Cupcakes Actually
Every perfect Saturday should involve cupcakes and seeing good friends, and I am happy to report that today was one such day. My friends Jen, Tim, and their family just opened up a cupcake shop called Cupcakes Actually in Fairfax, VA. Naturally, I needed to pay a quick visit to check out the goods. Oh, and to see Jen and Tim, of course. ;)
(My picture does not do justice to the cute sky blue box, which is the color that runs throughout the shop. When the website goes live, you’ll be able to check out all of the cute Cupcakes Actually merchandise, too.)
Now, I’m no cupcake connoisseur, but I do know that not all cupcakes are created equally. Feast your eyes on this:
(Oh look, one’s missing…how did that happen?!)
Just imagine in the empty spot another cupcake that looks like the one with the blue square decoration to the top right. The flavors, starting from top left and continuing left to right, are:
- Simply “Red” (dressed in St. Patrick’s Day colors): Red velvet cupcake iced with signature cream cheese icing
- Actually Dipped Black and White (not pictured…and in my stomach): Vanilla cupcake topped with butter cream, dipped in chocolate fudge
- Actually Dipped Chocolate: Devil’s food cupcake topped with butter cream and dipped in chocolate fudge
- Strawberry Fields (Jen’s favorite): Vanilla cupcake infused with strawberry puree, iced with a strawberry butter cream icing
- Golden Nugget: Carrot cupcake with grated zucchini, golden raisins, and crushed walnuts, iced with signature cream cheese icing
- Flourless Chocolake Cupcake (One of Tim’s favorites, along with Actually Dipped): Chocolate cupcake with vanilla bean icing
Having tasted the said missing cupcake (only one of six so far - I’ve been a good girl today) I can tell you these cupcakes do indeed taste like they are from the Winter family’s vault of secret recipes. The Actually Dipped are the shop’s signature cupcakes, and the best way I can describe them is that it’s like a Dairy Queen dipped cone born as a cupcake. Unlike some other frosting I’ve tasted that are either way too sweet (looking at you, Magnolia Bakery) or rubbery (and you, Georgetown Cupcakes), the buttercream icing is just right and balanced in its sweetness, and the chocolate fudge delicately covers the icing, simply melting in your mouth.
Sure, I’m trying to help a friend out by spreading the word, but I’m seriously not making up my rave review. You’re lucky I even took a picture of the cupcakes before all of them mysteriously…disappeared. If you don’t believe me, go check them out yourself, including the photo album with additional flavors that are available in rotation and for special orders. I’m going back for the key lime one.
Cupcakes Actually is located at 11944 Grand Commons Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22030 (571.522.6315).
