Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

What's today again? Oh yeah, FRIDAY! Let's celebrate by wasting--er, spending quality time--on the internet together. Click away at these:

When you really care...give bacon.

Australia: It's not just for Pavlova anymore. Buy my stuff in Australia!

Seeking delicious doughnuts in Naples, FL? Look no further: Bennett's, as reviewed by Leandra!

Totally sweet: new Thanksgiving-themed rubber stamps featuring CakeSpy artwork, by Taylored Expressions!

Decree from a Minnesota-based reader: "Next time you're in MN, you MUST visit CupCake! They have boozy cupcakes!". I hear you, friend.

Much ado about Muffin: the phrase "no need to serve...with butter and jam, since they're already baked into the muffin in lavish proportions" has me thrilled about these upside-down fruit muffins.

Too early for Christmas ornaments? Not a chance, when they're as sweet as these. (thanks Anne for the tip!)

In Seattle, ART Restaurant is serving up dishes inspired by the Picasso exhibit at SAM--including a Picasso-esque "woman's face" dessert plate (pictured left).

Making the world sweeter: reader Jenna was so inspired by my cupcake art installation that she re-created it in DC! See the video here.

Check out my sweet friend Bakerella's roundup of CupcakeCamp Newport, OR, here.

Speaking of Bakerella, please, please tell me you've already bought her book, Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats. If not, do it now, please.

Matryoshka measuring spoons?!? Cute, cute, cuuuuute!

Sweetness overload: hope to see you this Saturday at CakeSpy Shop for the sweetest Halloween party ever!

 

Sweet Giveaway: Win a Copy of Mitford Cookbook by Bestselling Author Jan Karon

Who doesn't love having a sweet new recipe book? 

While you mull that one over, let me introduce a totally sweet giveaway: one lucky reader will receive the gorgeously designed Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader: Recipes from Mitford Cooks, Favorite Tales from Mitford Books. In case you're not familiar, Jan Karon is the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mitford Series (35 million copies in print). But even more importantly, this book is filled with over 150 delicious Southern recipes, including Esther Bolick’s delicious Orange Marmalade Cake, The Irish Lady Rhubarb Tart, and more! And, since we all love a good backstory, this four-color cookbook features Jan’s personal reminiscences, dozens of beloved scenes from the Mitford books, jokes, cooking tips, and a story never before published in the novels.

How do you put your name in the hat? It's easy. Simply answer in the comments below telling me what your favorite Southern dish is (either sweet OR savory, I am feeling generous!).

Details: The giveaway is open to US entrants only, please--the giveaway will close at Midnight next Friday, October 15.

Update on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by Cakespy

Update: the winner! The winner is Amy L., whose name was chosen at random and who just loves BISCUITS AND GRAVY! Congratulations!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Reasons Why You Should Visit Cupcake Royale in Bellevue

Being firmly planted in the camp of "Bad Things Happen When You Leave The City", I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but...

...you've got to get your sweet self over to Bellevue to check out the new Cupcake Royale.

Don't just pack up based on my simple statement, though, because I've got a baker's dozen of reasons to back up this suggestion of an epic crossing-the-water journey. Here goes:

1. First off, let's just say it: Cupcake Royale rules. They are cool, they have good cupcakes, and now they're in Bellevue. You owe them a visit.
2. OK, and on to the specifics. Ye Olde Exterior. I've got to say that (no offense) when I think "Bellevue", I think of malls, chain stores, and confusing underground parking. But somehow Cupcake Royale has managed to find its own unique niche--a place as unique and special as their cupcakes.
3. Ye Olde Interior. Formerly the home of an IHOP, I suspect that their may be elves lurking in the kitchen (actually, I can confirm that there are. I met one, and her name is Rachel.)
4. Ye Olde Interior, continued: it has a storybook-worthy back room. I want grandma to read me stories back here, while I stuff myself silly on cupcakes and Stumptown Coffee.
5. Speaking of Stumptown, this is the first joint on the Eastside to be serving it, I believe. Woot!
6. They have an expanded variety of morning sweets and cookies, from Macrina and also from another local Bellevue bakery. Yes!
7. They have the most adorable little dumbwaiter-esque system by which they slide cupcakes through the wall from the kitchen to the retail area. OMG!
8. New Fall Flavors: OK, so you could get it at the other locations too, but wouldn't a pumpkin cupcake with maple frosting taste just a little more magical in a place where you might see an elf?
9. They have this super sweet campaign: "Practice Random Acts of Cupcakes". Is this not the most delightful thing you've ever heard?
10. I swear, owner Jody Hall gets cuter with every new location she opens.
11. They have an expanded retail space at this store, which means that you can get even more of their totally sweet tongue in cheek tees ("Rock Out With Your Cupcake Out", "Legalize Frostitution"--you know, cute).
12. The cupcakes are baked on-site, and are already making Bellevue sweeter, based on the crowds!
13. Hint, hint: You may be seeing some CakeSpy stuff there in the future! 

