Honey Pie: the Desserts of Vegan Honey

For some reason, the phrase "Whoopie Pie" really, truly bothers us. Not the dessert, mind you; just the name. Cakespy notes that a different name might make them less mortifying to order, out loud, in a bakery. Just to throw out a few ideas: frosting sandwiches, happycakes, sweetburgers, cakewiches, cream cuties, twin quasars of pleasure.

Nonetheless, the photo and description were so alluring on Vegan Honey's Peter Pumpkin Whoopie Pies that we had to give them a try. Now, there were risks involved--even name aside, these were also vegan (and with our non-vegan tasting crew, we weren't sure how they'd go over). After arriving yesterday via express mail from Brooklyn, the pies were a bit soft from their long trip to Seattle, but were revived by a brief stint in the freezer. And the verdict? We were converts after the first bite. Creamy, sweet (but not cloying) and expertly spiced, these confections are nearly perfect, and the word "vegan" never even entered our mind--in fact, one of our unknowing testers never even noticed! Ideal with warm soy milk or tea, these are a wonderful, cakey autumn treat. Although we haven't sampled anything else, we're feeling very good about Vegan Honey; we're especially intrigued by the brand-new "Faux-stess" Hostess inspired vegan treats.

Cakespy note: One more reason to feel good: a percentage of Vegan Honey's sales go toward animal advocacy, environmental and social justice organizations!

Available online at veganhoney.etsy.com or by calling 718-928-8495.

Happy Mistakes: Cake Erasers at Hapaculture!

If you're like Cakespy, when you make mistakes, you make big, beautiful mistakes. Oh, like falling on your butt in front of guided tour groups. Like emailing a friend about your debilitating cramps and accidentally hitting "copy all". Like buying gaucho pants (and wearing them...in public).

Luckily, at least when your mistakes are in pencil, you no longer have to cover it up, thanks to adorable cake erasers. As satisfying as a classic pink eraser but totally funner, our favorite set of six (only $6!) comes with a series of loaf cakes, baby log cakes and diner-ish strawberry round cakes. They'll make you wish it were time to go back to school again, and are such a happy addition to your desk!

Available online at hapaculture.com.

Better Brownies: Cupcake Brownies by Simply Divine

Brownies--now there's a case of a dessert with an identity crisis. What are they exactly? Cakey fudge? Fudgy cake? A bar? A cookie? All of the above?

There are some mysteries which may never be solved.

One thing is for sure though: brownies decorated to look like cupcakes are adorable, as proven by Simply Divine. A browniemaking factory based in Maine, Simply Divine makes gorgeously dense, chewy brownies comprised of ingredients you can actually pronounce. Sure, they have a classic collection (including the intriguing breakfast brownie) for brownie die-hards, but the true stars are their "decorated brownies".
Decorated with thick layers of cheerfully-colored frosting and sprinkles, the adorable brownies come in a wide variety of shapes in addition to cupcakes too, including gold-dusted acorns, Maine lobsters, and rubber duckies. And they ship nationwide (not always cheap, but it's not about that, is it?).

Talk about raising the bar (or cookie...or fudgy cake...or whatever they are).

Available online at simplydivinebrownies.com.

Batter Chatter: Interview with Cupcake Artist Clare Bateman-King

If you've ever seen the cupcakes of Clare Bateman-King, you know that you're looking at the work of true artist. With a perfect cake consistency and intricate, tasteful sugarpaste decorations, her cupcakes reflect not only a culinary know-how, but creativity and a sense of wit. And while many of us can't readily enjoy her treats with her being based in the UK, we certainly can enjoy the visuals on her website (clarescupcakes.moonfruit.com), and Cakespy's interview below will give you the scoop on what's baking (and the lowdown on the UK's take on red velvet cake!).

Cakespy: How did you get started in cupcakery?
Clare Bateman-King: Bit of a family history here--my mum was a professional cake decorator when I was younger, even making cakes for the Royal Family at one stage. I don't think I ever remember one time in the house where the dining room wasn't full of a work in progress wedding cake and boxes of Sugar roses . However, I only got into it very late on...a few years ago when for some reason the novelty of making little works of art on small cakes hit me.

