Cakes by Happy Eatery

At the DC Metro Cooking and Entertaining Show, my dad and I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of Cakes by Happy Eatery, which has locations in Manassas, Va and Centreville, Va.  It started from the dessert menu at a traditional Chinese restaurant and has grown into a highly successful business on its own.  We were treated to a sample and explanation of all the varieties she had with her at the show, as well as lively conversation. 

We sampled traditional vanilla vanilla, gluten free vanilla, red velvet, chocolate vanilla, vegan chocolate and vanilla, and sugar free vanilla.  All were solid, though the best by far was the gluten free vanilla, which was made with a combination of rice and potato flour.  It had a great flavor and the whipped cream frosting was a nice pairing.  I really enjoyed hearing how the shop tries very hard to perfect their recipes, in particular the specialty ones.  For example, they have experimented with both splenda and stevia for the sugar free recipes.  Lots of bakeries are now offering a gluten free or a vegan cupcake, but this is the first one I've seen that has gluten free, sugar free, and vegan.  And, it seems they're willing to try to make a recipe with any kind of special exception you might have.  I felt the personalization was really great here and worth checking out if you or any of your loved ones have special dietary needs. 

The reviews on Yelp also rave about the items in their cafe, so next time we're put that direction, I think a stop in for a bbq pork bun is in order!