Baker Spotlight: Pink Piggy Sweets

Pink Piggy Sweets® is an online bakery serving Loudoun County and the surrounding DC-MD-VA metropolitan area. The bakery uses organic ingredients in their made-from-scratch sweets! They bake cakes, cupcakes, cookies, cake pops and push pops customized for all occasions. They also offer nut-free, gluten-free and vegan sweets. Best of all, they deliver to your front door! Decorating classes are also available for the taking. It’s their first year participating in Cupcake Camp DC!

Tell us about yourself

LaTanya is no “new cookie” to the baking world. She comes from a long line of southern cooks. She spent many years making scratch cakes for her friends and co-workers. In 2009, she decided it was time to share the sweetness with others but this time--as a business. Pink Piggy Sweets® was officially opened in 2010. LaTanya was a systems engineer by day and the “trot” behind Pink Piggy Sweets at night. After 18 years as a Systems Engineer, LaTanya was recently laid off from work and now she can "trot" at full speed doing what she loves to do best--baking!

What is your favorite type of cupcake?

LaTanya’s favorite cupcake is a good plain ‘ole vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.

If you had to describe yourself as a cupcake, how would you?

A vanilla cupcake with a nice tart lemon filling and a smooth limoncello frosting.

What is your other favorite local cupcakery?

er favorite local cupcakery is Sprinkles! When she finds the time to go, she grabs a strawberry cupcake.

What cupcakes do you plan to bring to CupcakeCampDC?

Our B-side Cupcake. A scrumptiously moist chocolate cupcake with a smooth whipped vanilla buttercream frosting topped with a special sugar decoration.

"Baker Spotlight" is an online featurette of bakers or bakeries that are participating in CupcakeCampDC.

CupcakeCampDC 2013: Free Makeovers from Younique!

This year at CupcakeCampDC we'll have free makeovers at the Younique table. Younique is a brand new company with a whole lot to offer. From BB cream to 3-D Fiber lash mascara, we have it all and this is not your typical mineral make-up! Please stop by the table to see and sample the products!

Baker Spotlight: Inayah

Tell us about yourself

I started baking a few years ago. Believe it or not, I was the type to burn everything but all of a sudden, something in my head clicked and I've been baking these little delicacies since!

I believe that food is a medium for us to share ourselves with others. Being able to express myself in my baking has become an important aspect of my life, as well as, seeing the joy in others when they experience something made with my own two hands. My family calls me Ini at home as a pet name and so I created "Ini Mini Cakes" as a hobby to share my sweet talent. I hope that my cupcake conveys the care and love that goes into each of my desserts.

"This is my story, now is my moment... I'll laugh, I'll sing and I'll BAKE!"

What is your favorite type of cupcake?

 I love any cupcake that is creative and with a filling!

If you had to describe yourself as a cupcake, how would you?

If you had to describe yourself as a cupcake, how would you? I think of my self as Small, Sweet and full of surprises so a Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake with a Jalapeño Jelly Cream Cheese Filling!

What is your other favorite local cupcakery?

It's not a cupcakery but Alexandria Cake Pop Company has the best tasting cake pops in the world!

What cupcakes do you plan to bring to CupcakeCampDC?

 French Vanilla Coffee Creme Brulee Cupcakes

"Baker Spotlight" is an online featurette of bakers or bakeries that are participating in CupcakeCampDC.

Baker Spotlight: Tess

Tess has baked for Cupcake Camp DC every year since its inauguration in 2010. After winning “crowd favorite” in 2010, she has been itching for a comeback. Based on the sheer histrionic enthusiasm from her sugar-addled friends and coworkers, this year seems promising.

Tell us about yourself

I am a do-gooder international type who loves food like most people love their family. I combine my two greatest passions – public service and baking – by testing all of my cupcake creations on my ravenous coworkers. After six years in DC, the demand for a sweet escape from government bureaucracy is only growing. Not to shortchange my family, I’m also an expert on long distance cupcake transportation (see: wedging a carrier on the floor of my 1994 Toyota Corolla for a cool 300 miles).

What is your favorite type of cupcake?

Although as impossible to choose a favorite cupcake as a favorite child, it goes without saying that anything with sour cream or buttermilk in the batter is an integral part of any international peace process.

