Pastry Road Trip: The Sweet and Tart Cranberry Walnut Bar from Alliance Bakery, Chicago

While I was recently selling artwork at the world famous Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, I was lucky enough to have a booth located very close to Alliance Bakery. True, I had heard mixed reviews about this place--but after one of my awesome boothmates got (and highly praised) their vaguely Napoleon-looking treat called the "Ellen" (made up of pistachio-cinnamon mousseline with pistachio praline and white chocolate mousse--like, whoa), I knew I had to make a stop. Walking up to the entrance, I wasn't sure quite what to expect: the exterior has old-school neon sign and flamboyantly decorated cakes on display in the front window.

But once you step inside, it's immediately evident that this is a very special place. They have huge, wraparound bakery cases full of all manner of cakes, pastries and cookies, which made the visit fun right away for me, because half the fun is ogling everything and choosing, right?


Ultimately I settled on an intriguing bar cookie: the cranberry walnut bar. I know the combination sounds unusual, but here's the deal. The bar cookie, which is made up of a sweet walnut-y, caramel-y mixture set atop a cookie crust, is very sweet. While bars like this are often  delicious, sometimes the sweetness can be so overwhelming that the flavor lacks depth. Here's where the cranberries come in. The little bursts of sweet, acidic tartness cut through the extreme sweetness, rounding out the flavor and adding excitement to every bite (yes! excitement!). It worked beautifully, and made what could have been a run-of-the mill bar cookie very memorable.

Not only was I pleased with the bar cookie, but I am so intrigued by the sweet-and-tart combination that I think I might just add a topping of cranberries the next time I make pecan pie.

Alliance Bakery, 1736 W Division Street (between Hermitage Ave & Wood St), Chicago, IL, (773) 278-0366; online at alliance-bakery.com.

CakeSpy Undercover: A Cake Gumshoe's Thoughts on Unicorn Crepes, Seattle WA

CakeSpy Note: Cake Gumshoe Cindy chimed in with this review (and photos!) of Seattle's most magical creperie, Unicorn Crepes. Here's her review!

Unicorn Crepes is what I would call a Japanese-style creperie. All crepes come with a free coffee/plum tea/chai with the help of a cute automatic dispenser machine. They also have a to-go menu which is handy for those who want a crepe to go or can't find parking in the always tough to park International District. And they are wrapped nicely in a easy to unwarp cone for mess free eating. I frequently see the owner Jino Yoon there making crepes for his customers. The plastine display menu versions of the crepes are actually how Jino puts the crepes together for real except you get them in that nicely rolled and warped cone. Not only are the prettily displayed but they're quite tasty. It's fun to watch the staff lay out the pieces so perfectly.

My personal favorite crepe is the Anko Custard Whip Crepe (with half the amount of whip, you can request adjustments ). By the way anko is red bean, its a sweet Japanese dessert/filling. But they certainly have a lot of crepes to chose from sweet to savory. If you're feeling adventureous you can try the Okanomiyaki Crepe. Lots of people like the combination of banana and chocolate (or what they call Choco Whip). You won't find Nutella on the menu though. Instead there are options of various fruits drizzled with chocoloate or caramel and paired with custard, pudding, daifuku (think little balls of mochi) or even ice cream!

Unicorn Crepes, 421 6th Ave S., Seattle, WA 98104.

Disappearing Act: Houdini Bars

Leafing through The Cake Mix Doctor Returns (have you entered the giveaway, by the way?), the first recipe to catch my eye was for Houdini Bars. What's a Houdini bar? Named for the magician because because they're "so rich and delicious that they disappear quickly," these dense bars are comprised of a cakey crust filled with a buttery, cheesecake-y filling with nuts and coconut. Heaven on a plate? Yes indeed: they taste like birthday cake, cheesecake, and coconut cream pie--simultaneously--in every beautiful bite. If you love decadent desserts, these ones will disappear fast.

