Dear PoP
04 December 2008 10:00 AM | By Prince Of Petworth in Dear PoP 
Red Velvet Cake, originally uploaded by artofdessert.
Dear PoP,
My friends and I are from the south, well three of us are. We’re looking for the best red velvet cake in town. We’ve had the red velvet cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake and they’re decent, but we’re looking for something better. Please help!
Signed-
Southern Belles in the City!
Can you guys help the Belles out? I did a quick search and saw on chowhound that “Fine Sweet Shoppe at Eastern Market on Capitol Hill in DC used to have them. Jenny Glasgow [said] that she was going to start baking them again now that the new East Hall is open following the fire.”
But surely some of you guys must be red velvet cake fans, yeah? Any recommendations of where to find the best in the city?
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04 December 2008 10:12 AM | christopher Said:
the best red velvet cake is in my grandmas kitchen
im going to have to get the recipe now and make one…or 5..
04 December 2008 10:29 AM | Herb Said:
christopher beat me to the answer. Who knew we shared a grandma?
04 December 2008 10:34 AM | Anonymous Said:
mocha hut has yummy red velvet occasianally
04 December 2008 10:36 AM | Kopi Luwak Said:
Open city in Woodley Park has a good Red Velvet cupcake. Not sure if they bake their own or purchase their baked goods from a local bakery. The same deliciousness is available at the Diner and Tryst in Adams Morgan. Also, Baked and Wired in Georgetown would probably give any other cupcakery in DC a run for their money.
04 December 2008 10:40 AM | 14th n' otis Said:
I have to say that the best red velvet cupcake I’ve had in DC is where you have already tried…Georgetown Cupkake. It’s my favorite.
04 December 2008 10:43 AM | Anonymous Said:
Red Velvet Cake is from the South? you learn something new everyday.
04 December 2008 10:54 AM | nate Said:
Where is the cupcake in that picture from? It looks delicious! Is G’town Cupcake really that good? I have never been before.
04 December 2008 11:08 AM | katec Said:
The red velvet cake at Founding Farmers is the best I’ve had in the city (and I’m a Southern girl too.) It’s moist and rich without being overly sweet, and the frosting is an excellent compliment to the flavor of the cake instead of competing with it. I definitely recommend giving it a try.
04 December 2008 11:37 AM | CP Said:
http://redvelvetcupcakery.com/
04 December 2008 11:45 AM | belmontmedina Said:
Only southerners could invent a chocolate cake dyed bright red and covered in cream cheese frosting. ACKC has them sometimes, and I remember them being decent. I don’t think they produce them in house though.
04 December 2008 11:56 AM | christopher Said:
well it wasnt died originally, just enhanced sometimes… like the blue wash that little old southern ladies put on their silver hair
04 December 2008 12:00 PM | Neener Said:
So we’re talking about CHOCOLATE cake right, not the vanilla version that other people claim is southern.
04 December 2008 12:05 PM | Just J Said:
Cakelove on U street is pretty good, but my fav is Saints Paradise aka “the Church” on 6th and M steet NW (basement of the church. Best soul food/ desserts in the city. If you like southern food thats the place to go.
04 December 2008 12:11 PM | Sammy Said:
Oh wow, that looks amazing. I am from MS and red velvet is my fave! Anyone know if Hello Cupcake in Dupont sells them? We had some of their cupcakes at my office last week and they were awesome – really moist and decadent.
04 December 2008 12:11 PM | ET Said:
I haven’t tasted it but Heller’s in Mt. Pleasant has it (of course the put coco in it which is not the Southern way to do it).
04 December 2008 12:16 PM | ro Said:
randolphs in Arlington. normally i hate to cross the border into the confederacy, but randolphs is worth the risk every time. they make a killer red velvet cake. a real cake. not this cupcake nonsense. hmpph.
04 December 2008 12:31 PM | Ian Said:
As a Yankee, could someone please confirm for me that a “red velvet cake” in no way involves fruit? I’m a fan of cake, and in my humble opinion, there’s no better way to ruin a cake than to introduce anything “fruit.”
04 December 2008 12:50 PM | M Said:
I’ve heard that Red Velvet cake was created at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC…would that break a Southern girl’s heart? It’s good cake either way.
04 December 2008 12:56 PM | Anonymous Said:
ive been asking around and doing a little research and also heard it was invented in nyc. also know my family from upstate ny has been obsessed with it for a few generations now. I think the south tried to lay claim to it after Steal Magnolias
04 December 2008 3:33 PM | sleigh Said:
I’ve seen the Waldorf-Astoria story, but my Great Grandmother’s handwritten receipt pre-dates Steel Magnolias, and GG grew up in a little mining town called Birmingham, AL. Her receipt calls for 2T of coccoa, but for fear of being haunted that’s all I’ll disclose. I’m the designated baker of the RVC in my family and even the Midwesterners where I now live have been asking if it’s “too soon” for me to make them.
04 December 2008 3:42 PM | Nita Said:
Ian – you’re good to go…it’s food dye, not fruit.
04 December 2008 4:02 PM | Anonymous Said:
actually they used Beet Juice to make it red back in the day. But I dont think beets are a fruit? and its not southern though I guess they have adopted it as their own somewhere along the line.
04 December 2008 4:11 PM | dani Said:
BAKED AND WIRED on Thomas Jefferson St in georgetown.
BEST RED VELVET CUPCAKES EVER!
…best dang cupcakes in the city, period.
they are super friendly place with great coffee and great treats.
04 December 2008 4:22 PM | Donkey Hotey Said:
The bakery at the fish market on Maine has the bestest cakes I have ever eaten, and they will make to order any kind of cake you desire, though IMHO, go for the banana nut.
05 December 2008 9:00 AM | Kalia Said:
Its not in DC but it wasn’t too far, and unless it already closed, the Dutch Farmers Market in Burtonsville, Maryland had some pretty amazing homemade baked goods including red velvet moon pies.
05 December 2008 9:45 AM | Kat Said:
Chatman’s D’Vine Bakery near the new Washington Convention Center has pretty good red velvet cupcakes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022600759.html
05 December 2008 9:59 AM | reuben Said:
Minor quibble- DC is below the Mason Dixon line ( geographically, metaphorically, you name it) So while some might consider it “Up South”, as Malcolm X (who?)used to say-
it is in the South… It is sooooooo Southern..
05 December 2008 12:51 PM | dcdude Said:
Reuben, I think JFK summed it up best when he said that DC is a city known for its Southern efficiency and Northern hospitality.