CakeSpy Undercover: Philly Flavors, Philadelphia

I would like to talk about the ice cream at Philly Flavors. It's the strangest ice cream shop configuration: they have two storefronts next to one another but which cannot be entered from the inside one to the other. I asked what the difference was between both spaces, and the counter person (who, I just have to say it, was completely rude) said “we basically have the same stuff”. OK.

Considering that, I headed next door, where they were friendlier. In surveying the choices, one intrigued me more than any other: “Crazy Vanilla”. It intrigued me, of course, because the “crazy” was written in rainbow colors on the menu. When I asked what made it crazy, I was told that it was the fact that it had rainbow sprinkles mashed into it. “That sounds about right.” I said.

I ordered a small cup, but it was served to me in a cup resembling a trough. It was pretty large. The ice cream did indeed have rainbow sprinkles mashed into it, which made me happy, and as expected, they dressed up the vanilla just enough to add a little bit of intrigue and magic to the texture and taste (by making it slightly sweeter).

The ice cream was rather respectable: very creamy and smooth, and highly happiness-inducing. While I wouldn't go so far as to call it a destination-worthy spot, I would say that should you find yourself craving some ice cream after running up the steps a la Rocky at the nearby Philadelphia Art Museum, or desiring dessert post-tour at the penitentiary, it's a respectable spot for a sweet fix.

Philly Flavors, 2004 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia. Online here.

CakeSpy Undercover: Belle Cakery, Philadelphia

Today was a beautiful day and so I decided to take a long walk and eat cake. I know, a fantastic idea, right?

And one of the bakeries on my list was the darling little shop called Belle Cakery in the East Passyunk area of Philadelphia (it's pretty hip there). It's mainly a custom-order cake shop but they have a well-curated selection of sweets in the front, and a few tables for seating. And when I say "a few" I mean more than three people is a crowd in this store. 

I went with a friend so we got a few things to try. What to get? After all, we had many options.

We kept it pretty simple. One pricey dessert, one cheap one.

First up, the oatmeal cranberry cookie. A steal at just 50 cents!

It was a highly pleasing cookie. I have been quite fond of the oat-and-cranberry combo since making "Cranzac Biscuits", and this cookie was a fine illustration of how delightful these flavors taste together. A buttery cookie that was crisp on the edges and chewy inside got a little liveliness from zingy cranberries, which brought the brown sugary-ness to life. A nice twist on a classic.

Next up, the pretty as a picture lemon poppyseed "Sunshine" cake. Visually it was fun in construction--a mini Dr. Seuss cake. It was extremely lemony--in a good way, not so tart it made you pucker but not so sweet that it hurt your teeth. It boasted a robust, custardy feel in the lemon sections; the poppyseed cake section was more like the complement to this part rather than the main event. Moreover, a delight. The employee said that it was his favorite dessert, like, ever, and that sold us--and he didn't steer us wrong. It was a very good cakelet-thing. At $6, it was spendy, but money well spent--a playful, fun dessert that was more exciting and exotic than a mere lemon cupcake. 

Belle Cakery, 1437 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia; online here.

Quesitos de Guayabas from Snow Bakery, Rincon, Puerto Rico

Ever heard of something sweet called "quesito"? It's ok, neither had I – and I am a professional.

The name translates roughly to—cute alert--”little cheese”. I told you it was cute! But what is it, exactly?

Well, to the uninitiated, a quesito is kind of like the tropical version of a cheese danish. But it is not quite a cheese danish itself. Differences? First, the pastry part is a little flakier. In recipes I found, it looks like it is typically a puff pastry.

Second, the shape. It's not a big flat round saucer; it's kind of cigar-shaped. This doesn't seem to be absolute, though; some versions that I saw were folded over, with two kissing ends meeting in the middle, and exposed ends. It's filled with a sweet cream cheese. And the most popular variation, by what I saw in the Rincon, Puerto Rico area, was the quesito de guayaba – the guava and cheese filled quesito. Here's an example of another one, from The Noshery.

This is a highly pleasant pastry, I must tell you. The flaky exterior gives way to a soft and slightly gooey interior, and there's a beautiful moment when you reach the unique middle texture where the gooey fillings have baked into, and beautifully altered, the texture of the pastry. I wish I could live in that moment. Or at least make it last longer than part of a bite.

