Virtual Tour de Sweet, Stop 9: Scoopalicious

Scoopalicious tried this recipe!CakeSpy Note: My book tour has already begun--online, that is! Marking stop 9 for the virtual Tour de Sweet blog tour is Scoopalicious--they not only tried out several recipes but did a super sweet interview! 

When my copy of CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Lifearrived in the mail , I was thrilled. The book is beautiful. It's 100% CakeSpy. And having now followed the CakeSpy chronicles from very early on, I feel lucky to be one of those who can say "I knew her when..." Haha! Seriously though, having watched Jessie develop into this success in so many ways has been such a joy, but it was the publication of a book -- a book! -- that really took the cake (yes, of course pun intended!). We at Scoopalicious are so proud of you Jessie -- so well deserved.

There are so many treats I wanted to try (oh if the time allowed for them all!) but I was especially tickled by all the ice cream recipes included. Pudding using ice cream instead of milk?! Oh. My. God. Wow. Sounds heavenly. And. It. Was.

For the full writeup, recipes, and the interview, visit Scoopalicious!

Tour de Sweet: CakeSpy Coming to Portland, OR This Week!

City of Roses?

More like City of Flour. And Sugar. And Sweetness.

In case you didn't get the memo: CakeSpy is coming to Portland for the best book tour ever--Tour de Sweet, a bakery book tour!

Oh, this is going to be awesome.

First off: CakeSpy on TV! It will all kick off on Thursday, the 20th, when I will be featured on KPTV at 9.30 am or so. Sweet!

And then, I will stop at bakeries and make sure to have books to sell you and then sign for you. Where will I be stopping, you ask?

• Thursday, October 20: 5-7pm: Pix Patisserie! I will be signing books and eating sweet treats like these. Pix Patisserie, 3901 N. Williams Ave.; more details here. Here's something you could eat at Pix:

• Saturday, October 22: 4pm: Saint Cupcake! Their new location is cute as a button, and even more delicious. Corner of SW 12th and Morrison; more details here. Here's something you could eat at Saint Cupcake:

But wait, there's more! I will be bringing notecards and an original painting to raffle off at both locations! How do you enter the raffle? Easy, you buy the book. Already got a book? Have me sign it and you can be entered, too.

Check out all of the tour dates here!

Virtual Tour de Sweet, Stop 8: Not Martha Loves My Book

Image of my book: Not MarthaCakeSpy Note: My book tour has already begun--online, that is! Marking stop 8 for the virtual Tour de Sweet blog tour is Not Martha, who clearly loves me and my book (with good reason):

Today I’m happy to be a stop on the blog book tour for CakeSpy‘s new book: CakeSpyPresents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life. Yay Jessie! I live in Seattle and feel very lucky to know Jessie and see how she has grown her business into a real life shop how she manages to spread bits of joy wherever she goes. The book is filled with her sometimes silly and always awesome baked goods reflect her certain style. Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict? S’moreos? Cupcake stuffed cupcakes? Deep-fried cupcakes on a stick? All these wonders can be found inside along with her illustrations. It’s more awesome in one place than you could hope for.

For the full entry visit Not Martha!

Cake Byte: CakeSpy's Book Launch Party Totally Ruled

Photo: Dennis ChaoLike, OMG. If you missed the official CakeSpy Book Launch Party, there's not much to say other than "dude. You missed out." 

I was amazed (and rather humbled) to find that at about 5.30, people started forming a line outside. A freaking line! To buy my book! OMG! 

It was a star-studded affair, with attendees ranging from neighborhood folk, friends, fans, and even some celebrities, including, oh, the editor of Edible Seattle to Cake Central staffers to celebrity pastry chef Neil Robertson to writer and Spilled Milk podcaster Matthew Amster-Burton...as well as my parents and my little sister.

There was also rainbow cake, as well as several other sweets from the book; and New York Cupcakes provided a lovely display of cupcakes, dressed up in Bella Cupcake Couture wrappers--some of which were decorated to look like my Cuppie character!

Cupcakes made by New York CupcakesOh, and there was champagne too, to put people in a book-buyin' mood (it worked).

Here's a slideshow of some highlights from a totally sweet evening! But don't panic too much if you missed it: I have a whole book tour ahead.

Virtual Tour de Sweet, Stop 7: Homemade Candy Corn by Shauna Sever

Image: Shauna Sever

CakeSpy Note: My book tour has already begun--online, that is! Marking stop 5 for the virtual Tour de Sweet blog tour is Shauna of Piece of Cake, who tried her hand at those tricolor delights, homemade candy corn! As she puts it:

Oh, hey, speaking of crazy, I made my own candy corn the other day. I know, right? What could be more ridiculous and yet so totally perfect right now? In the midst of deadlines and website blah-blah-blahs, I still couldn’t help but get inspired to try this insane culinary experiment. And, as usual, it’s the fabulous Jessie Oleson (you may know her as CakeSpy) who put such an adorably whackadoodle idea in my head. We can all rejoice that the Queen of Sweet Teeth has just released her first cookbook, and if ever there was a compilation of recipes that so perfectly encompassed the persona of its author, its this one. I dare you to read this book and not crack a smile. Can’t be done, people. This book is a stack of sugary joy, plain and simple.

