Yum!

The DCist blog reports that Tangysweet’s Dupont Circle location will be offering free mini cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery from noon until closing tomorrow (Friday, 31 July 2009).

Swing by and start your weekend with a little something sweet!

Last night’s rainy weather didn’t dampen the fun at the First Annual DC Cupcake Contest one bit! Those of you who missed it, I’m sorry to say, missed out on a sweet evening.

In my excitement over the cupcake onslaught that was to come, I completely forgot to pack my camera (bad blogger!), but a few of the other judges were better prepared in that area and I’ll link to their pictures as they’re posted.

A note about judging a cupcake contest: Nothing could have prepared me for the sugar coma brought on by sampling nearly 30 different cupcakes in less than two hours! I love cupcakes, and even I was relieved when my fork sank into the last one. I was pretty sure I’d never want to see another cupcake, but you know what? I was wrong. I just don’t want to see 30 cupcakes all lined up with my name on them again for a while.

On to the important stuff: Who won?

In the professional category, which was a very close competition, top honors went to Nostalgia, a soon-to-open Annapolis cupcakery. Owners Robert and Sharon White brought fine examples of their basic chocolate with white icing and yellow with chocolate icing cupcakes — both were delicious. Their signature cupcake, though, rocked my cupcake-loving world: It was a chocolate cupcake with a mound of bittersweet frosting on top and just the right amount of bittersweet chocolate goo melting out of the center of the cake. It would totally be worth the drive from Alexandria to Annapolis just to get another one.

I happened to be standing right behind the Whites when we were getting our cars from the valet, and they were thoughtful enough to leave a big plate of cupcakes in the valet’s office. That makes points with me, too: Nice goes a long way.

Nostalgia hasn’t launched its website yet, but you can read all about the bakery and catch an interview with Sharon White at Danielle Buckley’s Delleicious blog, which should be required reading for all cupcake lovers.

In the amateur category, the winner by a wide margin was Mollie Ohlhaut. Her signature cupcake was a very yummy chocolate cupcake with raspberry filling, topped with chocolate frosting laced with raspberry liqueur, and decorated with a fresh raspberry and a chocolate wafer. (That single fresh raspberry was the healthiest thing any of the judges ate all night!) Her other submissions were just as delicious. You can read more about Mollie and her cupcakes at www.molliecakes.com. It looks like she’s opening a business, and we wish her every success!

A big thanks to the fabulous Washington Club for opening its doors to this event, to all the wonderful waitstaff who kept the event running smoothly, to the competitors for their delicious submissions, and of course to organizer Jenni Collins! Thanks, Jenni, for starting such a tasty new DC tradition.

Don’t forget: DC’s first annual cupcake contest is tomorrow night! It’s shaping up to be a fun event you won’t want to miss. And I’m honored to report that I’ll be one of the five judges helping to crown Washington’s first cupcake king or queen. (Yeah, my job is really tough sometimes…)

I had the opportunity today to talk with Jenni Collins, the creative force behind the contest, about cupcakes, weddings, and how the contest came to be:

Why the contest? You’re already busy planning your wedding. What prompted you to take on yet more planning right now?
I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew sometimes – this time it happened to be a cupcake! Seriously though, my wedding planning is pretty buckled down so that really isn’t that big of a factor at this point. I was originally planning to have cupcakes at the wedding in place of a traditional cake, so cupcakes have been top of mind for me all summer. Additionally, I am surrounded at work by a plethora of cupcake connoisseurs and we often try new cupcakeries. Since several new ones have opened in the wake of Georgetown Cupcake’s momentous debut, we debate which ones we each like best. That is pretty much how the idea started and it kind of took off from there. I really had no idea that I would get such tremendous response as I have.

Why are you interested in cupcakes instead of cakes?
Honestly, I don’t like cake. I know that sounds a bit crazy! With all the recent hype over cupcakes, I have decided to tip-toed toward cake again and cupcakes are just baby-steps on the way until full cakehood. Plus, they are a lot cuter. I have until May (my wedding) to re-acquaint myself fully with cakes. In the meantime, bring on the cupcakes!

What other special, personal touches are you adding to your wedding?
Can’t divulge at this point in time.

