Cupcake Battle: Clarendon
Clarendon appears to be turning into the cupcake capital of the Capital. First, Bakeshop opened its doors, then, New York-based Crumbs moved in, and soon, Red Velvet will call Clarendon home. There is definitely no shortage of cup-sized cakes in this part of town.
The chatter among all of our neighbors lately has been who is better - Bakeshop or Crumbs? I did what any Clarendonian should do: I, with the help of my hubby (a seasoned cupcake aficionado) had a little cupcake battle of my own right here in my living room. Cupcakes were judged on the following criteria:
- Appearance
- Variety
- Cake & Icing (flavor and texture)
- Freshness
- Neighborhood Vibe
Appearance
Let’s be honest - Crumbs’ cupcakes are probably what coined the phrase “food porn.” They are beautiful, voluptuous, and are begging to be eaten. They’re huge. I can’t say that a Crumbs cupcake would fit into even my largest mug. They should be called bowlcakes. They are very colorful - topped with with a variety of icings (buttercream and/or ganache) and toppings. It’s quite difficult to settle on a choice when it’s your turn in line.
Bakeshop, on the other hand, isn’t necessarily trying to seduce you on appearance. Aside from a few color variations, most of their cupcakes look exactly the same. They are average in size (they could actually fit inside of a cup), the icing is piped on to all the cupcakes using the same star-shaped attachment, and something is usually sprinkled on top - whether it’s sprinkles or candybar bits.
Variety
As mentioned above, Crumbs takes great lengths to present a visual treat. Atop their cupcakes, you’ll find several different types of frosting: buttercream, chocolate ganache, vanilla cream cheese, chocolate cream cheese, and probably others that I’m missing. After they are frosted, most of their cupcakes are dipped in a topping. Toppings include mini M&Ms, cookie chunks, coconut, raspberry jam, mini chocolate chips, mini peanut butter chips, and other seasonal toppings. One way that Crumbs totally sets itself apart from Bakeshop is the filling. Most of the cupcakes are Crumbs are filled with a delicious custard filling. The importance of this filling is touched upon in the next topic.
Bakeshop has a much simpler formula. They have a few different cake flavors, a few frosting flavors, and a handful of different toppings. Different combinations of cupcakes are created using those basic elements. Bakeshop’s greatest source of variety comes from the artistic whim of Justin, Bakeshop’s owner. For example, when I was in last night, I noticed a flavor of cupcake made from a candybar that I’d never heard of: the Cadbury Crunchie bar. WHen I asked about it, Justin told me that one of his buddies went to London and brought him back some British candybars, so with his newfound inspiration from across the Atlantic, a new cupcake was born. That’s how Justin works.
Cake & Icing
I’ll cut to the chase: Bakeshop’s cake and icing blow Crumbs’s out of the kitchen. There’s no contest.
The cake at Bakeshop is light, moist, and so flavorful. It’s the perfect cake, in my opinion. A bite of Bakeshop’s cake tells you that it’s a recipe that has thankfully made it through several generations. It’s a cake that you wouldn’t be able to produce at home no matter how hard you tried. I was very disappointed in Crumbs’ cake. It was dry and flavorless. The only redeeming factor in Crumbs’ cupcakes was the custard filling. They NEED that filling in order to give their cupcakes a shot at making you thinktheir cupcakes are moist.
Give me an entire tub of Bakeshop’s frosting, and I won’t feel sick afterwards. It’s fluffy, airy, and sweet. It’s the perfect complement to the perfect cake. It doesn’t come in twelve different options, but so what - at least it’s done right. The frosting from Crumbs is just way too sweet for my liking. I think I might have felt a cavity form immediately after taking a bite. Not only is it too sweet, but it’s gritty. Just not my thing.
If you like gritty, overly sweetened frosting, then Crumbs is the way to go. As for me, Bakeshop is my go-to for the perfect cake and perfect frosting.
Freshness
I was told that Crumbs trucks in their cupcakes, and that they aren’t made in-house. This came from a Crumbs employee. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. They don’t taste homemade. They taste like they took the $5 Chinatown bus from NYC. I haven’t seen the Crumbs kitchen with my own eyes (it’s closed off from the public), but until I see cupcake-baking going on in there, I’ll assume the employee was correct.
Bakeshop’s kitchen is right there in front of your eyes, and all the magic happens right there. Industrial ovens, KitchenAid stand mixers, bowls, utensils, kitchen rags .. you see it all. The cupcakes are baked in house, and are served to you right off the baking pans. Even if the kitchen wasn’t in plain site, you would know from one bite that the cupcake is fresh from the oven. The way a cupcake should be.
Neighborhood Vibe
Walk into Crumbs, and you feel the same way you would feel walking into Starbucks. Nice black and white photography adorning the walls, a large menu of sweet indulgences, and a few friendly employees who will clock out right at closing time.
Walk into Bakeshop, and you’ll probably be greeted Justin (who will remember your face, and treat you like one of his buddies), you’ll see old family pictures of him, his mom, and his grandma baking cupcakes from days past, and you’ll see dozens of drawings and “love letters” posted up.
Verdict: Bakeshop wins the Clarendon cupcake battle. With its deliciously perfect family recipes, its fresh taste, and its welcome feel, it really can’t beat it. There is also something to be said in the fact that you can hold a Bakeshop cupcake to your mouth and take a bite without having to stretch your mouth and lips to painful levels. Bakeshop cupcakes are the right size. I’m frankly a little surprised that Crumbs doesn’t give you a knife and fork with each cupcake purchase.
I wanted to like Crumbs more than I did, so this wasn’t an easy review to write. I’m thrilled when any new business chooses to call Clarendon home, and when I heard Crumbs was coming, I was beyond thrilled. Crumbs cupcakes are attractive and full of variety, but beyond that, there isn’t much to be said.
Bakeshop is the whole package. Bakeshop is the one you bring home to mom and dad. (and speaking of which - for all you single ladies out there, Justin is on the market.)
When Red Velvet opens its doors, the cupcake battle will continue, so stay tuned…
