Baked, Not Fried: Bakedbars from Brooklyn

“Some say our bakedbar is a dangerous addiction.”

This disclaimer appears right on the website of Baked, a Brooklyn-based bakery. To some, this might seem foreboding, and perhaps it should. While technically the bakedbar can be defined (a graham crusted bar topped with layers of coconut, chocolate, condensed milk, walnuts and butterscotch), we cannot explain the certain something they possess that makes you wonder just how many you can cram in your mouth, and how quickly, before you’ll regret it. Certainly the secret must lie somewhere in those six dense, dreamy, creamy-meets-crunchy layers, but exactly where is uncertain.

Luckily, you’ll have no problem devoting yourself to research like this.

Cakespy Note: While rumor has it that the story behind the bakedbar will be revealed in the Baked Cookbook, due out in 2008, even non-Brooklynites can get sweet gratification: the bakedbar is available for shipping all over the US on their website, as well as a small but good selection of cakes, cookies, brownies, and even homemade marshmallows.

Available online at bakednyc.com, or at their storefront, located at 359 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn; (718) 222-0345.

Cake Byte: Hey, Cupcake! in Austin, TX

Has it all been done before? At Cakespy, we like to think not, and like to consider ourselves poised to be amazed by feats of baking. That's why we were delighted hear about Hey, Cupcake! through Cake Gumshoe Erin.

Hey, Cupcake! combines all the best things that hipsterdom has to offer: cheap ($2) cupcakes, an Airstream trailer, and a cute 29-year old guy baking and selling them in small batches in a convection oven.

And what could make us love the proprietor, Wes Hurt, even more? As he's quoted as saying in an article in News 8 Austin, "No shortening. We use good old butter. There’s nothing low calorie about cupcakes."

Swoon.

For more information, visit heycupcakaaustin.com.

Cakespy Note: There's also a very nice writeup on Hey, Cupcake! on one of our favorite blogs; click here to read it: cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com.

Batter Chatter: Interview with Evan of Evan's Kitchen Ramblings

Ever felt like maybe you were destined to live another life? One of intrigue and glamour perhaps? Well, quit whining--unless that is you're Evan, authoress of Evan's Kitchen Ramblings and amazing French Patissier...who just so happens to live in Singapore and has never set foot in France. Incroyable; clearly she belongs at a Parisian patisserie. After coming across her work through her amazing Flickr page, Cakespy swiftly set out to get the full scoop behind her work; here's what we learned via e-mail interview: 

Cakespy: We can't believe you've never attended culinary school! How did you get started as a baker?

Evan's Kitchen Ramblings: I've always been fascinated about cooking (especially baking) since I was young, despite (the fact that) I didn't watch my mother or grandmother cook often. Guess it's an in-born interest. I've also been collecting cookbooks since I was seventeen. And after purchasing an oven almost two years ago, there was no turning back. I've been baking almost daily since then.

CS: How do you sell your pastries? By special order only, or through bakeries?

EKR: I post up some of the stuff I'm selling on my blog, and people who are interested simply email me for orders. I've actually done a site solely dedicated to this little business of mine but it hasn't been launched yet.

CS: Do you make your living by baking, or do you have another job?
EKR: I don't have another job. Am concentrating on my baking business fully.

CS: What is your most popular special-order item?

EKR: Since I've only put up macaroons and cupcakes for sale, these are the two items which are available for ordering. In terms of flavors, chocolate and matcha green tea macaroons and carrot walnut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are the most sought-after flavors.

CS: What is your favorite type of dessert?
EKR: Cheesecakes, as well as French gateaux and entremets. Love the dense creamy texture in baked cheesecakes, and the play on different layer textures & exquisite ingredients like raspberries, hazelnuts and pistachios in French entremets.

CS: How often do you eat dessert?
EKR: It's not a must to have dessert, but I keep ice-cream and frozen yoghurt/sorbets at home just in case I have a craving for something sweet (which is just about all the time!). And if I have some free time on hand, I'll whip up something indulgent like a tiramisu, panna cotta or creme brulee.

CS: What is your favorite beverage to accompany dessert?
EKR: Earl Grey, Cafe mocha or a Frappuccino Venti. Plus a glass of iced water to clear the palate. 

