Taking the Cake: Trophy Cupcakes Announces New Bellevue Location!

It's official, friends: Trophy Cupcakes is expanding! They just announced the upcoming opening of their third location which will be in Bellevue. Here are the details from their Facebook page:

we had not planned on expanding this quickly but when the Bravern in Bellevue invited us to be a part of their amazing collection of shops, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse! With so many die-hard, commuting for Trophy Cupcakes, Eastside customers, how could we say no?!

The new Trophy Cupcakes location will be part of The Shops at the Bravern, an upscale shopping center which is scheduled to open in September. The new Trophy location is tentatively scheduled to open on September 12. Read more on the Trophy Cupcakes Facebook page!

Tweet All About It: CakeSpy Featured in Seattle Magazine!

Sweet treats and sweet tweets collide in this month's issue of Seattle Magazine, where CakeSpy gets a mention in Rebekah Denn's article about Seattle's food scene and Twitter!

Rebekah, who also writes the incredibly informative (and witty) site Eat All About It, has put together a very interesting article which ponders the phenomenon that is twitter, and how it is being used by foodies in Seattle (and beyond, really). 

And so what is twitter? A place to talk about the newest restaurant dishes? A place to dish about restaurants? Or is the appeal that "Unlike other forms of social media—or, ahem, real life—Twitter offers a six-degrees-of-separation equality between amateurs, professionals and celebrities"?

While the dust may have yet to settle, one thing is pretty clear: it's prompted many readers to tweet all about it! There's even a handy list of some of the coolest Seattle foodies to follow--CakeSpy is on the list (!) along with a seriously talented and entertaining crew including Shauna Ahern, Brian Canlis, Dana Cree, Maggie Dutton, Whitney Ricketts (who just became acquisitions editor at Sasquatch Books!), Traca Savadogo, Seattle Bon Vivant, Becky Selengut, Surly Gourmand, Lorna Yee, and of course, the grande dame of foodery everywhere, Ruth Reichl.

Check out the article here; or, to go right to the list of Seattle foodies that you should mos' def be following, click here! Of course, you should most definitely be following Rebekah via twitter and her site too.

What a Turon-On: A Delicious Find at Delite Bakery

Nope: this is not an eggroll. It's even better, because it's dessert.

Say hello to the turon, my most recent discovery at Delite Bakery in Seattle's Beacon Hill. What is a turon (or turrón, as I've seen it elsewhere), exactly? Well, according to Wikipedia,

Though many varieties exist, a typical turrón is plantain and jackfruit wrapped in a springroll wrapper, dipped in brown sugar, then fried. This somewhat resembles banana spring rolls. These are also known as banana fritters.

Oh, and these little confections (which cost only $1.45 each! a steal!) are also exceedingly delicious. Delite's version was made with banana, and had the most delicious slightly crackly, carmelly-sticky crust which gave way to the sweet taste of banana. The banana's texture was perfect: yielding, but not too mushy. A satisfying treat, and surprisingly for something fried, not too heavy--all in all, perfect for a hot day and definitely worth seeking out if you find yourself in the Beacon Hill area (especially easy now, thanks to the light rail).

Delite Bakery, 2701 15th Ave S., Seattle. Read more online here!

Of course, if you're not in the Seattle area, you might want to investigate making your own turon--this recipe looks pretty delicious! If you've got another to share, please leave a comment!

Making Whoopie: Pies, That Is

While I stand by my claim that Whoopie Pies are not the next big thing, I am completely willing to admit that they are delicious. While several more exciting recipes have been developed, this one from marshmallowfluff.com is a good starting point--because after all, they say that you should learn the rules before you break them, right? So why not do as CakeSpy buddy Chris and I did and learn the ropes with this fairly traditional recipe, which includes Marshmallow Fluff (a substance which has been connected with the Whoopie Pie since the 1930s, when a cookbook called Yummy Book included a recipe calling for the fluffy stuff), then let your creativity go wild as you discover delicious new variations: pumpkin? Peanut butter chocolate? Strawberry? Or perhaps you could just ogle at all of the flavors available at Wicked Whoopie Pies. It's not just (whoopie) pie in the sky!


