Bakery

Georgetown Cupcakes

Question: What do you think of when you think of Georgetown?

A) A beautiful harbor with cozy restaurants and cafes

B) A spectacular view overlooking the Potomac and the Kennedy Center?

C) Clusters of Hoyas sporting blue and gray near Georgetown University’s campus

D) The award-winning, gourmet cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes

Answer: It’s a no brainer – Georgetown Cupcakes, of course!

You can’t visit Georgetown without stopping by Georgetown Cupcakes. It would nearly be a crime. Scratch that. It would be a crime. Do you remember watching the Food Network on a late summer night and seeing the hit series DC Cupcakes? It made you salivate so much that you wanted to eat half a dozen cupcakes right then and there? Well, hopefully it rings a bell because the stars of the show are none other than the creators of Georgetown Cupcakes!

Alright, let’s get right to it. Hands down some of the best gluten-free cupcakes I’ve ever tasted. Not all the cupcakes are gluten-free, but everyday, Georgetown Cupcakes offers one freshly baked gluten-free cupcake flavor (and one vegan flavor). The gluten-free varieties include lava fudge, chocolate salted caramel, strawberry lava fudge, chocolate birthday, and peanut butter fudge. I’ve had the pleasure of trying the lava fudge, strawberry lava fudge, and peanut butter fudge – and I will vouch for them all! What excites me the most about Georgetown Cupcakes is that just because the cupcakes are gluten-free, the complexity of the flavors are not compromised. In other words, with most cupcakeries, you won’t be so lucky to find gluten-free cupcakes, and if you are lucky, cupcakeries with gluten-free options typically offer a vanilla or chocolate cupcake.You might get cream cheese icing if you’re lucky. Gluten-free flavors tend to be very standard flavors, they aren’t usually the adventurous flavors. And Georgetown Cupcakes truly defies that notion. The strawberry lava fudge has a delicious strawberry icing and a soft chocolate cake base that melt in your mouth with a gooey, rich, chocolatey “lava-like” filling just flowing out of the cupcake. It’s a work of art.

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So, how do you get your hands on these cupcakes? Well, Georgetown Cupcakes can be found in Georgetown, Bethesda, NYC, Boston, LA, and Atlanta. If you can’t make it in person, don’t fret. They deliver all across the country! I once received a dozen gluten-free cupcakes from here via mail as a surprise present to cheer me up – take my word for it, your family and friends will love you forever if you ship them some of these cupcakes!

Cheers,

Anika

Sweet Bakery

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

2015. A new start, another chance to do or be something great. Taking that mentality in stride, throughout this year, I’ll be blogging about places I have eaten at or traveled to during 2014 that I did not have the chance (or rather time) to blog about. In other words, 2015 will bring #throwbacktravelposts consisting of restaurants, bakeries, and eateries with great gluten-free options when traveling the world! This way, I can share all the wonderful, hidden GF options the world has to offer (see the travel section).

This past summer, I spend the tail end of break road tripping across the east coast with my family. As we traveled from city to city, I was honestly surprised by the visibly growing awareness of celiac disease and eating gluten-free. Early on in the trip, we visited “the Hub”. I hadn’t been since I was five – and my only vivid memories were of “quacking” while on the duck boat tours and buying a jellyfish stuffed animal from the aquarium. So obviously we had no choice but to experience Boston the touristy way this time around. So day one we walked the Freedom Trail from start to finish. And you’ll be surprised by the numerous gluten-free options along the trail. There were a couple Clover food trucks scattered throughout and nearby the trail, but the real treat was the delicious GF cupcakes from Sweet Bakery.

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Sweet Bakery has six locations spread across Boston. As I passed the Downtown cupcakery while walking the Freedom Trail, I spotted a sign on the window saying “we have gluten-free cupcakes!”. Of course we had to pop in and try the cupcakes- it would literally be a crime not to. Since Sweet Bakery does not have a dedicated gluten-free bakery, they get their GF cupcakes from an alternative gluten-free bakeries to prevent cross-contamination. I ordered two mini GF red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes were from a local Boston bakery called “Glutenus minimus”. I might be slightly biased because red velvet is my absolute favorite, but these gourmet cupcakes were exquisite. You can find Glutenus minimus baked goods in their bakery in Belmont, MA or many other bakeries located in Massachusetts. So if you ever find yourself in Boston, enjoy the rich history the city has to offer with a sweet cupcake in yourself hand!

