Batter Chatter: Interviews with Notable Bakers

Interview with Katy Gunderson, The Yellow Bowl Bakery, Lafayette, IN

Interview with Rose Levy Beranbaum, Author of The Cake Bible and Rose's Heavenly Cakes

Interview with Carrie Sellman of Half Baked - The Cake Blog

Interview with Brittany Blanchard of Brintini's, Portland OR

Interview with Stephanie Campbell of Cake Fixation, Redmond WA

Interview with Aran of Cannelle Et Vanille

Interview with Matt and Renato of Baked, Brooklyn NY

Inerview with Triy of Cupcake Culture

Interview with Kim Ima, Treats Truck

Interview with Jill Segal, Jilly's Cupcake Bar, St Louis MO

Interview with Melissa Cohen, Metal Sugar Designs

Interview with Sandy Ploy, the Milwaukee Cupcake Queen

Interview with Leslie Fiet of Mini's Cupcakes, SLC, Utah

Interview with Reina Miller of hello, cupcake in Tacoma, WA

Interview with Pink Cake Box of Denville, NJ

Interview with Claudia Saraniecki of Babushka Bakery

Interview with Kari Haskell of Retro Bakery, Las Vegas

Interview with author Joanne Fluke

Interview with Brooks Coulson Nguyen of Dragonfly Cakes

Interview with City Down, NZ Cupcake Queen

Interview with Clare Bateman-King

Interview with Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes

Interview with Elizabeth Gordon of Betsy & Claude

Interview with Evan's Kitchen Ramblings

Interview with Jen Vesper of Layers of Love, Utah

Interview with Jennifer Shea of Trophy Cupcakes

Interview with Jess of All Things Cupcake

Interview with Karen Rivera-Gorski of The Painted Cake

Interview with Lovely, Australian Naomi Henderson

Interview with Marlene Goetzeler of Freeport Bakery

Interview with Miette Patisserie

Interview with Paul Verano of The Confectional

Interview with Robin Koelling of Bittersweet Originals

Interview with Sara Ross of Kickass Cupcakes

Interview with Trilly Nguyen of whiskie bits Bakeshop

Interview with Vegan Baker Lindsey Walsworth of La Dolce Lulu

Cake Poll: Fall Treats!

Sure, the days are getting shorter and cooler, but they're also getting sweeter. Halloween is just around the corner, a sweet kickoff to what promises to be a fall and winter full of pies, puddings and wonderful holiday treats.

And in celebration of all of this sweetness, this month's Cake Poll focuses on fall treats! The lucky winner will receive an original Cakespy watercolor depicting L'il Cuppie being chased by ghosts (pictured top)--looks like they didn't want to share their candy!

How do you enter? Just answer the below questions to be entered in the running! Responses may be entered in the comments section or emailed to jessieoleson@gmail.com.

• Which do you prefer: candy corn or mellowcreme pumpkins?
• Fun-size candy bars: do they make you happy or leave you hungry?
• Trick-or-treaters without costumes: give 'em candy anyway, or turn 'em away?
• Halloween candy-eating method: eat it as fast as you can, or ration it out to last?
• Favorite cold-weather beverage: hot apple cider or hot chocolate?
• Fall pie faceoff: apple or pumpkin?

The fine print: The poll will be closed at 12 p.m PST on Friday, October 17. As usual, the winner will be chosen at random. Entries from the US and beyond are welcome. Your info will never be shared and these questions are solely motivated by our nosy spy tendencies.

....and we have a winner! Our winner was JEAN from New Jersey! Jean entered in our comments section and most definitely prefers Candy Corn! While Mellowcreme Pumpkin may not approve, we were more than happy to see the piece of artwork go to such a sweet home! 

Sweet Spot: Dessert Links!

There's a lot of sweet stuff on the internet--but these were so sugary we had to share!

We're totally digging the autumn brownies, decorated like candy corn and acorns, at Simply Divine Brownies.

Chewy ice cream? Apparently so, at Ilili in NYC (hint: there's also a NY Times article on the phenomenon).

