CakeSpy Undercover: Icing on the Cake, Los Gatos CA

Here's the situation. You're driving from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, CA, and you've gotten stuck in traffic and are starting to get SERIOUSLY hungry along the way. Do you wait til Santa Cruz and risk binge-eating all the artisan ice cream and bakeries in town because you're so hungry?

No. You pause, pull your car over in Los Gatos ("the cats"!), and stop your sweet self at Icing on the Cake.

Not only is Icing on the Cake a fantastic name for a bakery, it's also a fantastic bakery. It had crossed my radar several years ago when the staff was smart and savvy enough to begin stocking my products for their small retail area. Obviously, this meant that they were smart and wonderful people. True appreciators of sweetness.

But I had never actually tasted the sweets in person until I found myself in the situation detailed above. 

When I got to the bakery, I introduced myself and had a short chat with Lynn, of whom I asked a big question: "what should I take with me?". 

This led to a brief consultation about what my sweets preferences were. Well, I said, I tend to like buttery, rich things--not so much fruit stuff--and I would probably veer more toward caramel, peanut butter, etc, rather than chocolate (I love chocolate, but I like it as a component, not as the whole story, in general). 

"Oh," she said wisely, "you're one of those people who only eats beige things."

Now, I will confess, this took me aback for a moment. I love color! Rainbows! Unicorns! Pink frosting!

But then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right. I prefer blondies to brownies; I love shortbread, all the better if topped or sandwiched with caramel; one of my favorite-favorite foods, in the world, crumb cake, is really just several shades of beige.

So it's true: I'm a beige lover!

So I loaded up with a few beige-y treats: 

First, the softie Salted Caramel cookie ("Salted Caramel Moon"). If you like soft sugar cookies, this will be a real treat for you: a soft, rich, lightly crumbly cookie, but instead of the sugary-sweet frosting, this has a caramelly kick with a salty aftertaste. It works wonderfully with the cookie base; it's a little different, but not crazy--like, I could share this with my grandma, whereas she'd say "say WHAT?" to salted licorice flavored baked goods. 

Next up, the gingernsap. This one is crispy, which is usually not what I crave in a cookie (softie for life!) but this one was quite nice. It had quite a spicy zip--as Lynn advised, pair this one with tea and it will give you a little heat for a cold afternoon. Nice. 

Next up: the brown sugar shortbread cookies. Shortbread is one of those things that is so simple, but has the potential to be so exquisite, and at Icing on the Cake, it falls into the latter territory. The small additions of brown sugar and crunchy sugar around the sides of the cookies make a big difference, and take them from "good" to "great" shortbread territory. Very worth a try.

The most colorful treat--or at least the one with the most different tones--was their seven layer bar. This is probably one of my favorite treats in the world (well, aside from super-beige crumb cake) and theirs was a fine specimen. Crunchy and buttery on the bottom crust layer, soft and gooey in the midsection, so decadent and rich that you'd lose yourself in that sticky sea of delicious coconut if it weren't for the punctuations of crunchy nut and pockets of rich chocolate morsels. Please, promise me you'll get one when you visit. 

Of course, Icing on the Cake has a ton more: cupcakes, layer cakes, bars and quick breads and cookies of all sorts--the bakery case is very well appointed and tempting. 

Final word: GO TO THIS PLACE. I promise you won't regret it.

Icing on the Cake, 50 W. Main Street, Los Gatos, CA; online here.

CakeSpy Undercover: Taos Cow, Taos NM

In Taos, New Mexico, when you drive up a steep road into a sort of hippie utopia called Arroyo Seco, there's a clearing which gives way to a place called Taos Cow.

It's off the beaten path of the town—far from the plaza, or town center. But it's worth a visit.

One of their specialties is ice cream, which has a most unique texture. In fact, I am tempted to say it's more gelato-like—sort of smooth and with a different texture than say, Haagen daz. In asking the employee what made for that unique texture, she couldn't say—maybe the cows are just happier in New Mexico. 

