Triple Sweet: Triple Berry Oat Bar from Sultan Bakery, WA

If you've read this site more than, oh, once, you probably know that I have a deep distrust of fruit in my dessert (it really does kind of dip a toe into "health food" territory). 

But in the case of the Triple Berry Bar from Sultan Bakery (the most beautiful sight along Highway 2 in Washington), the berries make for a triple threat of awesome.

Tart, sweet, but definitely berry-like, the suspiciously healthy fruit filling (which is also sort of a lie, because I suspect the "triple berry" was made up of marionberry, blueberry, and rhubarb--which I don't think is a berry) is not dumbed down by sugar but allowed to shine in the middle--but don't despair, because there is plenty of sugar on both the top and bottom to cancel out the lack of (added) sugar in the middle. A buttery cookie base acts as the anchor for this sweet treat, and the top contains a brownsugaroatbutter topping--spaces deleted because I want you to know how it tasted--and when it all comes together, it makes for some sort of "tastes like early summer" sort of magic. The middle is natural, but the top and bottom of the bar, baked with the natural bounty, make it...well, supernatural.

Buy some of this bliss for yourself at Sultan Bakery (also the home of delicious doughnuts), 711 W. Stevens Ave., Sultan; it's also fairly similar to the Mazurka Bar, the odyssey to the root of which and a recipe for which you can read about here.

Pastry Profiles: The Majestic Bar from Corina Bakery, Tacoma WA

Riddle me this. What's a Majestic Bar?

No, it's not a bar at which they serve grandiose alcoholic beverages (though, come to think about it, such an establishment wouldn't be so bad, would it be?).

No, the Majestic Bar, at least at the lovely and amazing Corina Bakery in Tacoma, WA, was described like this to me:

"Like a magic cookie bar but with frosting & MORE chocolate chips." 

I know--like poetry, right? Of course, if you're not familiar with the Magic Cookie Bar (also called Hello Dolly Bars and 7 Layer Bars, and other names), let me give you a primer. This decadent bar cookie starts out with a graham cracker base upon which several layers of deliciousness are piled, including but not limited to sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and nuts. They are rich and delicious. They also make a great pie, with the ingredients distributed slightly differently.

But when you make the upgrade to the Majestic Bar, you're on decadence overload, in the best way possible.

To sum it up: If you are what you eat, you might just become the Monopoly Man by the time you finish this big bar of awesome.

Of course, Corina also has a very worthy case full of other stuff, like this:

The Majestic Bar, available at Corina Bakery, 510 6th Avenue, Tacoma WA; online here.

Sweet Love: CakeSpy Visits Flour and Sun Bakery, Pleasantville, NY

Pleasantville, NY, has a rich history--it was a Dutch trading post as early as 1695.

But even more interesting: its rich present, particularly the buttercream dream that is Flour & Sun Bakery, just off of the metro north train.

When I recently headed up to Pleasantville to meet with my awesome literary agent Gail Fortune, I had the exquisite pleasure of meeting one of the managers and bakers, and--most importantly--the chance to sample some of the goods.

Choosing was difficult--after all, they had a stunning array of delicious flavors. On any given day, the assortment could include such choices as chocolate cookie dough, fluffernutter, Cereal (vanilla or chocolate cupcakes topped with fluff or chocolate fluff rolled in cereals such as Trix, Cocoa Crispies, and others), Magic Bar, Orange Poppyseed, Watermelon, or Pumpkin Pie.

I went for a special that day--chocolate halva--as well as the Banana Peanut butter (decorated to look like a monkey! shown above), as well as a chocolate and a vanilla-strawberry specimen. I brought them back to the city with me, and this was such precious cargo. I think that everybody in Grand Central Terminal was looking at me with jealousy in their eyes.