CS: You're based in Singapore…what type of pastries or desserts are popular in Singapore right now?
EKR: Macaroons are getting popular, as well as cupcakes, which seem like an eternal favorite!

CS: Red Velvet cupcakes are all the rage in the USA right now. Are they popular in Singapore?
EKR: I don't think so. I haven't seen any bakeries selling red velvet cakes yet.

CS: What are some of your favorite cookbooks?
EKR: Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, Modern Classics 2 by Donna Hay and Simply Sensational Desserts by Francois Payard. I also love food magazines and publications like delicious., Donna Hay Magazine and Martha Stewart Living.  

CS: Your macaroons are simply gorgeous. Are they inspired by Laduree in Paris?
EKR: Actually, they're inspired by the 'picasso of pastry' - Pierre Herme. But of course macaroons by Laduree, Gerard Mulot, Fauchon, Jean-Paul Hevin and Lenotre are the ones on the must-try list if I ever visit Paris one day!  

CS: What exactly is a mooncake?
EKR: Mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. A thick filling usually made from lotus paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. Newer varieties like snow skin/ice crust mooncakes are also very popular among the younger people.

CS: Do you have any favorite recipes you could share with us?
EKR: You may refer to my blog for recipes. All recipes I've posted are tried and tested from my own kitchen. I've made sure they're delicious and worth giving a try before posting them up to share.

CS: Do you have any goals for the future with your baking?

EKR: I'm constantly trying to come up with special bakes that are not easily available elsewhere instead of the usual muffins, brownies and cookies. I love to challenge myself with new bakes and recipes so that's kinda...my goal, both immediate and for the future.

CS: Do you have any tips for bakers just starting out?

EKR: Start slow and small, and do not be overly ambitious. It takes a lot to set up a business due to the fierce competition from both online (home bakers selling their bakes) and...commercial bakeries / patisseries / cafes. Word of mouth is also very important at this point in time, since you would definitely want customers to return or to recommend their friends and family. So, it's important to churn out quality bakes. Inexpensive publicity that you can give yourself would be to bring your bakes to gatherings, functions and parties. This way, you can appeal to a wider...crowd, of which some might be potential customers.

To check out Evan's excellent pastry photos, visit flickr.com/photos/bossacafez. 

For more information or to see Evan's recipes, visit bossacafez.blogspot.com.

Photo credit goes to Evan with thanks.

Sweet Loafing: Cinnamon Bread by the Holland American Bakery

Breakfast time is like a masquerade ball for baked goods; many of the best morning-desserts hide under unassuming and vaguely healthy-sounding names. Take granola--actually oatmeal cookies in cereal form. And muffins? Not always, but frequently, they're cupcakes without frosting. But certainly the closest to our hearts is Holland American Bakery's cinnamon "bread", which is certainly a close cousin to cake.

This cinnamon bread was actually the discovery of one of our spies' ex boyfriends: his family would stockpile loaves whenever passing by this gem of a bakery in Northern New Jersey, which has quietly been serving up Dutch-style treats since the 1950s. The relationship didn't work out, but sometimes you have to take the sour with the sweet, right? And how sweet this bread is: with gooey pockets of buttery cinnamon and a dense, cakey texture, it's pure heaven toasted with a pat of butter, and we daresay that it wouldn't taste bad with an icing glaze or bit of cake frosting either.

Now this is the kind of love that lasts.

Cakespy Note: The Holland American Bakery is based in NJ, but non Garden Staters rejoice: they will ship anywhere in the US. And--get this--it's only $3.10 per generous loaf.

Available at Holland American Bakery, 246 Rte. 23, Sussex, NJ; also available online at hollandamericanbakery.com.

So Corny: Vegan Candy Corn by Propamanda

Don't mess with Jersey. There have been some great things that come from the Garden State: tomatoes, Bon Jovi, Pork Roll. And now to be added to that roster is Vegan Candy Corn by Garden-state based Vegan Propamanda.

Now, we're not vegan at Cakespy, but these slab-cut, extra-large candy corn pieces seemed to transcend labels of that sort and we just fell in love with them. And the results were very rewarding: they were chewy, sugary and vaguely reminiscent of vanilla tootsie rolls, but without that waxy aftertaste. Vegan Propamanda's head baker Amanda Sacco tells us the recipe is inspired by the vegan candy corn recipe by The Urban Housewife, but with some small tweaks. And we certainly trust her baking judgment: Amanda has tested vegan recipes before cookbook publication for the likes of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, Lauren Ulm and Joanna Vaught.

