Cake Byte: A Super Sweet Giveaway and Cake Poll from Cakespy!

If you read this site, it's likely you're already living the sweet life; but today, life is about to get sweeter still. Why so? Well, we've decided to give away a Cakespy original mini watercolor painting to one lucky reader! Like whoa!

How can you put your name in the running? It's easy! All you need to do is this:

• To satisfy our nosy tendencies (we are spies, after all), fill out the below Cake Poll! You can leave your responses in the comment section, or send your responses via email to jessieoleson@gmail.com.
• At 12pm PST on Sunday, February 24, the Cake Poll will be closed. The winner will be chosen at random, not based on their responses. The original will then be shipped to the lucky winner within 48 hours, via the most economical method.

As for our fine print: The results of this poll will be used for entertainment and Cake Gumshoeing purposes only; we may summarize the results of this poll in upcoming posts. Your private information will not be shared with any outside parties. Also, we've elected to leave the cake poll open to all US Territories, Canada and abroad--so even overseas cake enthusiasts can take part! *As for the prize itself, it is the miniature framed painting pictured at the top and to the left; no substitutions are allowed.

And so, without further ado, let us poke at your most intimate cake details (if emailing your answers, please include your name and the best way to contact you if you win!):

1. Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
2. What were some of the special cakes from your childhood (a Birthday cake? Grandma's German Chocolate? Or perhaps something from the local bakery or supermarket? Anything goes for us as long as it was special to you.)?
3. Presently, how often do you eat cake or cupcakes? No judgments, we promise.
4. If you were stranded on a desert island and had to live on one type of cake or cupcake for the rest of your life...what type would it be?
5. On cupcakes, what is your ideal ratio of cake to frosting? 50/50? 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting? 3/4 cake, 1/4 frosting? Other?
6. How do you feel about cakes or cupcakes from mixes?
7. What's the best thing about eating cake or cupcakes?
8. Is there a such thing as a bad cake? If so, what makes it bad?

In the meantime, have a very sweet weekend!

Comments

[Natalie]

Me first! Natalie @ cisforcucpake@gmail.com
1. I grew up in beautiful, sunny Joliet, IL. Home of Statesville Prison where John Wayne Gacy was executed. I've been a Chicagoan for 10 years.
2. My mom used to make Better Than Sex Cake for my birthday- German chocolate cake with holes poked in it, filled with caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream and crushed Heath bars. She called it "Better Than a Handshake Cake" until I was like, 16 years old.
3. I would say 5 times a week.
4. Lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting, It would be refreshing, and I'd fight off scurvy!
5. I like equal parts cake and frosting.
6. I don't like straight mix, but if you add some stuff to it it can be pretty close to homemade.
7. It's hard to be stressed out or mad when you're eating cake.
8. I just ate bad cake on Friday, it was really dry and virtually flavorless. Like dry bread with frosting on it.

[Karen]

1. I grew up in the East Bay and still live there today (san francisco bay area)
2. Angel food cake
3. 1-2 times a week.
4. poundcake
5. 2/3 cake
6. I think the cake mix is fine, but I can't stand the frosting.
7. It's the perfect dessert!
8. dry, not enough frosting, no flavor

[Ricki]

Okay, that watercolor is MINE!! (Setting intentions right now as I type. . . ). Fabulous idea for a contest.

1) Grew up in Montreal, Quebec; now live in Toronto, Ontario (both in Canada)
2) Birthday cakes made and decorated by my aunt, the caterer; my mother's mile-high chiffon cake (just because it was her signature)
3) I don't eat cake per se very often, maybe once a month, cupcakes even less. Now, cookies, brownies, squares. . . that's a different story ;) .
4) Chocolate fudge layer cake with vanilla cream filling and chocolate frosting. What can I say; I'm a purist.
5) 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting sounds ideal.
6) Used to love 'em, now I hate 'em. After consuming home-made for most of my life, the mixes now taste devoid of flavor and way too airy in texture.
7) The first bite--that winning combo of moist, light cake and heavier, sweet, gooey frosting. . . always puts a smile on my face.
8) Bad cake = no chocolate. Apart from that, anything that's too heavy or wet inside, ie underbaked or under-leavened.

