"DC Cupcake" Stars' Favorite Things

To get ready for baking, LaMontagne and Kallinis both kick the day off with a cup of joe, though they each have their own style: Kallinis takes her cappuccino with a sprinkling of cinnamon, while LaMontagne prefers a vanilla soy latte with a drizzle of honey. LaMontagne says she and her sister are expert baristas now, thanks to her espresso machine. There's nothing like the luxury of making espressos or lattes at home, she says.

In our shop, we bake in our matching pink aprons and Hunter wellies, say the sisters. People think it's funny that we like to bake in wellies, but the truth is, we have ruined so many pairs of nice shoes in our bakery. At the end of the day, you are covered in flour, sugar, cocoa powder and frosting. We just hose our wellies down at the end of the night, and they are as good as new!

LaMontagne and Kallinis credit their grandmother for inspiring them to embark on this career path. Our grandmother taught us both to bake, they say. We developed our passion from her.

To whip up their famous cupcakes, the sisters employ professional Hobart mixers in their shop. But at home, they use standard KitchenAid electric stand mixers and, being bakers, they collect them the way other women might collect purses. We have them in 12 different colors, from hot pink to apple green, they say. We're always on the lookout for new cool colors as they come out.

LaMontagne and Kallinis agree that their one essential baking tool is a French balloon whisk. It should be a staple in every baker's kitchen, they say. Baking aficionados' take note: The sisters say that it can also be used to sift flour and sugar when you're in a hurry.

When putting finishing touches on their creations, Kallinis is partial to dulce de leche. I fell in love with it on a trip to Argentina and like to drizzle it over caramel cupcakes, she says. LaMontagne says that her favorite topping is caramelized hazelnuts. We grew up loving Nutella as kids, she says, so adding caramelized hazelnuts on top of chocolate cupcakes dipped in warm chocolate ganache reminds me of our childhood.

To find inspiration for new cupcake combinations, the sisters say that they most enjoy roaming the baking aisle at Dean & Deluca. They always have exotic ingredients that we try to work into our recipes, they say.

Working with frosting all day hasn't diminished the sisters' affection for treats, particularly chocolate bars. We love Valrhona dark chocolate, but we also have a weakness for Kit Kat bars.

Putting dinner on the table each night can be a struggle when you're also running a business. Kallinis says she couldn't do it without her Miele steamer. It saves me a ton of time and makes it easier to create healthier dinners, too.

And when it's time to clean up, whether in their shop or at home, they need a kitchen product that will get the job done quickly. We are fans of Green Works all-purpose cleaner, say the sisters. It's eco-friendly, smells great and works wonders!