Gelat-O-Clock: La Copa Loca, San Francisco

Recently, while visiting SpySis in San Francisco (where she manages a fashion boutique), I had a craving for ice cream. This happens often.

Now, I really wanted to visit Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, which had been suggested by Anita Chu.

But when we got there, they had the saddest sign up: "SOLD OUT". What?!?

So, we did a quick search on where to find frozen sweets, FAST, and what came up was La Copa Loca, a gelato place in the Mission. I love gelato, so this was very acceptable. 

Now, I should tell you that the selection of flavors was beautiful--surprisingly thorough for a small space, including Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Panna Cotta, Mexican chocolate, chestnut, and more.

I got a combo of deliciousness: French vanilla bean, and pumpkin (a special that day).

The French vanilla was a standout, lightly eggy and very rich, incredibly creamy in that "it-is-gonna-coat-your-mouth-but-that's-a-good-thing-because-you-don't-want-the-flavor-to-end" sort of way. The pumpkin gelato was sweetly spiced and acted as a beautiful complement to the rich vanilla--together, the two flavors were almost like eating the beating heart of pumpkin pie in frozen form, and man, was that a nice experience.

Sadly, while SpySis's dog, Hamilton, was eager to be SpyDog, he did not get any gelato. Maybe he'll talk to me again one day.

La Copa Loca Gelato, 3150 22nd street, San Francisco, CA 94110; find La Copa Loca on Facebook here.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Almond-Macaroon Coffee Cake

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Oh, good morning. Are you still eating cereal, like a jerk?

Well, stop it! Because you could be eating Almond-Macaroon Coffee Cake.

"Buttery, flaky biscuits are the center of an indulgent macaroon coffee cake." says finalist Linda Bibbo of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Get in my mouth! Say I.

Here's the recipe.

Almond-Macaroon Coffee Cake 

15 servings

• 2 tablespoons Unsalted or Salted Butter, softened
• 4 tablespoons cinnamon Sugar
• 2 cans Pillsbury® Grands!® Jr. Golden Layers® refrigerated Butter Tastin® biscuits
• 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 1 can (14 oz) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure Almond Extract
• 1/2 cup natural Sliced Almonds
• 1/3cup Hershey's® Special Dark® chocolate baking chips
• Fresh mint leaves, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place 3 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar in large resealable food-storage plastic bag.
2. Separate dough into 20 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Place in bag with cinnamon sugar; shake to coat. Arrange pieces in dish; sprinkle with coconut.
3. Measure 1/2 cup of the condensed milk in small microwavable measuring cup; set aside. Pour remaining condensed milk into medium bowl. Add eggs, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and almond extract; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Spoon over biscuit pieces; sprinkle with almonds and remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cooling rack 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and chocolate chips to reserved condensed milk. Microwave on High 30 to 45 seconds or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
6. To serve, cut into 15 squares. Place on individual plates; drizzle scant tablespoon chocolate mixture over each serving. Garnish with mint. Serve warm.

Red Envelope Easter Treats Get Peeps-Bombed

Recently I was contacted by Red Envelope to do a review of their custom products Easter products (their unique Easter baskets, etc). They gave me a gift code (cha-ching!) with which to get myself somethin' at no cost. I'm sure they intended something Easter-y.

But, never having been good with authority...you know what I decided? I decided to combine the joy of Easter with the magic of Birthdays. And so I sort of broke the rules and instead of one of their (cute, admittedly) easter products, I purchased the most delicious-looking thing I could find on the entire website: The jumbo Happy Birthday Chocolate Chip cookie cake.

And then I did what any self-respecting easter lover would: I PEEPS-BOMBED IT!

I'll tell you the truth: I could tell right away that those Peeps were up to no good. How did I know this? Oh, I don't know. But the sign helped.

First, they began to surround the cookie.

And then they began to nest. 

Like, really nest.

and then, somehow, they had decorating icing and jellybeans.

And then, before I knew it, the cookie cake was Easter-fied! And...and it was delicious.

 

For more Easter fun, visit Red Envelope! 

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Blueberry-White Chocolate Cream Ginger Tart

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Even though this contains fruit, which always makes me suspicious that it might be health food, it also has sugar cookie dough and plenty of cream involved in the process--so I deem it acceptable. "Create a sweet new cookie dessert using Pillsbury® sugar cookie dough, cream cheese and fresh blueberries!" says the inventor and Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist Alice Wilson of Fairport, New York.