As the friendly manager had informed me, they are famous for their chocolate cake, which is dense and fudgy--almost brownie-like. No dried-out chocolate cake here, thank you very much. The vanilla cake was similarly dense, but very buttery and flavorful. My favorite frosting was the intriguing halva, which was nutty and sweet, and really did taste like the love child of the classic middle eastern confection and american buttercream. In a very good way.

Worth a trip from NYC alone? Maybe not (unless, like me, you are willing to travel an hour just for a cupcake), but if you find yourself headed north of the city for whatever reason, definitely worth a detour.

Also of note: Flour & Sun also makes decorated cookies, as well as Cupcake Truffles ("cupcakes and icing mixed to an ooey-gooey truffle-like consistency dipped in chocolate and decorated. Truffles are also available on a stick to ad a fun and celebratory element to any party.")

Flour & Sun Bakery, 19 Washington Avenue, Pleasantville, NY; online at flourandsunbakery.com

Cake Byte: Dozen Bake Shop and Burgatory Bar Collaborate on Cupcake Shakes

In Pittsburgh, a small miracle has taken place.

A deep, dark, secret love between a cupcake shop (Dozen Bake Shop) and a burger bar (Burgatory Bar) has resulted in the sweetest baby you'll ever meet: the Cupcake Shake!

Now, the cake shake isn't necessarily a new thing. The CupShake in Utah inspired CakeSpy's own CupShake recipe on Serious Eats a while back. But this is not to take away from the awesomeness of another CupShake entering the world of sweet treats. In fact, this is news to be celebrated.

And with flavor combinations like the Chocolate Stout Cupcake Shake, it is strong motivation to get your sweet self to Pittsburgh, STAT!

Cupcake Milkshakes, available at Burgatory Bar, Pittsburgh.

Cakewalk: Two Sweet Pittsburgh Bakery Visits with Cake Gumshoe Lauren

CakeSpy Note: You know what rules? Getting bakery tips from readers. Here's a great round-up of sweet spots that I know I'll be trying next time I'm in Pittsburgh, thanks to Cake Gumshoe Lauren H.!

I’m sure that there are many excellent ways to spend a rainy February weekend in Pittsburgh, but my favorite so far is most definitely exploring the city’s bakeries. While we weren’t there long enough to try too many places, my husband and I had a lovely time at the two places that we did visit (which we might have visited more than once), and I wanted to share them with other Cakespy readers who might be looking for sweets during their next trip to Pittsburgh!

Our first Pittsburgh stop was Dozen Bake Shop. I found a link to their website on Cakespy and wanted to be sure to visit! Dozen has two locations in Pittsburgh, one in Lawrenceville and one near the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon campuses in Oakland. We dropped by both; while the Lawrenceville location has seating and a more “café” feel, the Oakland location just seemed cozier for some reason!

Dozen has a daily cupcake menu, and I’m proud (ashamed?) to say that my husband and I managed to try the majority of the daily specials during our two days in Pittsburgh. The six cupcakes that took part in our taste test (pictured above, clockwise from the top left) were Mostess (basically a much tastier Hostess cupcake), Almond Dream, Milk Chocolate, Elvis (banana cake filled with chocolate buttercream and topped with peanut butter frosting), East End Chocolate Stout, and Red Velvet. Though all but one of the cupcakes were hits, the highlight was definitely the Almond Dream – I’ll be making my way to Dozen for another as soon as I arrive in Pittsburgh next time! The one miss was the East End Chocolate Stout: we were definitely not a fan of beer + cupcake + Irish cream frosting!  

We also indulged in some of Dozen’s non-cupcake sweets in the form of an incredible cinnamon bun, which I actually think my husband would rank above the cupcakes as his favorite Dozen treat.   

While Dozen was lovely, however, the highlight of our bakery stops was La Gourmandine Bakery, which is the best bakery that I’ve visited in any city for quite some time! The bakery has been open less than a year and is run by a French couple who relocated to Pittsburgh and decided to open a traditional French bakery there.   

