut flavoring until thoroughly mixed. 

2. Place mini cupcake papers into the mini cupcake pan. Use a small cookie scoop to spoon cupcake batter into the pan. 

3. Bake at 350 for approximately 12 minutes, or until cupcakes are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool, before frosting. 

*Note: I used a Pillsbury mix, if another kind is used simply add 1 more egg than the directions state, substitute the oil for butter and double the amount, substitute milk for the water, and bake according to the suggested temperature. 

Coconut Buttercream:

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

4 c. powdered sugar, preferably sifted

2-3 T. milk or heavy whipping cream

approx. 2 t. of coconut flavoring (add to taste)

Shredded coconut for decorating

Directions:

1. Beat shortening and butter in a large bowl, until combined.

2. Add in powdered sugar in 1 cup increments. When mixed, add in the milk or heavy whipping cream and the coconut flavoring and combine.  (Do not over mix, this will cause the buttercream to melt and weaken.) 

3. Prepare a piping bag. Also prepare coconut topping, by adding a generous amount to a plate or bowl.  Spoon the buttercream into the bag and frost each cupcake. After each cupcake is frosted, roll the top in the bowl of shredded coconut. 

A Sweet Escape

"If I could escape, and recreate a place that's my own world..."

Now that you have that lovely little melody in your head, let me expound. Sometimes when I have the time to think, I like to imagine what I would like to do, where I would like to be, etc. One could say that dreaming can be quite enjoyable. What's even better, is when a "dream" becomes a REALITY! One of my dreams- work at a cupcake shop!

As some of you may know, I am obsessed in love with a cupcake bakery here in the area! Dreamcakes! I've talked about it multiple times already...and will probably end up mentioning a few times more. One of it's greatest attractions is its location in an area of downtown Homewood. Did I mention it is just a few doors down from my favorite antique store?! Eep! On any given weekend, especially now that it's Spring, one would think they were walking through Mayberry. It is just precious and darling, I tell you! And the store, it's just so southern in its vintage and collected feel. In addition, there are two Dreamcakes cupcake trucks that travel around town! The news just keeps getting better! 

The biggest announcement of late, I now get to work there! You read that right! I work at Dreamcakes! (That will continue to be exciting everytime I say it!) Y'all, it's literally like a dream come true! (no pun, intended.) So what do I do there? I work in the front of the store. I get to interact with customers and talk about a bazillion different cupcakes, and flavors, and toppings....and yes, I am just in my element! You could say the perks are the icing on top of an already wonderful cake! I currently finished my 3rd weekend at the store and am having a great time! Baking for the shop? Who knows...it may be in the future, but for now I'm just going to enjoy this bliss!

It's so awesome to see the excitement on the faces that walk in and out of the shop every weekend! I mean their slogan "Cupcakes make people happy!" is so very true! If someone were to ask me what and where my favorite cupcake shop is, Dreamcakes would win every time! (It will probably continue to win for the rest of forever!) Y'all with flavors like Over the Moon, Peanut Butter Cup, Paparazzi, Caramel Sea Salt Mocha, Strawberry Fields Forever, Chocolate High, Curious George, Beatrix Potter, Lunch Lady, Southern Belle, Banana Pudding, Peanut Butter Pie, Lemon Love....I could go on forever, you can't help but find something you like! 

Recently we've had visitors who have driven from Georgia and Florida to come to the shop. People from out of state who are vacationing, even stop in frequently saying they have to stop in before they leave town again. Y'all it's not just my favorite place...it holds that title for many people! Believe it or not, they are giddy with excitement when they come in! It's great. We've also been told that Dreamcakes cupcakes are not even comparable to places like Gigi's (just say NO) or even a shop you may know of as Georgetown Cupcakes (yep, you've seen them on TLC)! And for the record, I know what some of you are thinking....what about Sprinkles? I'd pick a Dreamcake! (I promise no one pays me to say this!)

I don't know if it's obvious, but cupcakes & I are pretty fond of each other! Having this opportunity has just been a blast! A definite sweet escape from the crazy and stressful the rest of life has...that thesis stuff is not always so much fun. 

If you're ever in my neck of the woods on a lovely weekend come visit me (and the rest of the awesome staff) here. I'll be waiting for you....with more cupcakes than you know what to do with! 

Pomegranate Limeade Cupcakes

Let me begin, by saying that I am, well...pretty particular about my cupcakes! I kind of expect perfection. Not in a mean sort of way, but in a I have really high standards for them kind of way. It's true. 

Quality Consistency. Exceptional Flavor. Beautifully Decorated. I am most definitely not a perfect cupcake baker by any means, but I do try really, really hard to uphold these standards! Sometimes, as a challenge, this means doing things like entering a contest and creating a recipe from scratch. That is what happened with these lovely lil' cupcakes! I created them for a competition held by a juice company a few years ago. I ended up with several votes, but not quite enough to win. No hard feelings though. Just seeing that people were interested and voting for my cupcake recipe was enough! 

These pomegranate limeade cupcakes were my first ever self-created recipe! If only people could have seen me in the kitchen experimenting until I came up with the perfect results?! Because these were my own special recipe, I've decided that they would be the most appropriate to lead off the beginning of what will be many, MANY more, cupcake postings! 

They're perfect for those who like sweet, but not super sweet. They're fruity, without being overwhelming and pretty darn delightful! 

Enjoy the new recipe, and if you decide to make them, let me know how they turn out! I'd love to hear about it!

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Pomegranate Limeade Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

2 3/4 c. flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2/3 c. butter, softened

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 c. POM pomegranate-cranberry juice

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 t. lime juice

1 c. milk

Vanilla Lime Buttercream:

1/2 c. shortening

1 stick butter, softened

1 t. vanilla

3 tsp. lime juice

4 c. powdered sugar, sifted

2-3 T. milk

*topped with a lime slice and toasted coconut