Spotlight: Ladureé Ladureé

Another birthday has come and gone and would not have been complete without a box of Ladureé macarons. The decorative packaging, the prestige surrounding the lauded French establishment, the beauty of the colorful cookies…and did I mention the taste?

The chocolate macaron manages to be light and fudgy, the pistachio is nutty, the caramel rich and decadent, and the raspberry sweet and tart, the filling scattered with seeds. The Marie Antoinette perplexed me with the robin’s egg-blue hue and difficult to distinguish flavor profile. A bit of Googling helped me determine it is traditionally black tea and honey, but unfortunately the treat was long-gone by the time of this discovery.

An added perk for receiving such a gift for my birthday? I didn’t have to wait in the (historically long) line, though it is a dream to make it to the original location in Paris. In the meantime, I will stick to visiting one of the New York locations…or wait until next year when the next box will magically appear on my desk.

Until next time,
SugarSource

Travel Spotlight: Treats of the Nation’s Capital

In honor of Presidents’ Day, it seemed best to review cupcakeries in the Washington D.C. area. The nation’s capital is full of sugary selections, and the below represents only a small portion of the sweets available for the tasting.

– Red Velvet Cupcakery: Because I am not the biggest fan of cream cheese frosting, I opted not to try the namesake type. Instead I tried the cookies and cream cupcake – it was like an Oreo was synthesized into cupcake format. The frosting was light but packed with chocolate wafer-essence, and the chocolate cake was dense and rich without being overpowering. This establishment is certainly on my list for my next visit!

– Hello Cupcake: I ventured to the Dupont Circle location, and was not disappointed by the chocolate peanut butter. The simple, familiar flavor profile was well-done: the peanut butter icing was a great balance of sweet and nutty, and the cake was light and fluffy. A satisfying mid-day treat, and worth giving another a whirl.

– Georgetown Cupcake: Again as a disclaimer, I am not the biggest cream cheese frosting fan and this bakery is known for using this type of icing for a lot of cupcakes, so I may be rating this a little lower than others would. I tried the chocolate hazelnut – it was decent, though the hazelnut flavor was primarily concentrated in the chopped nuts along the rim of the cupcake top. The cake was moist, though the experience overall was not particularly memorable.

– Cake Love: The salted caramel proved to be an instance of looking much tastier than it proved to be. The icing was quite heavy, with the flavor and texture of butter. Though I had allowed the cupcake to warm up to room temperature (a recommendation from the woman behind the counter), it was not enough to improve the taste of the frosting. Unfortunately I will not be swinging by again.

I look forward to my next opportunity to give more of the city’s sweet offerings a try. Happy Presidents’ Day!

Until next time,
SugarSource