[Laura]

1. My childhood was in Texas, everything else after New York!
2. My Grandma's Red Velvet cake and my other Grandma's Upside down Pineapple
3. Probably 2-3 times a month, its hard when your boyfriend doesn't like sweets!
4. Defintely Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting!
5. 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting
6. They're great when you're crunched for time and you modify them
7. They're oh so tasty!
8. Totally! A really dry, tasteless cake! And equally bad frosting!

[slush]

1. I grew up in PA, and I live in PA now. I spent 10 years in the south in between though.
2. I always asked for lemon meringue pie for birthdays. I just always loved it. 2nd was ice cream cake with the fake chocolate crunchie things inside, not the real cake. Mmm, thats good stuff.
3. Too much. I can't say its every week. But at the end of the month, when we are baking to find a Cupcake Hero winner, its non-stop cupcake tasting. Pure gluttony I tell you.
4. What came to mind first was my fav cupcake from Dozen. A raspberry zinger. Which is yellow cake, filled with raspberry preserves and topped with raspberry frosting and coconut. YUM! Sooo good.
5. Im going to say 2/3 to 1/3.
6. I loathe box mixes. No matter how you dress them up, it still tastes like box mix.
7. Getting frosting on my nose.
8. Its hard to have a bad cupcake. My 2 turn offs are super dry cake and overly sickening sweet frosting.

[Nikki57]

1. I grew up in Massachusetts, on the border of New Hampshire. Now, I live about 20 minutes away from the house I grew up in.
2. I loved those boxed cake mixes with the blue and pink swirls. I think they were my birthday cake pretty much every year!
3. Right now I have cake, cupcakes and cookies hanging around, I eat them all too much.
4. The fudgiest chocolate cake I could get my hands on
5. 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting
6. I'm not a fan, unless it's funfetti or that swirly cake mix I was talking about before I will always choose homemade
7. How happy my belly is after
8. Dry cakes!

[Sequana]

1. Grew up in Peotone, IL - not that far from Joliet..*S* Live in Chicago now.
2. Angel food cake made with a doz. real eggs from the henhouse. Aunt Marian's chocolate cake that uses sour milk.
3. Not nearly as often as I'd like.
4. The above mentioned chocolate cake, with fluffy chocolate frosting.
5. 3/4 cake, 1/4 frosting.
6. No mixes for me.
7. Two things: a glass of milk with the cake, and the afterglow.
8. Cake too dry, frosting too heavy.

[Deborah]

1. Grew up in New Mexico, now live in Utah
2. My favorite growing up was cherry chip cake (my mom always made her cakes from boxes) with fluffy frosting (aka 7-minute frosting)
3. Lately, it's been weekly! Usually once or twice a month, though.
4. Chocolate
5. 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting
6. I like them better from scratch,, but I grew up on the boxed kind!
7. There's not a bad part!
8. As long as it tastes decent, I'll eat it! I don't like dry, though.

[Vegan_Noodle]

Too much fun!! Here's my answers...
1. Grew up in Houston and live in Houston (though had a 7 year hiatus in Colorado)
2. My mom made me the cookie monster cake using one of those wilton pans, it was so awesome, and blue!!
3. Probably at least several times a month
4. This might be boring... chocolate cupcake with coffee buttercream frosting
5. 3/4 cake 1/4 frosting
6. I would only use a mix when I'm in a pinch, otherwise homemade is the way to go!
7. knowing that they're vegan (at least the ones I eat) so I can eat as many as I want!
8. There are definitely bad cakes/cupcakes... these would be those that are hard as rocks, stick to your mouth, or yucky frosting.