(P.S. If you love the pot holders shown above, they're from Rustbelt Fiberwerks!)
Houdini Bars
adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns
Recipe says that it makes 30, but we only got 12 (gluttons)

• 1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
  
• 1 stick butter, melted
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 1 package cream cheese, at room temperature (recipe calls for reduced-fat; I used full-fat)
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  
• 1/2 cup walnuts (original recipe called for pecans; either way, the nuts are optional)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Set aside a generously greased 9x13-inch pan.
   
2. Place the cake mix, butter, and one egg in a large mixing bowl and beat on low speed with an electric mixer until the ingredients are incorporated, about 1 minute. Press the batter into the bottom and partially up the sides of the baking pan (I used my hands) and set the pan aside.
   
3. Place the cream cheese in the same mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Add the remaining 2 eggs and the vanilla and the confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Fold in the coconut; pour mixture over the crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Scatter the nuts, if you've chosen to use them.
4. Bake the bars until the edges are well browned and the center is firm to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer the baking pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving (do not score the bars while still hot!)

These bars keep in the fridge for up to five days. If they last that long.

Sweet Art: Pattern for Illustration Friday

This week's Illustration Friday theme is "Pattern", and my thought pattern led right to the visual sort, most notably an iconic Marimekko-inspired print. So here you have it, Cuppie basking in one of the most stylish patterns!

Cake Poll: Mixing it Up with the Cake Mix Doctor, and a Giveaway!

Growing up, there were a few things that were forbidden in our house, for various moral or health reasons: Doritos, the show Full House, and cake mix.

As a result, I grew up harboring a secret and dark love for all of these things. The crackle of a Doritos bag opening thrills me; I can't hear the theme song from Full House without feeling just a little shiver of excitement; and while I've come to appreciate homemade baked goods far more, I still don't have a huge problem with cake mix.

So it would stand that I've always been intrigued by the "Cake Mix Doctor" series, and as a result, when Laura at Workman Publishing contacted me to see if I'd like to check out the new and improved The Cake Mix Doctor Returns (a revamped re-release of the original book, with even more recipes), I jumped at the chance.

If you're not familiar with the concept, basically what author Anne Byrne does is take a cake mix and "doctor" it up, offering creative alterations and ingredients that will make all sorts of desserts (not just cakes) with the mix which taste far better than simply mixing-and-baked per the box instructions. And by starting with a cake mix, you have the added ease of not having to make sure you have all of your dry ingredients on hand, which can be helpful for infrequent bakers.

So I tried out several of the recipes in the book, and I have to say, I have been very pleasantly surprised with the results. One in particular though, the "Houdini Bars"--a dense bar cookie with a yellow cake crust filled with a custardy cream cheese, nut, and coconut filling, was so delectable that true to their name, they disappeared in hours (I'll share the recipe in a few days!). Of course, Byrne isn't offering a quick fix to everything--while cake mixes are the core of the book, she insists that you make your own frostings, citing wise words indeed: "frosting is the first and last taste you experience when forking into a slice of cake. It should never be an afterthought", adding that "you can get away with a cake from a mix, but you must make your frosting from scratch."

So, overall, I have to say I was pretty impressed with the book. And I'm not just saying this because Workman donated three copies to give away (although they did)--which leads to the next subject...

Sweet Giveaway!

So, I have three copies of The Cake Mix Doctor Returns to give away! To put your name in the running, simply answer this important ethical question in the comments:

If you make a cake with a mix, is it wrong to hide the fact that it's not completely "homemade"?

Let the games begin! The Cake Poll will close at 12 p.m. PST on Friday, October 2; the winners will be contacted shortly thereafter. If you are leaving an anonymous comment, please be sure to leave an email address so you can be contacted if you win!

UPDATE: THE WINNERS!

The poll is now closed: here are the three winners who were chosen at random!

Felice from Hawaii, who writes the site All That's Left are the Crumbs

Melleah from South Carolina, who writes the site Goode Taste

and finally, Krystel T.!

Thanks everyone for entering!