DC's Best Cupcake No. 1: Alexandria Cupcake

I don't know who can take credit for starting the whole cupcake trend, but thanks to the show DC Cupcakes, I'd like to think my new home has some sort of claim on the title. (Because TV makes things official. Everyone knows that.) While Mr. C and I walked around Old Town yesterday, I spotted at least two bakeries specializing in cupcakes - a "cupcakery"? - and a whole slew of other pastry shops that had at least one or two mini cakes thrown into the mix.

For me, this immediately begged the question: "Who has the best cupcakes in DC?" And - like most things pertaining to food and/or driving skillz - I immediately decided I could be the best judge of that. (Yes, The Post has their own list, but I feel my "new resident" status gives me a one-up in the impartiality department.) Let the cupcake war begin!

Who has the honors of breaking the ice? Alexandria Cupcake, the instigator of this whole idea. While cupcakes themselves are innately cute, selling them out of a "boutique" in Old Town only ups the factor and their cute, little logo sucked me right in.

The shop is decked out in "European contemporary minimalist style," which every recovering architecture student knows is design-speak for "empty with a touch of glass and/or metal." The line does have a tendency to get long, so I'm sure the extra space is needed, but it did feel a little...well...empty. Granted, a cupcakery does present a bit of a design problem: how do you display a small, constantly rotating product in a manageable, but attractive way? Eek! Never mind! (Please note, I did say "recovering." Some times I still slip up.)

The cupcakes themselves retail for $3 each, which from what I've gathered online, seems to be the average price across the board. If I was alone, I might have ordered a Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake, or a Rosewater-flavored one (their signature cupcake), but Mr. C and I decided to split a Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter creation instead. Since it was almost dinnertime, we ordered it "to go," which meant it came in a compostable, upside-down cup instead of a napkin. Too clever! (And it really worked too! It survived a couple hours in my purse and dinner with no problems. And on a side note, Daniel O'Connell's lamb burger with goat cheese? So yum!)

The dark chocolate cake was good, but nondescript. I hesitate to compare it to a box mix - No shame! I love box mixes! - but it was flavorful and moist in a similar way. The peanut butter frosting, however, was amazing, and that's coming from a girl who hates frosting. Whipped, light, and peanut buttery - I may or may not have licked all the leftover frosting out of the inside of the cup as well. ;)

My rating? I would definitely eat again. (There's probably going to be a lot of that in this contest. ;)

Cupcakery Design - Three out of Five...Cupcakes? (Sprinkles? Cherries? I guess cupcakes works for now.)

The Cake - Three out of Five Cupcakes

The Frosting - Five out of Five Cupcakes

One Cupcakery down. And thankfully, many, many more to go. ;)

PS Did Sister V. start the cupcake trend? Maybe. Check out these cute ones she ordered back in the day for my bridal shower. The cake and the cupcakes were both from A Little Imagination Cakes in Middletown, CT. My favorite part? The fondant Scrabble tiles. ;)