[Aran Goyoaga]

1) I grew up in Amorebieta (Spain) outside of Bilbao and I live in Jupiter, Florida now.
2) Apple tart with a warm apricot glaze was my favorite. My grandfather used to make it in our families pastry shop.
3) I don't eat much of either to be honest. I taste what I make but small bites. Maybe twice a week?
4) Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries!! Yes, yes, yes!!
5) 2/3 cake and 1/3 icing
6) Some of them taste good and are light but I can't eat them because when I read the list of ingredients I start to hyperventilate! I like Namaste's gluten free, dairy free mix actually.
7) Sharing it with others.
8) Oh yes!!! Too dry, too crumbly, not soaked with a syrup...

This is so much fun!!!

[Anonymous]

1. I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan and am still here
2. I always remember the cakes my mom used to get from a local bakery that had red buttercream roses with the fake silver leaves on them. I loved those cakes and the funny thing is , they were made by the grandfather of my future husband!
3. I actually don't eat it that often considering how much I make.
4. Anything chocolate, gotta have chocolate!
5. Can I say 100% frosting? Lol! Just kidding! It would have to be 60/40 frosting to cake, at least!
6. I like either. I used to make all my cakes/cupcakes only from mixes but I have branched out and now make almost exclusively from scratch.
7. The fact that they usually accompany a great gathering of people I love!
8. Definitely! Undercooked, way dried out, or bad frosting!

[Farah]

I love filling out polls.:)Anyway, here is mine:

1. I grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Now I live in Pullman, WA, USA.
2. I had this awesome cake from a bakery for my 5th birthday. It had some neat decoration of sweet peas on it in pink. And my dress was also in pink, I felt like a princess.
3. 2/3 times a month at least.
4. Devil's Food...cake or cupcake, with Chocolate Ganache Topping...mmmmm.
5. I would say 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting.
6. Not bad...if you tweak a little, like adding some ingredients or flavor.
7. Having the feeling of falling in love!!
8. Oh yeah...overcooked, dry, too crumbly, bland etc.

[Happy cook]

1. I grew up in Ernakulum a city in Kerela State in S.India.
Now i live in Belgium

2.Birthdays were always celebrated with home made Payasam ( Kheer) it is a indian dessert.

3. When ever i get a chance. I never buy them from shops, if i eat them it is always home made.

4. Rich Chocolate cup cake with rich chocolate creamy frosting.
You know you are making me hungry thinkin about it.

5.1/4 frosting. I like to taste my cake too.

6. I have never bought these mixes as i think why spend so much money of you can just make the mix with fresh ingridients.

7. Can i say eating them :-) and licking the frosting

8. Oh yeah to dry, too sweet, etc.

[Amy]

1. St. Rose, LA...now live in the next town of Destrehan, LA (both near NOLA)
2. Strawberry filled white cake was my favorite!!!
3. About 2-3 times/month (depending on bday/holiday season...I need to have a reason to indulge!!)
4. Strawberry filled white cake :) still a favorite!
5. Probably 3/4 cake 1/4 frosting
6. They are OK...I'll eat them but homemade is just that much better!!
7. Sponginess and moistness...it needs those two components!
8. Dry cake....too dense cake...it needs to be light feeling!

[Ms. Lobao]

1. I grew up in Modesto, CA. I now live in San Francisco.
2. Being that my parents were Portuguese immigrants we didn’t each much cake. If I was having friends over for a birthday, mom would make yellow cake mix with a lemon glaze. My favorite sweet treat was cream puffs with vanilla pudding inside.
3. Once a week…if I’m lucky.
4. Chocolate cupcake with whipped cream frosting.
5. 3/4 cake, 1/4 frosting
6. They can be pretty moist and delicious, but nothing beats homemade with love.
7. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside…very comforting.
8. Yes, definitely! I do not like dry, tasteless cupcakes. I’m not a fan of really cold cupcakes either.

[Gigi]

whoo hoo - I love contests! And one that involves a Cakespy original is even better!

