Seeking Sweetness: Ice Cream Social Cake from Bredenbeck's, Philadelphia

CakeSpy Note: if you follow me on facebook or Twitter, you probably know I'm partial to observing (and sometimes adding) sweetness in the natural world and urban landscape. Here's where I post a daily feel-good photo or image, for no particular reason other than to showcase these sweet little nothings, in hopes that they'll make you smile.

This is a sweet cake by Bredenbeck's in Philadelphia--what a sweet ice cream themed treat! Don't you just want to live in this cake?

Oh, and PS, did I mention Bredenbeck's will be a stop on my book tour?

CakeSpy is Four Years Old Today

Dear Sweet Readers,

Hey, CakeSpy-Jessie here. I would like to inform you that I am writing you a little love-note right now. Why, exactly?

Well, today is August 1, 2011. And believe it or not, it was on this day four years ago that I made my first CakeSpy posting. It's true. People that I know, in the duration of CakeSpy's life, have met their soul-mates, gotten married and have had babies. Babies that can now walk and talk and stuff! Like, whoa. Well, I gots no baby, but I thought I would take a few moments to reflect on my sweet little blog-baby's life.

August 2007: I remember clicking "Publish" and then eagerly re-opening the site to see..."Did it publish?". Yes, it had. My first posting was about a company that I don't think exists anymore, that made cupcakes in mason jars. I thought that was the awesomest thing ever (I still think it's a pretty awesome idea).

November 2007: I opened my Etsy store (it's no longer my primary webstore, but it is still there). I opened my store on Thanksgiving I believe, and received my first order a few days later. I remember looking at it in amazement, and thinking "I don't know this person! Someone I don't know has ordered my artwork!".

Also around this time, I received my first "Big" press--from the website Serious Eats! I remember almost fainting because it was (and pretty much still is) my favorite foodie site.

Around this time too, I learn, a little late in the blog game, that I can actually see how many people visit my site every day. I saw that one day, like 400 people had visited it! I was like, "Who are you people?". I try not to focus too much on numbers, but I am pretty sure more people than that visit my site daily now.

2008: Orders started picking up on my online store, and I began to get more and more commissions. I decided to take a scary step: to quit my day job (as an art director/product manager at a refrigerator magnet company...no, really). Well, my kind bosses talked me into cutting down to part time, and that's what I ended up doing, but by mid-2008, I had made the leap and turned CakeSpy into an LLC. I was a small business owner and on my own! OMG!

In 2008, something amazing happened to my friend Bakerella, too. She was featured on Martha Stewart and became an Official Big Deal. And - believe it or not, because of the very fact that I was linked to on her website, I received the sweetest kind of ripple-success: turns out her readers liked my artwork too, and a lot of them ordered my artwork. I am forever thankful to her--and them! We are all united in sweetness.

I was also invited to become a contributor to Taste Of Home, which I credit my friend Sandy for. It was a great artistic opportunity and I continue to do work for them!

In 2008, I also had a sweet little 1-year birthday party for my site at Cupcake Royale. At it, I met a lot of awesome people, including Peabody who continues to be a baking idol to me, and Carrie Middlemiss, who at the time was working at WAMU but wanted a career change and wanted it to somehow involve cupcakes. Not long after, she started a business called Bella Cupcake Couture. Look at her now!

This year, I also started doing a bunch of product production and started doing more art shows. This has since become a big part of my business. 

2009: I am asked to become a recipe contributor to Serious Eats. OMG! I was very nervous about this because I didn't consider myself a professional baker, but they dug my "let's have fun in the kitchen" vibe and it turns out that this gig has helped me in so many ways and has helped me become a more adept (if still not very professional) baker!

I also did a personal favorite post in 2009, which is featured on The Kitchn: a lifetime history of the chocolate chip cookie.

2010: Early in the year, a local gallery in Seattle announced that they wanted to sell because the owners were having a baby. I thought "why not make that into my CakeSpy HQ and sell my artwork there?". After all, I was starting to become a little strange working from home, I thought. So in early 2010, I took on an art gallery / retail shop, CakeSpy Shop, in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The grand opening party was possibly the most epic evening of my life.

I also got to do my first bakery bathroom mural, in Minneapolis. Try saying that five times fast.

Now it's time for a slightly silly story. In the summer of 2010, I was really busy, and a little overwhelmed with all I was doing (writing, baking, artwork, etc.) -- and I actually forgot how old I was. I am totally not kidding. My birthday is on August 26. I was born in 1981. Last August, for some reason, I thought I was turning 30. I had a small mental breakdown about it. I started whining about all of the things I thought I would have done by 30. "I thought I would have a book by 30" I whined. I actually said this phrase.

