CakeSpy Undercover: Gelato from Bottega Italiana, Seattle

This is what happiness looks like on a (rare) sunny day in Seattle. It is two scoops of gelato from Bottega Italiana in the Pike Place Market. It is (for me) generally devoured slowly, with a tiny spoon, while leaning against my car, which is illegally parked in the three-minute load zone just outside of this small establishment.

I have an answer prepared if a traffic cop ever comes up and busts me, by the way. It goes something like "the spoon is tiny, dude, this cannot be rushed." I'm pretty sure he or she would not give me a ticket, because this is very sound logic.

Of course, tiny spoon aside, there is another very valid reason why Bottega Italiana gelato ought not be rushed: the stuff is good.

Now, I say this with the slightest tinge of hesitation, because they also specialize in sorbetto, but in my opinion, we (as a human race of dessert lovers) ought not waste too much on sorbetto when gelato is on hand.

Sorbetto (gelato's fruit-based, generally fat-free cousin) is just fine when paired with gelato--for instance, a scoop of raspberry sorbetto with gianduja gelato, or a scoop of strawberry sorbetto paired with rich French Vanilla gelato--but on its own, it's vaguely virtuous and doesn't hold my personal attention for too long.

In my opinion, the real reason to visit the Bottega is the Panna Cotta ("cooked cream") gelato. It's unbelievably smooth, rich, and creamy, and is made even better with a second scoop of something equally rich and creamy--say, hazelnut or gianduja or--if they have it on the day in question--salted caramel gelato. What will happen is this: you will take a taste, you will let it melt on your tongue, you will close your eyes which are already rolling back inside of your skull a little bit, and then you will re-open your eyes to make sure you are getting a good sized scoop with that mini spoon, and you will repeat until your little flower-shaped cup is empty.

And if nobody is looking, you'll tilt that cup skyward so that you can sip the last melty bits when you're nearing the end.

Yup: that is indeed what happiness looks like, sweeties.

Bottega Italiana, various locations (go to the Market one, it's my favorite); online here.

Sweet Giveaway: CakeSpy and Google Places offer a Trophy Cupcakes Giveaway in Seattle

Dudes. Dudettes. If you're in Seattle, you must enter this awesome contest. CakeSpy has partnered up with a big, and totally sweet entity for a giveaway: GOOGLE! You've totally heard of them. And now, it's time for a Google Seattle Cupcake Contest with Cake Spy. This partnership with Google Places is made of fun!

What's better than delicious cupcakes? Delicious FREE cupcakes, of course! That's why Cake Spy is teaming up with Google Places, the new personalized local recommendation engine powered by the reviews of users and their friends! Google wants to give you the opportunity to win a a dozen of custom from Trophy Cupcakes, just for doing what you already do: sharing your opinions on the best cupcakes in Seattle. Here’s how it works:

1.Follow @GoogleSeattle
2. Go to Google.com/Places and select “Start Rating” (you’ll need to create a Google account if you haven’t already). 
3. Fill out this form: http://goo.gl/Lju0t. 
4. Review as many Seattle places (especially cupcake shops!) as you like by 11:59 P.M. on Friday, August 26th. Each review you write will be judged as a new entry.
5. We’ll go through all the reviews you write during the contest period and give them points. The top 5 entrants with the highest number of points will win a box of custom Trophy Cupcakes! 
6. The winner will be notified via email and may collect their prize on Friday, September 2nd at the Trophy Cupcake shop in Wallingford! 

Even if you don't win the contest, there will be lots of fun to be had with Google Places (reviewing and swag!)! We will reward other cool Google swag for people who come close to winning!  

The rules:

- 18 and up only (if you're under 18, I'm sorry you are so youthful! Enjoy it while you can.)
- Full contest rules here. 

Sweetness Overload: Banana Split S'more Whoopie Pies Recipe for Serious Eats

In case you didn't already know it, August 10th is both National S'more Day andNational Banana Split Day.