1. Grew up in Central PA and now live in Central NJ
2. My mom used to make Texas sheet cake and a striped pudding cake (take yellow cake, poke with holes, pour pudding into holes - voila!). She also made a killer angel food cake with strawberry icing.
3. I eat cake/cupcakes pretty frequently. I'm getting ready to open my own bakeshop in the next few weeks and I'm heavy into recipe testing.
4. I'd probably go with a coconut layer cake or vanilla cupcakes with either milk chocolate or vanilla frosting. What can I say? I dig the classics!
5. My ideal ratio is 50/50 but I won't kick a 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting cupcake out of bed.
6. I'm not a fan of mixes - I strongly believe you can put together an easy and great tasting scratch cake in the same amount of time.
7. Let's face it - the best things about eating cake or cupcakes are the yummy sugar highs and the warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia you get with each bite.
8. A bad cake is a dry, flavorless cake. Life is too short to eat bad cake.

[Jane]

1. I grew up in Mpls/St. Paul, and then Davenport, IA (the glamour!) Now I live in suburban Chicago.
2. Coca-cola cake was my mom's specialty.
3. I eat cake at birthdays, and cupcakes when I'm at a bakery that has "good" ones. (sometimes, I'll bake cupcakes, but I'd rather not have 12 staring me down)
4. vanilla cake/vanilla buttercream frosting.
5. 2/3 cake, 1/3 frosting .... but I love frosting.
6. mixes are fine, but I'd prefer not.
7. The best thing? the sweetness of the frosting melting in your mouth.
8. Yucky frosting can ruin a cake.

[Katy]

Oh, I actually have strong feelings about some of these!

1. Grew up in Connecticut, now live in NYC.
2. Cupcakes were, and still are, my favorite.
3. Hmmm... Probably about once a month, usually when I am baking for a party. BUT almost every time I have something special to celebrate, I'll buy a little cupcake from Magnolia, Crumb or Amy's to mark the occasion!
4. Plain vanilla cupcake with an extremely thick portion of super sweet buttercream frosting, preferrably pink!
5. 50/50, or maybe even 75% frosting! I've been known to discard the bottom of the cupcake on occasion, or leave bites of plain cake behind after eating off all the frosting. :-)
6. Actually, I don't completely mind them if I'm looking to save time -- they are pretty foolproof, and I like to start with a simple yellow cake mix and turn it into something fun, like rose-shaped cupcakes or petit fours!
7. THE FROSTING!
8. Yes -- for me, a very low frosting to cake ration makes it bad, but dried out cake is the absolute WORST.

Man... now I want a cupcake! Perhaps I should celebrate my engagement with a little cake tonight... :-)

[Helene]

1. I grow up in St-Simon, Québec on a farm. Now I live on Vancouver Island, BC.
2. I loved my mom Queen Elizabeth cake.
3. I eat cake on special occasions and cupcakes every 2 wks.
4. On a desert island I would love a carrot cake with thick cream cheese on top.
5. On cupcakes I love 2/3 cake and 1/3 of frosting.
6. I don't want to buy any cake mixes. Life is too short.
7. I love eating cakes and cupcakes because I love sweets. I also like to bake and share with my family the good food I make.
8. Bad cake! you must be kidding.

[Anonymous]

1. I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois and now live near Chicago.
2. I have always really loved carrot cake (mostly because of the icing) and any type of Birthday cake. I love birthday cake because it involves a celebration and usually a cake with really fun icing.
3. At least once a week.
4. A red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing.
5. 50/50
6. I am fine with cake mixes.
7. I like that you get the supersweet icing and the not as sweet cake combination in every bite.
8. Yes, any cake with nuts or coconut seems bad to me. Obviously, a very person choice.They are both a texture thing for me. I like cake and cupcakes to be smooth and creamy.

[Casper]

1. I grew up in Red Bank, NJ, Safety Harbor, FL, and Millersville, MD. I am currently living in Baltimore.
2. My grandmother use to make a lamb cake every Eater and my brother and I would fight over who got the head.
3. At least once a week, the more I eat the more I run.
4. Chocolate cake, vanilla icing, it’s a classic!
5. ¾ cake. ¼ frosting
6. They have there time and place
7. Feeling like a kid again
8. Yes, I have had many dry and tasteless cakes.