Dairy is, after all, one of the major industries in New Mexico, and all of the dairy used in their products is from the state. I tried three types of ice cream: Caramel Pinon (pine nut), which is smooth and mellow and rich, with a deep, sophisticated aftertaste. I wanted to commit to this flavor, but they only had the tiniest bit left so I settled for a taste and got a hearty scoop of another flavor: the strawberry chocolate.

Probably this was one of the nicest strawberry ice creams I've ever tasted, with a distinct strawberry taste and a wonderful accompaniment of bittersweet and white chocolate. The high sweetness of the white chocolate, the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate, and the natural sweetness of the strawberry, all coming together in creamy matrimony, sure made my mouth happy.

A friend got the chocolate pecan ice cream as a shake, and it contained about 6 heaping scoops of ice cream. It was absolutely delicious, and at the end of it, there were nutty bits coated in melty chocolate like a treat at the end of the milkshake road.

But wait, there's more! Although Taos Cow is famous for their ice cream, it's not all they have to offer. They also have a pastry case full of cookies, pies, and pastries.

For instance, the apple pastry, which had a beautiful, flaky crust and a sweet, brown sugary apple filling. It was most impressive for breakfast the next morning.

Taos Cow is a hippie place with tourist prices, but it's certainly a sweet stop in New Mexico.

485 Hwy 150, Arroyo Seco, NM; online here.

Southern Belle Cupcake from Dream Cakes Gourmet Cupcakes, Santa Fe

Sometimes, a cupcake makes you want to purr. 

This is an experience I had recently (as in, there are probably still cake crumbs on my shirt) at a place called Dream Cakes Cupcakes in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

The retail space is small, tucked in a mall just off of the city's Plaza (downtown area). It is somewhat unassuming when you walk in, and the prices are somewhat hefty--$4.50 per cupcake. 

But the cupcakes are serious fatties--I don't like sharing cupcakes (at all) but here's one that I'd consider cutting in half and saving part 2 for later (sort of like...sharing with my future self). Because it's not quite 2 times the size of a regular cupcake, but 1.6 times the size of a regular cupcake. 

This picture (from their facebook page) may not portray the size, but it will show you the unusual square-ish shape they have.

Here's the menu.

The menu is pretty immense, about 50 flavors, but only certain ones are available daily. Generally, those will include their two bestsellers, the Chocolate-chocolate cupcake (I forget the name) and the "Armadillo"--the red velvet. I wanted to get the "Santa Fe" - a cornbread cupcake with green chile topped with a honey buttercream--but alas they were out for the day. The friendly man behind the register removed that flavor from the daily menu after he realized this cupcake was not in attendance.

He did give me a frosting shooter to soothe my broken heart.

So I went for my second choice--the "Southern Belle", a pecan cupcake with praline filling topped with cream cheese frosting. 

Looking into the Chinese takeout-style container (filled with cupcake!) this is what I saw. The man behind the counter (one of the owners) commented that he thought it was the prettiest of their cupcakes, and I agree that it was quite a looker. I didn't want to shut the lid for fear of disrupting the frosting.

I dug in to the container, using a fork. 

And after one bite, I wanted to go back and demand that they stop stuffing their cupcakes with crack, because that's just illegal.

OK, so the cupcakes are not stuffed with crack. But this one had an unmistakably buttery, rich vanilla birthday cake-y flavor, studded with delicious, sweet-salty praline gobs. It was good enough based on these merits, but add the cream cheese frosting and you have a combo that can make CakeSpy swoon.

I'll confess: based on the tiny interior and the prices and location, I had been slightly wary about this place as a tourist trap. But now that I have been, I must say that I am very impressed, and I am looking forward to going back and trying at least a baker's dozen more flavors.

66 E. San Francisco Street, Santa Fe NM; find out more info here.

CakeSpy Undercover: Sara Sara Cupcakes, Oklahoma City

You know me: I love a good cupcake.

But you know what I also love? A good cupcake shop that can also kindly suggest other bakeries in the area. I think it's a very good way to be! 

That's just what happened while visiting Pinkitzel in Oklahoma City, where they said that nearby, Sara Sara Cupcakes did some fine work. 

So over I went. I took a couple minutes to browse a very cute store next door, Shop Good before entering the cupcake den. 

