Cake Byte: American Pie Opens in Georgetown, Seattle

This week, when Mr. Spy and I made our usual visit to Calamity Jane's for breakfast, we saw a most beautiful sight: American Pie, which has been "about to open" for a very, very long time, has now officially opened its doors in Georgetown, Seattle.

Sadly, they are not open on Sundays, though, so we didn't get to try the pies.

However, trusted CakeSpy comrade Terri, who works at Calamity Jane's, gave us the 411. Terri can most certainly be trusted, for many reasons, including but not limited to A) the fact that she was the first customer on the first day that American Pie opened; and B) She is the type of person who hosts butter parties.

Terri reports that she has tried several types of their pie, and has officially developed a deep love for their Chicken Pot Pie; on the sweet front, a blueberry pie with lattice-top crust and mini pecan pies have also struck her fancy. The crust is an exceptionally flaky, buttery specimen, adding a nice, savory contrast to sweet fillings, and a buttery complement to savory fillings.

They also sell a variety of empanadas and Spanish cookies, says Terri. While on the one hand it may seem funny that an establishment called American Pie sells a variety of ethnic sweets, it really is kind of all-American in that our nation truly is a melting pot.

Wary of yet more pie in Seattle? Well, as Terri so aptly put it, "I love pie. I mean, putting delicious things in buttery crust--what could be better than that?". Amen to that--bring on the butter, bring on the pie, bring on the sweet revolution!

Of course, if you're in Georgetown on a sunday, when American Pie is not open, Calamity Jane's does have dessert:

American Pie, 5631 Airport Way South, Georgetown, Seattle.

Sweet Farm: Farm to Market Bakery in Bow, WA

Remember how I told you about my favorite farm in the world, Breadfarm, in Bow, WA?

Well, right down the street there's another farm-themed purveyor of delicious baked goods--Farm to Market Bakery.

It is a very hippie-looking place when you walk in, and you can tell that they are probably very responsible about things like composting, recycling, and sewing their own clothes and stuff.

But what really drew this spy in was the impressive array of freshly baked goods, mostly quite large in scale (what can I say, size does matter sometimes): cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, bars and cookies, and so on. They were, oddly, out of bread on the day of my visit, but were being good neighbors and suggesting that customers seeking bread venture over to Breadfarm. (Good form, in my opinion). 

The spy's pick? A black-bottom cupcake, featuring a deep, dark chocolate base and a chocolate chip-studded cream cheese top. The texture was on the dry side--but not to a fault, more in a "you want to pair it with coffee" sort of way. The taste was not over-sweet, making it a nice choice for a decadent but not sugar rush-y type of breakfast, but it didn't quite venture into after-meal dessert territory.

A very sweet find, and a very charming establishment--this spy looks forward to a return visit!

14003 Gilmore Avenue, Bow, WA; find directions here.

Seeing Green: Trophy Cupcakes Offers Guinness Cupcakes with Irish Cream Buttercream for St. Patrick's Day

Everybody's Irish when there's a cupcake like this around!

That's right: it's March, and that means it's time for some serious sweetness at Trophy Cupcakes, where they've brought back their beloved St. Patrick's Day flavor: Chocolate Guiness Stout Cupcakes with Irish Cream Buttercream frosting on top!

If you suspect that these cupcakes are comprised completely of awesome, you are right. The stout adds a wonderful density to the cake, leaning more toward chocolatey than toward a beer-y flavor; the Irish Cream in the buttercream gives it a little zing--just enough so that you know it's there, but not so much that it drives you to distraction. This sweet treat will be available Monday, the 14th through the 19th, daily.

Trophy will also be debuting "Green Velvet" cupcakes this year on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. "Green Velvet" is Trophy's award winning Red Velvet Cupcake gone green for one day…our traditional buttermilk and cocoa cupcake will be topped with Trophy's classic Cream Cheese Frosting made extra lucky with a hint of green. 

Available at all three Trophy Cupcakes locations; for availability, directions and hours, visit their website.

Cakewalk: A Sweet Jaunt to London 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 London, thanks to Cake Gumshoe Lauren H.!