Seriously, what are you waiting for? Find directions and details at cupcakeroyale.com.

Cake Byte: New Thanksgiving Rubber Stamp Designs by CakeSpy for Taylored Expressions

We're entering that totally sweet time of year when delicious sweet foods abound--Halloween Candy! Thanksgiving pie! Christmas cookies!

And this Thanksgiving, I know how you can help digest all that awesome: get crafty with these super cute new rubber stamps featuring my artwork, released by the always amazing Taylored Expressions!

Here's the 411:

Gobble Gobble is a set of 16 images and sentiments made from deeply etched rubber in a *cute* shade of pink! The cling-mounted stamps are packaged on a 5.5" x 8.5" storage panel with a color printed index and come already die cut so they're ready to use as soon as they arrive on your doorstep. Check out all of the inspiration in the Gobble Gobble Gallery!

So what are you waiting for? Go buy them now. And don't forget to check out the super sweet gallery of project ideas!

Coffee Cake Break: Brown Sugar and Almond Coffeecake Recipe from Macrina Bakery

Image c/o Macrina BakeryThings to dislike about the beginning of the month: paying rent, receiving phone and credit card bills, and remembering to write a different month when you date everything.

Things to adore about the beginning of the month: Macrina Bakery's monthly newsletter, which always includes a recipe.

This month's? The most delectable Brown Sugar and Almond Coffeecake recipe. Theirs has raspberries, but as a die-hard lover of desserts devoid of altogether too-healthy fruit, I'm curious to try it with cream cheese or maybe cookie dough instead.

Oh, and it is worth noting that we are headed into a very exciting season at Macrina. Coming soon? Brown Sugar Spice Cake, Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake With Gingered Cranberries (all Thanksgiving specials!).

Brown Sugar and Almond Coffeecake

From Leslie Mackie's Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook: Favorite Breads, Pastries, Sweets and Savories

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour 
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp salt 
• 10 ounces (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1-3/4 cups light brown sugar
• 5 eggs 
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tsp pure almond extract
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
• Powdered sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Oil a 9" square pan
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Toss with your hands and set aside.
3. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes to cream the butter. The mixture should be smooth and pale in color.
4. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix with a whisk. Add a small amount of egg mixture to the bowl of creamed butter and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated. Continue adding small amounts until all of the egg mixture is mixed into the butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another 30 seconds.
5. Remove the bowl from your stand mixer. Alternately add small amounts of the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon just until all the ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the raspberries, taking care not to smash the fruit. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle chopped almonds over the top.
6. Bake on the center rack of your oven for about an hour, or until golden brown. Test center of cake with a cake tester or toothpick--it will come out clean when the cake is done. Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack, then dust with confectioners' sugar and cut into pieces. The cake will be fragile until fully cooled, so remove slices carefully.

Hummingbird Chronicles: Lemon Cupcakes Recipe from Hummingbird Bakery

English cupcakes come stateside!CakeSpy Note: This is an ongoing series of entries about (and recipes from!) London's Hummingbird Bakery by Cake Gumshoe Alexandra Levert, who is an assistant director for a French television network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She loves cooking and baking because she finds it comforting and yet challenging at the same time. She tries to combine her love of food and her love of travel as much as life will let her.

 One Sunday afternoon, my boyfriend, who has never been into cupcakes, decided to finally take a look at my Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. He started flipping the pages and landed on the lemon cupcakes page. He suddenly got all excited and said he wanted to make them. And right now. I was surprised, yet I wasn’t: he can never say no to a dessert with lemon. Suddenly, I was the one who wasn’t too excited about the idea of making them. Don’t get me wrong, I love lemon, but I always prefer chocolate to fruit in a dessert. This time though, I let him convince me and we went to the grocery store. 