Sweet gift idea: 1-800-Flowers comes out with shippable cupcakes.

Mandel (or Mondel) bread: the next big thing? Maybe so, with businesses like Lulu's and Marla's cropping up.

Feeling chilly? Stay warm and sweet with the cupcake beanie from the sweeties at Fred Flare.

Are you still twirling your own marshmallows over a campfire like a jerk? Have a machine do the spinning for you with the Spinmallow.

Not cake, but completely fascinating: mysterious artist Banksy strikes in Greenwich village with the "Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill" installation.

Check it out: Head Spy Jessie's artwork now online as part of a new contest feature at TasteofHome.com!

Sweetie Pie: Learning to Love the Navy Bean Pie

You know those little ad words that google oh so sweetly places at the top of your email browser? Well, recently one of those intrigued us, because it was for a type of baked good we'd never heard of before: the navy bean pie. Now, upon first thought the idea of a navy bean pie isn't necessarily attractive, but then again, when you really think about it, does "sweet potato pie" or "zucchini cake" really sound delicious at first? So, we decided to give these bean pies a try.

OK, so what are they? According to Wikipedia, a bean pie is a "sweet custard pie whose filling consists of mashed beans—usually navy beans—sugar, butter, milk, and spices." But beyond that, where do these pies come from? While the bean pies are associated with soul food cuisine, a very interesting wrinkle is that they are also associated with the Nation of Islam movement: its leader, Elijah Muhammad, encouraged their consumption in lieu of richer foods associated with African American cuisine, and the followers of his community commonly sell bean pies as part of their fund-raising efforts. And as trybeanpie.com says,

"The Navy Bean Pie is a nearly century old recipe that originated in the Holy
City of Mecca.
The Bean Pie was introduced in America around 1930 in the community known as Black Bottom Detroit, the Black community. It was originally formulated as a healthy alternative for sweet potato pie."

Now, while the Nation of Islam movement (and the pies) seem to have roots in Detroit, we first encountered the pies through Sister Nadine's, which is based in Boston (if you're interested in their story, read about it here.) Cakespy Note: We feel we should give them props for packaging the pies very securely; they and arrived in Seattle in perfect condition.

OK, and so now that you're educated, how did they taste?

First we tried the "Original" bean pie. The texture was on par with that of a pumpkin pie, slightly custardy and not overly sweet; surprisingly, the beans did not lend any grittiness to the chewing process--had we not known that these were bean pies, we might not have known what they were (but of course, that would not have stopped us from continuing to eat it). We ate ours plain, but bet it would attain a few degrees of additional deliciousness if paired with vanilla ice cream or a thick layer of whipped cream.

The second one we tried was the Blueberry bean pie. We thought this was a strange flavor, but it was ultimately rewarding--the blueberries were the first taste that hit the palate; as Mr. Cakespy put it, if this pie could speak, it would say "Hi, my name is blueberry...and this is my pie". This sweet initial taste, paired with a more substantive bite of the bean filling, made it an unusual, but addictive, pie. Of all of them, this was probably our favorite.

Finally, we went for the banana bean pie. Once again, it was an unusual flavor combination, but somehow it worked. The banana didn't necessarily hit you right away--it was more of a complement than a contrast to the bean filling, and the flavors sort of, if you'll allow us to be poetic for a moment, well, blossomed inside of the mouth. Paired with the substantive crust, these reminded us fleetingly of banana pakoras (but of course, baked, not fried). Overall, a very nice pie for banana fans.

All things considered? Our investment was well worth it--we were happy to discover a new baked good, and rewarded to find them delicious. They're definitely a more substantial dessert, but a very tasty one too--the perfect addition to a fall baking repertoire.

To buy Sister Nadine's bean pies, visit sisternadines.com; if you want to try your own, why not give this recipe a whirl?

