The Best Cupcake In DC: A Scientific Study

There’s a lot of debate out there, but what IS the best cupcake in D.C.? After much trial and error, we chose four finalists and pitted them against each other in a cupcake showdown. After a very scientific tasting study, one cupcake came out on top.

🧁 Our 4 Cupcake Shop Finalists:

Baked & Wired (Georgetown):

A D.C. classic, one of these cupcakes is enough for dinner. Their trademark tall shape means a moist cake and a great cupcake-to-icing ratio that’s not too sweet.

Georgetown Cupcake (Georgetown):

A “designer” cupcake shop that became famous after TLC filmed a reality series here, showcasing the lives of the sisters that own it. The cupcakes are on the smaller side but no less delicious.

The Cakeroom (Adams Morgan):

This small shop shines in their wide variety of flavors and seasonal offerings. They always have a new flavor of the month, which keeps us coming back.

Sweet Crimes Bakery (Capitol Hill):

This bakery specializes in gluten-free and vegan baked goods. I am a huge fan of their carrot cake, Mexican brownies, and now, their cupcakes. It might be a little unfair to pit these against their wheat-y cousins, but we think they stand a chance.

🧑‍🔬 Our “Scientific” Method:

We used red velvet as our comparison flavor. We then enlisted three judges from our team to partake in a blind taste test, taking sips of water between each test. You can’t get any more scientific than that.

🔢 The Ranking System:

Cupcakes were given a rating from one to five (one being the worst, five being the best) in three different categories; Flavor, texture, and icing-to-cupcake ratio. These rankings were then averaged for a final score.

🏆 The Results:

Not so fast! We don’t give away vital info like that to just anyone 😉 Check out our podcast episode for the ultimate D.C. cupcake showdown and the results.