What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?
My favorite cupcake flavor – that’s hard!! I have to say that I do love PattyCakes (Bryn Mawr, PA) TastyCake cupcake – its peanut butter and chocolate – who doesn’t love that?!? I also really like the strawberry cupcake at Baked & Wired here in DC. And, of course, pumpkin with cream cheese icing. I’m hoping to find a new favorite flavor at the 1st Annual DC Cupcake Contest.

What are your favorite wedding planning resources?
My favorite wedding planning resources? Hmmm – that’s a great question. I’d have to say the blogosphere. I voraciously read multiple wedding planning blogs – I’ve got them all loaded into my Google Reader and I keep adding more. Outside of that, I do love the Knot’s budgeting and invitation management software on their site. Its the best I have found. I’ve abandoned the paper bound planners available at all the bookstores. None really fit my needs perfectly. That might need to be my next venture…

Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of DC’s newest tradition! The First Annual DC Cupcake Contest takes place tomorrow night, September 25th, at the beautiful Washington Club at Dupont Circle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. You can find all the details, including a list of participating bakers, at Jenni’s blog.

Replacing the traditional wedding cake with a tower of cupcakes is a trend that looks like it’s here to stay, and for good reason:  Cupcakes are fun, delicious, and often less expensive than a more traditional multi-layered wedding cake.

While hunting for information about cupcakes for one of my brides this afternoon, I stumbled upon this blog post about a cupcake contest to be held right here in DC next month!

It sounds like all the details aren’t yet in place, but here’s what’s posted so far:

Date:  Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Time:  TBD, but sometime after working hours
Place:  The Washington Club at Dupont Circle

Entries will be accepted from professional, amateur, and out-of-town bakers, in the following categories:

•  Vanilla with chocolate icing
•  Chocolate with vanilla icing
•  Wildcard – where creativity counts

Now, I’m not suggesting that all you brides-to-be (or grooms-to-be) get started on developing the Great American Cupcake Recipe, but this sounds like a really fun opportunity to see what area bakers have to offer in the cupcake department!  Plus it’ll be a fun night out for you and your fiance, or for your and your bridesmaids.  And the Washington Club is a lovely venue that’s available for wedding receptions — maybe you’ll find the perfect cupcake and the perfect place to serve it!

While we’re on the subject of cupcakes, they’re not just the new wedding cake. Cupcakes make excellent wedding favors, are a delicious addition to an out-of-town gift basket, and are a welcome surprise when brought in for your guests to enjoy as a midnight snack at your reception.  I’m sure you can think of other great ways of incorporating cupcakes at your event.

Back to the cupcake contest:  I think Mr. Husband and I will try to make it to this. Anybody else in?

Several weeks ago I was invited by Mary and David at MallowDrama to come out to their home/bakery in Reston for a cake tasting.  Never one to turn down cake, I of course enthusiastically accepted!

Mary and David had baked up samples of some of their favorite cakes and had them beautifully arranged along with little mounds of different frostings and bowls of homemade fruit and cream fillings, and I got to assemble my own mini-cake creations.  It was fun and delicious.  I love cake, so I’m afraid I didn’t even think about taking a photo of the spread until after I’d already partially devoured it…

Mary and David are adventurous in the kitchen, and it shows in their list of flavors.  Along with the standard vanilla and chocolate cakes, they offer flavors like chocolate mole, orange French pound cake, and peanut butter.  The list of icings and fillings includes offerings like various buttercreams and flavored ganaches (toasted coconut ganache sounds yummy!); and fruit fillings like raspberry mousse, apricot preserves, and caramelized pears.  They do their best to make everything from locally-grown ingredients, so the taste is always fresh and vibrant.

In addition to cakes, Mary and David make beautiful truffles by hand, and they had some on hand for me to try.  As you can see, those didn’t last long either:

Like their cakes, the truffles come in the standard flavors you’d expect, but also in unusual varieties like rosemary, candy apple, and sweet curry.  They’d be great as wedding favors, or tucked into your out-of-towners’ welcome baskets.

Mary and David are as nice as the treats they whip up.  They were even thoughtful enough to send home a cupcake for Mr. Husband to enjoy.  It’s not often that he gets to reap the benefits of my job!  He pronounced his chocolate mole cupcake delicious, and ate every crumb.

If you’re still looking for a wedding cake vendor, give MallowDrama a call!  Whether your taste runs to the comfortable or the exotic, you’re sure to find a cake or confection you can’t resist.