It's an interesting configuration - the cupcake shop is actually in a house. It makes you feel like you're going into someone's cupcake house! 

The cupcake counter had a nice array of cakes in a variety of flavors. You can check out their full menu here, but here's some of what I saw. 

After much debate, I chose the Apricot Ricotta Cupcake, which had ricotta in the cake batter, and cream cheese frosting.

Isn't it pretty?

NOM! This was a very large, and very tasty cupcake. I will tell the truth, I didn't get a *ton* of ricotta flavor, the cream cheese frosting kind of masked it--but that is a comment, not a complaint, because cream cheese frosting is one of my favorite things, and I think it should be a food group. The cake was tender and moist and assertively dense, which suited me just fine. The apricot bits on the top were a very nice way to round out the tanginess of the cream cheese. 

A very nice cupcake stop indeed--I'll happily visit again next time I'm in OKC!

7 NW 9th Street, Oklahoma City; online here.

CakeSpy Undercover: Chocolate Maven, Santa Fe NM

When a place has a name like Chocolate Maven, you'd probably expect the walls and fixtures to be made of chocolate, not to mention every single thing for sale. 

But you're not entirely right. 

While Santa Fe's Chocolate Maven does have a highly respectable offering of chocolate goodies, it's got a whole lot more than just chocolate going on. It's a bakery / cafe / tea shop / restaurant. They have a counter in the front filled with fresh bread and baked goods, ranging from breakfast type items to cakes and pies. And cupcakes!

In the back, it's a restaurant, where they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For sweets lovers, the brunch (chocolate almond crepes! Peach compote French Toast!), High Tea (Champagne Tea for two: two types of finger sandwiches, chocolate-dipped strawberries, two glasses of champagne!) and dessert menus in particular will probably be of interest. 

When it comes to the baked goods, I haven't sampled extensively, but I have enjoyed what I have tried (um, none of it with chocolate). First, the mexican wedding cake. This is absolutely one of my favorite types of cookies: soft, crumbly, luxuriantly buttery, and nutty to boot. The Maven's version was a very nice size--not teeny tiny, but with a nice heft to it. The flavor was just perfect--the buttery nuttiness rendered completely addictive with the addition of sweet confectioners' sugar. 

The cherry tart was also highly pleasant - with a rich, crumbly crust which acted as the tasty bed for a dollop of custard topped with sweet cherries. I felt like chocolate shavings would have been a nice addition to this dessert, but this thought didn't in any way keep any part of the tart from being devoured. 

Chocolate Maven has won a ton of awards over the years, and I can see why. They do sweet stuff right.  And you know what? I really can't wait to get back here to try some of the other things on the menu, like hazelnut cheesecake or an almond fudge brownie, or the Mayan chile hot chocolate, or the Mocha Mousse Petit Four Grande with Caramel Sauce (try saying that five times fast!). 

Chocolate Maven, 821 W. San Mateo Road, Santa Fe NM; online here.

CakeSpy Undercover: Grandma's Cookies, St Charles MO

I need to tell you about a place called Grandma's Cookies.

At this magical place in a charming suburb of St Louis, MO, they specialize in--well, cookies.

But here's the thing. The cookies are only about 60 cents each! Well, less than 70 cents each. I forget exactly how much. And they're a pretty good size. In a world where cookies are regularly up to and sometimes even exceed $3.00, this made me like them from the get-go.

And after reviewing the offerings, the unique formation of the chocolate chip cookies made me like them even more. The chocolate chip cookies almost looked like little sun hats: A cookie base, with a cookie lump on top. Oddly, none of the other cookie flavors shared this formation, they were just kind of flat cookies. I'm sure they were good but I zeroed in on the cool (and more bulky) looking chocolate chip cookie. 

Look at how it looks in my hand!

Alternate view!

And look how it looks bitten into!

Dude, this cookie was good. And not just "good for 60 cents" good. It was genuinely good. The unique formation gave it a particularly chewy and nearly gooey center, but the edges were crispy. The chocolate chips were ably met by the brown sugary buttery cookie base, and when they came together in my mouth, I felt a moment of pure magic.

