GF MENU: Hello Cupcake

I was very lucky not to be a kid with Celiac Disease. I got to do the birthday parties and treats at school. Pizza parties were great and nothing tasted better than baking Tollhouse cookies. I wasn't left out of these activities.

An an adult, I'm able to handle these situations better than I would have as a child. I can bring my own pizza, if I know in advance. I can eat steamed veggies when everyone orders Chinese food and then get more food later.

But birthday parties are still rough. Unless I know in advance and want to cook my own baked goods, easily purchased celebration foods boil down to fresh fruit and...well, fresh fruit.

Slowly, though, shops and even bakeries are starting to realize the massive amount of folks with Celiacs might spend their money, too, on treats. Two bakeries in the DC area fall into this category:

1. Hello Cupcake
2. Cakelove

Now I'm only going to mention Cakelove, because I have not had much success with them. The store on U Street NW in DC never seems to actually have gluten-free cupcakes. They aren't ready. They're sold out. They don't have them on weekdays. (This is a new thing my coworker was told when she called.) That sort of thing.

I gave them three tries at three separate times on three separate days of the week (one was a weekend). No dice. No gluten-free delights for me.

But Hello Cupcake is a different story. I'm going to rave about them. One location only off Dupont Circle in NW DC. But they are wonderful! Each time I've been, they've had a gluten-free option or two. The cupcakes are delicious and interesting. One time it was pumpkin-flavored with a GF cream cheese-based icing. Fabulous!

And yesterday, I was a kid again. My coworker was kind enough to inquire about the cupcakes (she heard me glowing about them earlier) so she could buy some for an office birthday party. We walked over together in the frigid weather. It was well worth it. We came back with a cupcake for everyone, even me. I got to be a part of the party!!