I definitely do not purport to know all of the lovely bakeries in London – it is chock full of them, as one might imagine given Britain’s reputation for afternoon tea and all of the sweets that it entails. Still, my trips to the city have left me with a couple of favorites that I thought other Cakespy readers might enjoy exploring next time they’re in London!

First, Konditor and Cook, which has several locations throughout London, largely south of the Thames.   

Konditor and Cook is very much a “drop in to grab a treat” type of place: while a couple of locations have tables, the majority are counters for tea, coffee, savories, and sweets.

I love Konditor and Cook because you can visit for everything from a breakfast treat to lunch to take-away pastries to cakes. A few highlights from many visits:

Traditional Millionaire Shortbread – Konditor and Cook is one of the only places that I’ve been able to find it in London, and it is more than delicious!  

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a proper English bakery without a collection of cakes and tarts…(pictured top of post; clockwise from the top left: Coffee Walnut Cake, Bramley Apple Tart, Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Tart, and Almond Fruit Tart.)

Konditor and Cook is perhaps best-known for its “Magic Cakes,” which are small lemon sponge cakes that are, quite honestly, almost too adorable to eat.

If you’re looking for a more sit-down, proper-English-tea experience, Bea’s of Bloomsbury is likely to be a better fit. Bea’s has been open in Bloomsbury (relatively near The British Museum) since 2008 and recently opened a new location at One New Change, just across the street from St. Paul’s Cathedral. New Change is intended to be the “hip, younger sister” of the original location, and this intention is clear in the décor. Still, the sweets and service are the same at both locations.

Like Konditor and Cook, Bea’s does coffee, breakfast, and lunch, but afternoon tea is truly the best reason to visit Bea’s. The Bloomsbury location serves it from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday, and One New Change serves from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Friday. Both locations do weekend tea from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Afternoon Tea at Bea’s takes on one of two forms. If you’re not too hungry or are looking to stay in the savory range, there’s the Cream Tea option, which consists of lovely, lovely scones and, of course, a pot of tea!

For the slightly more hungry (and cake lovers among us!), there’s the Sweet Afternoon Tea, featuring scones, cupcakes, brownies, blondies, meringues, homemade marshmallows, and other treats. I’m not entirely sure how it’s possible for one person to eat everything that comes on the tea tray (though I’ve seen people try!), but the Bea’s staff is wonderfully flexible in terms of allowing sharing and extra treats.

Here’s a peek of the Sweet Afternoon Tea at the Bloomsbury location (above)...

And one from One New Change...

And so ends my rather short cake walk – hopefully it will be helpful to the next Cakespy reader who has a bit of time to spare (and a sweet tooth!) in London!

Places mentioned:

Konditor and Cook, online at http://www.konditorandcook.com; Bea’s of Bloomsbury, online at http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com.

CakeSpy Undercover: Breadfarm, Bow, WA

They say (and by "they" I mean "I") that bad things happen when you leave the city.

However, I was proven delightfully and deliciously wrong on a recent jaunt outside of the city limits to Bow, WA (I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I don't know how it's pronounced), when I was rewarded with the sweet carbohydratey bliss that is Breadfarm.

First off: Breadfarm. The very word is just gorgeous! I don't know about you, but I find the idea of a Breadfarm far more romantic than the idea of some regular farm with chickens and cows and manure and stuff.

What to expect when you walk in: you will be hit with a wave of warm air redolent of bread baking with a soupcon of something sweet. It's really quite pleasant. You'll see a bunch of hippie-hipster types in the back cutting scones, kneading bread, and mixing batter. This is also quite a pleasant sight.

But there's something even more interesting right in front of you: a gorgeously stocked bakery case, full of homemade bread in various forms: boules, baguettes, buns, and other types that don't start with the letter "b" , in a variety of flavors ranging from the expected hippie wheat and multigrain to more unexpected flavors like apple, ginger raisin or fig anise. But even more importantly, there are plenty of sweet treats. Breadfarm boasts a full baked good menu including Babka, cupcakes in chocolate and gingerbread, and an impressive array of cookies. 

The spy selections included a variety of said cookies: a peanut butter sandwich cookie, a cacao nib cookie, and a Fredonia Fig Bar.

The peanut butter was the favorite of the bunch, with a crisp, peanut buttery crunch on the outside giving way to a soft and creamy peanut butter filling. Lightly salty and nicely buttery, this cookie was definitely a winner.