[Kelly MacDowell]

I grew up in Southern California, The "OC," And I still live there now.

My grandmother's chocolate Texas Sheet Cake was very special to me growing up. She made it for every occasion. Unfortunately, her recipe was lost during her move to a new house 6 years ago, and no recipe we've tried since can replicate it.

How often do I eat cake? Good Lord, at least 3 times a week. I'm constantly trying new cupcake recipes and my (unfortunate) coworkers always get the left-overs after I've, ahem, "tested" them.

If I were stranded on a desert island, I'd have a box of Pina Colada Cupcakes with Coconut Rum frosting. Not because they'd fit right in with the tropical island theme, but because they're just so damn good.

It's all about the frosting. The more, the better. (Think about it- have you ever seen anyone eat a cupcake from the bottom up? No, and there's a reason why.)

I've used sevral recipes from the Cake Mix Doctor, and I must admit, they're not bad. They're great when you don't have a lot of time on your hands and in fact, one of my go-to chocolate cupcake recipes uses a box mix.

The best thing about eating cake or cupcakes? You can't stop yourself from smiling. Have you ever seen someone with a cupcake frowning? No.

Is there a such thing as a bad cake? Trust me, you don't want to know of the horrors my oven has turned out. I'm talking Oh-my-God-is-that-a-cake-or-did-someone-eat-a-bag-of-Cheetos-and-vomit-in-a-cake-pan kind of bad.

[Asha]

OH! I thought I am going to see a cake here!!;D
Lat's see:

1. India and now in USA.
2. Plain Jane Vanilla cake with butter cream frosting.
3. once in two weeks, may be.
4. White or yellow moist, soft Vanilla cake please!
5. 3/4 cake, 1/4 Frosting.
6. Like Duncan Hines brand, mixes are convenient, never say no but made from scratch cake tastes way better!:)
7. Taking big bite into cake and frosting at the same time, no licking! Feels like B'day!:D
8. All dry and crumbly cakes are bad to me unless they are supposed to be crumbly!!

Enjoy the weekend. In my next post at FH, will post a beautiful "Shahi" Indian dish. Do you know what Shahi is? If not, just gave you something to do this weekend!:)

[Milwaukee Cupcake Queen]

1. Grew up in sunny southern California. Now in freezing Milwaukee, WI.
2. Cherry-Chocolate cake, it is a box of chocolate cake where the oil and water(?) is replaced with a can of cherry pie filling. Also, stripe-it-rich cake. Remember that? Where you poked holes in a sheet cake and then filled with pudding?
3. As often as possible and not nearly enough!
4. Twinkie-like cake!
5. 1/3 frosting to cake or less if cake is REALLY flavorful.
6. It is a decent jumping point but should never be relied upon as the whole recipe. EMBELLISH!
7. How cute they are!
8. dry texture, bad flavor, crisco-like frosting.

[Susan]

1. My formative years were in Ohio, but I've lived in Georgia for most of my life.

2. I don't knw if I really have a stand-out cake, but one of my fondest memories is knowing that, when I visited my grandmother's house in the summer, there would be at least 2 cakes on the dining room table at all times during my stay. There were always cakes and cupcakes to nibble on. Always. She's the reason I bake.

3. Probably once every 2 weeks for most of the year and several times a week around holidays (and my birthday, of course).

4. On a desert island... probably my grandmother's "sunshine cake" (a white/yellow vanilla cake with just a bare hint of orange) in cupcake form with a light buttercream frosting.

5. 2/3 cake to 1/3 icing sounds like a good ratio to me.

6. I don't have an issue with mixes - they can save a lot of time and you can always jazz them up.

7. Cutting another slice or getting another cupcake! It's really just a small piece of heaven.

8. Cakes that are too spiced, too dry, and icing that is either too sweet, not sweet enough, or runny.