But watch out: her wares sell like hotcakes (dairy free of course) from her online shop, but we're sure that if you send her a message through etsy she'd accommodate your order.

Available at asacco9642.etsy.com.

Sweet on You: Pumpkin Truffles by Sweet On Chocolate in Syracuse

Lucky Danny: He said “See ya” and went off to live the dream by going on tour with his band Speaker Speaker. However, he’s redeemed himself (somewhat) by spying out some excellent sweets on the road. While we will be publishing a full update of what he ate on tour upon his return in November, one find was simply too good to wait: Pumpkin Truffles by Sweet On Chocolate in Syracuse, New York.

Sweet On Chocolate has been making handmade chocolates since 1993, and features a wide variety of hand-dipped chocolates, hand-made truffles, and novelties such as dipped potato chips. While they say the latter is one of their bestsellers, at the moment of truth, Danny went for the pumpkin truffle, perhaps owing to the chill in the October air (or perhaps an employee’s suggestion). The choice was a good one: the dark chocolate shell broke open perfectly, and the consistency of the filling was a soft cascade of chocolatey-pumpkiny-carmelly goodness; an ideal mixture of sweet and savory, and deeply satisfying.

Kind of like Halloween candy all grown up.

Cakespy Note: Although it is not advertised, Sweet On Chocolate will ship orders pretty much nationwide via UPS; however, they will not ship during the warmer months or to warmer climates.

Available at Sweet On Chocolate, 208 Walton Street, Syracuse; online at sweetonchocolate.com (splash page only). To inquire about having chocolates shipped, call (315) 478-0811.

Stay Cool, Be Hot: Oven Mitts and Potholders by Deadly Squire

At Cakespy, we know that using quality ingredients, seeking the best recipes and perfecting your technique are all very important in the path to becoming a great baker. But we know it’s not all about these things.

It’s also about looking totally hot while doing all of the above.

That’s why we were very happy to spy the new collection of oven mitts and potholders by Deadly Squire. Now, this Brooklyn-based design duo is pretty cool to begin with: Anna and Tim Harrington are a painter and punk-rock singer respectively on their own, but together they are both husband and wife and killer housewares designers. As they put it, Deadly Squire embodies a “distinctive design sense, infectious enthusiasm, and a taste for mischief”; we think this reflects nicely in their largely nature-inspired patterns, featuring retro-modern leaf, pod and flower forms in sophisticated palettes with titles like “Feasting at the Berry Bush” or “Groundskeeper’s Cameos”. Their kitchen accessories are beautifully constructed: the mitts are not too-big, which can often be a problem with one size fits all merchandise; the potholders are thick and cushy, guaranteeing that your delicate hands won’t get burned.

Because hot as you are, you’ve got to stay cool.

Available online at deadlysquire.com.

Cake on a Stick: The Cakesicle Pan

Popsicles, cotton candy, corn dogs. Does food on a stick offer the best, or the worst, of the culinary world? Such a tough call.

Finally, something has come along to tip the scale: Cakesicles! Yup—now you can make your own popsicle-shaped mini cakes on sticks, thanks to Norpro’s Cakesicle Pan, which accommodates 8 healthy sized cakes at a time. But the fun really begins after they’re baked: they’re super-fun to decorate; you can put frosting on all sides; and since they’re on a stick, you can eat them while walking. No fork and plate holding you down.

We’d say that food on a stick just got kicked up a notch.

Available online at hearthsong.com, where they’re currently on sale! Hearth Song also has a small selection of decorating items available.

Don't Leaf Me: A Sweet Design Gingerbread Leaf Cookies Debut at Chocolati Stores

The leaves of fall: vibrant and speaking of the fleeting moments of life. Full of beauty; a seasonal poem.

That is, until it starts raining and they’re mucking up gutters and getting slippery, making you slip while walking to work, thus messing up your new “grown up” work outfit and resulting in nasty looks from the boss. Not that we'd know.