The cacao nib cookie was also quite nicely appointed: crisp on the edges, soft on the inside, and with a unique, nutty-buttery-slightly bittersweet chocolatey flavor from the nibs. Nom. Above, it is pictured with what appears to be a lightpost with a sweater knitted around it (how sweet!).

The Fredonia Fig bar was tasty, but erred slightly more toward health food territory in this spy's opinion, falling somewhere between a granola bar and fig newton. I would say this would be an excellent breakfast cookie, but fell a little short for mid-day sugar cravings.

Breadfarm, 5766 Cains Court, Bow WA; online at breadfarm.com.

Dark But Sweet: Bittersweet Chocolate Gateau Recipe from Macrina Bakery, Seattle

Image: Macrina BakeryTopping the list of things that make you go NOM? Howsabout a big slice of Bittersweet Chocolate Gateau? It's the recipe of the month from Seattle's famous Macrina Bakery, and I don't know about you, but I think it would be a perfect cake to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or all of the above.

Bittersweet Chocolate Gateau

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 9 eggs
• 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks)
• unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 cups (1 pint) fresh raspberries
• Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
• Powdered sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 9 x 13-inch springform pan. Set aside.
2. Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a small stainless steel bowl. Place bowl on top of a saucepan filled with 2 inches of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not come in contact with the water. It’s important that the water be just simmering; if it’s too hot it will scorch the chocolate. Stir chocolate with a rubber spatula until all of the pieces have melted and reached a smooth consistency. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on the stovetop to keep it slightly warm.
3. Separate eggs, placing yolks in a small bowl and whites in a medium bowl. Set bowls aside.
4. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and mix for about 5 minutes more to cream the butter. The mixture will become smooth and pale in color. Start adding the egg yolks, 2 at a time, taking care to mix each addition fully before adding more yolks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. After all of the yolks are incorporated, add the sifted cocoa powder and continue mixing until combined.
5. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the melted chocolate with a rubber spatula. The batter will thicken. Using a whisk or hand-held mixer, whip egg whites until medium-stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter, one third at a time. Continue folding the batter until there are no visible white streaks; it is important that the whites be fully incorporated into the batter. The final mixture should have a sponge-like texture. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and scatter half of the raspberries over the top. Poke the berries down with your fingers until they are just below the surface.
6. Place pan on center rack of oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and lift, leaving the cake on the pan bottom. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and garnish with the remaining raspberries. Serve with Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream. It’s best to enjoy this cake the day it’s baked, but it can be stored at room temperature for up to one day. It will become very dense and fudge-like if kept in the refrigerator.
7. It's also most excellent with freshly whipped cream!

Sweet Sirens: Treats from Girl Next Door Baked Goods

According to that cultural goldmine called the Urban Dictionary, "Girl Next Door" is a rather open-ended phrase:

Every guy may have his specific girl-next-door prototype, but in general, she's the girl whom you always admired from afar and were afraid to approach.

Girl Next Door Baked Goods, on the other hand, should not be pined-for from afar. These goods are meant to be enjoyed up close and personal.

And that's just what we got to do this week, when they sent us a sweet parcel loaded with love-themed Valentine's Day treats. And it came with a sultry three-part card:

"Do Chiles & Chocolate get you a little hot?" beckoned the first fold of the card.

Well, no, not after that sriracha-brownie incident, but I powered on.

"Sometimes Love Hurts. A Hot Blonde will help ease the pain," it said on the second fold. Now, that's more like it. Blondies are my weakness, and these ones were a delight: dense, brown-sugary nuggets of buttery butterscotch awesomeness. 

and finally: "If chocolate doesn't work, try bourbon-soaked cherries. If that doesn't work, check his pulse." Well, I'll never know about this one as an aphrodisiac because I ate it all by myself, and it made me feel loved during every bite.

OF course, the cute card ended there, with an invitation to "get a crush on Girl Next Door Baked Goods", but the pleasure didn't. The parcel also contained a sampling of other brownie flavors (all served in tiny, but very potent, portions), a small bag of peanut butter cookies, and something called the "husband bait"--a buttery bar cookie with strawberry preserves and cream cheese. "Would this have made you want to marry me if you hadn't already?" I asked Mr. Spy, but he was too busy eating to answer me.

