Rex & Regina's Blog

garlands of lights adorned with cupcake liners served as fitting decor

Rex & Regina had the privilege of working with the Women’s Ministry at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland recently to help organize a special event for women of the church and its community.

Nearly 100 women from all different backgrounds, neighborhoods and stages of life attended “Hey, Cupcake,” a cupcake taste-test event (right up my alley!). The women tasted, enjoyed, and judged cupcakes from six cupcakeries from around the DC area. Ideas and tips for entertaining with cupcakes were presented and guests were also shown how to make their own cupcake toppers.

sample DIY cupcake toppers were on display to give guests ideas for the next time they served cupcakes at a party

There were three total categories in the competition — vanilla, chocolate, and baker’s choice — and each bakery participated in two out of the three categories.

To add a little interest to the competition, one of the six “bakeries” (known at the event as K&C Bakery) was actually two women from the church who baked cupcakes using store-bought mixes, improved them using recipes from the Cake Mix Doctor, and frosted them with homemade frosting.

And the winners of the best tasting cupcakes at “Hey, Cupcake” were (drumroll, please….):

Chocolate: tie between Cupcakes on the Run and Georgetown Cupcakes
Vanilla: Red Velvet Cupcakery
Baker’s Choice: “K&C Bakery”

cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake, which tied for first in the chocolate category

cupcakes from Cupcakes on the Run, which tied for first in the chocolate category

cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery, which won the vanilla category

winner of "Baker's Choice" category

We’d like to extend very special thanks to the following bakeries who donated their delicious treats for the event.

Cupcakes on the Run
Order cupcakes through Sprinkles in Potomac Village
(Note: Sprinkles is not affiliated with the L.A. Sprinkles!)
10148 River Road
Potomac, Maryland 20854
(301) 299-8415

Just Cakes
4849 Rugby Ave
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(301) 718-5111
www.justcakes.net

Natalia’s Elegant Creations
230 W Broad St
Falls Church, Virginia 22046-4203
(703) 241-8040
www.nataliaselegantcreations.com

Red Velvet Cupcakery (Penn Quarter location)
675 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 347-7895
www.redvelvetcupcakery.com

Other bakeries included in the event were:

Georgetown Cupcake
1209 Potomac Street, NW
(moving soon to 33rd and M)
(202) 333-8488
www.georgetowncupcake.com

Cakelove
6 locations in the DC metro area
www.cakelove.com

In case you wondered about this cupcake craze we’ve been going through in recent years? Yah, it’s not going away.  It’s alive and well and growing stronger day by day — especially here in DC.  New “cupcakeries” are popping up left and right and established cupcake purveyors are expanding, confirms a recent Washington Post article on the sweet trend.

If you’ve been hit by the cupcake craze and are planning on serving them at your wedding or next event, why not embellish the cupcakes with special toppers to give your event an even more customized appeal?

Here are a few cupcake toppers that I love (check out the captions for sources and click on the photo to take you there); they’d be fabulous for a wedding, shower, birthday, retirement party, anniversary… you name it!

Paper Flower Cupcake Toppers from Millalove on Etsy

Retro Cupcake Pennant Template from Vintage Glam Weddings

Mini Cupcake Topper Pinwhirls

wedding cupcake toppers by Etsy's goosegrease

Printable Bright Baby Cupcake Toppers for Baby Shower - DIY by The TomKat Studio

Creature Comforts DIY Cupcake Toppers

Little Birdie Cupcake Toppers from TheCupcakeGirls on Etsy

Don’t get me wrong, I love cupcakes. And with so many bakeries focusing on cupcakes these days, it would be silly not to love them. There are some exceptional cupcake vendors in the DC area — from those like Georgetown Cupcake focusing exclusively on cupcakes to more off-the-beaten-track operations like Victoria’s Cakery in Fairfax that makes not only divine cupcake treats (not even featured on their website, but well worth the inquiry), but wonderful cakes, as well.

But, let’s face it, the cupcake craze is a little “yesterday.” We’ve been there and done that.

The latest trend that I encourage clients to consider is serving a sampling of artisan chocolates and confections. Artisan chocolatiers are not new, but have certainly been on the rise in recent years. By serving a variety of these bit-sized treats, guests can sample several different flavors and types. Here’s just a taste (pardon the pun) of some of the delicious treats you can procure for your next event:

Recchiuti’s work is amazing. (My husband and I savored their “make-your-own s’mores kit” that the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay features on their room service menu for guests with terrace firepits off their suites. De-lish!) One of their best treats, in my opinion, is their Fleur de Sel Chocolates — the salty/sweet combo is a popular, en vogue combination offered by many chocolatiers these days.

Fleur de Sel Chocolates from Recchiuti

Jin Patisserie sells not only delicious chocolates but presents them in gorgeous silk boxes — a particularly beautiful gift for your guests.

Jin Patisserie 20 Piece Silk Box

Christopher Norman has a wonderful selection of handmade chocolates. Norman’s art background shines through in every beautiful piece he creates. I have long been a fan of their “domino set” — a perfect treat for your next Game Night party.

Christopher Norman Domino Box

Knipschildt is another incredible chocolatier. Included in their product offerings are “giant chocolates” — larger chocolate pieces that are more indulgent than more traditional bite-sized chocolates. Even more to love!

Giant Chocolate 9-piece set from Knipschildt

Artisan marshmallows are also very en vogue, often gracing the final “sweet treats” plates served at upscale restaurants these days. Vosges Chocolate features a divine twist on the traditional fluffy treat — the caramel marshmallow.

Caramel Marshmallows from Vosges Chocolate

Vosges also has a great selection of favors. A client used their Asian Takeout Box chocolate favors at a wedding and they looked (and tasted) lovely.

Tablescape from wedding of Sophia Mun and Matt Ko, photo by Baltazar Photography

These are just a few of the amazing chocolatiers out there. Future blog posts are bound to feature more. If you have a favorite, be sure to let us know by leaving a comment!

The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday. If mint julep drinks aren’t your style, try serving these festive cupcakes (featured on Hostess With the Mostess) instead. I love how the silver cupcake liners mimic silver julep cups!

Mint Julep Cupcakes