When Pie Meets Bicycle: Street Food Profile on The Piecycle for Serious Eats

Photograph: Dawn WrightFact: food tastes better when it is made with love and delivered right to your doorstep.

But it gets even better when the food in question is freshly baked pie, and when the delivery mode is cute boy delivering it via bicycle. 

And in Seattle, that boy is Max Kraushaar, proprietor (and bike rider) of The Piecycle. It's exactly what it sounds like: pie, delivered by bike. By the slice, or by the pie--your choice.

I recently had the pleasure of profiling this sweet fella for Serious Eats--here's a sneak peek.

What's on the menu? It changes weekly. Whatever I feel like making. Recently it was Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie and Vegan Choco-Peanut Butter (other flavors have included Vegan Apple Pie and Georgia Sweet Potato). I try to do at least one vegan flavor, and otherwise try to keep the flavors seasonal and if possible made using local ingredients. The cost is $3 per slice, or $20 for a full pie.

Hours and location? Anywhere in the University District of Seattle, Friday and Saturday evenings until 3 a.m., sometimes Sundays too. As for location, I come to you! It's delivery by the slice: I have my cell phone, and people text me requests. I have been called the "Jimmy John's of Pie."

How long have you been street-fooding? Since fall of 2010.

Why mobile over brick and mortar? I like riding my bike, and I don't have the capital to own a brick and mortar location. Plus, pie is better enjoyed in the comfort of your home or wherever you choose.

Describe a typical piecycle evening. I bake my pies in advance, then people will text me and I will bring them pie. I'm currently selling five to seven pies per weekend on average.

What do you do the rest of the time? School for theater and art, so I paint and act. I just got three paintings into the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Art, theatre, and pies.

For the rest of the profile, check out Serious Eats!

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Yum: Elvis Whoopie Pie Recipe for Peanut Butter and Company

Elvis Presley was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986.  Just to honor this great occasion, I’ve created the Elvis Whoopie Pie for my favorite peanut butter company in the world, Peanut Butter and Company!

Inspired by the flavors of the King’s favorite sandwich, the Elvis Whoopie Pie is kind of like the hip swiveling, larger than life version of the traditional treat.

Comprised of two fat, cakey banana cookies sandwiched with a lavish amount of honey peanut butter buttercream, these substantial treats are then studded along the sides with bits of bacon, forming a sweet and salty masterpiece that is truly fit for a king.

And on a personal note, I should add that this is the last item I made that I simply could not stop eating--others which have held this status were the Behemoth Crumb Cake and Cookie Cake Pie. So you know it's good stuff.

For the full writeup and recipe, visit the Peanut Butter & Co. All-Star Recipe Blog!

Sweet Art: Andy Warhol News Quote

What with all of the talk lately about how the time is high for pie and the cupcake is dead, it seemed appropriate to offer up another Warhol quote, illustrated to comment on the subject, from his brilliant book The Philosophy of Andy Warhol : (From A to B and Back Again). This quote--"I'm confused about who the news belongs to"--seemed to work nicely.

Team pie or team cake? No matter how you slice it, it's gonna be delicious.

Mix it Up: Funfetti Cakelets in the Toaster Oven

Picture this: you've just filled up a cake tin's worth of cupcakes, and you have a dollop of batter left. What to do?

Now, you may think that the possibilities stop at A) Swipe it with your finger (or a spatula) and eat it...or B) Put it in a cupcake liner and bake it all by its lonesome.

Now, these are respectable options, for sure. But I'd like to present another option: bake it in the toaster oven.

I did this recently, and while I wouldn't call it an amazing success, it was thoroughly eatable, and a great sweet fix in a pinch (or late at night, when these things seem like a great idea). And it sure was fun to do.

Here's how I did it.

Toaster Oven Cakelets

 Ingredients

• 1 dollop leftover Funfetti batter, prepared per box instructions
• a piece of aluminum foil to bundle it in

Procedure

1. Place your dollop of cake batter on the center of the aluminum foil. Bunch the sides up around it, to form walls so that the batter won't seep through.
2. Place the wad in the toaster oven and toast (you heard me, toast) it on medium heat (350 if you have such settings) until it is browned on top, about 15 minutes. Lightly peel away the foil from the side to see if it is baked through. If so, remove from toaster oven, cool, and top with frosting, a dab of ice cream, etc, and enjoy.

My, My, My Delilah: Banana Nilla Wafer Pudding from Delilah's, Philadelphia

On our recent trip to Philadelphia, emerging at 30th Street Station after an epic journey from the Jersey shore, both Mr. Spy and myself were unified in one singular feeling: HUNGER.

So when we spied Delilah's (OMG! As seen on Throwdown with Bobby Flay!), we were some very happy cake gumshoes.