Hummingbird Bakery Lemon Cupcakes

Recipe by Tarek Malouf, from Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook 

For the base:

• 120g of plain flour
• 150g of caster sugar
• 1½  teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest, plus extra to decorate
• 40g of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 120 ml of whole milk
• 1 egg 

For the lemon frosting:

• 250g of icing sugar (sifted) 
• 80g of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest
• A few drops of yellow food colouring (optional but pretty!)
• 25 ml of whole milk 

For the cooking process:

• A 12-hole cupcake tray lined with paper cases 

So here is what I did:

1. First, I preheated the oven to 325°F or 170°C. 
2. Second, I sifted the flour and put it in a large bowl with the sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and butter. Then I used a handheld electric whisk, although you can also use a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment, to beat the first batch of ingredients together. I beat them on slow speed until I was certain all the components were combined. I gradually poured the milk in and continued beating so that everything was mixed in well. I added the egg to the first mixture and beat it in with the rest for a few minutes until it formed a nice, smooth blend. Now the next part tested my cupcake skills for the first time: spooning the mixture into the paper cases. To do so, I took two spoons: one to pick up a bit of the blend and the other to push it out of the first spoon and into the mold. I repeated that same action until all 12 paper cases were about 2/3 full. The tricky part was to try and keep the tray as clean as possible, by not letting any of the mixture fall anywhere but in the cases. It was harder than it looked, but I did it. One cupcake point for me! 
3. I put the tray in the oven for 22 minutes, since the recipe said to leave it in for 20 to 25 minutes. What I did was I set my timer for 20 minutes, and then when it rang, I took a fork and inserted it gently into one of the cakes. When I took the fork out, there was a slight trace of cake on it, so I knew I had to leave them in for a few more minutes. So I waited a little bit, checked again and they were fine. I took them out of the oven and let them cool down completely. 
4. After about 30 minutes, it was time for me to make the icing. First I beat the icing sugar, butter, lemon zest and food colouring with the same handheld electric whisk, but this time on medium-slow speed until the ingredients were well combined. Then I turned the whisk down to a slower speed while I poured the milk. After that, I turned it to high speed and beat the mix for about 5 minutes, until the frosting became fluffy enough. As Tarek Malouf said in his book: “The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.” 
5. Then my now-favourite, yet the riskiest part of the whole process finally arrived: it was time to put the frosting on the cakes. The thing about cupcakes is that they are supposed to look pretty and appetizing, and this was my first time trying to do so. The best advice I can give you is just dig in but do it gently. Take a good amount of the frosting with a spoon, a knife or a small spatula and spread it evenly while rotating the cupcake. This will give you more control over what the end result will be like. And voilà! Your first cupcakes. MY first cupcakes! 

So what do they taste like, you ask? Well, the thing about Hummingbird cupcakes is that they are never too sugary, which is good for people who don’t have a sweet tooth. I found the lemon ones very flavorsome, yet quite subtle in taste. Lemon is not something you need a lot of in order to get the full taste experience. And it was the case with these cupcakes. 

Final words: In order to make the recipes with as much precision as possible, I would recommend using a weighing scale in order to measure some of the ingredients. I didn’t have one when I made this recipe, and I found it really affected the texture and consistency of the frosting. It was a bit too liquid, not overly but just enough for it not to stick to the base properly. Remember: You need good tools to make great cupcakes!

Trick or Sweet: Candy Corn Kaleidoscope Cookies for Serious Eats

It's October, and you know what that means: it's officially candy corn season.

But if you appreciate the iconic look more than the mellowcreme taste of the stuff, here's a solution: a reconfiguration of the Kaleidoscope Cooky (yes, cooky) from the Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, made to resemble the tricolor confection. Lightly crumbly, very buttery, and extremely crowd-pleasing, these cookies are a totally sweet tricked-out treat.

Note: This recipe is designed to feed a crowd; I have in the past halved it with fine results. Also, if shaping the dough into the candy corn shape seems too fussy, they're just as festive as Halloween-hued rounds.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Whoopie Pie Frozen Custard from Old School Frozen Custard, Seattle

Three guesses as to what was the most decadently delicious thing I tasted this week.

