DC's Best Cupcakes at Baked and Wired

The cupcake craze hit DC before my freshman year of college. Within my first month here, I had tried Georgetown Cupcake, multiple times and at that point thought it was the best cupcake in the Washington Area. I loved the unique flavors and the small shop(this was before their move to M St. and their new TV show, which is awful). I took my friends, family, and pretty much anyone who wanted to go with me whenever I would want to go get cupcakes. At this point, the walk from Thurston to Georgetown definitely constituted as a workout, and it was a great trip to make after completing a week of classes. However, somehow in the process of recruiting others the try my favorite bakery, I discovered baked and wired. Tucked away on Thomas Jefferson, a side street in Georgetown, this bakery is an obsession of some of the biggest cupcake enthusiasts in the Washington, DC area.

These cupcakes are a great size, dense, flavorful with rich frosting, and come in many great flavors. The following are some of my favorites in addition to some of the most interesting flavors:

• Carrot Cake
• The moist carrot cake batter is mixed with crunchy, flavorful pecans in addition to many spices and baked to perfection. After, it is topped with a traditional cream cheese frosting, that is also delicious. Carrot cake is one of my favorite types of cake and baked and wired does a great job with this.
• Chai Tea Latte:
• Topped with a unique chai spiced buttercream frosting, this vanilla cupcake is also blended with chai tea spices.

• Elvis Impersonator aka The Unporked Elvis:
• This is by far my FAVORITE cupcake. This banana cupcake is delicious on its own, but once it is topped with delectable peanut butter frosting that is later drizzled with chocolate, it is literally unbeatable.

• Peppermint Patty:
• This seasonal cupcake is made up of chocolate cake with a dark satin frosting and infused with peppermint
• Pumpkin Spice:
• Complete with pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting, this pumpkin cupcake is delicious and perfect for fall(also seasonal)
• Red Velvet:
• Baked and wired does a great job with this classic cupcake option: deep red color, chocolate, vanilla, and cream cheese frosting...yum!

• Strawberry:
• This simple cupcake is a bestseller! Vanilla cake is blended with fresh strawberries, baked, and topped with pink buttercream.

• The Tessita:
• This vanilla cake base is combined with dulce de leche filing and topped with amazing hazelnut satin icing

The bakery itself is also adorable, homey, and a great place to hang out. One of my favorite aspects is the bright pink spray painted bike that is chained outside.

Images courtesy of observatory journal, bakelist, assaultnpepper, and delectableliving due to the fact that my camera broke :(


Baked and Wired is by far one of the best bakeries in DC and somewhere everyone should try. If you're not in the mood to leave your house, check out baked and wired's carrot cake cupcake recipe(courtesy of Taste of Georgetown):

Cake:

o 2 ¼ (11.5) oz. all-purpose flour

o 2 cups sugar

o 2 teaspoon baking soda

o 1 teaspoon cinnamon

o ½ teaspoon salt

o 2 cups shredded carrots

o 1 ½ cup canola oil

o 4 eggs

o 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted, and cooled

Pre-set oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9” pans. Whisk together all dry ingredients. Blend all ingredients at low speed, except nuts. Whisk with attachment on mixer for 3 minutes on high. Stir in pecans. Bake for 34 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

Cream Cheese Icing:

o 1 stick butter, softened

o 1 lbs. 8 oz. powdered sugar

o 1 teaspoon vanilla

o 8oz. Cream Cheese

o 1 tablespoon evaporated milk (may not need)

Blend together all the ingredients, and apply to cup cakes. Spread additional ½ cups of chopped and toasted pecans over the icing for decoration. Makes 16 Cup Cakes.

 Either way, you won't be disappointed.