The melding of the flavors is also quite nice—the buttery flakiness of the pastry, the sweet richness of the cheese, the mellow sweetness of the guava. It makes for an absolutely perfect complement for the small, potent cafe con leche that the panaderias all seem to serve in Rincon.

The Snow Bakery did a very nice job at the quesito de guayaba, and I sure hope to repeat the experience at a later date. In the meantime, if you're not Puerto Rico-bound any time soon, try out a recipe for them here.

For directions to Panaderia Snow Bakery, click here.

Baked Good of the Day, September 8: Date Walnut Bread

Source: whatwouldcathyeat.com via Cake on Pinterest

Did you know that today (September 8) is National Date Nut Bread Day? It's true, and to celebrate, may I suggest either the recipe above (click through on the picture) or this recipe from Joy of Baking, for Date Walnut Bread? It may sound healthy, but smother it with some cream cheese and trust me, it's not. But it IS very tasty.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Lovely and amazing: a rainbow of cake.

End of summer snack cakes: Zucchini cakes.

Bakery I wanna visit: Panaderia Ortiz, Peoria.

The science and magic of mighty meringue.

I want to eat a brownie in Beverly Hills, please. 

Chocolate saltine almond ball, anyone?

Love it: bakery-scented candles!

Caramel! Apple! Coffeecake! Yum. 

Simple but sweet: a delicious poundcake recipe.

Even better: peanut butter and jelly between slices of fried poundcake. YES!

Peanut butter me up: peanut butter coconut macaroons.

Germany, via North Jersey.

Another bakery I wanna visit: Magpie Artisan Bakery, Philadelphia

Baked Good of the Day, September 7: Acorn Squash and Honey Pies

Yup: today is National Acorn Squash Day! Celebrate it, sweetly, with this recipe for Acorn Squash and Honey Pies.

Sweet Story: How the Kouing Aman became the Queen of Salt Lake City

CakeSpy Note: Believe it or not, there's a sweet spot in Salt Lake City where the delightful French treat known as Kouing Aman (pronounce it "queen ahmann" in your Frenchiest voice, please) reigns supreme. It's at a bakery called Les Madeleines, where pastry chef Romina Rasmussen's version has won fans far and wide (even Oprah is said to be a fan!). But how did this happen? Here's the story of How the Kouing Aman became the Queen, written by the Queen of Kouing Aman herself, bakery owner Romina!

I wish I could tell you a story of one of my adventures that took me to Brittany, France where I discovered this hidden gem of a pastry.

It’s not as exciting as that. I discovered the Kouing Aman (or kouign aman) in a trade magazine. I like to stay up on what’s going on in the industry and was intrigued by an article I happened upon. I didn’t even make it right away. I put it aside to make it when I had time. Eventually, I gently nudged a regular customer to order some so I would have to make time. She did, and nothing has ever been the same.

The instructions wouldn’t work at this altitude (in Salt Lake City), so I adjusted the ingredients and technique. It took several batches to get them just right, but not so many that I wanted to give up.

At first I added them to our rotation of special viennoiserie, just once a week. At that point we were still undiscovered, so I only made eight at a time. Just eight! No one knew what they were. No one could say it. I didn’t expect it to go well.

The first few weeks I sampled a few out and it was unanimous love at first bite. The third week I got “in trouble” with a guest for running out, as she had driven a long way. The following it was because I'd put them out on the wrong day of the week. I ended up adding another day.

By the sixth week I was making them every day and people were making excuses as to why they were eating them so often – you know sick friends in the hospital and other such tales. We quickly nicknamed them “crack” and cautioned guests about their waistlines if they ate 2-3 per day. I once saw it almost come to blows over the last one between two ladies.

No matter how many I made, they’d sell out. I started limiting them to six/day without advanced orders. But this only made everyone want them more. At this point I was making way more than eight/day.

Eventually The Food Network found us and featured the Kouing Aman on Road Tasted with the Neelys and The Best Thing I Ever Ate. We started shipping them, and now I can say they’ve made it to all 50 states. Being on The Food Network was a business changing endorsement that I am very grateful for.

CakeSpy Note: May we pause for a moment to observe that the box says "by giving BUTTER, you give your HEART"...? LOVE it!

