Batter Chatter: Interview with Lauren Garcia of Sweetly Unexpected

Meet the baker behind the cakes: in this case, 19-year old Lauren Garcia of Sweetly Unexpected, a New Jersey based baking business which currently operates a pop-up shop. But, um, did I mention that in addition to running her baking business, she is a full time student? Curious to learn more about her inspiring story? Read on, sweet friends:

Sweetly Unexpected, you have an interesting story. Mind telling me how you got started? I've always loved cupcakes. When I was younger, I was obsessed with the Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix (still am) and I used to make it with my cousins all the time. At around 16 years old, I started making cupcakes from scratch and it took me about two years to truly get my cupcakes to the standards I want Sweetly Unexpected to uphold and I believe that I've been exceeding those standards each and every day.

Do you think it's possible to have two careers--in your case, student and sweetsmaker--at once? As a full time nursing student, I'm well aware of how hard classes get as I progress with my clinicals. But my passion has and always will be baking. With the dedication I have and the support I receive from not only my family but also my friends, I really don't think there is anything I can't do. I've always been taught to put my 110% into everything I do and I am planning on doing just that for both my careers, even when I become a nurse.

What do you do for fun if you find yourself with the day (or a few hours) off? Lately I haven't had any time for myself.. but I love being with my fiance when I have time off. We, both, love movies, going out to eat, going on road trips, and hanging out in NYC. But I love love love to watch Cupcake Wars and go visit other bakeries whenever I get a chance -- it's almost like my hobby.

You don't have your own retail storefront but you have a booth in an existing storefront. How exactly does that work? I met the owners of Vesso Bakery and Cafe through close family friends, who have photographed me since I was 15 years old-- redstudios.tv). They offer European food and some desserts but they didn't offer cupcakes so they were very excited to have me become a part of their business. After partnering up, we agreed that I would set up a booth and sell cupcakes out of their Bakery/Cafe. However, not every week is the same, I rotate cupcake flavors every day as well as make whoopie pies, cake pops, cookies and brownies. Not to mention, we also do Custom Cakes that can be ordered by coming in to Vesso Bakery or calling me and sitting down with me to discuss what their vision is for their cake or special occasion.

How do you eat a cupcake? I like to take the bottom part of the cupcake and put it on top of the frosting. Sort of like a whoopie pie. It's just so much fun that way! It's like another DIY whoopie pie.

What are your signature offerings? I truly believe that my cream cheese frosting is Sweetly Unexpected's signature. But as for the cupcake flavors, I think my guava cupcakes topped with a cream cheese frosting is my signature because it describes both my background (Since I'm Cuban) and the creativity behind Sweetly Unexpected.

What is your personal favorite item on the menu? I've always loved vanilla everything! So my vanilla cupcake topped with a vanilla buttercream (Vanilla Love Affair) is my favorite. Second, would be the guava cupcake (Paradise Island), which is our most sought out cupcake at Vesso Bakery and Cafe.

What are three major goals or wishes for the next five years? 1. I want to expand my bakery to an actual storefront -- my ultimate wish. 2. I want to graduate college with honors. 3. I want Sweetly Unexpected to be a huge part of the community and I want to work closely with organizations that help young children.

What is your business philosophy? Sweetly Unexpected's business philosophy is that at Sweetly Unexpected, quality will never be sacrificed for quantity and that with every cupcake you have, your life will get a little bit sweeter. Any words of wisdom for wannabe professional bakers? You will never know how far you will go with your dreams, if you never make the first step. Dream big and stay positive and good will come your way. I'd also like to say, don't get disappointed when things don't come out the way you want it, with baking practice is KEY.

What's next? Sweetly Unexpected Bake Shop recently signed up for the LivingSocial/Chase grant and we qualified for a 250k grant! If we win, we'd love to open up a shop in NJ near NYC. If we don't, we're still hoping to open up a store.

Want more? Visit Sweetly Unexpected online here to learn more.

Cake Byte: Bake Sale to Support Cafe Racer Victims at CakeSpy Shop!

Support a sweet cause at CakeSpy Shop coming up on Saturday, the 14th! Per store manager Natalie:

Please join us on Saturday, July 14th to buy baked goods for a very special cause--we will be raising money for the families of the victims of the horrific shootings at Cafe Racer. We will start the bake sale at 1:30 and it will run through the end of the day or until the treats sell out, so come early! 