Whoopie Pies (recipe adapted from marshmallowfluff.com)

• 1 egg
  
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
  
• 1 c. sugar
  
• 2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour
  
• 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
  
• 1 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  
• 3/4 c. milk
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  
• Filling (recipe follows)
  

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease two large cookie sheets and set aside. In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed beat egg and vegetable oil. Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until pale yellow in color. In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a measuring cup combine milk and vanilla. Add flour and milk mixtures alternately to eggs and sugar, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.


Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet. These will spread a lot, so make 6 cakes per sheet at a time. Bake about 5 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched with finger. Remove to wire racks to cool. When cool, use filling and two cakes to make sandwiches. Makes 15 (or 20-something mini ones).

Filling

• 1/2 cup butter
  
• 1 c. confectioners' sugar
  
• 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and remaining ingredients until light and fluffy. Of course, if you're just lazy, you could just put a big smear of Marshmallow fluff between the cakey layers and enjoy your treat slightly faster. Not that we did this, of course.

War Whoop: Why Whoopie Pies Are Not the Next Big Thing

Whoopie pies.

There are so many reasons to love them. They're delicious. They're rich in history. They're filled with frosting.

What they are not, however, is the successor to King Cupcake's place in the popular dessert kingdom--regardless of what the New York Times says. Now, I realize that this is a powerful claim--but it's not just talk. To really become the next big thing, Whoopie Pies have some work to do. Let's lay it down:

Problem one: The Stupid Name. There's no delicate way to say it: Whoopie Pie is a stupid-sounding name. For me, "whoopie" conjures up goofy images of sexual reference on the Newlywed Show and cushions that make farting sounds. I don't know about you, but even adding "pie" after it doesn't serve to cancel out these associations or change them to "irresistible dessert".

It's true--there are alternate names by which the treat is sometimes known: gob, and sometimes bob. You know what? These are not an improvement.
Is there a solution? Well, changing the name. Easier said than done, as anyone who has tried to upgrade to a full name from a diminutive knows; however, may I humbly suggest a few new names, just to try on for size? Frosting sandwich? Sweetburger? Cakewich? They may not be perfect, but no worse than whoopie pie.

Problem two: the cute factor. Don't get me wrong--whoopie pies do have a certain visual charm. But they're kind of cute in the same way my pug is cute--a sort of ugly-cute. They are a little lopsided, and the ungarnished cakey bits aren't much to look at on their own, and the look is generally very homey. Not to say homey is a bad thing, but if they want to graduate to a dessert worthy of cult following and mentions in US Weekly, they're going to need a little work on their styling.
Is there a solution? Luckily, there are remedies. I thought it was very cute to add sprinkles, nuts or chocolate chips to the side, chipwich-style, as I saw at Seattle bakery Sweet on You; the delicate frosting piping shown in the New York Times article index photo (whoopie pies from Trois Pommes Patisserie in Park Slope) adds a pretty touch too. Also, playing with flavor (as Joy the Baker, Crumblycookie.net and Seattle coffee shop Javasti have done) can also be a very effective way to not only add to the deliciousness of the treats but also to add some stunning color contrasts which lend an air of sophistication.


Problem three: the size. They are, to put it delicately, huge. As much as it pains me to say it, the classic whoopie pie is often too huge for a single serving, which poses the eater with all sorts of awkwardness. Do you share with a friend? Do you save it for later? Either way there are obstacles--if you're sharing, you've got to first face the issue of whether or not you really want to share, in addition to the more practical matter of how to divide it, especially if you've taken it to go. If you've decided to save it for later, you're left carrying a somewhat delicate confection which can easily crush or ooze so that you lose precious frosting. This is a serious bummer.
Is there a solution? Mini whoopie pies. I first encountered these at the Baked: New Frontiers in Baking book party in Seattle,  when they served mini versions of their insanely delicious pumpkin whoopie pies. At about 2.5 inches in diameter they were the perfect single-serving size, with a great frosting-to-cake ratio and no awkward "want to share?" moments. 

OK, as you might have surmised, this post is not meant to be a rage against the Whoopie Pie machine--just some constructive criticism. Now, off to go eat one. Or two. And I'm definitely not sharing.

Want more Whoopie? You can buy them online here and here; you can attend the Whoopie Pie festival in Lancaster, PA in September; you can read more about their history here.