Here's a much more rewarding perk of the season: leaf-shaped, chocolate-dipped gingerbread cookies by A Sweet Design. This Seattle-based cookie wholesaler, headed by the friendly Pamela Rose, is known for their wonderful, thick, spicy gingerbread and sugar cookie creations (which are sold in various coffee shops in the area, including Cherry Street Coffee). And happily, they will be debuting their fall gingerbread selections this very week: leaf cookies at Chocolati in Greenwood this Wednesday afternoon, with wrapped cookies to follow next week in all three locations.

No manual labor necessary, and you’ll certainly have no trouble cleaning up this fall treat.

Leaf cookies available starting October 17 at Chocolati in Greenwood (8319 Greenwood Ave. N, near corner of 83rd); wrapped cookies available at all Chocolati stores starting next week; locations online at chocolati.com.

Batter Chatter: Interview with Triy of Cupcake Culture

Some will say that Western Culture has wreaked havoc on Eastern countries: we've given them McDonald's, cowboy boots, Michael Jackson. Owch. But we've also redeemed ourselves a little bit by exporting the cupcake trend, which is just starting to take off in countries like Japan, China and Singapore. Cakespy recently had a chance to talk about cupcakes with Triy, owner of the aptly named Cupcake Culture, a new cupcake catering business located in Singapore. Here's what we learned about cupcakes, dessert, and the best time of day to eat cake: 

Cakespy: How did you get started making cupcakes?

Cupcake Culture: I've always loved baking since young! In fact, when my dad ask me what I would like for a birthday gift, I told him I wanted a hand-held mixer! That's how I fell in love with baking. As for cupcakes, I only started out in recent years and started researching before doing lots of it for a friend's wedding last June.

CS: Can you tell us a little bit more about your business? Do you work by special order only, or do you have a store?

CC: I work by special order only, mostly wedding functions, but occasional smaller orders are OK for me if I'm not already tied up with another order.

CS: How long have you been running your business?

CC: Only 4 months!

CS: What is the most cupcakes you've ever made in one day?

CC: 200 of various flavours.

CS: Do you only make cupcakes, or do you make full-size cakes too?

CC: Cupcakes only, for the moment. But I have one bride who's getting married in September next year who insisted that I do a 2 tier wedding cake for her after seeing the one I did for a dear friend. I'm venturing into that, so be patient with me for the moment please!

CS: Cupcakes are extremely popular in the USA right now; there are many bakeries that ONLY sell cupcakes here. Is it the same in Singapore?

CC: Well, we really do not have many that specialise in cupcakes here, but it's slowly picking up.

CS: What are some of the other popular desserts in Singapore?

CC: Definitely ice-kachang! A delectable mountain of shaved ice, drizzled with coloured sugar syrup, with lots of kidney beans, cubed jelly and palm seeds hidden at the foot of the mountain...YUM!! Others would include red ruby with coconut milk, black glutinous rice, green bean soup...the list goes on! We're lucky to have a huge variety of desserts here in our warm and humid weather.

CS: Where do you get your recipes?

CC: Many online, with trial and error tweaking to get my ultimate recipe..some from my library of recipe books.

CS: Do you have any favorite recipes you'd like to share?

CC: Oops! Trade secret! But I recommend '500 cupcakes' by Fergal Connolly. I love the recipes in it!

CS: What is the most important aspect in making a great cupcake?

CC: I would say thinking of who the receiver of the cupcake is, and making the cupcake just the way so that it would bring a smile to the recipient's face..

CS: What is the most popular flavor that you get orders for?

CC: Definitely my chocolatey chocolate!

CS: What is your favorite cake flavor?

CC: Chocolatey chocolate. Need we say more?

CS: What is the best way to eat a cupcake?

CC: I love mine with a cup of freshly brewed English tea.

CS: What is your favorite food, either sweet or savory (other than cupcakes)?

CC: Oriental stir fried beef strips with onion in brown oyster sauce.

CS: What is the best time of day to eat cupcakes, in your opinion?

CC: Afternoon!

CS: Do you think that cupcakes will ever lose their popularity?

CC: Never! They're so lovable!

CS: What are your future plans for Cupcake Culture?

CC: I started the business by baking with love and passion for a dear couple close to my heart, and that brought a smile to their face. I hope that it can remain that way, that my humble creations will bring a smile to my clients and warm their hearts.

CS: Any tips or words of advice for those starting out a cupcake business?

CC: Bake them with passion, and let your creative juices flow!

For more information, visit cupcakeculture.blogspot.com.