If you had to describe yourself as a cupcake, how would you?

My peach, blueberry and thyme cupcakes: Interesting, sweet and just the right amount of weird.

What is your other favorite local cupcakery?

I’m very loyal to delicious, high quality cupcakes delivered with warmth and kindness by people who laugh at all my bad jokes. For that, you can’t beat Alexandria Cupcake or Buzz.

What cupcakes do you plan to bring to CupcakeCampDC?

Apparently, my coworkers are conducting a vote on the flavor. I think I give them too much agency.

"Baker Spotlight" is an online featurette of bakers or bakeries that are participating in CupcakeCampDC.

Baker Spotlight: Bakehouse

BakeHouse is a bakery and coffee shop in the 14th and T NW neighborhood. Their products rotate seasonally, and they always look forward to developing new flavor combinations and revisiting familiar favorites in the form of brioches, cupcakes, scones, biscuits, cookies, tarts, macarons ... oh, my!
They also have breakfast rolls, quiches, vegan & gluten-free soups, freshly prepared lunch sandwiches, hot or cold-brewed coffees or an expertly crafted espresso drink made with ethically sourced, locally roasted beans as well as a wide selection of teas.

Tell us about yourself

BakeHouse is the brainchild of husband and wife team Niall Cooper and Lindsey Morse. Their dream of opening a bakery began back in 2007 when they moved to the secluded island of South Georgia, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, to work in a small museum catering to visiting Antarctic cruise ships. They were thousands of miles from anywhere selling anything and found themselves faced with the possibility of living without freshly baked goodies.

Unwilling to give up such luxuries, Lindsey took to the ovens and started developing the recipes that would evolve over time to become BakeHouse staples.

Lindsey is an art historian turned baker and entrepreneur, who brings an aesthetic eye to all of her creations, and believes that it’s a wonderful thing to serve beautiful food in stylish surroundings.

Originally from Britain, Niall worked in museum management before establishing BakeHouse. He is a trained barista, although, being from the UK, Niall will always have a place in his heart for proper cup of tea.

What is your favorite type of cupcake?

Lindsey's favorite cupcake is a root beer float - a sassafras cake with vanilla bean frosting - because it's fun and just a little nostalgic. Niall's favorite season is fall, so he'll go for a pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting and just a light dusting of cinnamon sugar on top.

What is your other favorite local cupcakery?

Other favorite bakery in DC? "We really like Baked + Wired. Their chai cupcake is super!"

What cupcakes do you plan to bring to CupcakeCampDC?

Caramel Apple

"Baker Spotlight" is an online featurette of bakers or bakeries that are participating in CupcakeCampDC.

Meet the Judges: Anya

Anya, a judge for CupcakeCampDC 2013, is the "civilian" judge at this year's CupcakeCamp. A recent transplant to DC from the Boston area, she works in campaign finance and uses exploring a new city as an excuse to find and try the city's bakeries.

Tell us a little about yourself

I come from a whole family of redheads (all 4 of my grandparents had red hair), and I was on an episode of Sister Wives about two years ago.

What is your favorite type of cupcake?

It's a tie between the Milk Chocolate Passionfruit cupcake from The Sweet Lobby, and The Sammy from Kickass Cupcakes in Somerville, MA-- it's a chocolate cupcake with a Guinness beer-soaked chocolate fudgy center and a Sam Adams cream stout frosting.

If you had to describe yourself as a cupcake, how would you?

Red Velvet with a hint of chili powder-- It's bright red, loud, sweet, and has a little kick that no one's expecting.

What is your favorite local cupcake place?

The Sweet Lobby on Barracks Row. I've never had anything there that I haven't immediately wanted another one!

What is it about cupcakes that you like?

I love mini-anything, so cupcakes are perfect-- they're mini-cakes! Plus, people try crazy and awesome flavors with cupcakes that they'd never try with a whole cake.

Bakers Needed!

Attention all bakers! The first 15 bakers to sign up get a free BONUS gift upon check-in (in addition to free beer & a custom CupcakeCamp DC printed apron). Bakers will also be featured on the CupcakeCampDC website under "Baker Spotlight".

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