Cakewalk: Mostly Doughnuts in Sultan and Monroe, WA

No doubt about it, it was a dark Monday this week, what with the financial crisis and all-time stock market lows. Needing a bit of reprieve, we took to the road to clear our minds and get some sweet relief by way of sugary carbohydrates. Heading a mere 45 minutes out of Seattle, it was if we'd escaped these urban worries: with a pastoral backdrop including ponies, cows, farms and mountains, we set to tasting some delicious baked goods. Without consciously seeking it out, we ended up gravitating toward doughnuts on most of the trip. But in retrospect, doesn't it make sense? After all, when you split it in half, sharing a doughnut is like sharing a smile. Here's a recap of our adventure:

We walked up to our first stop, Sky River Bakery, only to meet disappointment--apparently, they're closed Sunday and Monday. Now, will you allow us a slight rant? (Thank you). These are awful days for a bakery to be closed--Sunday being the perfect day for a leisurely morning cinnamon roll, and Mondays being a day on which we could all use a sweet lift. That aside, we will grudgingly admit that it looked like a cute place from the outside. Sky River Bakery, 117 1/2 W Main St, Monroe, WA 98272, (360) 794-7434; online at skyriverbakery.com.

Luckily for us, before we pulled away we spied the word "PANADERIA" across the street; while we don't speak Spanish, we know that this vital word means deliciousness awaits. Though it was a dimly lit grocery filled will all sorts of Mexican groceries and sundries, they had a surprisingly full case of Conchas, pan dulce, and other hispanic specialties. The concha, while perhaps not the best we've ever tasted, certainly did soften the blow of our first stop being closed. La Talpita, 118 W. Main St, Monroe, WA.

Our next stop was the wonderful Sultan Bakery, which doubles as a cafe-diner and was well attended at 11 am with early lunchers and laborers taking coffee breaks. This place moves at a slower pace than urbanites might like, but ultimately your patience will be rewarded. We chose the "bigfoot"--a maple bar shaped like, well, you know, as well as a few iced cake doughnuts. While the maple icing on the bigfoot was delicious, it was the cake doughnuts that really shone--cakey, and with just the slightest, very delightful, bit of "bite" in the icing. Sultan Bakery, 711 W Stevens Ave, Sultan, WA 98294 (360) 793-7996.

At this point, if you'll allow, we'd like to give a shout-out to one place for savory fare, just because its very presence astounds us: Old School BBQ, a roadside barbecue joint housed in an old school bus. As if that wasn't cool enough? It's right next to the Reptile Museum (at which, in case you were wondering, you can get espresso too). If that doesn't sound like a recipe for complete awesomeness, we don't know what does. Read about one foodie's experience at Old School BBQ here. We couldn't find the address or phone number, so we'll include the contact info for the Reptile Museum: 22715 State Route 2, Monroe, WA - (360) 805-5300‎.

Our final stop was Fresh + Fancy Donuts in Monroe. Nestled in an unassuming strip mall, the yeasty, sugary doughnut smell embraces you the moment you walk in; the employee was adorable, friendly and as sweet as the doughnuts. We picked up some pink frosted doughnuts that would make Homer Simpson proud, as well as a buttermilk bar with maple frosting and a sweet glazed cruller. The doughnuts were absolute perfection, with the oil seeping in just enough for a tantalizing crunch in each sugary bite. 19983 State Route 2, Monroe, WA 98272 (360) 863-0782.

Cuppie Capers: Pastry Politics

Sweet Surprise: Red Velvet Cuppie Truffles from Bakerella!

Today we received a sweet and completely unexpected gift in the mail from our favorite domestic goddess, Bakerella: mouthwatering red velvet cake truffles...decorated to look like our own Cakespy mascot, L'il Cuppie! Seems that Mlle. Bakerella must have enjoyed her Iron Cupcake prize, a custom piece depicting her exciting segment a few months ago on the Martha Stewart Show:

Because this was certainly a wonderful thank-you to receive! And upon opening the parcel full of cheery red-topped Cuppies, we realized that Bakerella had caught all of the little guy's mischievous expressions. One thing's for certain--the moment we left the kitchen they got up to all sorts of mischief. Let's see what we were up to, shall we?

