The CakeRoom Bakery is a cute, independently-owned bakery at the crossroads of the Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan neighborhoods.
The facade of the bakery stands out in stark contrast to the chic restaurants surrounding it. Its bright pink paint make it hard to miss, and the couches, old wooden chairs and tea tables with floral paintings on them give it a hard-to-find coziness.
The place feels like a country home, complete with everything from roosters on the wall to pink flowers everywhere. The bakery has every flavor of cupcake and cake imaginable, from the classic Red Velvet and Coconut to funkier flavors like Date and Cherry Garcia.
I tried three different cupcakes: Hummingbird, Nutella and Lemon Lavender. The Hummingbird cupcake is banana, pecans and a cream cheese frosting. At first I was a little apprehensive to try something with banana; banana in baked goods tends to either be a hit or miss. But the barista insisted it was delicious so I gave it a shot. It did not have the sometimes dry and crumbly flavor of banana muffins, but was rather moist and yummy with the taste of homemade banana bread. The cream cheese frosting on top was the ideal pairing with the banana cake.
The next cupcake I tried was the Nutella cupcake. This cupcake was much more rich than the Hummingbird and if you’re a chocoholic/Nutellaholic, this is for you. The frosting was super fluffy and filled with Nutella. The cake was a classic light yellow cake, which went well with the heavy Nutella frosting.
The final cupcake was the Lemon Lavender. It was just as delicious as the other two cupcakes but completely different. The lavender gave both the cake and the frosting a perfume-y and floral flavor to it. The lemon was a nice balance to the lavender, which could have easily overpowered the flavor profile of the cupcake. The cupcake as a whole had a fresh flavor and didn’t have the density or the richness of chocolate, but was still just as satisfying.
My suggestion is to get a few friends and all try something different, providing sharing opportunities. The Hummingbird and Lemon Lavender are definite musts, especially since these flavors are hard to find anywhere else. Try some of the other unusual cake like yellow daisy confetti cake or passion fruit since the CakeRoom proved just how good their baked goods are.
Metro: 96 bus or Red Line to Adams Morgan Metro Station
Address: The CakeRoom Bakery
2006 18th St. NW
