Friday, August 6, 2010

Baked and Wired - Beyond the Cupcakes

In our Great DC Cupcake Taste Test, I ranked Baked and Wired's strawberry cupcake over the competition from Hello Cupcake, Red Velvet, and (the now ridiculously over-hyped) Georgetown Cupcake. I loved everything about the cupcake including the fresh strawberries in the ultra-moist cake and the fresh strawberry frosting. Imagine my surprise and sheer delight when B and his parents surprised me with a GINORMOUS fresh strawberry cake from Baked and Wired! Check this baby out.

One bite of this cake confirmed that Baked and Wired is a lot more than just cupcakes. Somehow, they were able to take the majesty that is the fresh strawberry cupcake and giant-size it without losing any freshness or flavor. I don't know how they do it, but I like to picture some sort of magic giantization machine a la Willy Wonka. This cake was so large that we had leftovers every day for over a week. I thought I'd be so sick of the cake after a few days but it was so amazing that I did a little jig of happiness each evening when I remembered that the cake sat waiting for me in the fridge.

In addition to cake, Baked and Wired also does granola better than any place we've been. They make a "homegrown" variety called Hippie Crack, and it is as addictive as its title indicates. I like to eat it in a bowl with milk, but it also makes a fantastic topping for yogurt, and is yummy enough to eat plain right out of the bag.


The next time you're in Georgetown, skip right past the ridiculous 2 hour line at Georgetown Cupcake and turn down tiny Thomas Jefferson street. There you'll find a cute little shop with a laid back vibe and some of the tastiest treats you'll ever eat.

Second Thoughts from B

Ever have to work out with a medicine ball? Remember the first time it was thrown at you and you were shocked by its weight? That's exactly what I thought when I first picked up this sneaky-heavy cake. But despite the weight, it remains light on your fork (although maybe not your waist line) and is shockingly delicious even after sitting around for a week.

As for the Hippie Crack, nothing has ever been so appropriately named. More than granola, it is indescribably moist and flavorful with its combination of oats, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, and honey, and I suspect that it was mixed together by the hand of God.

So let's review. Best cupcake in town, as determined by our highly scientific taste test. One of the best cakes you'll ever have, with the size (and probably calories) to feed a small village for a week. And something so wonderful that it can be accurately compared to a drug... without the whole chemical addiction/ruin your life thing. What can't these people do?

Every time I walk into Baked and Wired, I have the look on my face that Kevin Costner's father in Field of Dreams had, right before he asked if the field was heaven. Costner's character responded sheepishly by saying, "No, it's Iowa" which might be what you're thinking. "B, you're talking about cake and granola, what's the big deal?" Honestly, I don't know to respond other than Baked and Wired might just be heaven. It is that good.
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