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Written by DCist contributor Whitney Satin
Dupont Circle office workers and residents have been taunted all summer long by the knowledge that a brand new cupcakery was slated to arrive in the neighborhood. At long last, it’s time to stop pressing those faces against the window in eager anticipation and instead partake of some actual confectionary consumption. Hello Cupcake opened its doors at 10am today, bringing a touch of whimsy and, more importantly, instant cupcake gratification to the stretch of Connecticut just south of the circle. The interior, designed by owner and executive pastry chef Penny Karas's architect husband, includes charming details. The underside of the counter resembles swirls of frosting. Wall-stenciled pink and brown flowers and glass jarfuls of colorful sprinkles give the store a distinctly playful look, while pink and crystal chandeliers strung above several café tables underscore the fact that this is a place to sit, relax, and enjoy a momentary escape from downtown DC’s hustle and bustle … presumably while licking buttercream frosting off of the fingers, of course.
Penny grew up with a passion for all things cooking and baking while helping with the family’s restaurant business, and she knew that establishing her own culinary outlet was only a matter of time. For the past several months, Penny’s family and friends (and even her dog) have served as willing test subjects as the one-time PR and marketing professional took to the electric mixer to experiment and adapt some of her favorite cake and frosting recipes. For those of us on the cupcake bandwagon, the happy result is Hello Cupcake’s repertoire of 22 different flavored cupcakes, with more creations currently in the works.
The menu rotates daily but always includes a seasonal offering, as well as vegan and gluten-free versions of most regular flavors (dog-friendly options, Pup Cakes, are also on the way). Penny’s first finalized recipe, the Peanut Butter Blossom with a Scharffen Berger chocolate base topped with peanut butter frosting and a chocolate kiss, has also proven to be the most popular in pre-opening test runs.
We have our eyes set on some of the more offbeat flavors, including Chocolate Chai, a chocolate base with chai buttercream, Maya Favorite Cupcake, a cinnamon-chocolate cake topped with chili-infused chocolate ganache and hot pepper “sprinkles,” or the summer seasonal Root Beer Float, whose heavily spiced cake base Penny admits was a bit of an unintentional test kitchen creation. And if you're looking for the popular Red Velvet, you'll have to wait a little while, Penny's recipes contain all-natural ingredients, something that doesn't include the artificial red dyes found in most red velvet recipes. But she hopes to find something that will work soon.
For those who are interested in more than just a one cup fix and looking for some party cupcakes, she has plans for themed assortment boxes, like English garden party with floral flavors, and a boozy box with mojito-flavored cakes.
And then there's the million dollar question, any plans to expand? Obviously, Hello Cupcake needs to get past the first day, but Penny expressed that it wasn't out of the question, especially with the setup and design.
The $3 a piece cupcakes are baked fresh daily, and opening day proves no exception: bakers have been at work in the kitchen since 3am this morning to hopefully stave off a potential supply shortage should cupcake enthusiasts turn out in large numbers. The store is currently open Monday to Thursday from 10am-7pm and then Friday and Saturday from 10am-9pm. For those of you lured in by the deliciously sweet smell of baked goodness wafting onto the street – what do you think? Will Hello Cupcake contribute to DC’s dominance in the cupcake scene?
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i really don't understand this new cupcake phenomenon...
Just an NYC fad that made its way down 95 five years later. Sorry, I'm a native Washingtonian, not too proud to fess up to that.
sigh, if only this was cupcakeapacolypse. i want some free cupcakes!!
Cupcake love is easy to understand: Portable cake.
If you don't understand, don't bother to try.
And this is different from all the other $3 cupcake places how? Amazing how behind-the-curve DC is when it comes to trndy foodstuffs. These places continue to open yet the region remains woefully underserved in the erotic bakery department. If I wasn't already so in hock to the yakuza, I'd quit my job and open "Monkeyrotica's Hair Pies and Tuna Taqueria." Try a sample of our Lil Carpet Munchies and Cream Horns! You'll run away screaming from our Fudge-rimmed Bear Claw. And don't forget, Monday night is ladies night at HPTT, and as always, kids eat free.
DC will dominate. Girls in NYC like looking skinny. Girls in DC don't mind getting their fat on.
Monkeyrotica, this is different from the other $3 cupcake places in town because this one is metro-accessible (Georgetown Cupcakes) and (hopefully) doesn't suck (Cakelove).
..dog-friendly options, Pup Cakes, are also on the way..
Not a dog owner. How about some schtup cakes for those of us who get down like that?
.. And then there's the million dollar question..
At $3 a cupcake the real million dollar question is how much for those themed assortment boxes? Cause you can get box a ring dings at Target for $8.99, before coupons.
Yeah, anyone who gets accidentally frozen in NYC for three years will be right at home in DC when they thaw. If they freeze any longer than that, they'll have to move to the the Cleve.
Or, to paraphrase Mark Twain, if the world is about to end... move to Cincinnati. Because "it's twenty years behind the times."
I think cupcakes are now beyond the trend. (after all, American pizza "parlors" were a trend about 50 years ago). Culinary cupcakes may have started in NYC ten years ago, but they have taken root in every city I know of, even Pittsburg and Baltimore, with DC being one of the later. Now they are just a solid part of the food scene. If this continues, the cupcake may become the first truly American city sweet worth looking for. Just like people in Madrid and Paris and think of fine pastry, people will think of the US city and fine cupcakes.
Long live tiny cakes with peanut butter injected into the middle!
No, the real million dollar question is, are they giving out free cupcakes today?
OK, maybe it's a three dollar question.
If they are opening up at 10 am they will miss the morning cupcake rush, dammit. Tell me you wouldn't rather bring cupcakes into work vs.a bunch of donuts. I know my annual evaluation would go better with a bunch of sugary bribes in the week prior to review.
DC has more than enough chubbies with disposable income to sustain at least a dozen cupcake boutiques, if not more.
And when they have sated themselves unto morbidly obese immobility, then we begin "the harvest."
Ah, yes. "The harvest."
Give me the donut! Pastry of Everyman.
Oh, and they've been up since 3am in the morning? Well, well. That sucks much less than being up since 3am in the afternoon. Or than being redundant.
Thank goodness, something I can place in the middle of my krispy kremes. Will they punch my junk if I ask for Ready Whip on top?
I saw the picture of sprinkles (aka jimmies in my house), and it was like a Pavlovian bolt to my brain.
Must. Visit. Hello Cupcake. Jimmies! *rawr*
Three years behind NYC? Try eight years.
In a few years we'll all be wondering why the we were all so fascinated by these bloody foolish cupcakes...whilst downing our lightly buttered blackberry scones.
Not sure how being in front of, behind, or with the curve affects the actual taste of cupcakes.
I personally have always been a fan, yet didn't actually eat any cupcakes for a decade or more between middle school and now. They're a convenient target, but for what I'm not exactly sure.
I think that Monkeyrotica is is upset because they used just too much pink.
Respect the cruller! Tame the donut!
Frank Bruni has officially lost his mind. Magnolia blows Georgetown Cupcake out of the water. GCupcake's vanilla cake is a mouthful of wet recycled paper towels compared to Magnolia, and the frostings are blank and uninspired.
Hello Cupcake is a thousand times better- not only is it close to Metro, but Penny and her staff are pleasant, helpful and quick. They keep the lines moving and everyone gets what they want.
Plus, they use real fruit purees in their cakes and frostings, and have a vegan selection. Best in DC so far, hands down. :9