And in celebration of this momentous day, here's a dessert mash-up which allows you to go above and beyond your civic pastry eating duty: the Banana Split S'more Whoopie Pie. It combines all of the key flavor points of both the banana split and s'mores, but the delivery is a bit of a curveball: cakey banana-marshmallow cookies are lined with chocolate before sandwiching ice cream flecked with graham cracker bits.

Just more proof that if some is good, s'more is better.

Note: Don't like the idea of cold cookies? For an easy variation, sandwich toasted marshmallows or marshmallow fluff between the sandwiches instead of ice cream for a treat that doesn't have to be chilled.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

CakeSpy Undercover: Cake Gumshoe Molly Visits Vinman's Bakery, Ellensburg, WA

CakeSpy Note: This is a summary of Cake Gumshoe Molly Allen's recent visit to Vinman's Bakery, in Ellensburg, WA. Molly is a student at the nearby CWU!

Vinman’s, across the street from the the Central Washington University campus, not only provides sweet and savory treats for Ellensburg residents, but also comfort food for the homesick college student.

On a Saturday morning at Vinman's, the options range from sweet and decadent treats to loaves of bread and foccacias. Vinman’s display holds danishes, croissants, muffins, sticky buns, Nanaimo bars, and even freshly made dog biscuits. Their loaves of bread, stacked behind the counter, included sourdough, wheat, and rosemary olive. 

Unfortunately, in sampling their treats, I had to choose wisely; on a college budget, one has to declare limits.

Right away I knew I wanted a bear claw. Bakeries often attempt to shape the dough, which then results in a semi-circle that only somewhat resembles the shape of a claw. Never have I seen a bakery offer this treat with the same shape definition as Vinman's does. Topped with a thin vanilla glaze and slivered almonds, this treat proved itself. The outer part of the treat was crispy, but not tough. The inside, was light and flaky and full of flavor. Though many bakeries often fill their bear claw treats with custard or a fruit spread, Vinman’s keeps this classic treat simple. Filled with a light almond paste, Vinman’s bear claw was one sweet treat.

Among their other tasty options, Vinman’s offers two types of croissants, one with prosciutto and Asiago cheese, and the other with Gruyére cheese. I chose the one with Gruyére, a satisfying decision on my part. Vinman’s croissants weren’t traditionally shaped in a crescent, as most would see at a bakery. But don’t let the rectangle shape deter you; Vinman’s croissants are the perfect balance of light, buttery pastry and savory cheese. The croissant, a hollow, flaky bread, was lined with Gruyére cheese, a sweet and salty cheese.

The lemon bars, stacked and displayed on a pedestal, caught my eye as I made my choices. The bars, consisting of a half inch of pastry crust and a half inch of lemon filling weren’t overly impressive. The ratio between crust and filling wasn’t ideal. Though flavorful and buttery, the crust was dense and overbearing. Many struggle with offering a successful lemon bar filling to their customers, often times the filling can be too sweet or too bland, or too ‘eggy’. Despite the unsatisfactory crust, Vinman’s lemon bar filling was balanced. The lemon was tart and sweet, but not too sweet, and certainly not overpowering. I suppose with this treat, one will just have to weigh the pros and cons.

Lastly, I grabbed a coconut macaroon from the cookie jar. The outside, which was sweet and flaky, tasted perfectly toasted. The inside was smooth and cool, with the perfect amount of coconut for those who love or only sort of like coconut. This macaroon wasn’t too strong or overbearing, and fluffy, as it should be.

Thankfully, since Vinman's is the only local bakery Ellensburg has to offer, I found their treats suitable for another trip in the near future.

Vinman’s Bakery is located at 700 E. University Way in Ellensburg, WA. Online here.

Haute Chocolate: Historically Accurate Chocolate Elixirs by Kakawa Chocolate House, New Mexico

Photo: Missy Wolf c/o Kakawa Chocolate HouseIt's a funny thing about chocolate.

