Washington DC

I recently sat down with Penny Karas, owner and executive pastry chef of Hello Cupcake. Penny and her team of chefs take cupcakes seriously, and they have to competition is steep. As Penny was quick to tell me, the quality of her cakes is what sets Hello Cupcake apart. A team of pastry chefs is constantly at work perfecting old recipes (their chocolate cake is in the process of being revamped, "too inconsistent," says Penny) and creating new, sometimes offbeat ones (such as a cinnamon-chocolate cake with chili-infused chocolate ganache). Hello Cupcake also features a vegan and gluten free menu. Just because something is gluten free doesn't mean it has to taste bad, she stressed. "At the end of the day, the product has to taste good." Before I left, I grabbed a Peanut Butter Blossom, the shop's most popular flavor. It’s made with chocolate cake topped with a peanut butter frosting and a chocolate kiss. The frosting, while rich (and abundant!) was smooth and mild. It had a hint of peanut flavor that didn't smack you in the face, and the cake itself was deliciously moist. Overall, I'd say Hello Cupcake now ranks as my favorite cupcakery in DC.

Photo:  Rachel Tepper

Hello Cupcake is the latest cupcake establishment to hit DC and has found a home in Dupont Circle. Their strategy seems pretty simple: get a lot of classic and weird cupcake types on display and make them yummy and pretty. The cupcake menu changes daily, but the "peppermint penny" and "peanut butter blossom" ones I've tried so far have both catered to this "yummy and pretty" principle. Unfortunately, at $3 for one smallish cupcake, my visits will have to be limited (although the cupcakes are tax free for some reason). Actually, on Hello Cupcake's website, they advertise their cupcake specials as "$12 for four and $18 per half dozen," which, for the mathematically challenged, still comes out to be $3 a cupcake and does not seem to be a great deal. Huh. Also, I heard that their simple, pink and brown marketing and design scheme seems to quite shockingly mirror that of West Coast cupcake chain "Sprinkles." Interesting. But until Sprinkles comes to DC, I may still have to occasionally visit Hello Cupcake to figure out how some of the creatively-named, "you tart!" and "pick-me-up" cupcakes taste.

Photo:  Emily Groves