But we passed right by the famous mac and cheese (next time!) and went for the sweet jugular: the banana nilla wafer pudding. Now, anyone who has ever eaten banana nilla wafer pudding knows what an ambrosial foodstuff it truly is. And at Delilah's, we were treated to a particularly fine example: it was simply full of bananas ("I think this has a whole banana in it!" was Mr. Spy's reaction) smothered in creamy custard with a smattering of nilla wafers, and the flavors had reached a point of perfect fusion, making each bite a deliciously creamy dream.

I'm not saying that you should skip a first course, because with a menu full of fried chicken, mac and cheese, and barbecue, there's plenty to keep you fat and happy--but I am saying don't get so full that you have no room for dessert.

Delilah's, Philadelphia; for locations and information, click here.

Stick It: Chocolate Covered Fig Newtons on a Stick for Serious Eats

Did you know that yesterday was National Fig Newton Day?

If you dropped the ball on this little-known holiday, don't despair. Here's an easy (and delicious) way to create a belated celebration: dress up your Newtons by putting them on a stick and coating them in chocolate. The chocolate works beautifully with the buttery cookie crust and mellow figgy filling flavor, taking the vaguely healthy snack cookie into full-fledged dessert territory.

Why on a stick? Well, it's a matter of both function—the sticks make it easier to dip the cookies—and form, because everyone knows that everything tastes better on a stick.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Sweet Giveaway: Win a Copy of Take The Cake by Sandra Wright

Sometimes, eating cake isn't enough. You want to live it.

So, for those non-eating times, reading a book in which cake plays a big part probably sounds like a fun activity. Well, here's a new novel bound to interest cake-lovers: Take the Cake by Sandra Wright. Here's a synopsis:

Sometimes
 you
 just
 have
 to
 take
 life
 one
 cupcake
 at
 a

time. Kate Shannon is happy
 with
 the way
 things are. She
 doesn’t

have
 a Mr
. Right
 or
 even a Mr
. Right
 Now, but
 what
 she
 does
 have
 is

a
 thriving
 bakery
 in
 Greenwich
 Village
 called
 Take
 The
 Cake,
 and

that’s just the way
 she likes
 it.

 Better still
 is the cupcake to match

the daily
 quote
 competition
 with
 her
 barista as they try to
 outsmart

each
 other
 every morning with
 their
 creativity.
 Producing cupcakes

with
 names
 such
 as
 Woodstock
 Afterburn
 and
 Vegan
 Rehab
 is

enough to keep
 her
 on
 her toes,
 who
 has time
 for
 dating?

Across
 town,
 Michael Forrester
 has
 gone
 from enjoying
 the
 thrill
 of success

to wallowing in
 the
 depths
 of
 despair.
 With
 a collection
 of
 critically

acclaimed
 novels in
 his wake,
 Michael
 now spends
 his days battling

writers’ block.

With
 nowhere
 to
 go
 and
 nothing
 to
 write,
 Michael’s in
 the

right headspace to
 find
 exactly
 what
 he
 didn’t
 know he was looking

for..

Are you drawn in? Well, happily, you can win a copy of this sweet novel. One lucky winner will win a copy, by leaving a comment below with the answer to the following: what is your favorite book or movie which prominently features food?

The giveaway will close on Monday, January 24 at noon PST; a winner will be announced shortly thereafter. In the meantime, check out the author's site here.

Update on Saturday, January 29, 2011 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER! Yup, we have a winner! It is Sarah from TX, who says that Julie/Julia is her pick! Congrats!

Get Sconed: Strawberry Jam Filled Scone, The Night Kitchen Bakery, Philadelphia

Next time you're in Philadelphia, I have a suggestion. Get sconed.

You heard me. Get good and sconed, and do it at the Night Kitchen Bakery in Chestnut Hill.

This is no ordinary scone. A bit denser than typical coffee-shop varieties, this one comes closer to pie crust consistency than to that of cake, in the best way possible. Because well, sometimes dense, flavorful, buttery carbs are necessary to really get the morning going.

When served with a generous dollop of strawberry jam,as was the one we obtained on a recent visit, it makes for a sort of acceptable-to-eat-in-the-morning strawberry shortcake variation.

Of course, if you hit up Night Kitchen at other hours, the scones are still delicious at any hour, but they also have a bevy of other delicious-lookin' offerings, including chocolate chess tarts:

as well as a full menu with cakes, cookies, pies, and more.

The Night Kitchen Bakery, 7725 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia; online at nightkitchenbakery.com.

O Cake: Cake O's and More from Cakes Suzette

Just FYI: if you email me to ask if it's ok to send me samples of cake truffles, I will say yes.

