2013 Was Totally Sweet: 50 Amazing and Sweet Things That Happened

 2013, you were better than keen! You were amazingly great and delicious. I traveled a ton, I did a lot, I had a book come out, and I ate, ate, ate sweets.

Here are a mere 50 of the greatest moments of the year...no particular order. 

Upon reviewing after finalizing my list...could 2014 possibly be any better than this amazing year? I hope so, for me and for you, sweeties!

1. My second book came out! The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts!
2. I went on book tour. It was awesome.
3. Why cupcakes are nutritious. Important and relevant, always.
4. Buttermilk drops in New Orleans. They're not munchkins, they're not doughnut holes, they're their own thing.
5. Angelo Brocato in New Orleans. A new beloved.
6. Actually...everything I ate in New Orleans.
7. Whoo's Doughnuts. Especially the pistachio lemon white chocolate variety.
8. Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. Favorite flavor? Banana cajeta. As fun to say as it is to eat.
9. Horrifying but gratifying: Easter candy pie.
10. Crumb cake I made. The world's most perfect food?
11. The tasty scones at Whisk Bakeshop, St. Louis
12. Gooey butter cake I made. Yes.
13. Watergate cake: a historically interesting pistachio cake.
14. 10 layer peanut butter cake. As amazing as it sounds.
15. Smith Island cake. Amazing, worth trying at least once. Or ten times.
16. Tunnel of fudge cake: a Pillsbury icon. 
17. Katharine Hepburn brownies: tasty, and with an interesting story (featured in my book).
18. Biscuits from The Wandering Goose Cafe. Just look at that thing.
19. Chocolate walnut pie on a shortbread crust. Derby-style pie with a shortbread crust? Yes, please.
20. Ice cream from Bassett's, Philadelphia. The post is old but I enjoyed their ice cream anew in 2013.
21. Hoffman's ice cream, Jersey Shore. Like #20, one I enjoy each year.
22. Frog cupcakes from What's for Dessert, Spring Lake NJ. A classic!
23. The mural I painted in Delaware! It was a fantastic project.
24. Everything pinon in Santa Fe. There's so much pine nut stuff!
25. Cupcakes from Dream Cakes, Santa Fe. Truly dreamy, and very unique.
26. Boston cream shortcake. What part of that is not completely right?
27. My birthday cake, from Dulce in Santa Fe. It's funny and true! I turned 32!
28. Cupcakes from Swirlz in Chicago for my book signing.
29. A soy milk daydream. It's sweet n dreamy.
30. Crumb cake I made: yes, this is the second time it appears. A true favorite!!
31. Doughnuts from Nickel Diner, Los Angeles. They're awesome.
32. Peach pie I made. It tastes like summer.
33. Shortbread cookie truffles. Seriously--crack filled.
34. Banana coconut cream pie from Jambo Cafe, Santa Fe NM
35. Homemade brown sugar. Who knew you could make your own?
36. Parker house rolls. Carb-o-licious.
37. Cupcakes from Church of Cupcakes in Denver. Too amazing!
38. Pie, enjoyed in Pie Town (it actually exists).
39. Stolen cadbury creme eggs. So much tastier when forbidden.
40. Sweetened condensed milk Funfetti cake. The name says it all.
41. Southern grits pie. It's like breakfast and pie all at once!
42. Muffins from Linda's Seabreeze cafe, Santa Cruz, CA. Much ado about muffin.
43. The chocolate-filled streets in Hershey, PA. The streets are paved with dreams!
44. Almond croissant from La Boulange. I love them.
45. Lady baltimore cake. Fiction, fact? Who knows which is which with this cake.
46. Food for thought: does cake taste different depending on your state of mind? I vote yes.
47. Frozen hot chocolate from Holy Cacao, Austin TX. Creamy, dreamy, delicious.
48. Every single thing from Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, Austin TX. Such talented bakers!
49. Salted butterscotch cashew shortbread bars. Yes, yes, yes.
50. Ryba's fudge from Macinac Island, Michigan. It's unlike anything else.
51. BONUS: Also, every single thing I ate at Huckleberry in Santa Monica.