Blueberry White Chocolate Cream Ginger Tart

8 servings

• 1 roll Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon ground Ginger
• 1 tablespoon crystallized Ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
• 1 bag (12 oz) Hershey’s® premier white baking chips
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature 10 minutes to soften. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
2. In medium bowl, break up cookie dough. Add flour, ground ginger, crystallized ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix with wooden spoon or knead with hands, until well blended. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave white chips on High 1 minute to 1 minute 45 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Add cream cheese, cream and lemon peel; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture over cooled crust. Arrange blueberries over cream cheese mixture; press into filling.
5. Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into wedges. Store in refrigerator.

CakeSpy Undercover: Metropolitan Bakery, Philadelphia

Photo: Metropolitan Bakery facebook pageI have a big, sweet, carbohydratey crush on Philadelphia's Metropolitan Bakery. Why, you ask?

Well. There are a few reasons.

First off, they make wonderful bread. This is important. But sometimes, when a bakery excels at baking bread, their sweet treats seem secondary. And I get it--bread is their "thing". But very happily, Metropolitan Bakery doesn't fall into this category.

First, I will address their sticky buns. Like, whoa. Nice and yeasty, but with a pleasing amount of gooey filling, these buns are generously bathed in a caramelly coating and topped with pecans, making for a decadently delicious breakfast treat. I heated mine a little bit, and it sort of tasted like heaven. Really. I think I heard the "Dream Weaver" music playing.

Next, I will address their lemon bars. Now, by appearances only, the lemon bars are fairly average. I don't mean this as an insult. All that I am saying is, how could you know that this unassuming bar holds such a treasure of flavors? Assertively--nearly puckeringly--lemon, these cool and tart bars are anchored by a rich, buttery shortbread crust. Please, let me have another.

Next, I will talk for a moment about their raspberry crumb bars. Once again, not saccharine sweet, and beautifully finished off which a slightly salty, very buttery brown sugar crumb topping. I can see how one could even convince oneself that it's vaguely healthy. 

Speaking of vaguely healthy, they also offer something called a Millet Muffin. Now, in general, such a title would not entice me--but wrapped in liner paper that made them look like little flowers, I was intrigued. And I was assured by the counter lady that they were very, very good. "Are they healthy?" I asked. And she said, "Well, not really". That's all I needed--"I'll take it!" I said. And you know what? These muffins are very good. The millet adds a nice, nutty flavor and a wonderfully crunchy flavor which doesn't fall into "crack yo' teeth" territory--but the muffin base is deliciously dense and buttery. I call it a winner. 

And because this stuff contributes to the overall bakery experience, I should say that as an artistic person, their logo, which is inspired by the Paris Metro, pleases me greatly. 

Their menu is pretty extensive, featuring cakes, cookies, Frenchie-stuff like caneles and macarons, and tarts. And everything I have sampled has been quite good. What I am getting at here is: go to this bakery.

Metropolitan Bakery has a few locations in the Philadelphia area; find out more about them on their website.

Daily Snapshot: CakeSpy Inspired Cupcake Toppers

CakeSpy Note: if you follow me on facebook or Twitter, you probably know I'm partial to documenting my sweet goings-on. Here's where I post a daily feel-good photo, for no particular reason other than to showcase these sweet little nothings, in hopes that they'll make you smile.

After I interviewed Carmen of C for Cupcake, she sent me these sweet cupcake toppers as a thank-you! It really made my day.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Strawberry Swirl-Peanut Butter-Brownie Cupcakes

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

 Do you like peanut butter and jelly? Do you like brownies? Do you like cupcakes?

Duh, of course you do. But why eat just one of these treats when you could eat all of them--at once?? "Indulge in fudgy peanut butter cupcakes topped off with homemade strawberry cream cheese frosting." says entrant Amy Siegel Clifton, New Jersey. OK!