I like chocolate. I even love chocolate at times. But I will be honest. Once it starts getting discussed in "Fair Trade certified...90% cacao" terms, I kind of zone out. I am not trying to be disrespectful, because I realize that Fair Trade and purity are respectable characteristics of chocolate. But I find myself wondering "when do I get to eat it?".

But even though I admittedly don't "know" chocolate, I know that sometimes a chocolate comes along that kind of makes me hum a little bit like a tuning fork. It's really an interesting sensation. "Chocolate buzz"?

Photo: Kakawa Chocolate HouseAnd recently, I had such an experience with the drinking chocolates by Kakawa Chocolate House of New Mexico.

Called "elixirs" (oh how worldly!), they come in little round cakes that can be melted with water or milk or cream (see how I resisted calling them "balls", though just look at them...), and have an interesting backstory: 

The drinking chocolate elixirs at Kakawa are one of our most famous and popular items. These elixirs are deep, rich drinking chocolates based on recipes we have recreated from historical sources. They have been described as a kind of "time traveling" for thepalette, and range from pre- Colombian drinking chocolate to colonial American drinking chocolate as well as a few of our own inventions.

We first re-created several elixirs based upon the chocolate that was consumed in pre-Colombian
America. These exceptional drinks were reserved for the powerful elite and for special ceremonies (Cortez, for example, drank chocolate with Montezuma when he first arrived in Tenochtitlan). These elixirs are full of intense flavor, highly spiced with a wide variety of native herbs, flowers, and chiles.

and, even further, they appeal to food geeks because they are available in historically accurate bites (or sips): Mesoamerican varieties (unsweetened, like the Aztec Warriors would have imbibed), Historic European varieties (I recently bought SpyMom the Marie-Antoinette era variety; other types include the 1631 Spanish Elixir, based on a recipe from 1631 written by Antonio Colmenero de Ledesma which describes how the Spaniards preferred their chocolate), and a most fascinating 1790s Jeffersonian Elixir, a sort of crossover to what we now consider american hot chocolate, described thusly:

Representative of the historic drinking chocolate of the American colonies from the early 1700s to the mid 1800s. The first chocolate company in America was started by the Walter Baker Co. in Massachusetts in 1765. Thomas Jefferson loved chocolate and consumed it at Monticello. Due to its expense American drinking chocolate was simplified with less chocolate used. The drink became thinner and sweeter then European chocolate. Modern American hot chocolate is a direct descendant of this historic evolution. 

There are also "Contemporary" versions, and while delightful, weren't quite as compelling to this spy in terms of doing the whole "tasting time travel" thing. 

So, we've established that this drinking chocolate is interesting. But how does it taste?

The Mesoamerican varieties are compelling: deep and dark, and spicy--but to American hot chocolate drinkers, these are going to taste...well, maybe strange. For one thing, most of them are unsweetened. They're more like an espresso or turkish coffee--with a different, richer taste--and they will give you a powerful energy kick, but they're definitely not like the creamy variety at Cafe Angelina, for instance. So while I loved trying them for historical perspective, I don't think they're going to become part of my regular rotation. 

For me, the favored varieties were the European ones--especially the 1631 Spanish variety and the Jeffersonian one. Both were accessible to my sweet-starved palate, but still dark and complex enough that you could see how the transition was made from the unsweetened varieties to the sweeter American style. But they were still dark and slightly bitter, so there is no mistaking these for, say, hot chocolate from 7-11.

One thing was true for all of the varieties, though: with such a concentrated, pure chocolate flavor, it is impossible to drink these "elixirs" without getting a total buzz afterward. Maybe that's why the Aztecs dug it so much?

Moreover though, what is clear is that Kakawa Chocolates is passionate not only about what they are doing, but about preserving the history of chocolate and educating their consumers.

And that, friends, is totally sweet.

Shop on the Kakawa site for elixirs as well as confections, truffles, and caramels. They're online here and on facebook here.