Eight years later, the Kouing Aman isn't such a secret. You can get them in a handful of bakeries (four in Salt Lake and counting) in several major cities. Most recently they’ve been featured in O The Oprah Magazine and were named Food & Wine's top pastry of 2012. They're destined to become a classic.

To purchase Kouing Aman or to plan a bakery visit to Salt Lake City yourself, visit the Les Madeleines website!

Simple but Sweet: Very Nice Cutout Biscuits Recipe

Sometimes, you need an over-the top cream-filled and sprinkle-studded dessert.

Well, this cookie is not for that time. This cookie should not be loved any less because of that, however: the fact is, it's a perfectly simple but sweet snacking cookie. In fact, I might go so far as to call it a biscuit, because for some reason I can't shake the idea of pairing these sophisticated treats with English tea.

What more can I say about this biscuit? It's the perfect building block for a sandwich cookie or an ideal cookie to garnish an ice cream dessert; it would be wonderful dressed up with a dipping in chocolate and would be a very nice complement to a pot de creme. 

Of course, lightly crunchy and not overly sweet, they make a fine snack all on their own, too. 

No, it's not a showstopper. But this versatile cookie is a good one to have in your back pocket. They're not difficult to make, and the recipe yields a TON of cookies  if you use approximately 1.5-inch cutters. Keep it on file!

Pleasant Biscuits

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly grated cinnamon
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Over a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping the mixer once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed.
4. Add the remaining flour and beat until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
6. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place each dough disk between 2 clean, large pieces of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. (If the dough cracks while rolling, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes more.)
7. Remove the plastic wrap and place the dough on a floured work surface. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour.
8. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Dip cookie cutters in flour before cutting out shapes.
9. Cut out cookies and transder to the prepared baking sheets.
10. Freeze the baking sheets for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes. Gather up the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies.
11. Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature. Makes many cookies (like 80 1.5-inch round ones).

Sweet September: Trophy Cupcakes debuts the Bananas Foster Cupcake

OMG OMG OMG. It's an absolute bananarama at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle, where they have a new flavor for September: Bananas Foster!

As they say in their newsletter:

Everybody loves Bananas Foster--from the decadent caramel to the yummy bananas down to the fancy flame finale!

We've turned this exotic dessert into a dreamy, delicious Trophy Cupcake. It all starts with a rich banan cake and a caramelicious Bananas foster filling. Then it's topped off with a mountain of toasted rum meringue and a crisp banana chip. 

It's pure Bananas Foster flavor, in handy cupcake form. 

Available every day in September at Trophy Cupcakes (I suggest calling first to ensure they still have stock, as the special flavors can sell out before the end of the day!); for locations, visit the Trophy Cupcakes website. 

Sweet of the Day: Baracky Road Ice Cream, Molly Moon's, Seattle

Sweet of the Day honors go to Molly Moon's today, because they have the cleverest name for an ice cream flavor I've heard, possibly ever: Baracky Road. Here's what they have to say about it:

The 2012 presidential election season is upon us and at Molly Moon's we’re having a little fun with serious matters. Our hazelnutty twist on this ice cream classic was first introduced to Seattleites in September of 2008 and it was a sell-out flavor on a very memorable November 4!

Baracky Road, arriving in Molly Moon's scoop shops today, is our decadent Melted Chocolate ice cream studded with chunks of organic and fair-trade Theo 70% dark chocolate, organic hazelnuts from Meridian Organic Hazelnut Farm in Aurora, OR, and handmade vanilla bean marshmallows from Seattle’s own Mallow Artisan Marshmallows!

Did ya know William Dreyer of Oakland, CA originally created Rocky Road ice cream in March of 1929 when he cut up marshmallows with his wife's sewing scissors and added them, along with walnuts, to his chocolate ice cream? The walnuts were soon replaced by pieces of toasted almond and after the Wall Street crash of 1929, Dreyer gave the flavor its Rocky Road name "to give folks something to smile about" as Americans realized what a "rocky road" lay ahead in the Great Depression. It's always been a mission of ours, at Molly Moon's, to give folks something to smile about. We hope this fall you can smile through the contentious debates, endless campaign ads, and ridiculous pundits -- one scoop of Baracky Road at a time!

For more, visit the Molly Moon's website!