***If you would like to help by donating a treat for this bake sale, please send an email tocakespyshop@gmail.com***

If you can't make it that day, please take a moment and make a donation here: http://www.caferacerlove.org/donate.html. We look forward to seeing everyone at this very important bake sale!

 

 We are still on the hunt for more baked donations, so as people volunteer, I will add names and more specifics. The more, the merrier!

Gallery for Sale!

Well, my friends, my retail partners and I have some very big news. I'll just come out and say it: it's time for CakeSpy Shop's brick and mortar location on Capitol Hill, Seattle to pass the torch to the next fantastic retail business. DO NOT BE SAD. CakeSpy as a business and product line is not disappearing, but we've decided to go down different paths than the gallery. While it might be a surprise to some, really, it's ultimately a good thing - and possibly a great opportunity!

It has truly been an amazing experience to share CakeSpy with so many amazing people in this format. It's been humbling to have visitors from far and wide come to share wonderful art, food stories, and of course to buy CakeSpy (and other) art! But ultimately, as the business has grown, the retail gallery has been less and less aligned with the company's mission, especially with my cookbooks--as you might expect, many would come to the store and expect a bakery! So, it's not so much a sad thing as a "time to shift gears" sort of thing.

We do not have a definite shift date yet, but in the meantime, fans of the shop or friends who haven't yet had a chance to visit: make it happen now! Guaranteed that the amazing products and generally feel-good business will make you smile. Or shop online!

Read on to learn more via the letter written by Danny:

Hello Customers and Friends of CakeSpy Shop!

As some of you may know, Jessie Oleson, founder of CakeSpy, moved to Philadelphia a number of months ago to take advantage of an artist grant that would help her advance and grow the CakeSpy name.  During that time, Danny Oleson and store manager Natalie Samford have been taking care of the store. As the CakeSpy brand has evolved during this time and Jessie has pursued writing cookbooks, the retail store fits less and less with the overall mission--understandably, after reading the blog and her books, many customers expect the store to be a bakery! As a result, we've lovingly decided to sell the retail storefront business, and we wanted let you, our wonderfully supportive community, know what was up.

As those of you who were customers of Bluebottle Art Gallery before us know, when Jessie and I took over the store, we changed the name, but we continued the tradition of featuring innovative, exciting and local and national artists making unique products that you can't find elsewhere, and we want to sell to someone who will continue that tradition.  The store is perfect for someone who wants a working studio where retail hours can be kept, and if the new owner has their own wholesale business, it is perfect for storing product and fulfilling orders.  Please note that while the name "CakeSpy Shop" will not be included in the sale, all of the store fixtures (including newly installed lighting and flooring!) will be included, and the buyer will be entitled to maintain all of the consignment products in the store and is permitted to use the name "Bluebottle Art Gallery" if desired. This is to say--everything is available except for the name "CakeSpy Shop". 

So, interested in taking over a wonderful gallery? Oh, goody.

• We are asking $10,000. The store's rent will be in addition to this cost. You will get:
• The Bluebottle name and related online properties
• A killer Capitol Hill location (note, the buyer will be taking over the lease)
• A built out and stocked store - purchase will include existing wholesale stock, furnishings and equipment save a couple of exceptions, and existing consignment relationships so that the current consignment stock will carry over for those artists who choose to continue their relationship with the store.
• A software system that serves for point of sale, inventory management, expense tracking, consignment payments and more.
• An existing base of loyal customers

Talk to us to find out more! Please email cakespyshop@gmail.com. Unfortunately, emails sent to any other address will not be able to be answered. 

Love,

Danny Oleson/

CakeSpy Shop

A Butter Cake Taste-Off in Philadelphia

I hope you've heard of Philadelphia Butter Cake. If you haven't, pop over to this here link to learn a bit more about it. Don't worry, I'll wait.

But wait, there's more. In Northeast Philadelphia, as I heard, there was a bit of a battle over whose Butter Cake was superior: Haegle's or Mayfair Bakery, two bake shops a mere few blocks from one another.

Well, I didn't need much more urging than that to see for myself. So I went to both Haegle's and Mayfair Bakery, and sampled both. Along with some friends, I had a tasting.