Sweetly Intoxicating: CakeSpy Illustrations for Svedka Vodka

Are those Michael Jackson impersonator cupcakes? Read on...I've done a lot of interesting cupcake illustrations in my life.

I've done illustrations to go along with a marriage proposal. I've done illustrations of cupcakes in their underwear, eating soup and watching Dawson's Creek. I've illustrated a cupcake crime scene. I've explored cupcakes learning about the birds and the bees.

And now, I've done a series of cupcake illustrations for a vodka company. I'm totally serious. Not long ago, I was contacted by Svedka Vodka about being part of their "Walk of Shame" ad campaign, which focuses on the crazy and (well, sometimes dumb!) stuff people do while...er...imbibing. "You do know that I do illustrations of cupcakes, don't you?" I asked. Yes, they did. And they wanted me to illustrate some of the crazy stories coming in from the campaign...but in cupcake form.

Well, that sounded like fun. So I did it! Here's my work.

First: BIG WORM, pictured at the top of this post. The tale is as follows:

My friends and I went to a dive bar one night. Imagine my surprise when the place was randomly jam packed with Michael Jackson impersonators... Feeling more confident than usual, I decided to break into the center of what seemed to be 'a dance off'. The pressure was intense and the first move that came to mind was the WORM. Without hesitation and without holding anything back I went for it! Except, I attempted it feet first, and that didn't end well. Feet first didn't work so well, & I landed face first on the dance floor. Next thing I know, I'm getting helped out of the bar by bouncers and all I could hear/see was a sea of Michael Jackson lookalikes chanting 'Big Worm, Big Worm'... I had to go to work right after 'the incident.' After my coworkers harassed me for wearing sunglasses while working, I finally took them off and told them the story. They gave me a round of applause and dubbed me 'Big Worm.' That story will forever be logged in my personal log of shame.

Second, a tale of Vegas debauchery; here is the video-story, and here's my illustration version:

Third, a little ditty about "Fire Island the Next Day", which goes like this:

What do you wake up to after a double birthday party on Fire Island with a hundred of your closest friends... a pool swimming with empty bottles of Svedka among other things. ;)

...and here's the illustration:Fourth, a tale about being locked in a club overnight; here's the video-story, and here's my illustration:

...but wait, there's more! Fifth, a tale from a Facebook commenter:

I had a crush on a skater girl in 5th grade. I walked her home - she asked if I wanted to try her ramp (no wait you don't have to). I tipped the board off the lip and rolled down like a bag of potatoes. I held my composer with a shaky chin long enough to say goodby - she tried not to laugh. I cried my way like a newborn all the way back home... it's funny now. :)

and my illustration:

and sixth, this tale, also from Facebook:

Sleeping over at my once "crazy summers flings" (now fiances) house on a weeknight. I had never met any of his family and I figured everyone would be goned to work and school by 9... I headed down the steps in my t-shirt and panties no bra to get a drink only to find his little sister and mom sitting at the kitchen table! His sister stayed home sick and his mom to take care of her. I never ran so fast up the stairs ever! I didn't come out of his room till his mom took his sister to the doctor. LOL

...and my illustration:

...and finally, one of my favorite stories:

I had a heavy metal fiesta party. My roommate managed to break her foot and needed me to take her to the hospital the morning after. I take her in my full heavy metal fiesta costumed glory, and it wasn't until we left that I realized I had been in the waiting room with remnants of a pirate pinata on me and a fake tattoo that said "Nacho" in Old English smeared off on the side of my face.

...and here's my illustration:

Thanks to Svedka and their Walk of Shame campaign for including me!

Ask CakeSpy: Clever Baking Business Name?

Dear CakeSpy,

May I start by saying how much I LOVE reading your blog! It does however make me very envious of the deliciously calorific treats that you have on offer over in the US! I am a Food Technology teacher in the UK (in fact as I write this I have 20 or so 12 year-olds designing the most Willy Wonka style cakes possible!) and baking is my ultimate passion! I have a 6 week summer holiday coming up and I plan to start a cake stall at my local farmers market and craft/vintage fairs. I have my macaron, cupcake, pecan pie and carrot cake recipes down to a T (even if I say so myself!) however I'm struggling with how to come up with an imaginative nameand/or logo. Was just wondering if you had any tips for a newbie?!!