The bakery is small and cozy, with just a few tables, but there was quite a Saturday morning line when we were there, despite its size and relative newness – and with good reason! As the photos above show, La Gourmandine has a spectacular selection of French pastries and breads, and the best part is that everything tastes even better than it looks!  

We indulged in (left to right) a coffee éclair, apple tart, and chocolate éclair. All three were beyond incredible, and the only thing that kept me from returning to purchase a box of coffee éclairs to take home with us the next day was the fact that La Gourmandine is closed on Sundays.  

If possible, La Gourmandine’s bread was even better than the pastries – we brought home a traditional baguette and a pain au cereal and could not stop raving about them (or eating them!) In short, pretty much everything about La Gourmandine was lovely and delightful – and tasted absolutely amazing! We’re planning another trip to Pittsburgh soon, and I’m fighting the urge to count down the days until we can visit the bakery to pick up another baguette and multiple coffee éclairs!

Hopefully this short walk will inspire other Cakespy readers to check out these bakeries next time they’re in Pittsburgh – and keep them full of sweets during their visit!

Places mentioned:

Dozen Bake Shop online at http://dozenbakeshop.com/

La Gourmandine Bakery online at http://www.lagourmandinebakery.com/

Cakewalk in Manhattan Part 2: Upper West Side

Not long ago, I heard about a group of artists who do the most wonderful thing to keep themselves inspired: they will navigate that city with a map of a different city. The idea, of course, being that sometimes, removing yourself from your natural element can help you see the world through new eyes. Well, to say I was enamored of this idea would be a bit of an understatement, and I have since tried to incorporate this idea into my pastry-eating and adventuring.

So when I was headed to NYC, to create an adventure to rival my pastry half-marathon, I knew I'd have to think of something good.

And then it came to me: a literal cakewalk. Here's the 411:

• How: I took a map of Manhattan, and on both the upper east and west sides, I wrote the word “Cake” and transcribed it into a walking route (can you see it on the map above?)
• Why this route: Well, because it was going to involve a lot of backtracking, I realized that choosing these neighborhoods, which bookend Central Park, would result in not only an interesting comparison, but would also ease up the physical amount of walking.
• But what if I missed a good bakery? Well, I made a few side trips, but the idea in general was to have a route that might take me by places I might not otherwise have heard about and to possibly make some new discoveries.
• Total Miles Walked: Many.

What did I find? So many sweet discoveries. Read on for the chronicle of the Upper West Side trek (you can also find the East Side Cakewalk here):

Necessary Side Trip: Hungarian Pastry Shop. How could you not stop here? It's a treasure.

105^th and Broadway: Silver Moon Bakery. If you've never visited this breadmaker/bakery, you are in for a treat. Carb-o-load on freshly baked pretzels (if they still have any left), which are salty, yeasty, and completely addictive; get your sweet fix with pastries and truffles of all manner. Do it.

96^th and Amsterdam: Maybe you've seen one before, but I never had: an Altoid Gum machine.

96^th and Columbus: Sing Sing Market, where they have good crumb cake.

Image: Threadless.comAlso at 96^th and Columbus: I saw a girl wearing a t-shirt that said “Stupid raisins stay out of my cookie”. No, I wasn't looking in a mirror. I will be, soon, though, because I found it online and ordered myself one.

Side note: Not that you asked, but I fell in love with a new building: 498 west End Avenue.

80^th and Amsterdam: Sarabeth's. Favorite two things there: cookies, and jam. Not necessarily together.

81^st Street at Broadway: Zabar's. Oh em Gee. Same family that owns Eli's on the East side. The crumb cake is some of my favorite in the city, and everything else—the cookies, the babka, the Hello Dolly bars—isn't so bad either.

72^nd and Broadway: Grandaisy Bakery. A teeny tiny storefront, this spot offers a variety of pastries and cookies, as well as little pizzas; this time, I tried the Lumaca, or as I was told to call it, “the snail”, a sweet flaky roll filled with apricot, honey and pistachio. Sort of like a morning roll gets kissed by baklava.