But then, something miraculous happened. I realized I wasn't turning 30, I was turning 29. The reaction was twofold: RELIEF! I was still young! But also: PANIC! Why didn't I know how old I was anymore?

Photo: Gluten-Free GirlAnd so at this point, I took on a part-time store helper so I could have more time to focus on art and writing, things that were sometimes hard to work on at the store. And in winter of 2010, I got a book deal. I remember the day I signed the paperwork, because I went to bake cake pops with Megan of Not Martha and Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl. These ladies are Bona Fide internet celebrities, in case you didn't know. Shauna joked "When will you get a book deal, Jessie?". And I said, "actually...today." It was the strangest and most beautiful moment. 

And now, my blog-baby is having its birthday, and later on this month, I have my birthday, too. I will be turning 30. And just this week, I received the advance copy of my book, CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life . I can now hold it in my hands, even if it won't be in stores til September/October. It's so weird. Weird, but awesome. I can't imagine a sweeter birthday present for me, or for my site.

So thank you, dear readers. Because none of these amazing adventures would have happened without your love, support, and voracious appetite for more sweetness.

Fond(ant)ly,

Your Dear CakeSpy. 

Batter Chatter: Interview with Cyndy of Stanwood Cupcakes, WA

Images c/o Stanwood CupcakesCupcakes truly are taking over the world. The trend of cupcakeries that started in cities is continuing to spread in the suburbs and smaller towns, with continued success; one such establishment is Stanwood Cupcakes in Washington. I recently caught up with owner Cyndy for some sweet talk about her business:

To break the ice: tell me. What is the last amazing dessert or baked good you ate? It was a crème brulee that had been made just perfectly with the top torched and just a dollop of whipped cream on top. I'm a sucker for the creamy desserts!

Stanwood Cupcakes. Tell me baby, what's your story? About 2 years ago I became aware of the growing interest in a couple of cupcake shops in Seattle. I began to follow their growth and I started to have cupcakes delivered to my Seattle friends for celebrations. A year ago, my husband and I took a car trip to Ashland Oregon and decided to stop at every cupcake store on the way back to Stanwood that showed up on our GPS. We tried a cupcake at over 15 different cupcake shops on that trip. Last summer, all the right things happened for us to get into the business ourselves. I started to overwhelm my neighbors with cupcake samples and got great feedback on the good and bad of my cupcakes. After loads of paperwork, lots of equipment orders and hundreds of cupcake bakings, my husband and I opened our shop in October of 2010. We believed that Stanwood needed a happy place to drop in for a cupcake, cookie or hand-dipped ice cream and we're glad that we created just that place.

(CakeSpy Note: P.S. here are a few shots of Cyndy and her husband David...one from 1968 and one from since opening the cupcake shop! Which one is sweeter?!? I can't say!)

What is your most popular flavor right now? Our most frequently purchased cupcake right now is the S'mores. Graham cracker crust, chocolate cake filled with marshmallow frosting, topped with a swirl of ganache, a pile of marshmallow frosting, a sprinkle of graham craker crust and finally a square of chocolate.

What made you decide to take the jump to opening a retail storefront? My husband and I were both available to put all our time into our shop and the timing was right!

Are you professionally trained or self taught as a baker? I am a self taught baker pulling lots of guidance and tips from being a food network junkie. When I watch the food network, I pretty much go into a zombie mode, shutting out the world around me, taking in all the techniques and recipes.

Describe a "perfect" cupcake to me. A perfect cupcake is moist, flavorful, well balanced with frosting to cake ratio and appealing to the eye.

I've never sampled Cascade Glacier ice cream, but it's your house brand of ice cream. What makes it cream of the crop? We sampled several local brands to ice cream looking for creaminess, incredible flavor and that refreshing uplift that should come with ice cream. Cascade Glacier, from the Oregon Ice Cream Company, got our highest marks all around. It never lets you down.

Some people like to say that cupcakes are "so over". What is your response? Cupcakes are "new" to Stanwood and our goal is to help Stanwood and Camano Island residents learn the delightful joys of cupcakes.

In your opinion, what is the ideal cake-to-frosting ratio for a cupcake? For most cupcakes, the best ration for cake-to-frosting is 2/3rds to 1/3rd.