Love,

Nameless Baker

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Dear Nameless Baker,

I have thoughts on this. Ready? Let's go.

Please indicate that you are a baking business. It will make you easier to find and it will make it easier for people to know what you do. This doesn't have to be as cut and dry as calling your business "(your name here) Bakery", but, for instance, if you call your business "Acorn", and I try to Google it, it is going to be very hard to find your baking business. 

Don't be cookie-cutter. As Carrie of Bella Cupcake Couture said, "I believe in being creative, having a one of a kind name (no copies), think of the brand you want to portray and test out on friends and potential clients." Her business does this well; it indicates a boutique, cupcake-related product, is unique but not too strange or hard to pronounce, and allows her to add other related products to her line without having to alter her mission statement or company name.

Family Names are Always Safe, if sometimes boring. Freedman's Bakery, Olsen's Bakery, DelPonte's Bakery, et cetera. They get the job done. Of course, the cool factor is upped if you also have a cool name: case in point, Molly Moon's Ice Cream. Molly Moon is the owner's actual name.

Be Punny...sometimes. Personally, I love when a business name is also a clever pun. Some are not as much fans--one reader said "It gets stale fast"...but I tend to think that Jill Lightner of Edible Seattle said it best: "avoid puns that will be embarrassing every time you answer the phone."

You can be cute, but please don't be cutesy. As one responder said when I asked about this important subject on Twitter, "please don't replace the letter "s" with the letter "z" when referring to cakes and cupcakes. Just a little pet peeve of mine. I know it's supposed to be "kute", but it's really not."

Consider Shock Value, but Beware the Consequences. Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and Kickass Cupcakes are examples of this--the names will get attention. Just be sure you have a great product to back it up, because there will be haters on names like these.

OK, but this having been said, I also have a few observations on some trends that seem to work.

Magic Formula: Object + Product = Business name! With most things in life, there is no magic formula. However, with naming bakeries, there are some. Examples: Victrola Coffee, Rocket Donuts, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Bluebird Ice Cream, etc.

Variations: Can substitute Geographical Indication + Product (Charm City Cakes, Pearl Bakery, North Hill Bakery) , or Flower Name + The Word Bakery (Magnolia Bakery, Dahlia Bakery, Sweet Pea Bakery)

Choose a word that has to do with the end product. Flour Bakery, Butter Bakery, Sugar Bakery, and Wooden Spoon Bakery are all cute bakery names (that are, sadly, taken), but you might be able to take inspiration from your tools of the trade.

Allow yourself room to grow. I remember, growing up, there was a business in New Jersey called "Just Coats". Well, after a couple of years they realized that to have a year-round business model, they would have to rethink, and their sign was awkwardly altered to say "Just Coats 'n Swimwear". So, if you have a cupcake business, say, don't be afraid to reflect that in your business title, but consider something like local business Trophy Cupcakes, which is officially branded "Trophy Cupcakes & Party" - they have some freedom to branch out into events and the like while still having a very specific, targeted product.

As for the logo? When it comes to the logo, I tend to think that simple works best--think of how recognizable the Target bullseye is--they don't even have to put the name of their store in their ads anymore. Simple line images that are easy to reproduce on t-shirts, tote bags, and business cards will serve you well. DO hire a graphic designer, and a good one--it is worth it.

Oh, and most importantly: Never Use Comic Sans. Unless you're a kindergarten teacher, this typestyle is never the answer.

Love, CakeSpy

P.S. Readers, please share your thoughts!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Best. Video. Ever. Thanks for sharing, Haute Cocktail!

OMG! OMG! Confetti Cake Pop-Tarts.

Bakery I wanna visit: Lochel's Bakery, PA. They have a cannoli cake on the menu, people.