Not that you asked, but I also have a Most awful thing: Mac n cheese cookies. Oh, no! I wish I could forget them.

Oh, and since I feel like my publisher would want me to say it, buy my book: The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts!

Happy 2014, my sweets!

CakeSpy Undercover: Angelo Brocato, New Orleans

It's probably about time that I tell you about my trip to Angelo Brocato in New Orleans. It's been there since 1905, so it's about time you made it over. 

Listen, I forget how I learned about this place. Probably on a website, or in a guide book. That is to say--it's not an unknown place. But I am here to tell you that when you read about it on a website or a guide book, you must listen to what the people say. You must go to Angelo Brocato in New Orleans.

It's a little out there. It's not on Bourbon Street, it's not in the Garden District. But it's worth a jaunt. 

When you get there, you'll see this sign outside. Don't you love it already?

When you go inside, you'll be greeted by a big bakery case, and next to it, a big gelato case. And then, there are chilled desserts.

What will you choose? I'll tell you what we chose. Maybe that will give you some ideas.

We'll start with the cassata.

Let's make that two.

If you've never heard of the stuff, Cassata is a traditional Sicilian treat. It starts with sponge cake which is drenched in liqueur, then layered with a cannoli-esque cream then sealed in with marzipan and candied fruit. I don't know if that tells you how delicious it is, though. It's rich and surprisingly not over-sweet, delicate yet substantial. The one at Angelo Brocato is wonderful, and full of almond-y flavor which works beautifully with the cream. This marzipan was so good I wanted to marry it. 

But...as great as the cassata is, it's even better with gelato.

On to the ricotta cheesecake.

It's just gently sweet, crumbly and somewhat dry--not in a bad way, but you definitely want some coffee or tea with this guy.

Next up was a "Greek cap", basically a puff pastry stuffed with almond cream. It tasted like the best part of an almond croissant, all condensed into a little hockey puck shape.

Are you still hungry? I'm still hungry. How about some chocolate and hazelnut gelato?

It's so smooth and creamy--I think this is my favorite gelato since Capogiro in Philadelphia.

So, basically, to summarize. Before:

AFTER:

And it was such a joy to do it. Please, let me urge you strongly to visit Angelo Brocato--as soon as humanly possible. It's old school, it's quality, it's a joy. I hope they do it for a hundred years more and longer.

Angelo Brocato, 214 N. Carrolton Street, New Orleans. Online here.

Why I Have a Dessert Website

Hi, my name is Jessie, and I'm a blogger. Only, I really despise the words "blog" and "blogger", possibly owing to their similarity to words that don't have the most pleasant connotations, such as "booger" or "blob". So if I say "I have a food website" or "I have a dessert website", it's not trying to make the site something it's not, but more of an aversion to the b-word itself.

I get asked frequently how I got into this world, and it gives me pause, because what started me out isn't necessarily what keeps me going. 

Do what you love = love what you do

I started this website in 2007. At the time, I was working at a greeting card company in Seattle, where (I still love this) I managed and art directed the refrigerator magnet division. I called myself the Magnet Magnate. I loved my job--how could you not be tickled each and every day to go to an office with that as your title?--but I still yearned for something more--something my own. 

So, while taking part of the day off for a personal errand, I decided to take advantage of the moment and sit in the lovely Olympic Sculpture park for several moments to think about life. I had also been reading Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin, a though provoking volume that anyone who thinks "what should I do with my life?" should be reading, and re-reading once they think they figure it out. 

Not to skip around, but it seems very poetically suiting that for the re-issue of the book, I was actually mentioned:

But anyway.

So, I figured I'd make a list of the things I loved best, and try to figure out how to make a business out of it. 

Coming up with the things I loved best wasn't hard: writing, illustrating, and baked goods. Those were definitely the things I loved best. But what the hell could I do with those?