Necessary side trip: Levain Bakery. With half pound cookies that taste as good as they weigh, you'd better make a short side trip to this place.

70^th Street and Columbus: Muffins Cafe. This place has my favorite corn muffins, but they sell out early and I'll be honest, I've never tried anything else.

70^th and Columbus: Soutine Bakery. Like a little dollhouse bakery at the first level of a brownstone on a side street, this place is as charming as can be, and has a loyal following.

69^th and Columbus: Magnolia Bakery. If you've never had a cupcake from one of their outposts, do try the ones at this spot, the second location they opened. If you're so over cupcakes, dive into their banana nilla wafer pudding, which is a strong second-bestseller.

...and to finish, at Columbus Circle: Time Warner Center. You must go here, because they have two things of interest to the avid pastry-eater. For one thing, Whole Foods sells a variety of baked goods from many local bakeries, so if you aren't going to get to visit every neighborhood, you can find sweets from places like Two Little Red Hens, etc, here. Also, you must visit Bouchon, where you can get the most pinkies-out homemade oreos or Ho-hos you've ever seen.  

For highlights from the Upper East Side Cakewalk, click here!

Cakewalk in Manhattan Part 1: Upper East Side

Not long ago, I heard about a group of artists who do the most wonderful thing to keep themselves inspired: they will navigate that city with a map of a different city. The idea, of course, being that sometimes, removing yourself from your natural element can help you see the world through new eyes. Well, to say I was enamored of this idea would be a bit of an understatement, and I have since tried to incorporate this idea into my pastry-eating and adventuring.

So when I was headed to NYC, to create an adventure to rival my pastry half-marathon, I knew I'd have to think of something good.

And then it came to me: a literal cakewalk. Here's the 411:

• How: I took a map of Manhattan, and on both the upper east and west sides, I wrote the word “Cake” and transcribed it into a walking route (can you see it on the map above?)
• Why this route: Well, because it was going to involve a lot of backtracking, I realized that choosing these neighborhoods, which bookend Central Park, would result in not only an interesting comparison, but would also ease up the physical amount of walking.
• But what if I missed a good bakery? Well, I made a few side trips, but the idea in general was to have a route that might take me by places I might not otherwise have heard about and to possibly make some new discoveries.
• Total Miles Walked: Many.

What did I find? So many sweet discoveries. Read on for the chronicle of the Upper East Side trek:

Bonus coverage: because I couldn't NOT, I did veer off of the grid slightly for a small side adventure before starting the east side cakewalk:

First, Breakfast at Tiffany's: I drew a little Audrey Hepburn-inspired croissant to kick off my journey.

And now, on to the Cakewalk. Here are highlights from the love letter I sweet-walked across the grid of the Upper East Side (click here for the West Side tour):

59^th Street: Macaron Cafe. A cafe dedicated to la belle macaron—what could be sweeter?

60^th Street and 3^rd Avenue: slightly off of my C route, Dylan's Candy Bar was worth the block diversion, because, after all...

59^th Street and 3^rd Ave: Financier Patisserie. A cute-as-a-button bakery featuring all manner of Frenchie Sweets.

Sidebar: I headed over to one of the little parks that dot the side streets off of Sutton Place, where you can see the view of the Queensboro bridge made famous in Woody Allen's Manhattan. Sweetness!

63^rd and York: Sweet serendipity! De La Vega is an NYC artist who is very prolific with sidewalk chalk—it was a delight to discover some of his work. I kept on finding it around the east side, which made me feel like I had a sidewalk chalk compatriot.

73^rd and York: Sugar Loaf Cafe. Gawd, isn't that just the best name you've ever heard?

75^th and York: The best of the Delavega art I came across, wherein “become your dream” was “become your ice cream”. I left a little response. xo.

78^th and 1^st Avenue: Bagel and Appetizing. I always love the crumb cake at places like this.