CS: Do you work solely by special order, or do you have a retail
location? How long have you been running your business?
CBK: Special Order, mostly for PR press launches and the like, which is how the business element started. I used to always make cakes for friends, one of them had a friend who needed cakes for a press event for a beauty product, and it all began from there about 2 years ago.

CS: What are your most popular cupcake themes?
CBK: Usually the flowers--lots of requests for boxes of 'pretty' cakes! The Baby Shower cakes are very popular too..we're only just getting into the 'shower' thing here in the UK even though you have been doing it for years there.

CS: What are your most popular flavors?
CBK: Good old vanilla or chocolate...though banana toffee seems to be a hit!

CS: How long does it take to decorate a cupcake for you? They're so intricate!
CBK: Depends on the cake--some obviously more than others. Things like the Palm Tree ones take a whole (lot of time) as there are a lot of elements--making the chocolate trees, then the sugarpaste shoes etc...then assembling them and hoping the tree will stay upright!

CS: Do you just make cupcakes, or do you have any other specialties?
CBK: Just the cupcakes. Have done a few larger cakes, but not as much fun as lots of little mini cakes!

CS: How often do you eat cupcakes?
CBK: Far too often. I always have half / one from each batch I make to test the quality before I send them out so it doesn't help the diet!

CS: What is your favorite type of cake?
CBK: I love anything almond or coconut!

CS: Your cupcakes are so beautiful and gourmet--tell us the truth, do
you ever eat store bought or prepackaged desserts or treats?
CBK: Yes, I do, and to be fair, some of them are great! I don't feel too bad doing it, as mine are rarely ordinarily decorated cakes like store ones, so it feels different somehow. And I did once see a UK celebrity chef buying a ready meal in my local supermarket, so hey, we all do it!

CS: Red Velvet cake is all the rage in the US--what is the general thought on it in the UK?
CBK: 99.9% of people in the UK wouldn't have a clue what that is. I know as I lived in LA for two years, but it's not a known cake here. Ironically I was on the net just last week looking at recipes...going to try a batch very soon.

CS: If you weren't a cupcake artist what do you think you'd be doing?
CBK: It is actually my 'second job'. I'm on maternity leave at the moment with a four month old baby, but my 'main job' is working in sales and marketing for a film trade magazine! Normally it would be daytime in the office, and evening and weekend creating cakes--it's a great release! I imagine when I have more children the day job my go and the cakes will be full time.

CS: What's next for your business? Anything new coming up?
CBK: Always looking or new ideas to be creative on cakes--maybe I should introduce Red Velvet to the nation! Looking forward to introducing lots of new flavours, see if we can get people off the chocolate/vanilla dependency!

Cakespy note: you can also enjoy photographs of Clare's cupcakes on the Cake Fun Flickr Pool.

A Wink and a Smile: Cupcakes by Wink

Cupcakes. They're so ubiquitous at this point that you almost want to stop eating them. Almost.

And now there's one more place in Seattle to get them: Wink Cupcakes. The brainchild of Zoe-Ann Bartlett, Wink was born after she decided to take some time off from a stressful corporate position to study baking in France. It must have made her reevaluate her goals, because she subsequently opened a cupcake catering business in lower Queen Anne (a good decision, we say!). And with their dense, moist cake (in yummy flavors like Peanut Butter and Hazelnut) and a generous dollop of creamy, buttery frosting, all we can say is bring on the elastic waistbands. They're primarily available by special order for the moment; however, individuals can pick up single cupcakes on Thursdays via the Queen Anne Farmer's Market.

And surely if it's just once a week, you can go ahead and eat one. Ok, two. Wink, wink.

Available 3-7 p.m. Thursdays at the Queen Anne Farmer's Market (1st Ave. W at Crockett St.); online at winkcupcakes.com.