First, the bakery experience. Here is what Haegle's looks like.

and inside, here's what the Butter Cake looks like:

...also, for what it's worth, they had these things that I'd never seen before:

The bakery employee was very friendly, answering all my questions with a smile. How long have you been here? Since 1930, though not me personally. What's a wien cake? A vaguely Lamington-esque cake, topped with vanilla or chocolate frosting. 

And then, on to Mayfair Bakery. Inside of Mayfair Bakery, the cake looks like this:

...and they also had these: 

And after you exit the premises with your cake, this is what you'll be looking at:

At both bakeries, the butter cake was sold not by the slice but by the slab. Sort of like a quarter-sheet of it. I found it interesting that it was only sold this way or as a larger sheet size--no single servings. A quarter-sheet was $5.75 at Haegle's and $5.85 at Mayfair, I believe--they were very close in price.

Here they are, together. 

Care for a closer look? OK. Here's the cake from Haegle's, a little more crackly on top:

Here's the cake from Mayfair Bakery: a little more crater-y looking:

Here's the slice from Haegle's. Haegle's had a little more ooze and a more dense crust base:

and here's the one from Mayfair. Definitely a more puffy yeast base, more like a light bread. Overall, easier to eat from your hand without getting all messy.

and finally, it was time to taste. 

We judged them on a few criteria: texture, presentation, taste, and overall. 

In terms of TEXTURE, the Haegle's cake was definitely more gooey, which was pleasant against the dense yeast crust. The Mayfair version ran a little drier, which was nice for eating in-hand, but was not as satisfyingly decadent. Texture winner: Haegle's.

In terms of PRESENTATION, both cakes were on an even par. Our tasters were split between which aesthetic--crackly or cratery--was preferred, but ultimately, Mayfair took the cake because the cake was in its own little aluminum pan, which made transport easier. Presentation winner: Mayfair.

In terms of TASTE, it was a tough split, but ultimately, the more gooey Haegle's won the vote. The drier Mayfair variety is a fantastic morning cake, but Haegle's variety, tasters felt, was such that it could be eaten all day. The crust, more dense, also had a more rich flavor. Taste winner: Haegle's. 

OVERALL? Well, both were fantastic Butter Cake experiences, and I'd highly recommend both. If you asked me to bring a butter cake from just one or the other, I'd probably go to Haegle's first. But the cakes are both of such fine caliber that if the first stop had run out, I'd be equally proud to come toting a bakery box from the other. 

Haegle's Bakery: 4164 Barnett Street, Philadelphia, PA 19135 (map) (215) 624-0117

Mayfair Bakery: 6447 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19135 (map); (215) 624-7878;mayfairbakery.com

Read more about butter cakes I've eaten on Serious Eats!

Totally Sweet American Flag Cake Recipe

When it comes to festive food for Independence Day, here's a sweet treat that really takes the cake: a layer cake decorated to resemble the American Flag!

Surprisingly easy to assemble (I used this tutorial as a starting point), this cake can really be made with any white cake recipe you'd like; just make three layers, one tinted red, one blue, and one left untinted for the white sections. But I found that the following cake recipe, which is fairly dense and egg-rich, yielded nice sturdy layers which, in addition to being pleasingly poundcake-y on the palate, were easy to cut and shape.

To get the desired height on each of the three layers, I suggest baking this as a 6-inch cake. But it's true that the resulting cake is fairly small. If you are using larger pans or prefer thicker layers, I suggest making two batches of the cake batter and dividing it among your three cake pans.

Happy Fourth of July!

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Sweet Links: 4th of July Awesomeness

Source: cakespy.com via Stacy on Pinterest

Stuff your face with something awesome this Fourth of July!

Explosively delicious: Pop Rocks cookies!

Any of these foods that look like summer foods!

American flag cake!

4th of July chocolate covered strawberries!

America the Sweet: Hartford Election Day Cake from United Cakes of America.

Totally sweet trompe l'oeil: hot dog and hamburger style!

Why can't I be eating it right now: pop rocks pound cake!

Grilled Poundcake!

Firecracker cupcakes!

Salty sweet: pretzel Americana.

Seeing red isn't so bad, when it's Red Velvet Strawberry Shortcake.

Got extra cake? No worries, cool it down in Cake Shake form!

My American Flag cake on Serious Eats!