This little Cuppie made a big mess...

This little Cuppie learned to draw...

This little Cuppie went for the good stuff...

This little Cuppie liked what he saw...

This little Cuppie found Jesus...

This little Cuppie met some pigs...

This little Cuppie saw the Space Needle (but got a little melted by the sun)...

This little Cuppie does not like skinny chicks...

This little Cuppie got worried...and uh-oh, we haven't seen him since.

This little Cuppie got greedy...and ended up all alone.

Wanna make 'em? You can find the recipe for Easy Cupcake Bites at Bakerella.com!

Of course you also might like to see her sweet review of our friendship and the project here!

American Pie: Recipe for a Quick Fix

Apple pie is an enduring symbol of America. Why? Well, there are more reasons than we can go into right now--but if you're curious, we highly recommend Apple Pie: An American Story by John T. Edge.

But what happens when apples are scarce or prohibitively expensive, as during the rations of World War II?

You do another all-American thing: find a quick fix! During those war years, that fix was making a mock "apple" pie filled with a slurry of (inexpensive) Ritz crackers, sugar syrup and lemon rind. Ready to throw up in your mouth a little? Well, hold it in, because while not as good as "real" apple pie, it's strangely passable if you close your eyes and think really hard about apples while chewing.

And when we made this pie recently, we decided to go a little further on the mock concept. In celebration of what seems to be a New England-centered (or does it perhaps root from the Midwest?) preference for eating pie with a wedge of sharp cheddar, we made our mock pie using cheese-sandwich Ritz crackers. Here's a shot of it in progress (before adding the sugar syrup and top crust):

So how did this concoction taste?

Well. It smelled amazing while baking and once out of the oven.  The crust was tantalizing. Taste-wise, however, this regional specialty didn't really translate to the chemical counterpart. The cheese remained somewhat gravelly in texture and didn't really ooze throughout the way we'd hoped; instead, it remained in grainy, salty, cheesy deposits which acted more like landmines than sweet surprises on the palate.

Of course, perhaps the most insulting part of this story is that living in Washington state, we're currently experiencing a bounty of delicious (real) apples--and next time we'll try to remember the saying of another great american icon Marvin Gaye, "Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby". Because friends don't let friends eat fake pie.

Ritz Mock Apple Pie (from backofthebox.com)

The classic pie, featuring Ritz crackers baked in a golden crust,
is perfect for the holidays.

Pastry for two-crust 9-inch pie
36 RITZ Crackers, coarsely broken (about 1 3/4 cups crumbs) --we used the mini cheese-filled sandwich crackers
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated peel of one lemon
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate. Place
cracker crumbs in prepared crust; set aside.

2. Heat water, sugar and cream of tartar to a boil in saucepan
over high heat; simmer for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and peel;
cool.

3. Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with margarine or butter;
sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry; place over pie.
Trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.

4. Bake at 425 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp
and golden. Cool completely.

Makes 10 servings

Preparation Time: 45 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Cooling Time: 3 hrs.
Total Time: 4 hrs. 15 mins.

Sweet Spot: Dessert Links!

There's a lot of sweet stuff on the internet--but these are some sweet things we've got to share!

It's never too early to get started--get your Christmas greeting cards at cakespyshop.com!

Where in the world is the closest bakery? Contribute by adding your favorites to the Cakespy Bakery Map on Google! We're slowly but surely updating it with places we've visited. If we did this right (fingers crossed) anyone can contribute!

Wanna be the big cheese? Deck yourself out with the cheesecake head.

"Cupcakes" a more popular search term than "financial crisis"...maybe that's what got us into this mess?

Adorable halloween-themed felt cupcakes by Merry Moon Designs.

A reason to go vegan: PETA urges Ben & Jerry's to use human milk.

In Baltimore, a mobile cupcakery emerges with Perfect Cupcakes.

Celebrate Banned Books Week, sweetly, with Haphazard Gourmet Girls.