A very good cookie indeed. If you find yourself in this charming part of the world, please go there. And buy a baker's dozen of these cookies. It won't even cost that much!

Grandma's Cookies, 401 S. Main Street, St. Charles MO; online here.

P.S. Like the pictures in this post? I took them on my new Intuition phone, part of the Midwest Savvy Gourmets program from Verizon!  Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Gourmets program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Coming up Flours: Bloom Baking Company, Kansas City MO

Recently I found myself in Kansas City, MO, for about an hour. What to do? Go to a bakery, natch!

So after asking around, I learned that a fantastic one stop wonder of a place to get food, both sweet and savory, and maybe pick up a unicorn figurine, would be the historic City Market (est. 1857). OK! 

Nestled in the market was Bloom Baking Company. I was so glad to see them. I spent a long time ogling their cases. They had homemade bread, which was fantastic, but unfortunately I didn't think it would travel well.

Nor did I think their specialty--bread pudding--would. Although I got to sample it and it was very good.

So after being tempted by many goodies, including a pecan cranberry tart, pumpkin roll, macarons, cupcakes, lovely croissants and frenchy things, cookies, and so on, I settled on two items.

First up: the chocolate peanut butter crispy treat. I had to get this, as it reminded me of another favorite Midwest treat, the Special K Bar. Gosh, was this thing good. The peanut butter and chocolate were the dominant flavors, and they were done very well. The crispiness of the treat mixture below made it almost alarmingly addictive. I wanted to eat my weight in it. Like a candy bar, but fancier and better. Such a good treat that embraces fancy and lowbrow all at once.

Next up: the flourless chocolate cake. When bought by the slice, it's made even better by being coated in chocolate, a brilliant trick which both makes it more decadent and keeps the cake moist. It was a very chocolatey treat. One of those ones that coats your mouth with chocolate. You might want to smack me for saying it, but probably of the two treats this was my lesser favorite. There is a personal preference that plays into this, though. When it comes to chocolate desserts, I generally prefer them as chocolate with another flavor. The traveling buddy I was with, however, is a choco-choco-choco sort, so it was perfect. So there you have it: if you're a chocolate blackout sort, this one is perfect for you. 

All in all, I found this a most pleasing stop during my hour in Kansas City (alas, the vendors did not have any unicorn figurines); I spent the rest of my hour eating, looking at vendors, driving by the Hallmark Headquarters...and then I was gone!

Bloom Baking Company, 15 e. 3rd Street, Kansas City; online here.

Sweet Morning Carbohydrates at Tecolote Cafe, Santa Fe NM

At Tecolote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, they serve "great breakfast, no toast".

Now, I know. You're thinking...what's wrong with toast? Certainly it's a likeable foodstuff.

But as I found out on a recent visit, after taking a bite or two of what they do offer here, you won't even care why they don't serve toast, because you won't miss it.

First off, the "bakery basket". When you order an egg breakfast, you get a choice of tortillas or "bakery basket" as a side when you order. I want to urge you to NOT BE A FOOL. Because while tortillas are undeniably tasty, the bakery basket is the way to go here. This is what you can expect (and this is for one person):

The sweetest basket, with muffins and biscuits! On the day of my visit, it was blueberry, corn-jalapeno, and pumpkin muffins, and a biscuit. This could change on the day of your visit, but I promise it will be tasty.

But on to breakfast. If there is even a small part of you that has an interest in pancakes, you must order a pancake here. They are delicious. They are huge--salad plate sized--so one is perfect, especially if you add fruit or an egg or something on the side. Yes, if you look at the top picture you will see I ordered an egg. I know this is a big deal because it proves that I ate something other than sweets. Don't worry, I didn't eat anything else that wasn't sugar-coated all day.

I got the Atolé Piñon pancake. To translate, this is a blue cornmeal pine nut pancake. And was it ever good. The slight grit of the cornmeal gave the pancake an interesting texture and wonderful natural sweetness, and the mellow, rich pockets of toasted pine nut gave it a nice crunch every now and again. Topped with (warmed!) syrup and butter, this was a thing of sweet beauty to behold and to then store in my stomach. It was a warming and hearty and pretty much perfect pancake. 