Batter Chatter: Interview with Amy Dumas, Pro Wrestler

Have you heard of SugarSlam? If not, are you in for some amazing cake-filled awesomeness. It's a yearly event put on by Natalie of Bake & Destroy, where you can flex your baking muscles. This year, according to the websit, "there are two titles up for grabs: SugarSlam 2012 Champion and People’s Choice. Our panel of judges will choose the Champ: Zach Linder, Amy Dumas & Justin Howard."

Just be sure to enter SOON, because the deadline is coming up on July 20!

And as part of the festivities, celebrity Amy Dumas (you may know her as the WWE's Lita or as the lead singer of the Luchagors, among other career highlights) agreed to be interviewed on a foodie blog of Natalie's choosing. Well, naturally as a site equally as awesome as her own she chose CakeSpy!

And so here comes the first ever interview with a professional wrestler. It involves cake, promise.

I hear you're a healthy eater. That's perfectly acceptable. But when you indulge, what baked goods or desserts do you enjoy best? I am a healthy eater, but it's only so I can enjoy sweets! Um, how do I narrow it down? What desserts? Yes. All of them. Ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, whatever. Mint chocolate anything, peanut butter chocolate, cinnamon, caramel, coconut, dark chocolate. I love trying out fancy food places in my travels, but I find sometimes fancy desserts miss the mark. You know, like hazelnut infused mango truffle glazed ganache? Fuck that. Give me a donut, or a cupcake or ice cream. 

You've traveled all over the world. Can you tell me about a country or city's food culture that particularly fascinates you? Some of my favorite places to go aren't real big on desserts. I love Central and South America and Japan, but I can't say my most fond memories there revolve around a tres leches cake or some green tea ice cream. Europe has the lock on yummy pastries. However, there is a bakery in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua that has the best cinnamon rolls.  I think they taste better because the bakery is owned by this couple from Chicago who moved to Nicaragua with a surf board and some recipes and made it happen. There are fulfilled dreams in those cinnamon rolls!

As an esteemed judge of SugarSlam, what are you looking for in a winner? The coolest Lita cake ever. Seriously, I am looking for something that looks like someone put some thought into.  If you are making a wrestling related baked good, I can already give you points for not taking yourself too seriously.  Just go for it. I can see voting for a failed experiment and a good write up because they tried. Although I am pretty impressed by the baking whizzes that can make food look like anything.....so yeah, a Lita cake.... And bonus points if it's vegan. 

Here's a picture of last year's SugarSlam winner. What are your thoughts on the cake (image above)? BTW, it's entitled "Goin' Bananas" - banana cake filled with banana custard, topped with dark chocolate buttercream, covered in homemade fondant. (she made Gorilla Monsoon's glasses from poured sugar. ) That thing is awesome. First of all, it sounds like it would taste delicious and it's creative. There are not enough Gorilla Monsoon cakes in this world. 

 

Tell me three foods you couldn't live without (sweet or savory). Wheatgrass (is that a food? I want four then), kale, avocado, and chocolate. 

If a you were ever to be surprised with a pie in the face, what kind of pie would you choose? I would choose a coconut cream pie.  I think it would be light and not as dense as say, a chocolate peanut butter pie, so it would not inflict as much damage and the clean up would be yum.

Dessert face-off: If cake were to have a wrestling match with pie, who would win? Cake is going to win.  It is more structurally sound. Let's just say cake was flinging itself at pie, pie has oozed all over before there was even any impact and then cake absorbed pie like The Blob! Suck it, pie. You have no chance. 

If you were having Pee-Wee herman and a crew of luchadores over for dessert, what would you serve? I am picturing a last supper type of image with Pee-Wee Herman where Jesus would sit (obviously). I think I would do a Smorgasbord, dessert buffet style with everyone of my favorites all over the table. That way, there is something for everyone AND adds variety to the ammunition when I yell FOOD FIGHT!!!!

If you ignore the "Jason", it's actually quite appropriate.

Want more? Here are the important sites to visit: Bake & Destroy, Amy Dumas, SugarSlam.

Happy Canada Day! All Hail the Nanaimo Bar!

Source: cakespy.com via Cake on Pinterest

Happy Canada Day, sweeties. 

Even if you're not Canadian, you can celebrate this day in style with my own personal favorite food from Canada: the Nanaimo Bar.