Strawberry Swirl Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 24foil baking cups
• 1can (14 oz) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3/4cup Jif® Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 1box (19.5 oz) Pillsbury® Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
• 3LAND O LAKES® Eggs
• 1/2cup Crisco® Pure Canola Oil
• 1/2cup buttermilk
• 1/2teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract

Frosting and Garnish

• 1package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4cup LAND O LAKES® Unsalted or Salted Butter, softened
• 1teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 1/2cups powdered sugar
• 1/4cup Smucker’s® Seedless Strawberry Jam
• 12small strawberries, halved, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place foil baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In medium bowl, stir together condensed milk and peanut butter until blended.
2. In large bowl, beat brownie mix, eggs, oil, buttermilk and almond extract with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until blended. Spoon 1 tablespoon brownie batter into each muffin cup; top each with 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter filling. Spoon remaining brownie batter evenly over filling.
3. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add jam; stir once or twice to create swirls of jam in frosting. Spoon into decorating bag or large resealable freezer plastic bag (cut 1/2-inch opening from 1 corner of plastic bag). Pipe or spread frosting on each cupcake. Garnish each with half of a strawberry. Store covered in refrigerator.

Cake Byte: News from CakeSpy Shop!

Dudes. Dudettes.

I've received like 10 emails from concerned passers-by who noticed a moving van outside of CakeSpy Shop today. 

What I need to tell you is "DO NOT PANIC." What has happened is that the condominium above the store had a water leak, and as a result we need to do some repainting and re-carpeting. Now, I know this might crimp your shopping style if you wanted to come in person, but overall, this is going to be an awesome thing for your shopping experience. As the shop Manager and overall awesome person Natalie puts it,

Hope all is well. We just wanted to keep everyone informed about a facelift that is happening at the shop. We will be closed starting tomorrow, March 20th and will re-open Wednesday, March 28th with new carpet, painted walls, and more! All of the product that was have was packed up today very carefully, under supervision. It is waiting safely in heated storage, and we will have it moved back in ASAP!

Yet awesomer? We will be using the time that we are shut to beef up our website, and to add more stock to our shop.

Cadbury Creme Egg Salad Sandwiches for Serious Eats

Cadbury Creme Egg Salad Sandwiches. Yes, you heard that correctly.

The bag lunch staple gets a sweet upgrade for Easter with this sweet trompe l'oeil sandwich. Pound cake slices sandwich a "salad" comprised of yellow-tinted frosting studded with almonds and sliced Cadbury Creme Eggs. Green coconut bits resemble lettuce and provide the final garnish. It's a fun dish to serve at a party, and a perfect complement to your Cadbury Creme Deviled Eggs and Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict.

The perfect way to get "hopped" up for Easter.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Chocolate, Ginger-Cream and Pear Tart

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Chocolate, Ginger-Cream and Pear Tart. Oh, my! It looks so hard, and so fancy. But it's not! Well, not hard to make, that is. "Create a pastry-chef standout dessert with flaky pastry, creamy pear filling and a just-right chocolate top. You can do it!" says Pillsbury Bake-off finalist Maria Scotto di Santolo of Berlin, New Jersey.

Chocolate, Ginger-Cream and Pear Tart

12 servings

Tart

• 1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
• 2 cans (15 oz each) pear halves in juice, drained
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (raw sugar)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 4oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2cup mascarpone cheese (from 8-oz container), softened
• 3/4cup Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk (from 14-oz can)
• 1/4 cup Unsalted or Salted Butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 egg Yolk
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup Hershey's® Special Dark® chocolate baking chips
• 1teaspoon corn syrup

Garnish

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts

1. Heat oven to 450°F. In ungreased 10- or 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, press pie crust evenly in bottom and up side of pan. Generously prick crust with fork.
2. Bake 6 to 9 minutes or until golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Cool crust 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, reserve 2 pear halves for garnish; refrigerate. Slice remaining pear halves; place in small bowl. Add raw sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger and bread crumbs; toss gently to coat. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and mascarpone with electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Add condensed milk, butter, remaining 2 teaspoons ginger, 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk; beat on medium speed until well blended. Spread 1 cup filling over cooled crust; arrange pear slices on top. Spread remaining filling over pears.
4. Bake at 325°F 40 to 50 minutes or until set and golden brown around edge. Cool 30 minutes.
5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1/3 cup whipping cream and chocolate chips on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or until smooth. Stir in corn syrup until well blended. Spread over cooled tart. Refrigerate 1 hour 30 minutes or until set.
6. Cut reserved pear halves into 12 slices. Remove side of pan. To serve, cut into 12 wedges. Top each wedge with 2 tablespoons whipped cream, 1 pear slice and 1 teaspoon walnuts. Store covered in refrigerator.