As cherry blossom petals drift down into the Tidal Basin, the remnants of the flowers can also be found sprinkling District cuisine.
Whether it’s a cherry filling inside a doughnut or the design of the blossoms onto the foam of a latte, many of the city’s food and beverage locales have introduced an array of treats inspired by the pretty-pink flowers. Here are a few that we’ve indulged in, ranked from the just-okays to the must-trys — rated, naturally, from 1 to 5 cherry blossoms.
Georgetown Cupcake’s Cherry Blossom Cupcake: 3.5 out of 5 blossoms
Carly Cavanaugh | Staff Writer
Georgetown Cupcake has become a world-famous dessert destination, boasting a three-season reality show and consistent wrap-around lines stretching down the block. The white boutique bakery displays its staple and seasonal confections on silver dessert stands and allows customers to peek into the kitchen as employees bake and prepare the cupcakes, though limited seating means many customers take their cakes to go.
Their Cherry Blossom Cupcake ($3.95) — a vanilla cupcake with baked-in maraschino cherries, a cherry cream cheese frosting and a fondant cherry blossom — was a doughy take on the Washingtonian cherry-blossom-treat frenzy. The baked-in cherries added texture and a sweet, fruity flavor, but the cake itself was fairly dry and lacking in a strong vanilla flavor. The dollop of buttercream was the best part of this festive confection, adding a sweet but not overwhelming flavor. Compared to other local festive concoctions, the cupcake was a bit lacking in presentation with just a tiny floral decor on top, making this a tasty, but overall unremarkable, choice.
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken’s Cherry Blossom Doughnut: 3.5 out of 5 blossoms
Diana Anos | Staff Writer
Sandwiched on G Street between the Alcohol and Tax Trade Bureau and oil magnate Chevron’s lobbying building, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken is serving up their annual Cherry Blossom Doughnut. Inside the store, doughnut flavors, like maple bacon and PB&J, line the dark wood counter, while fried chicken simmered in the back — with some destined to lie between two halves of a doughnut in a sandwich.
The Cherry Blossom Doughnut ($6.05) has a thin layer of cream cheese glaze veiling the square-shaped dough, with a dark chocolate frosting tree branch and cherry buttercream blossoms painted on top. The doughnut itself is thick and is filled with a cherry jam. As someone who steers clear of jam-filled doughnuts because of texture issues, this was where some points fell off. The sections with filling were somewhat bearable, but the doughnut part stayed strong in flavor. I imagine jam lovers would get a more holistic experience, enjoying each aspect of the pink treat, but that was not the case for me. Each blossoming bite and the flowers on top are quite the picturesque image that practically transports oneself to the Tidal Basin during peak bloom.
Pearl’s Bagels’ Foggy Blossom Latte: 4 out of 5 blossoms
Diana Anos | Staff Writer
Known for their bagels and French Bulldog logo, Pearl’s Bagels also offers an awkwardly named Foggy Blossom Latte ($5.25), their seasonal take on a London Fog with a floral cherry blossom flavor. Upon arrival, we were hit with the smell of fresh bagels and could see the kitchen pulling out a fresh batch from their oven. Served iced or hot, the light pink latte contains a blend of, appropriately, cherry blossoms and earl grey tea. It was light, refreshing and reminiscent of the perfume of the flowers in the District.
The cherry blossom vibes were high in the shop, with sticker decals on the windows and fake flowers lining the ceilings. Paired with a savory bagel sandwich, the sweet drink was a great escape from the endless cycle of coffees during midterm season. While the taste of the floral tea was quite lovely, every few sips the drink started to taste like floral perfume.
Café Georgetown’s Cherry Blossom Latte: 4.5 out of 5 blossoms
Carly Cavanaugh | Staff Writer
Café Georgetown’s Cherry Blossom Latte ($7.80) is as picturesque as the cafe itself, with its powder blue exterior and dual coffee shop and sunroom bar, which has decorative cherry blossoms hanging from the ceiling. A small late-afternoon crowd of tourists and locals sat in both sections of the cafe, ordering decadent pastries, specialty cocktails and, like me, seasonal coffee drinks.
The latte, lightly sweet and mild tasting, is topped with a pink-and-white, cherry blossom-flavored foam, with the image of a cherry blossom branch in printed latte art. The foam, subtly sweet with a floral flavor, doesn’t overpower the taste of coffee, yet encapsulates the aroma of the beloved flowers that now cover D.C.’s streets. While the drink itself may not be too bold, the picture-perfect presentation and inviting, festive atmosphere of the cafe brings this drink to the top of our list.