I didn't fail to notice that there is a "Cyndy's Famous" chocolate chip cookie on the menu. What makes these cookies so special? As a kid, I started making these same chocolate chip cookies and have raised 3 kids on them. At every church and school function, they were always a hit and neighbors and visiting children always asked for more. My son was amazed and delighted to see these cookies featured at our shop.

For more information, visit stanwoodcupcakes.com

Good Eatin': Eton Mess Recipe for Serious Eats

Eton Mess. Its name suggests disarray, but rest assured, the delicious factor with this chilled dessert is in very good order.

Sort of like the love child of Pavlova and Trifle, this confection, consisting of crushed meringue cookies, freshly whipped cream and sugar-coated berries (usually strawberries) takes its name from the venerable Eton College, where it is traditionally served at the school's annual cricket game against Winchester College.

It's wonderfully easy to prepare, and is very open to improvisation: not mad for meringues? Try it with ladyfingers or crushed Nilla wafers instead. Not starry-eyed for strawberries? Substitute blackberries, blueberries, or a mix of your favorite fruits in equal quantities.

Note: I got the charming idea of serving this sweet treat in half-pint mason jars from a restaurant in Seattle called Smith, where chef Chris Howell serves Eton Mess in this method, using a rotating roster of fresh berries.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Cake Byte: Cupcake Royale Debuts August Flavors

Happy August! Keep it sweet with Cupcake Royale's new roster of flavors for this month:

Blackberry Buckle

Rumor has it that upon tasting this new flavor, one of our employees actually teared up. A blackberry cake topped with a blackberry whipped cream frosting is finished with a cinnamon streusel crunch. We can't guarantee that it'll make you cry with delicious happiness, but let's just say that we wouldn't judge you if it did.

Double Chocolate Raspberry

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. First, your tart raspberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips, gently folded into a tasty vanilla cake. Second, how you are topped with a fluffy, white chocolate buttercream frosting and garnished with a fresh raspberry and chocolate curls. It all adds up to a double dose of sweetness with just a hint of tart. Delicious with a latte!

...and for those of you who missed July's Strawberry flavors, you're in luck: the Strawberry Shortcake is sticking around! As they say:

There's no way around it, Strawberry Shortcake was this year's favorite Strawberry Festival flavor! We heard from you on Twitter(follow us!) and Facebook (like us!) and in the cafes. We totally get it especially since we've had more than our fair share of them ourselves. The light, strawberry-flavored whipped cream frosting ringed in graham cracker crumbs goes perfectly with the sweet strawberry-infused vanilla cake. Not carrying it over would have been cruel.

...but wait, there's yet MORE! Per the Cupcake Royale facebook page, there's also a special Peach Cupcake...but you won't find it at their cafes!

Welcome back, Peach cupcakes! Beginning August 1, our Peach cupcakes will be available exclusively at all 6 Metropolitan Market locations. And we mean exclusive - these aren't even available in our cafes. Swing by Metropolitan Market to pick some up. Our seasonal Peach cupcakes start with a delicious vanilla buttercake which is filled with luscious diced peaches and then topped with peach vanilla buttercream. A sweet and simple summer highlight!

Stay updated via cupcakeroyale.com!

Cake Byte: Blueberry Pie Cupcakes for August at Trophy Cupcakes

August rules, yo. For many reasons (my birthday, for instance), but this year, one highlight in Seattle is Trophy Cupcakes' announcement that they are now offering Blueberry Pie Cupcakes. Per their newsletter:

It’s the height of the farm market season and Trophy Cupcakes and Party has added their Blueberry Pie cupcakes to its lineup of seasonal-inspired confections. Made with Skagit Valley’s own Hayton Farms organic blueberries, Trophy’s classic vanilla cupcake sits atop a buttery pie crust and is filled with luscious house-made blueberry pie filling. The cake is topped with a swirl of vanilla bean buttercream, a fresh blueberry and a wedge of pie crust.           

“Our Blueberry Pie cupcake is an amazing cake-pie hybrid confection,” said Trophy Cupcakes and Party owner Jennifer Shea. “It truly contains the most delicious parts of two traditional treats, blueberry pie and vanilla cake. From the buttery, flaky pie crust to the moist vanilla cake and farmer’s market blueberry filling; the combinations of flavors equal dessert heaven.”

Blueberry Pie cupcakes will only be available at Trophy Cupcakes and Party retail locations at Wallingford Center, University Village and The Bravern through the month of August. To order our Blueberry Pie cupcakes, please call 206.632.7020 or visit trophycupcakes.com for more information.