They also had "Tollhouse" pancakes -- with chocolate chips and nuts. 

Now. Tecolote has sweet French Toast offerings too (I didn't ask why it was ok to have "no toast" but French Toast was OK): on the day of my visit, there were various fruit and chocolate and nut options. Tasty town!

Basically what I am saying here is that if you do not go to Tecolote Cafe as soon as possible, you are doing yourself a great disservice. 

Tecolote Cafe, 1203 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, NM. Online here.

An Open Love Letter to Capogiro Gelato, Philadelphia

I am sort of embarrassed that I have not yet written about Capogiro Gelato in Philadelphia.

I first came in contact with the ambrosial gelato experience that is Capogiro about a year ago, when I was in Philadelphia for my book tour for CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life . I asked that designed-for-crowd-sourcing tool known as Twitter where the best gelato in the city could be found. The refrain echoed resoundingly: CAPOGIRO. Wonderfully, there was a location not far from 30^th street station, my point of entry into the city. 

I walked from the station to their location on 20^th street, where I tried two flavors: Lancaster pumpkin with walnut gelato.

Oh. My. God. 

This is some of the best gelato I have ever tasted, and I have tasted a lot, let me tell you. The pumpkin was mellow and sweet, and the walnut tasted rich and smooth, with an aftertaste that reminded me of lightly salted butter (god, is that ever a good thing). The overall experience was made even more magical because of the fact that I was hoping for a mere gelato fix, but ended up having one of my most exquisite gelato experiences to date. What a wonderful suprise. 

I was in Philadelphia for 2 days on that visit, and I visited Capogiro about 3 more times (you do the math). While I'd say the pumpkin and walnut combo was still the best one-two punch, I had several other very good experiences, including macadamia with dulce de leche; chocolate malt with marshmallow; burnt sugar with cashew.

When I returned to Philadelphia this year to reside in the fair city for a while, it became my personal mission to try every flavor in their case. 

One of the things I've loved best about discovering Capogiro is their creatively curated case: the flavors vary by day, so you have a chance to curate your own flavor experience each time you go. From the classics (vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, stracciatella, pistachio) to some more exotic (candied black cherry, burnt sugar, bananas foster, marshmallow) and then seasonal (peach; pumpkin, etc, when in season) Well, while I wouldn't say I've hit every flavor, I have done a very good job. 

Not that you asked, but my personal favorite flavors (the ones I have to get every time I go) are the following. I'll mix up what I pair them with, but I will always choose one of the following as my first flavor when I go. Don't get mad at me if they don't have the one you're crushing on when you visit, though!

-Sorrento Walnut: I think they secretly lace this flavor with crack, because it's just so good. Also very good: cashew, macadamia, hazelnut, pistachio. But the walnut is my smooth jam when it comes to a nutty gelato.

-Burnt Sugar: It's dark and toasty in flavor yet so smooth and creamy in texture; richly interesting.

-Philly Cream cheese: Gilding the lily? Perhaps, but it's like the gelato equivalent of cream cheese frosting. Pair it with a fruit gelato (I loved it with the peaches and cream, when in season)

-Cioccolato Scuro: If I am in the mood for a deep, dark, rich chocolate that WILL stick to my teeth and imbue my soul with pure chocolate happiness, this is the flavor to go with. If you're brave, pair it with something like chocolate hazelnut for a chocolatey one-two punch. Om nom. I've also really enjoyed it with the avocado gelato - live a little and try it.

-Marshmallow: I know, I know, this one is kind of the dark horse, because I wouldn't classify myself as a marshmallow lover. But it's a smooth, rich flavor that is perfect when matched with either a chocolate variety or a nutty or caramelly variety; it really just works. Trust me on it.

Capogiro, I love you. You've made my time in Philadelphia so much sweeter, creamier, and richer (in more ways than one). You've inspired my creativity and flavor profile skills, and even if I don't stay in Philadelphia forever, I will remain your loyal customer every time I return!

 Capogiro, multiple locations in 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.