Heidelberg Bakery in Arlington. Wegman's are also good.

Anonymous wrote:Cakelove has real buttercream, made with actual butter, eggs, and sugar (not powdered sugar which I hate because it tastes like cornstarch). Their cakes taste like the homemade cakes my mom made for birthdays. I agree that Whole Foods is decent but sometimes the cakes are a bit stale.

But if you are used to powdered sugar/vegetable shortening "buttercream" from grocery stores and cheaper bakeries, then go to the Giant, Safeway, or Costco and you'll be just fine and you'll save a lot of money too.

Really? I always find Cakelove's cakes to be as dry as can be, and overpriced for what they are. To each their own, I guess. I usually go with WF b/c I live in the District and have yet to find a single decent full-service bakery here.

Actually buttercream IS made with POWDERED SUGAR - at least the American buttercream. The old fashioned way has some shortening in it as well, to make the icing whiter and to keep it from melting. The buttercream icing made with granulated sugar and egg yolk is the European way and it doesn't taste the same. I have not found ANY place in Northern Virginia or DC that makes the old fashioned buttercream that used to be sold in bakeries and grocery stores throughout the south up until the 1990s. As for Cake Love, I've tasted freezer burn in at least two cakes, so I won't even buy a slice there anymore.

Wegmann's may be the closest to the old fashioned buttercream iced birthday cake - but Costco, Safeway and Giant don't even come close (I've read the ingredients too. If there's any butter at all, it's way down on the list of ingredients)

Giant used to have great cakes until they were bought out by that Dutch company.

I love the cakes at Bread Unlimited in Bethesda, they are fresh, fluffy and not too sweet.

I have a sweet tooth and I thought I had no limits in sugar eating, but if I eat the Costco stuff I get sick

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in VA, you really should go to Victoria's Cakery in Fairfax.

Costco is gross and that is not real buttercream. Have you read the ingredients?

Who cares what's in it, it's cake!!! I vote Costco.

This.

I normally get buttercream cakes from Wegman's for my ds birthday but this year I didnt have time and believe it or not I got a buttercream cake at Harris teaters and I got lots of compliments from the adults! It was pretty good.

I think that this is the best kind:
http://www.marthastewart.com/318727/swiss-meringue-buttercream-for-cupcakes

How do you make buttercream icing?