Sweet: dessert plates by Rosanna pair with Seattle desserts quite nicely.

Cupcakes with a serious kick, from Hungry in Brooklyn.

Watch out, seagull: a bakery gets a bouncer to keep away seagulls.

Do the Dew: Mountain Dew Cake!?

ButterGirl Baking Co.: can I be part of the club?

Want to party? Summer patio party at Bredenbeck's, where the new patio is finished! They are also the makers of the sweet cupcakes pictured above.

Sweet! A very cute and sweet birthday wish from Cupcakes Take the Cake.

Glazed and confused: Cupcake glazes, and how to attain the pretty look.

Peanut butter and...honeycomb? A most delicious-sounding pie from Bon Appetit.

Brownies stuffed with caramel? Yes please.

Candy Catering: Ricky's of Red Bank, NJ offers Candy Buffets.

Sweet Reading: Cookies and Cream Scones Recipe and a Giveaway for The Secret Ingredient by Laura Schaefer

Reading is totally sweet. We all know that. But novels are even sweeter when they involve baking recipes! A few years ago, I was charmed by Laura Shaefer's young adult novel The Teashop Girls, about three friends who are trying to save the main character's grandmother's tea shop in Madison, WI; now, there's a follow-up novel entitled The Secret Ingredient, which is a sweet but not saccharine continuation of the tale of Annie and her friends growing up and learning their place in the world--this time centering around a scone-making blogging competition.

So, they're super cute books for young girls to read, but happily, Paula Wiseman books has offered a copy of The Secret Ingredient for giveaway! Just add a comment to this post (or comment on the CakeSpy facebook page) with your favorite type of scone. 

and--bonus! Here's a recipe for one of the scones from the book.

Cookies and Cream Scones

Adapted from The Secret Ingredient

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup chopped sandwich cookies (I used about 8 coarsely chopped berry oreos, because they were pink in the middle)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup milk

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together first; cut in the butter. Stir in the beaten egg and the cookie pieces. 
3. Slowly add the buttermilk to form a thick dough. Knead the dough on a board, roll to a 1-inch thickness, and cut the dough into 2-inch rounds or triangles.
4. Place each piece on a greased cookie sheet and brush the tops with the milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Gimme S'more: S'more Pop-Tart S'mores Recipe

I'm just going to come out and say it: I am no stranger to S'more brilliance. After all, I am the inventor of the mystical and magical S'moreo (S'mores made using oreos).

And I do own this t-shirt (thanks Nicole):

But if you're seeking extreme S'more Flavor Overload, have I ever got a new sweet treat for you: S'more Pop-Tart S'mores. If you suspect that this masterpiece is comprised of s'mores made using S'more Pop-Tarts instead of graham crackers, you suspect correctly.

If your impulse is to protest "too much!", I must gently correct you: "just enough". The usual S'more is bookended by even more S'more, in this case deliciously gooey Pop-Tart form. Really, what you've got is cold, hard (or is that soft, gooey?) proof that if some is good, s'more is better.

S'more Pop-Tart S'mores

Makes one (easily duplicated)

• 1 S'mores Pop-Tart, lightly toasted (not all the way toasted; it will finish toasting with the rest of the ingredients) and sliced in half
• 1 or 2 jumbo marshmallows
• 6 squares from a Hershey's Chocolate bar
• 1 square, about 4 by 4 inches, of aluminum foil 

Procedure 

1. Place one side of the pop-tart, frosted side down, on the foil. 
2. Lay the chocolate squares on top, and then the marshmallows (or single marshmallow, torn in half) on top of the chocolate. Add the second half of the Pop-Tart on top, frosted side up.
3. Place in the toaster oven over medium heat for 1-3 minutes, until the edges of the pop-tart and marshmallows are are browned and the chocolate is looking melty on the sides. Remove carefully.

This can also be done in the microwave (don't use the foil!); place the ingredients on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 15 seconds.