Source: cakespy.com via Cake on Pinterest

Here are several ways to enjoy it:

First, learn more about the Nanaimo Bar.

Then, find a classic recipe.

Take a tour of the Nanaimo Bar Trail in British Columbia.

Find some silly variations on the Nanaimo Bar.

Find the ultimate Canadian oeuvre: the maple canadian bacon Nanaimo bar!

Enjoy how Nanaimo Bars are so good they don't need to be baked into a cake to be made better.

Make it Chrismas in July with Eggnog Nanaimo Bars.

Feel the love with some Conversation Heart Nanaimo Bars.

Think about making some Candy Corn Nanaimo bars for Halloween!

Find more Nanaimo Bar links.

Source: bakeitinacake.com via Cake on Pinterest

How Much Would You Pay for a Cupcake? And a Giveaway

In the age of lavishly decorated and creatively flavored gourmet cupcake masterpieces, how much is too much to pay for one of these sweet treats?

I have long wondered what people consider the monetary line which they will not go above when it comes to seeking cupcake sweetness. Why so curious? Well, I am notoriously nosy about people's baked good preferences and thoughts. And also, I'm one of the people who remembers way back when Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes were under $2 apiece.

So, please, leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on how much you'd pay for a cupcake. Do you have a "strictly under $5" policy? Or do you have a sliding scale based on size, intricacy, fillings, etc? 

Leave a comment in the comments section (moderation is enabled so don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away) or leave your thoughts on my Facebook page, and not only will I greedily read your replies, but I'll enter each commenter's name in a pool to win a pair of my awesome "Trifecta" socks featuring artwork of cupcakes, unicorns, and robots! They're fantastic to wear when walking or running to a bakery. I'll randomly pick a winner one week from now, at noon on Sunday, July 8th, 2012.

UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER! The randomly-chosen winner was Anna of California, who said "Locally (SF Bay Area), I won't pay over 3.50.  There's tons of cupcakeries that are that price or lower.  While traveling to a specific, well known bakery, i would go up to 5.00.  But i'd be buying ONE...  i'd never buy a dozen for 5 bucks.  So if you are thinking about doing some pricing i would take that into consideration - if you want repeat clientele from near by, and clients that buy quantity not just one, than keep it affordable." 

Baked Good of the Day: Boston Cream Cupcake, Molly's Cupcakes, Chicago

Sometimes, you just need a cupcake. 

Yesterday, I found myself in such a situation. I was taking a long walk in Chicago following my introduction to the Verizon Wireless Savvy Gourmets program, in which basically they gave me and a bit over a baker's dozen more foodie writer types a free device (the Android "Xyboard" in this case--since it was gifted to me, they've asked me to say “Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Gourmets program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.”) to test out with our various writing/blog activities. Having tested out the device, I had already found it to be very nice for updating my website while traveling--not as cumbersome as a laptop, but with more functionality than my phone. This made me happy. 

So I was brainstorming the other ways in which this device might improve my life when I realized, "I am hungry". This happens sometimes. But lo and behold, there was Molly's Cupcakes! I haven't been to Molly's in ages, and thought it would be a great moment to try them out again. After all, a lot has happened since my last personal visit to this cute-as-a-button Chicago cupcakery and since my friend Ryan's visit. They've opened a new location in New York, for one; several of the flavor offerings were new (to me) on my visit, too.

Sashaying past the cookie dough and cake batter varieties, I settled on the Boston Cream Cupcake, a vanilla cupcake filled with custard and topped with a beautifully piped chocolate ganache.

The cupcake weighed in at $4.11, which felt slightly like a slap in the face (somehow that post-tax 11 cents above the four dollar mark just seemed a little excessive), but I really, really wanted this cupcake, so I proceeded. 

As weighty as the cost was, the cupcake was, as well. It was a solid little brick of cream-filled magic, a respectable buttery vanilla cake beautifully complemented by a turn-your-teeth-chocolatey rich ganache (oh please why can't you just hook me up to a vat of it and inject it?) and a vanilla bean-flecked custard that made me want to coo with happiness when I got my first bite with all of the flavors combined.

Sometimes it's nice to revisit bakeries from our past, and this one rewarded me with deliciousness. Though the cupcake was pricey, ultimately I have no regrets. And were I to go back in time, I'd do it all over again.

Molly's Cupcakes, locations in Chicago and New York; online here.