That's right: Whoopie Pie Frozen Custard. 

This bit of sweet manna was the special flavor of the day on Thursday, September 30th at Old School Frozen Custard in Capitol Hill. Now, if you don't know much about Old School, then let me learn you a bit about their M.O.: they generally have only three flavors available daily--vanilla, chocolate, and a special flavor of the day. Naturally, Audrey (who is also the one who inspired these cupcakes) and I had to walk over to sample this one.

So what exactly is Whoopie Pie frozen custard? Well, according to Old School's site, it's comprised of "Our Chocolate Cake Batter frozen custard with a delicious butter cream varigate folded into it".

But really, this description doesn't tell you much about the exquisite joy of eating it. While eating it, the first flavor that hits is chocolate--but then something happens. A slightly tangy, rich-sweet undertone to the taste--that's the cake batter. And then--little nubbins of vanilla buttercream swirled throughout--something that isn't really necessary, but sure is nice. 

While had I been given this custard blindly and asked what flavor it was, I might not instantly guess "whoopie pie", but I certainly would have finished it and licked the bowl. Yes, indeed.

The final word? A fine flavor of the day. Bring it back soon!

Old School Frozen Custard has locations in Seattle and Bonney Lake; visit their site for details.

Candy-Coated: Delicious Sweets from Dufflet

I want to tell you about the most recent series of confections that I can't stop cramming into my mouth: Dufflet Small Indulgences.

A couple of weeks ago the fine folks at Dufflet asked if they could send some samples of their products, and being the good sports we are when it comes to sweet treats, we said sure.

But we weren't prepared for the total awesomeness that came our way.

First, the caramel crackle. It doesn't look too glamorous--kind of like a cross between brittle and crackers. But when you bite into it, something happens: a dance party starts in your mouth. Sweet and salty, crumbly and chewy, this falls somewhere between cookie and candy, in the best way possible. It's delicious alone, but it's perfection atop vanilla custard or ice cream.

But oh, the "Marvelous Morsels". We received two types--the Cherries and Madagascar Vanilla ("seductively tart cherries scented with fragrant Madagascar vanilla, enrobed in smooth milk chocolate and tinted with entirely natural colour") and the Crunchy Caramel Crusted Pistachios in Milk chocolate ("perfect pistachios coated in hard crack-caramel, enrobed in smooth milk chocolate and dusted with confectioners’ sugar"). 

And similarly, both varieties disappeared quickly. The cherries were deliciously sweet and tart, and made beautiful (and tasty) cupcake toppers; the crunchy caramel crusted pistachios are like another party in your mouth, with a variety of flavors crashing together beautifully in each bite. 

So we've got to say: free samples aside, we were very, very impressed and I'd definitely buy them with my own money.

Find out more, seek out a store, or browse the collection online at dufflet.com.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

I hope you're not counting, because this isn't actually a baker's dozen of links, but they're so sweet you'll forgive me an extra, right?

Like you needed a reminder: CupcakeCamp in Newport, OR this weekend! CakeSpy! Bakerella! MORE!

Food News You Can Use: Bonbon Jovi Truffles are featured on WCP!

Honey, I'm Home: Honey Cake with Sour Cream Frosting, by Moscow Gourmet Kitchen!

Don't understand a word, but love everything I see: Objetivo Cupcake!

Beer? Brownies? How 'bout both? At once?

Sweet cupcakes, sweet cause: CupcakeCamp goes to London!

Sweet bakery find: a reader suggested Muscoreil's Fine Desserts and Gourmet Cakes in North Tonawanda, NY. I am not sure when I'll get there, but I love that they have a full selection of "Finger Desserts".

I've heard of 7-Up Cake...but 7-Up biscuits? Unheard of!

Speaking of biscuits, you can find a gluten-free recipe here (and see a peek of my card designs!) via Good Chemistry Baking.

I'm just saying, I love this gumball t-shirt.

These robots are ready to serve you...sweetness! Yumbots by Fred!

All of the visual appeal of watermelon, but none of the healthiness: watermelon cupcakes!

Tis the season...for pumpkin cookies! And these ones look amazing.

Sweet memories: ugly-but-delicious Praline Squares!