It being 2007, rather than figure it out, I thought, "I'll start a blog." I figured blogging would be a good platform to figure out how all three fit together. 

Be engaged = engaging

Having been a freelance writer for DailyCandy at the time, I thought that I would follow a somewhat similar format, but focus completely on sweets, and puncutate daily finds with my illustrations.

But quickly, the focus began to expand. I started doing interviews with bakers, which I always found fascinating. I did bakery roundups in cities I visited. I wrote about the history of desserts. I did funny baking experiments. I engaged myself with things I found fascinating, and was rewarded to find that others were engaged by what I did. 

I decided I wanted to get a book deal in 2009, two years into the website. I thought I was definitely famous and accomplished enough.

Well. publishers disagreed, and my proposal was rejected by every single person I sent it to. I let it ruin my day, but just one day. The next day, I got back to blogging and said "whatever" to publishing.

Think local, act global

Did I ever tell you I used to own a store?

I had an opportunity to take over a retail gallery in 2010. I took the chance, even though it hadn't been something I'd actively been pursuing. In March 2010, CakeSpy Shop opened.

If I am completely honest, I will tell you that I had some issues with shop ownership from the get-go. I mostly consider myself a behind the scenes person. I'm happy emerging from behind the scenes every now and again to host an event or attend the Pillsbury Bake-Off, or contribute to a book, but being "on" as I needed to be in a retail setting was trying. So was the fact that I wasn't able to up and go on a trip, as I so love to do. 

Nonetheless, I loved my store. It was my baby. It even did so well that I could afford an employee. An employee!

People who know me know that the store closed in fall of 2012. While it was partially financially motivated, it wasn't because the store was failing--more because it was making people involved wilt with all of the time and energy required. We wanted to live our lives. Plus, I didn't want to live in Seattle forever. It was time to move on. 

If you build it, they will come

But let's back up a bit. With how busy I was with the store, I stopped caring so much about getting a book deal. Of course, that is when I got a book deal.

In December 2010, Sasquatch Books (one of the publishers who had rejected me!) came back and gave me a book deal. It had taken a while, but finally, I was going to be published. 

And I was, in October of 2011. CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life. I had a book party at my store, and my parents came from NJ. It was one of the proudest moments of my life to see a line out the door. The book (not me) was featured on the TODAY show.

Change your perspective

In early 2012, I moved from Seattle to Philadelphia. Suddenly, I went from being a minor celebrity in town to nobody knowing who I was. In a way, this was a good thing. It gave me some time to question who I was, and what I was doing--and did it really please me? 

The answer, I was surprised to find, was no. What had once been so easy, so exciting, had turned into a grind for me. I know you have trouble believing that this can happen when you write about, draw pictures of, and bake sweets, but it is true. It wasn't necessarily time to change everything, but time to evolve. After all, I had evolved as a person. Why couldn't my little blog evolve, too?

So, I decided to buckle down and write my second book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts, and to figure out how I wanted to continue growing. 

I am not my blog

During and after the time the store closed, I went through a series of trying times, personally.

It was a big realization for me: I am not my blog, although my blog is me. 

I moved around a little bit more. I've been so many places this year: Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Columbus, Washington, DC, Pie Town, NM...and so many more!

At this moment, I am writing to you from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I came to a powerful realization: there's something to that saying "get back to your roots". 

As it turned out, the answer has been right in front of me the whole time: go back to what got you started. Focus on the fact that by doing what you love, by being engaged, you will inspire others to love and be engaged. 

That doesn't, I think, mean that I have to go back to blogging (writing a website, that is) the same way I did in 2007, but more, it means that a return to what makes me happy is necessary.

So I suppose that in 2014, my resolution or goal is to be myself, focus on what I love, and therefore, love what I do. Because if you are engaged, you are engaging. Does this mean I might incorporate even more of my loves and passions into the site--fashion, yoga, teaching baking and artwork to children, travel? Who knows how that all might work in a delightful world of baked goods?

