After our stop at Frosting, the already small “tour group” dwindled down to just Elisa and I. The others put in a good effort, and the baby had a long day, so without the rest of the team Elisa and I headed to Cake Dreams (a little out of our way) in Rockville, MD.

Cake Dreams came recommended by a reader and after hearing that they won an episode of Cupcake Wars, there was no way we couldn’t check them out while we were down in that area. (Living in Baltimore, we don’t go down that way very often). When we went in, I was a little disappointed to see that there was no seating, but the shop was still nice with cute messages written on the walls, like the one above, and a display filled with tasty looking cupcakes.

We immediately asked if they had any of the cupcakes from their episode of Cupcake Wars, and they said they had one, the Orange Cannoli cupcake. There was no way Elisa and I weren’t going to get the cupcake that won, so we each got one and then I ordered a Pumpkin Pecan (have I mentioned I love anything fall flavored?) and Elisa ordered a German Chocolate. We happily took our cupcakes and were on our way home.

After getting home, I cold barely wait until after dinner, but held off and finally tried the Orange Cannoli later that night.

This cupcake was SO GOOD. One of the things I hear them discuss on Cupcake Wars is to make sure that all the flavors are still present in the cupcake. This cupcake did just that. Elisa, being somewhat of a self proclaimed cannoli expert, was a little hesitant at first when they said that it was orange and cannoli flavors combined but was easily won over. In fact, she thinks that it could be one of the best cannoli products she’s ever had. She said that, “The ricotta cheese filling was superb, in fact I wish I could eat an entire bowl of just the filling… but married with the sweet orangey cake, chocolate and icing really rounded out this fantastic multi-layered and multi-flavored cupcake. I felt like the flavors unfolded in your mouth to create one smooth and cohesive taste.” I couldn’t agree with her more. Look at this wonderful filling:

A couple days later I decided to have somewhat of a “pumpkin cupcake challenge” and I ate the pumpkin cupcake I got from Georgetown Cupcake and the pumpkin pecan one from Cake Dreams.

If I’m being 100% honest, while this cupcake was really tasty, I preferred the one from Georgetown Cupcake. BUT, I loved the addition of the pecans to Cake Dreams’ cupcake, and the cake was still really moist and delicious. I think that for me, the one from Georgetown just seemed to have more pumpkin flavor, while this one was a little more on the “spice” side. That said, I would still order this cupcake and be quite happy with it and I still ate the entire thing with a smile on my face. (That’s saying a lot too, because at this point, after all the cupcakes I had eaten on Saturday and brought home with me, if it was only okay, there was no way I was eating the whole thing.)

The last cupcake from Cake Dreams was Elisa’s selection, the German Chocolate.

Elisa really enjoyed this cupcake, so I’m just going to share with you her review on it: “Super moist deep dark, rich chocolate cake with the traditional coconut icing. This was one of my highlights! I could not be happier that I chose this cupcake. German Chocolate Cake is one of those things I love, but NEVER make or even order/purchase. This was my first encounter with the GCC in cupcake form and if Cake Dreams were closer, I’d be going back weekly just for this one. You’ve really got to like coconut though, so don’t try this if the texture makes you squeamish.”

Overall, our experience with Cake Dreams was great. The staff was super friendly, they were able to answer our questions and had great personalities, and the cupcakes were fantastic. It’s no wonder why they were on Cupcake Wars and why they won. I’m so proud of our Maryland cupcakeries!

Cake Dreams was a great way to end the day on a high note. I’m so glad that the cupcake tour went well. Now it’s time to start planning for next year… I’m thinking of going to Philly. If you have any ideas or suggestions, we would love to hear them!

– Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Stacy (Baltimore, MD)