Between 79^th and 80^th Streets on 1^st Avenue: Anneliese's Pastries. Featuring row after row of cupcakes, cookies, and a very surprising variety of roulades, this place gave the entire block a nice, buttery scent.

80^th and 1^st Avenue: Agata & Valentina. This gourmet grocery not only had great produce but a nice array of treats obtained from various local wholesale bakers.

81 st Street: Gracie Mews Diner. Sweet tip: on the Sunday I walked by, their brunch menu featured something so magical it almost brings a tear to my eye: Brownie Waffle Sundae. I did not try it, but it evoked such sweet fantasies that I couldn't not share.

80^th Street and 2^nd Avenue: H+H Bagels. Complete with a second entrance for tiny people! (Kidding—it is where the flour is pumped in, I believe). 

82^nd and 2^nd Avenue: Sweet Temptations, Nut City: It was closed, but the sign did make me smile.

76^th and 2^nd Avenue: Caffe Noi. For when it's Gelato o'clock!

76^th and 77^th and 2^nd Avenue: Pick a Bagel. Once again, the crumb cake!

75^th and 3^rd Avenue: Citarella. This gourmet grocer always has some nice sweets, generally from nicer local bakeries.

79^th and 3^rd Ave.: Crumbs Bake Shop. I've had hot and cold experiences at this cupcake chain, which has proliferated around NYC and now beyond. If I am going to tell you the complete truth, I have enjoyed their cookies more reliably than the cupcakes.

79^th and 3^rd Ave: Corrado Pastry. This bakery has a location in Grand Central Terminal too, and I was delighted to see a bigger cafe. Good cookies.

80^th and 3^rd Ave: Eli's. Now, this place is kind of like heaven for foodies. Let's pause to see just a few of the sweeties on offer (a mix of baked in-house and outsourced). The picture above really does not show how extensive their baked-good and sweet offerings truly are--candy, confections, cakes, pastries, pies, cookies...the works. It is like heaven.

Necessary side trip: Wm. Greenberg's, for some of the most celebrated black and white cookies.

83^rd and 84^th at York: Yorkville Creperie.

86^th and 2^nd Avenue: Dunkin' Donuts. If you believe it, this is the first one I ran across (unless I missed on along my route previously?)

Necessary side trip: Two Little Red Hens, where you can get your cupcake on, old school style. Just walk over to York Avenue.

86^th and 3^rd Avenue: This isn't necessarily sweet, but I totally saw Emeril filming at Gray's Papaya at this corner. Cool.

86^th and Lexington: Tim Horton's. Just donut. Also, Shake Shack--anyplace that has a Custard Calendar is just fine with me.

93^rd and 3^rd: Corner Bakery. Featuring fauxtess cupcakes, cookies, and more, this spot was packed.

3^rd Ave at 95^th: Zesty's Pizza, one of my guilty pleasures, has delightfully greasy zeppole.

96^th and Park: Gourmet Garage. Another good bet for baked goods wholesale from some of the city's nicer bakeries.

101^st at Park: A sweet heart on the street.

102^nd and Lexington: Delicious Bread House. Believe it or not, I used to live on this corner. But when I lived on this corner, this place wasn't there, just a friendly guy who would stand in front of this empty storefront and, I think, deal drugs. Maybe I wouldn't have moved away if this place had been there. The place is roughly the size of a postage stamp, and baking is not done on premises—instead, they receive their baked goods from a variety of wholesalers—but the two workers there during my visit, who were adorable, told me that their goal was to bring artisan bread and delicious pastries to Spanish Harlem. I told them I loved them. Everything was stupid-cheap: I picked up a three-pack of cakey Lemon drop Italian cookies for $1.50. More info here.

110^th and 1^st Ave: La Tropezienne. This was the jewel gilding the lily of the E on my final turn. Unmarked and unassuming from the outside, I probably wouldn't have looked twice but for the crowd and the singular, heady scent of butter and sugar that I know signifies “Bakery”.