If following my heart (and a ton of hard work, too) has gotten me this far, then I suppose I will keep on doing what I am doing, with room to grow and evolve, of course.

What's your resolution in 2014? Foodie or otherwise? 

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Sick of buying butter? Learn how to make your own!

Hooray! I was featured on Jameson Fink's podcast!

History of an English Muffin bakery. Interesting!

Still have leftover fruitcake? um, no big surprise. Make it tasty by transforming it into French Toast!

A fun collection of cake knives and serving sets.

How to make crumb cake. YES!

Valuable information: How to make a Birthday Cake Latte.

Can I wear this even though Halloween is long over?

OMG alert: Peanut butter eggnog!

Speaking of peanut butter, these cupcakes are awesome.

How do I substitute coconut oil for butter in recipes?

It's possible that you've forgotten one of my favorite places in New Orleans. Rediscover it anew (it involves sweets).

How to store a cake. Valuable!

How to Make Perfect Crumb Cake

It just may be the world's most perfect food. Learn how to make it here.

Baker's Dozen: 13 Quick and Easy Christmas Cookies

Look, I'm not going to judge you for waiting til right now to start your Christmas cookie baking. I understand that stuff happens.

What I want to do is enable you to make delicious magic for yourself and all your friends, so I have assembled this list of 13 easy, quick, and highly delicious Christmas cookies. You might not be able to make all of them, but at least choose a couple! 

1. Snowballs: no matter what you wanna call them, they're an easy, classic, and best of all, crowd-pleasing cookie.

2. Nanaimo bars: Seriously. I can't believe you haven't made these yet!

3. Gingerbread Nanaimo bars: the aforementioned everyday classic gets a holiday makeover. Yum!

4. Pistachio cookies: a personal favorite of mine, and a "lost" recipe I revived from family archives.

5. Christmas Kaleidoscope cookies: Taste the rainbow...or, you know, many holiday hues at once.

6. Berlinerkranser: I believe the official translation is "highly tasty cookie".

7. Gingerbread men: or, make them look like characters from a TV show: Gingerbread Mad Men!

8. Candy cane cookies: This is such a nostalgic cookie - give it a try if you've never made them.

9. Jam thumbprints: another classic, these ones are bound to please a crowd. Nutty and with a touch of fruit from the jam, so that means they're health food.

10. Mint candy butter cookies: Great for cookie swaps, or just stuffing in your mouth (let's be honest).

11. Eggnog Nanaimo bars! Seriously. A great accompaniment when you're sloggin' some nog.

12. Baby buche de noel cookies: not to who off, BUT, I contributed this adorable recipe to Food and Wine.

13. Red and green christmas cookies: like black and white cookies...but green and red! Festive!

While you're baking, kill time waiting for cookies to bake by reading about the first published Christmas cookie recipe in America, and the history of the tradition of Christmas cookies.

Season's sweetings! 

CakeSpy for Craftsy: How to Make Parker House Rolls

File under "not sweet, but TOTALLY SWEET nonetheless": how to make Parker House style rolls at home. These buttery morsels will make your mouth happy, I promise. Find out how to make them here.

CakeSpy for Craftsy: Buttercream Versus Fondant

Which is the icing on YOUR cake? Here's an exploration of what they are, and their uses.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Peppermint snowball cookies. Brilliant!

DIY pudding mix. Cool!

I wish I could go to this Modern Bakery show!

How cool is this: a Japanese take on the Blondies recipe from my book, via Ninja Baking.

I'm still rather proud of these stained glass cookies I made.

I like it: eggnog pb cup cupcakes.

I love these "celebration oreos" - homemade!

In case you missed it: cute guys who also decorate cakes.

Scenes from Seattle's Gingerbread village.

Holiday cutout cookies with buttermilk--a classic!

A beloved Queens bakery re-opens. Hooray!

I'm interested: Viennese chocolate pepper cookies.

Yumsies: a collection of creative cinnamon rolls.

CakeSpy for Craftsy: How to Make Confectioners' Sugar at Home

It's so easy. Here's how.