Sandwich Cookie Smackdown: Not Martha does a taste test with Oreos, Hydrox and Newman-O's.

The Sweet 100

Recently, a website called Very Good Taste started something of an internet fire with a list called "The Omnivore's Hundred", which listed 100 foods which "every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life." We liked the idea, and inspired by the vegan variation on Hannah Kaminsky's site, we thought--why not make our own Sweet 100!? Like the original, our list includes "fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food"--but in our universe, it's all sweet! (In case any of them are foreign to you, links to pictures and recipes are included; also, for any vegans, feel free to go through the list assuming it's a vegan counterpart). How many have you tried? If you'd like, feel free to follow the same guidelines:

1) Copy this list into your site, including the instructions!
2) Bold all of the sweets you've eaten--or make them a different type color.
3) Cross out any of them that you'd never ever eat.

4) Consider anything that is not bold or crossed out your "To Do" List.
5) Optional: Post a comment here linking to your results--or just post a comment letting us know how many you've tried, or what you're going to try next!

1. Red Velvet Cake
2. Princess Torte
3. Whoopie Pie
4. Apple Pie either topped or baked with sharp cheddar
5. Beignet
6. Baklava
7. Black and white cookie
8. Seven Layer Bar (also known as the Magic Bar or Hello Dolly bars)
9. Fried Fruit pie (sometimes called hand pies)
10. Kringle
11. Just-fried (still hot) doughnut
12. Scone with clotted cream
13. Betty, Grunt, Slump, Buckle or Pandowdy
14. Halvah
15. Macarons
16. Banana pudding with nilla wafers
17. Bubble tea (with tapioca "pearls")
18. Dixie Cup
19. Rice Krispie treats
20. Alfajores
21. Blondies
22. Croquembouche
23. Girl Scout cookies
24. Moon cake
25. Candy Apple
26. Baked Alaska
27. Brooklyn Egg Cream
28. Nanaimo bar
29. Baba au rhum
30. King Cake
31. Sachertorte
32. Pavlova
33. Tres Leches Cake
34. Trifle
35. Shoofly Pie
36. Key Lime Pie (made with real key lime)
37. Panna Cotta
38. New York Cheesecake
39. Napoleon / mille-fueille
40. Russian Tea Cake / Mexican Wedding Cake
41. Anzac biscuits
42. Pizzelle
43. Kolache
44. Buckeyes
45. Malasadas
46. Moon Pie
47. Dutch baby
48. Boston Cream Pie
49. Homemade chocolate chip cookies
50. Pralines
51. Gooey butter cake
52. Rusks
53. Daifuku
54. Green tea cake or cookies
55. Cupcakes from a cupcake shop
56. Crème brûlée
57. Some sort of deep fried fair food (twinkie, candy bar, cupcake)
58. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting
59. Jelly Roll
60. Pop Tarts
61. Charlotte Russe
62. An "upside down" dessert (Pineapple upside down cake or Tarte Tatin)
63. Hummingbird Cake
64. Jell-O from a mold
65. Black forest cake
66. Mock Apple Pie (Ritz Cracker Pie)
67. Kulfi
68. Linzer torte
69. Churro
70. Stollen
71. Angel Food Cake
72. Mincemeat pie
73. Concha
74. Opera Cake
75. Sfogliatelle / Lobster tail
76. Pain au chocolat
77. A piece of Gingerbread House
78. Cassata
79. Cannoli
80. Rainbow cookies
81. Religieuse
82. Petits fours
83. Chocolate Souffle
84. Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)
85. Rugelach
86. Hamenstashen
87. Homemade marshmallows
88. Rigo Janci
89. Pie or cake made with candy bar flavors (Snickers pie, Reeses pie, etc)
90. Divinity
91. Coke or Cola cake
92. Gateau Basque
93. S'mores
94. Figgy Pudding
95. Bananas foster or other flaming dessert
96. Joe Froggers
97. Sables
98. Millionaire's Shortbread
99. Animal crackers
100. Basbousa