Cupcake Craze

The trend in designer cupcakeries takes the cake. Of course, we love 'em as much (or more!) now as we did at our 5th birthday party. So when childhood comfort food finds its way into more mature celebrations, it's official. Cupcakes are cool again.

In the DC area alone, 5 major cupcake bakeries have popped up selling their sweet treats for some sweet profits.

One - The first, Baked and Wired, snuck on the scene in a quiet Georgetown alley with 12 flavors of cupcakes on the menu along with other delicacies from the bakery, and still maintains some under the radar status, though the cupcakes are scrumptious. frosting not too sweet, cake just the right moistness. Teresa Velasquez, who owns Baked and Wired with her husband, makes all the sweets from scratch.

Two - Just up the road from Teresa's treats, Georgetown Cupcake may be the penultimate cupcake creation. In fact, they just introduced delivery, no doubt to keep the customers from lining Potomac Street! When you've got that pink box in hand, you know you're about to experience pure cupcake bliss. Check the daily schedule for offerings.

Three - We know the best things come in small packages, but Couture Cupcakes come as pretty ones, too. Made from the finest ingredients in owner Paola Domenge's grandmothers recipes, these batches of goodness are pure artistry. Couture Cupcakes are ordered online and made in Domenge's home to cater special events. Buy 'em by the dozen!

Four - Requests for deliveries to the White House, Justice Department and Capitol Hill prove Le Cupcake is a lot better than your plain 'ole Betty Crocker creation. Robyn Savage makes eight simple flavors that will make you bite into them and smile. And she'll customize favorite flavors for a serious sweet tooth. Also available by the dozen, or individually at Stacy's Coffee Parlor in Falls Church.

Five - The cupcakes keep encroaching! Hello Cupcake on Connecticut Avenue in Dupont Circle has just entered the scene. The store promises 20 flavors with seasonal and holiday selections, regular and mini-cakes - the perfect sizes for all of life's little celebrations.

Even with prices at $3-$4 per treat, the growing taste for these treats in DC is worth wagging our tongue at. We're lickin' our lips 'cause we smell a cupcakery on every corner.