Inside, I discovered a sweet spot indeed: cases and cases of delicate french pastries, cakes, tarts, and even cream puffs shaped like swans. More info here. 

Click here for the West side companion Cakewalk.

Pastry Profiles: Homemade Ho-Hos With Cocoa Puffs from Oddfellows Cafe, Seattle

A big, heartfelt thank you to the modern marvel that is Twitter.

Because without it, I never would have been given a heads up about another modern marvel, the cocoa puff-studded homemade Ho-Ho at Oddfellows Cafe in Seattle.

Now, it is no secret that I love the bakery case at Oddfellows (recent obsession: the biscuits). But they also serve very respectable after-dinner desserts too, with a creative rotating menu. And on a recent evening, they served these babies.

A fancied up version of the junk-food classic, these were made with a light but flavorful chocolate cake rolled with a rich, creamy filling and then coated in a rich chocolate; a candy coating adhered an unexpected garnish: cocoa puffs. Strange as it sounds, it worked: they added a nice little crunch, and a little bit of an unexpected sweet and salty cocoa crunch to the rest of the cake. Plus, a nice homage to the treat's lowbrow roots. 

This item isn't on the menu every day, but there's often something creative like it; give them a call before heading over or follow them on Twitter to keep updated.

Oddfellows Cafe, Seattle WA. Online at oddfellowscafe.com.

Pastry Profiles: Peanut Butter Chocolate Whoopie Pie from Baked, Brooklyn

It is no secret that I not only love Baked, but am actually IN LOVE with the owners, Matt and Renato. They are adorable; they are funny; they have two stellar cookbooks; and above all else, they make a mean baked good.

And their flagship Brooklyn bakery, Baked, is a pretty swell time to spend some time, money, and calories.

But on this visit (which was at breakfast time, by the way), I was a hunter, and my prey was the chocolate peanut butter whoopie pie.

I also picked up one of these!This sweetie consists of two cakey, moist but not too dense chocolate cookies (sort of devil dog style) with a generous dollop of the most exquisitely peanut buttery (accent on the buttery)frosting, studded with bits of candied nuts on the outside.

And it is so, so good. Somehow I was able to cut it in half, so I had half for breakfast (so decadent, so delicious!) and half later on, after dinner. And these two halves made my whole day sweet.

You must go get one. (and pick up a cute tote while you're at it!)

Chocolate Peanut butter whoopie pies (as well as a rotating menu of other flavors, including their signature pumpkin) from Baked, 394 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook Brooklyn; online at bakednyc.com

Also a good idea: buy their most excellent books : Baked: New Frontiers in Baking and Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented.

Sweet Soutine: Cookies and More from Soutine Bakery, NYC

If you haven't heard of Soutine Bakery in NYC, you're not alone. But I'd like you to discover it now, please and thank you.

Soutine is just off of the main drag, on a residental townhome sidestreet. It is tiny—I think of it as a dollhouse bakery. And this appeals to my love of all things tiny and cute.

But it's a double threat, because while their bakery case is small, there is no lack of delicious treats. They have frenchie treats like milles fueilles, sweet gateaux and other American standards (brownies, cookies, etc), but on this trip I zeroed in on the cookies.

The Soutine Chocolate Chip cookie is a crunchy affair, sort of along the lines of Tate's Bakeshop. Generally your dear spy's personal tastes lean toward soft and gooey when it comes to cookies, but, you know, it's never a good policy to eliminate the possibility of a delicious cookie experience solely because the cookie is crunchy. And ultimately the Soutine cookie was a sweet reward: light and crispy but still very buttery and rich in brown sugar flavor. I'd bet they taste even better warm, with a nice contrast between the crispy cookie and some gooey chocolate, but I wouldn't turn these cookies away any day.

I brought a bag to share with my buddies at the Serious Eats headquarters, and they approved, too.

Soutine Bakery, 149 W. 70^th Street, NYC; online at soutine.com.