But I'll only write about the ones I like. 

And these ones, I like. They're called Cake O's, and they're made by a company called Cakes Suzette in California. Of course, I already suspected I'd like them based on the company's tagline, which is "a bazillion calories of goodness". In fact, this excellent tagline helped me forgive them for using comic sans on their website.

What makes these sweet treats unique? Well, in a world overrun by cake pops and bites, these are a slightly more substantial variety, sort of like a cross between cake pops and petits fours. And they come in a great variety of flavors, including Chocolate Peanut Butter, Red Velvet, Lemon Cake, and Gimme S'more. 

Our favorite varieties? For sure the chocolate varieties, which stood out for their rich, fudgy texture and flavor--and in such a compact size, the perfect bite-sized but complete indulgence.

For minions of the marshmallow, they also offer what they call the "Mallomore" -- which, you guessed it, is their homemade take on the popular Mallomar, made with an organic graham cracker base and marshmallows made sans high fructose corn syrup. Extra sweet: they offer these chocolate-covered marshmallow treats in strawberry, chocolate mint, and peanut butter varieties. Nom.

Final verdict? A very sweet treat to ship to a loved one (I think they'd make a great valentine gift) or to a very sweet self.

Find Cakes Suzette online at cakessuzette.com; find them on Facebook here.

CakeSpy Undercover: Cake Gumshoe Phuong Visits Eat Cake! in Newburyport, MA

CakeSpy Note: Want the best bakery suggestions? Ask a local! Read on to discover Boston-based Cake Gumshoe Phuong's most recent bakery visit: to Eat Cake! in Boston! You might want to check out her sweet online shop, too!

How yummy does this cupcake sound? 

Pumpkin spice cupcake with a cinnamon nutmeg spice buttercream dipped in butterscotch.

How about a coconut cupcake with a gooey coconut topping and vanilla buttercream with toasted coconut on top? Or a chocolate fudge cupcake dipped in chocolate with an Oreo buttercream and then dipped in chocolate again?

These are just a few of Hilary Larson’s decadent creations at Eat Cake! in Newburyport, MA. Hilary is a fan of CakeSpy and has invited us for a tour of her new cake studio. Eat Cake! specializes in party and wedding cakes that are freshly made from the highest quality ingredients. Everything is made-to-order so nothing is ever frozen.

I knew I was walking into something special when I smelled the sweet buttery aroma that permeated the street even before I stepped into the cake studio. It smelled even more amazing inside. I was greeted by smiling faces and a counter full of luscious cupcakes. Freshly-baked cupcakes are a new offering at Eat Cake! and they’re definitely a big hit with the locals. Like me, everyone was having a hard time picking out what they want. (Did you read the descriptions of these cupcakes at the beginning? Yeah, it was definitely difficult.)

Hilary was so welcoming and allowed me to roam around freely. The studio’s open layout creates such a comfortable atmosphere. While I was there, mini cupcakes were being filled with lemon curd and raspberry preserves. I find it so wonderful that they would take the time to fill mini ones. I can only imagine how great those will taste. I have to say that the sweetest surprise was little Charlie (Hilary’s baby) just hanging out in the back observing everything. 

Hilary generously sent us off with four cupcakes to try. My boyfriend and I couldn’t wait to taste them. I love the bright pink boxes that the cupcakes were packaged in. I also couldn’t get over how great the single cupcake container was. I’ve never seen this type of container before.

It guarantees that your cupcake will safely make it to its destination before being devoured. All of the cupcakes were delicious. They were so fresh and moist. The flavors were amazing! My absolute favorites were the pumpkin and coconut ones. The pumpkin cupcake was perfect for the fall. The spices and the butterscotch complimented each other so well. One bite and it made me think of the holidays. The coconut cupcake was a coconut lover’s dream. I love how the gooey coconut topping peeked out underneath the vanilla buttercream. These cupcakes just took me to my happy place.

So if you’re ever around Boston’s North Shore, make sure to stop by Eat Cake! You won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to custom order a cake from Hilary one of these days. The flavor menu on the website is incredible; so many delicious possibilities!

With that, I’ll leave you with two more cake-lust inducing cupcake pictures of flavors that I didn’t have the chance to try this time around. This just gives me an excuse to go back and eat more cupcakes!

*Special thanks to Hilary for inviting us to your cake studio and thank you for making this write-up super easy because your cupcakes were truly wonderful!

CakeSpy Note: As a sort of P.S. to this post, Phuong was recently able to visit CakeSpy Shop--on the same day as Bakerella! Here's a sweet picture of us all together.

Eat Cake! 9 Prince Place, Newburyport, MA 01950 (978) 465-6057; online at eatcakeonline.com