Cheers,

Anika

The Bakery House

Hello, October! Although the summer days are escaping beneath my feet, I know the return of the crisp air and mulled apple cider will remind me why I love autumn. Fall has many joys- the warm colors of changing leaves, everything to do with pumpkins, and most importantly, the much awaited return of Starbuck’s fall favorites. However, it also brings about my version of eat, pray, love: eat, sleep, school. All the surreal pleasures of this season are complemented by the rather grueling schedule of students. Finding a balance between can seem to be a daunting task- just don’t forget about the beautiful world around us!

Earlier this week, my friend was celebrating her fall birthday with some scrumptious vanilla cupcakes from The Bakery House. In my town, when it comes to baked goods, all the chatter is about The Bakery House. As they say, “Sweetening Life on the Main Line since 1989”. I had heard all about their famous lemon bars and cupcakes. However, I was quick to assume that they wouldn’t cater to gluten-free eaters. I was elated when my friend casually revealed that the dozen ginormous cupcakes sitting before me were indeed gluten-free! Before I divulge any more details, I want to give a shoutout to all my wonderful friends who never fail to think of me and provide gluten-free options. They have all been an important part in helping me discover the endless spectrum of the gluten-free world.

Vanilla on vanilla. Rich and creamy real cream cheese frosting. Fluffy and moist vanilla sponge cake. Hands down the best texture for a gluten-free cupcake. So darn good! To taste like that… I don’t even want to know the quantity of each ingredient! Let’s just say we all deserve a treat once in a blue moon, right?

As soon as I discovered Bakery House had gluten-free offering, I did a little searching to see what else they offered. In addition to the GF vanilla cupcakes, they have GF vanilla cake, GF chocolate cake, GF Rum Bundt Cake, GF Brownie Trays, Peanut Butter Bars, GF Vanilla Sugar Cookies, GF Chocolate Fudge Cookies, and GF Chocolate Chip Cookies. Wow! so many choices! The next time I’m in that area, I will be sure to try another one of their many gluten-free options. Until then, please comment with your favorite gluten-free bakeries!

Cheers,

Anika

Gluten-free Rum Bundt Cake

Hope’s Cookies

Hope you’ve all been sporting some green in celebration of Celiac Awareness Month! Definitely try some new gluten-free recipes and restaurants this month- take a risk and challenge yourselves! And this is a great place to start… what better way to spread awareness than trying some delicious, gluten-free cookies?! That honestly can’t be too1 much to ask for, right? And the best part is that these store-bought cookies have the same (or arguably better) quality and taste as home baked ones.

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Hope’s Country Fresh cookies resides on Lancaster Ave. on the mainline of Philly. When recently driving by, I noticed the “NEW! Now serving Gluten-Free Cookies!” sign on the bakery eatery cookie-ry. Ever since, I’ve been anxious to try them since Hope’s has quite the reputation preceding it. Honestly, it’s pretty rare for a gluten-free gal to be treated to a soft and chewy, freshly-baked cookie. Typically, the store bought ones that you find in the gluten-free aisle at Wegman’s or Whole Foods are harder, crunchy cookies. They are what I like to call “pantry cookies“. Don’t get me wrong, there are many brands that have excellent gluten-free shelf cookies, but this is a whole different playing field. Anyways, you’ll be pleased to know that I did eventually try Hope’s new gluten-free cookies- when I found a good excuse to indulge, that is, and hence this post came about. (Side note: exams are always a brilliant excuse to eat and do just about anything)

So onto the scrumptious little baked balls of dough… I was treated to two chocolate chip cookies and two ginger cookies. The unique flavors, chewy texture, and hint of sweetness that create the ginger cookie is unparalleled. And it is truly not so often one can describe a gluten-free cookie as chewy in a positive connotation. The last time I described a gluten-free food as chewy was probably Chebe’s pizza crust when it is undercooked and far too chewy. At any rate, in terms of cookies, I typically associate the word chewy with non-gluten-free, wheat-based cookies because gluten-free cookies are usually drier in texture. However, this time, that was not the case! I just want to make it clear that the chocolate chip cookies were wonderful. With the hint of sea salt, the sweet and salty combination was at its A game. More than anything, I think the fact that the ginger cookie’s flavors were more exquisite and unfamiliar made it the more interesting, and therefore better, cookie.

Unfortunately, Hope’s does not have in information regarding their gluten-free cookies online. You can order all of their other varieties online. Hopefully the GF cookies will be added to the site soon, so you can purchase them online if picking up from the store is a trek. What’s more, as of right now, Hope’s only has two GF cookie flavors. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they will expand their GF selection and hopefully (hopefully hopefully hopefully!) will make a white chocolate macadamia cookie.

Cheers!

Anika