So, I guess I'd have to say it's true: CakeSpy's got a crush on Girl Next Door Baked Goods. Get a crush yourself--visit gndbakedgoods.com.

Stick It: LolliPies by A La Mode Pies, Seattle

So, earlier this week I headed over to the Center of the Universe (aka Fremont, Seattle) for a secret spy assignment: namely, to eat pie at newly-opened Pie.

Little did I know that even more pie would be in my future. After Twittering that I'd just visited Pie, I received a message from nearby Blue Moon Burgers saying "you should come try our LolliPies!".

Um, OK.

So I walked over and what should I find at this burger joint but a beautiful display of pocket pies on sticks! Now, these aren't Pie Pops like the baby-ones I made for Serious Eats a while back--these are respectably, bigger-than-a-fist-sized pies on not so much of a popsicle stick, more like a tongue depressor. 

They had a few flavors available--I chose the "Blue Hawaiian", which I knew was a specialty.

On a stick, this already-good pie is positively genius. The higher crust-to-filling ratio allows the eater to attain a heightened state of carb-o-loading bliss, and the blueberry-pineapple-coconut filling was rich and sweet enough to stand up to all that delicious crust. Nice detail: it was topped with more toasty coconut on top.

Of course, it got even better when I topped it with a jaunty dollop of freshly whipped cream.

LolliPies by A La Mode Pies, available at Blue Moon Burgers and various other locations; learn more at A La Mode Pies.

Great Balls of Cake: Cake Balls from 3.14 Bakery, White Center, WA

...and to think, I was about to order a cookie.

It's true: when I recently made a trek to finally visit two West Seattle bakeries I'd never visited in person, I had all but settled on a cookie at 3.14 Bakery (as you'll recall, I have tried their cinnamon rolls, thanks to Stacy!).

But on my way to the register to pay, I saw this unassuming little sign:

OMG! Cake Balls! Forget you, cookie!

And so I got the Red Velvet covered in white chocolate.

There is a problem with these cake balls, and it is the fact that the amount of joy resulting from the $1 price tag is simply not in line. These are dollar bites of heaven. Beyond rich cake, kept moist by a protective wall of white chocolate, these are not high cuisine, but they're awfully tasty. (Disclaimer: CakeSpy loves white chocolate)

If you find yourself in West Seattle, get one. Or ten. You decide.

Cake Balls! (and they have other stuff too). From 3.14 Bakery, 9602 16th Ave SW, Seattle. On Facebook here.

Small But Mighty: Mini Mini Pies from Pie, Fremont, Seattle

Fremont, Seattle, is the center of the universe. Well, if you trust street signs and locals, that is. 

And for pie lovers, the new epicenter is Pie, a pint-sized shop specializing in small pies both sweet and savory. They just opened but have already been featured in the Seattle Times, The Stranger (by the inimitable Megan Seling), and now on CakeSpy.

The pies are available in two sizes: mini (cupcake sized) and mini mini (thumbprint sized). I got the mini-mini ones because it meant I could eat more.

Flavors sampled: Lemon Custard, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Key Lime. Thoughts?

The pie is good. The crust is very flaky, like a croissant-meets-puff-pastry-pie-crust hybrid. This is very good for flaky crust lovers, but if you prefer a sturdier and chewier crust, you'd be better served at High 5 Pie or Shoofly. 

The fillings are good. The lemon and lime varieties are tart and not overly-sweet; the peanut butter and jelly I found to be a standout, rich but piquant with a touch of jelly, and the perfect foil to the flaky crust--the peanut butter kind of got absorbed and made it nice and thick and dense (and yes, I am one of those "I love more crust" types of people, though Mr. Spy is not and loves flaky crust). 

The logo is good. No bigger bummer than a bad bakery logo. And theirs passes CakeSpy scrutiny.

Also, I love the fact that you can watch the pies being made. LOVE!

And although I deplore diets, I should mention that the teeny tiny mini size is ideal for those who are still New Year's Resolution-ing--they allow a good taste, without being overly indulgent. 

Pie, 3515 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle; online at sweetandsavorypie.com. Find them on Facebook here, follow them on Twitter here.