For the full entry visit Shauna's website!

Virtual Tour de Sweet, Stop 6: Candy Dreidels For a Pro Wrestler by Bake and Destroy

Image: Bake and DestroyCakeSpy Note: My book tour has already begun--online, that is! Marking stop 5 for the virtual Tour de Sweet blog tour is Natalie of Bake + Destroy!, who in addition to being awesome is also the only other member of the only club I'm in: Team Little. She made some dreidels dedicated to a pro wrestler - awesome. As she says:

When CakeSpy Head Spy and co-founder of Team Little (members: me and her) Jessie Oleson asked me to take part in her Tour de Sweet I knew I was going to have a tough choice ahead. For years I’ve been following her cray-cray creative baking experiments, wishing I had the guts to stuff cinnamon rolls with cookie dough or to try mailing a cupcake in an envelope. So with her new book CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life in hand, I did what any rational food blogger would do. I took it into the bathtub with me.

Forty five minutes and a nice, bubbly soak later, I emerged wrinkly and inspired. With easy, but wildly creative directions for making such items as candy salad, Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict and Pop Rocks cookies I can tell this book will be my go-to when Teno and I want to make something fun. But the recipe I chose to share with you all today actually comes not only from my love of CakeSpy, but also from my love of pro-wrestler Colt Cabana. See, when I got to page 139 and spotted a plate full of blue marshmallow dreidels, I immediately thought of Colt.

...Anyway, whether you’re a fan of Colt’s, a CakeSpy follower or just in favor of eating religious imagery, these marshmallow dreidels are sure to please.

For the full post and recipe, visit Bake and Destroy!

Virtual Tour de Sweet, Stop 5: Toaster Pastry Ice Cream Sandwiches by Cookie Madness

Photo: Cookie MadnessCakeSpy Note: My book tour has already begun--online, that is! Marking stop 5 for the virtual Tour de Sweet blog tour is one of my favorite people and coincidentally the writer of one of my favorite blogs--Anna of Cookie Madness! Channeling the also-awesome Peabody she zeroed right in on the Toaster Pastry ice cream sandwiches. Anna had some sweet things to say about the book, and here's a preview:

While Jessie signs copies of her book at bakeries across the country, some of her biggest fans are writing posts on why they like the book and mentioning recipes. As it happens, Peabody and I both went straight to the Toaster Pastry Ice Cream Sandwiches.

For the full entry, visit Cookie Madness!

Cake Byte: Awesomeness at Cupcake Royale

Check it out! I'll be at two different Cupcake Royale locations for book events in the next few days! Check out the facebook event pages for the events here: Capitol Hill and Bellevue.

Find out more and find directions at Cupcakeroyale.com!

Virtual Tour de Sweet, Stop 4: Blondie-Topped Brownies by Dessert First

Image: Dessert FirstCakeSpy Note: My book tour has already begun--online, that is! Marking stop 4 for the virtual Tour de Sweet blog tour is Anita of Dessert First! She made a totally sweet version of my Blondie-topped Brownies!

It was hard to choose which recipe to make first, but I tried out her Blondie-Topped Brownies, because I’m always a fan of not having to choose. This recipe is exactly as described: a moist fudgy brownie layer topped with a sweet, butterscotch-y blondie layer. It’s quick to make, and the flavors mix together surprisingly well. And it’s certainly a conversation starter, like most the other recipes in the cookbook. 

Congrats on a great first cookbook, Jessie! As part of her book launch, Jessie will be touring several cities, and she’ll be in the Bay Area next week at two great foodie locations: Teacake Bake Shop and Omnivore Books. I’m looking forward to meeting her and if any of you are local, I hope you’ll come too!

For Anita's full entry and the recipe, visit Dessert First!

Virtual Tour de Sweet, Stop 3: Pop Tarts Ice Cream Sandwiches by Peabody

Photo: Culinary Concoctions by PeabodyCakeSpy Note: My book tour has already begun--online, that is! Marking stop 3 for the virtual Tour de Sweet blog tour is Peabody (my baking hero and fellow unicorn lover), who has managed to make my Pop-Tarts Ice Cream Sandwiches even awesomer. Here's Peabody's writeup, but visit her blog for the recipe and an interview with me!

So most of you know my buddy Jessie from Cakespy, but you might not know she came out with a whimsical and fun cookbook as well! It’s just quirky and magical, just like her. I was asked to join her Tour de Sweet and jumped at the chance!

Jessie and I think a lot alike and without every discussing what the other one is making we literally will have often made almost the same thing…great minds. Minus the fact that she can also draw and well…I make some really lovely blobs and squiggles that I call drawings. Just like most artist, my art won’t be appreciated until I’m dead, or so I keep telling myself.

If you love Jessie you will love her book. If you don’t know Jessie, head over to her blog and take a look. Her book is of course somewhat like her blog…but a little more unicorn action (not that action) and who can’t use that?

Thanks, Peabody. Just for you, here's a special Halloween drawing:

For the full entry, recipe, and a scintillating interview, visit Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.