Originally uploaded to flickr by aliciagriffin.
It hasn’t even been open a week yet, but The Hill is Home contributors have flocked to Barracks Row’s Hello Cupcake to sample its petite wares. For you, our sweet-toothed readers, we have complied our impressions to give you our inaugural (and possibly only) collaborative First Bite review. We may not get paid for this stuff, but some assignments are certainly worth the effort …
You Tart! (lemon cake/lemon cream cheese frosting/lemon sugar sprinkles) and Peanut Butter Blossom (chocolate cake/peanut butter frosting/chocolate kiss) were most frequently sampled and both received an unqualified thumbs up, described as both “delicious” and, the the case of the PB, a “favorite”. Triple Coconut (coconut cake/coconut cream cheese frosting/toasted coconut sprinkle) was apparently so tasty that the reviewer was unable to form any coherent words beyond “mmmmmm”. (I definitely speak that language.) Pink Lemonade (lemon cake/strawberry buttercream) was my choice for a post-dinner/pre-Folger Theater treat. It was like eating a fluffy, fruity dessert, though most of the fruit came in the form of buttercream fluff.
Prima Donna (chocolate cake/strawberry buttercream/pink sugar sprinkles) and Heart of Darkness (devil’s food cake/chocolate ganache-based frosting/chocolate chip sprinkles) both rated a “pretty good” on our non-scientific scale of “meh” to “if they could make it into the shape of a pillow, I’d sleep on it”. Tiramisu (espresso cake/mascarpone frosting/dust of cocoa and a chocolate covered espresso bean) was noted as an excellent combo of flavors, but don’t lick off all the frosting first! “The cake itself was rather bitter and sharp, because of the ground bean, but tasted wonderful with the frosting.” In general, there were kudos for the consistency of the frosting and moist, flavorful cake.
One person stopped by just after the opening day lunchtime rush and found the store still quite busy, but everybody had a great experience overall. No crazy crowds or long lines will keep you from tasting your way through the day’s selection. Who could be grumpy while in line for a cupcake anyway? The staff was always pleasant and helpful and the shop makes everything fresh. No shortcuts at this cupcakery!
The price is a bargain, relative to other outlets, at $3 each. That should make the Baker’s Dozen loyalty card (buy 12, get one free) the accessory du jour for neighborhood wallets (two down, 10 to go!). The shop itself is smaller than the Dupont location but has all the major design elements. However, apparently the kitchen is larger on the Hill, eventually allowing them to do mail order and delivery services from Barracks Row.
The final verdict? Plenty of great flavors to choose from (we shall certainly continue working our way through the menu); a sleek, roomy space; topped off with friendly, smiling staff. Hello Cupcake was a hit with us.
If you’ve been by, tell us which was your favorite flavor!
Hello Cupcake 705 8th Street, SE
any idea when the Sweet Lobby opens? i’d rather buy sweets i KNOW i can’t make at home!
@asw – I was anticipating that question. Though I’ve heard no official word from anyone at Sweet Lobby, I was talking to someone familiar with the shop who said they’re still working on electrical (though that may be finished soon). Once that’s done they can finish the build out, but at least the equipment is already there. So, in short, we have a bit longer to wait.
I don’t know about the wizardry that goes on in your kitchen, but there’s very little at Hello Cupcake that I could (without an injudicious amount of effort) whip up myself. If nothing else, they can tide you over until Sweet Lobby opens.
Mmmm. I think today might be the day I have to try them. Does anyone know if they are doing the vegan cupcake yet?
@ Labyrinth Games & Puzzles
Yes — they do have a small assortment of vegan cupcakes.
@ b – Thanks – I’ll be trying one today. 🙂
Oh, and if you’ve ever wanted to play D&D, tonight might be an especially good night to start at Labyrinth Game’s event because there might be a special cupcake treat too. 🙂
I’m ambivalent about the DC cupcake fad, but we wanted something sweet to celebrate an occasion and HC was a nice convenient option. 4 different cupcakes (lemon, pb, choc/choc, and 3x coconut) were each hit with everyone. Cute shop and I agree the $3 price tag is fairly reasonable compared with other outlets.
Hmm… maybe I can use my toddler as an excuse to try out a cupcake. If she eats all of her dinner, maybe we’ll go get a cupcake or two.
The sweets shops are a nice addition to the area, but a Baked & Wired is really what we need over here. Maybe Baked & Wired will surprise us with an expansion store on H St. Wouldn’t that be nice? 🙂
@asw, according to their facebook page they’re opening in about two weeks (though when I peeked in this morning it looked like there was still a lot that needed to be done).
I have to say, this post doesn’t make me want to to go to Hello Cupcake but it DOES inspire me to make these cupcakes at home!
@William, I used to work at B&W and their kitchen was very small, basically just a kitchen in a house with an extra stove/oven and another oven in the basement. Unless they upgrade to a commerical kitchen I’m not sure they could produce the volume of baked goods needed to expand to a second store (in addition to all the events they do). Not that I owuldn’t love to see them come to the Hill.
I work 2 blocks from Baked & Wired and they are seriously a one-stop shop…amazing baked goods, great coffee, etc. Until then, I’m happy with new additions on the Hill like Hello Cupcake and Pound Coffee.
As for making cupcakes at home…knock yourself out. Yes $3 for a cupcake might be pricey to some, but you get a very good tasting cupcake and portion control for that price. That’s valuable to some.
I visited HC today and was surprised and so happy to learn that they can make any of their flavors gluten free!
Sampled two of HC’s cupcakes last night. Verdict: Just OK…nothing special. I’m the first to admit that the cupcake fad means nothing to me. But don’t get me wrong, I love a good cupcake. HC just doesn’t do it for me. The wife of one of my coworkers makes cupcakes for our monthly office bday celebrations. Honestly, I would rather have her cupcakes. They are way better.
i’m most excited by the fact that they have vegan and gluten free offerings!