Sweet Profiles: Wendy Sykes of Four and Twenty Blackbirds

If you're a professional CakeSpy, basically when it comes to anything sweet, you always want the backstory. So when Wendy Sykes (AKA Four and 20 Blackbirds) entered her prize-winning Rhueberry Pie in the Cake Vs. Pie faceoff, basically I had to know more. Turns out, she's not only a tremendous baker, but has recently launched a business where she will teach you how to make delicious pies, too!

Here's a bit more of the story, directly from the source!

I've always been an big baker, but my entire professional life was spent as a journalist/public radio producer. (most recently at Marketplace, but Seattleites might remember my first show, Rewind.)

Recently, I was between jobs (like sooooooo many) and I was baking and entertaining and cooking a lot.  Friends kept asking me questions about the things I made, how to do this and that - but they seemed especially befuddled by and intimidated by pie crust.

I gave a few classes for fun, to a group of friends and it just spread from there!

I really like it - it's a great fit for my personality (as it turns out, teaching is not so different from producing) and I love seeing how proud people are when they make their own little pie!

I teach the classes out of my home in Ravenna and keep them small (8-10) so everyone gets hands-on instruction. I really think that's key - you have to feel and touch the pastry dough to know how it's supposed to be. So many people in class say, "Ohhhh - that's how it should feel!"

The setting also makes for a really fun, relaxed event - it's more like having your friend teach you something, rather than learning from an "instructor."  Since I'm not a trained professional (I joke that I went to The Culinary Institute of My Mom) people seemed more apt to ask questions, joke around, be silly.

The most important thing that I want people to leave class with is confidence. I want them to know that they can do this at home. Confidence is key - because pie crust is just like dogs and horses - it can smell fear.

I have some class descriptions on my blog as well on my site; I do the pie classes, (also one for parents and kids) and then cookie classes as well. I've been making this certain sugar cookie forever and decorating them. I teach people all the little tricks to ice the cookies as well.  The cookies are so good - which is important to me, cuz sometimes those really adorable decorated sweets taste just ungodly - they're made more for looks than taste.

Want yet more? You are urged to visit fourand20blackbirds.com.

Awesome Overload: 50 Moments from the Sweetest Week Ever

Life is pretty sweet, no doubt about it.

But a couple of weeks ago, when I had the distinct pleasure and honor of attending CupcakeCamp in Newport, OR -- as well as several other sweet occurrences in the days following -- it was a little bit sweeter than usual.

Share the memories with me (that was a command, not a request):

1. To warm up my belly for a long day of eating cupcakes, I was sure to stop and get a delicious biscuit first, from The Coffee House, a place with a lackluster name but amazing sweets. How far would you travel for a delicious biscuit? Consider a road trip to Newport.
2. Arriving at the show, I felt so welcome.
3. OMG! My artwork was on the poster!
4. Double OMG: I think this is the first time I've ever seen my likeness on a poster. Cake celebrity!
5. Triple OMG: Look who else is on the poster!Photo credit: Bakerella
6. This is a big one: I finally got to meet Bakerella.
7. Bakerella! 
8. Finally! After all of our sweet back and forth.
9. And I got to meet her friend "Cupcake Julie", too, who is an absolute delight and inspiration!
10. I got to hang out with my friend (and CakeSpy sponsor) Carrie of Bella Cupcake Couture fame. This time, she was one of the judges at CupcakeCamp.
11. I also got to meet Dianna Lopez, who is a professional cake decorator and taught a decorating class in which they used my artwork as inspiration. Cool!
12. This time, I got to teach a class, showing children (and kids at heart) how to watercolor cupcakes. Of course, there was some confusion about this--I taught them how to do watercolors OF cupcakes, not watercolor ON cupcakes.
13. I may or may not have felt slight pangs of jealousy when I saw the kids' creations, like this one
14. And this one
15. and this one
16. and this one
17. and this one
18. and this one
19. and this one
20. and this one
21. ...and this one too.
22. And the adults had some nice showings too--here's Julie's (above).
23. ...and Bakerella's (above).
24. You'd think that after judging cupcakes at Seattle's CupcakeCamp, I'd be tired of tasting cupcakes 30 at a time. But you're wrong.
25. There were so many delightful displays of cupcakes, but one of the standouts was definitely by Rocket Queen, whose cupcakes I have enjoyed in the past.
26. Judging was hard, but someone had to do it, and so I tasted peanut butter filled and frosted cupcakes...
27. ...and huckleberry cupcakes...
28. and decorated cupcakes...
29. and cupcakes for Halloween...
30. and rainbow cupcakes...
31. rows and rows of cupcakes...
32. and cupcakes decorated to look like ice cream sundaes (!)
33. and cupcakes made by kids (maybe some of the same kids who took my class?)
34. and vegan cupcakes...
35. ...and even cupcakes with fish!
    
36. ...and wouldn't you believe, I was even asked to AUTOGRAPH something. I felt like a bona fide big deal, people.
37. After all this awesome, I kind of wanted to take a nap, but I didn't. I powered on over to Portland, where my totally sweet friend Nicole was having a bachelorette weekend. I arrived just in time for cheesecake from Laurelhurst Market (good timing!).
38. And back at the hotel room, there were cupcakes from Cupcake Royale.
39. In the morning, we went to Mother's, where I love the biscuits and cookies...
40. ...before breakfast, we got a cinnamon roll.
41. ...and after breakfast, we got some chocolate cake (secret ingredient: BEETS! Pictured at top of post)
42. ...and then after that, while browsing about, I discovered the best bike in the world: Biscuit Bike!
43. Then, I saw some of my artwork at Presents of Mind!
44. Back home in Seattle, Bakerella and Julie came to visit my store!
45. ...and while they were there, I was surprised by a visit from Cake Gumshoe Phuong (here all the way from Boston!)
46. ...and a visit too from the amazing food writer Rebekah Denn and her adorable new baby daughter, who I have taken to calling "Miss Marshmallow".
47. All of them (Bakerella, Julie, Phuong, and Rebekah) got to meet Porkchop.
48. I was also an expert on Questionland that week. Cool!
49. And later on that week, a visit and little Halloween shindig with the totally awesome Alicia Kachmar.Photo Credit: Bakerella
50. And finally, a question and answer session and book signing at Williams-Sonoma with Bakerella before we sent her on the rest of her totally sweet tour.

Cake Byte: New Thanksgiving Rubber Stamp Designs by CakeSpy for Taylored Expressions

We're entering that totally sweet time of year when delicious sweet foods abound--Halloween Candy! Thanksgiving pie! Christmas cookies!

And this Thanksgiving, I know how you can help digest all that awesome: get crafty with these super cute new rubber stamps featuring my artwork, released by the always amazing Taylored Expressions!

Here's the 411:

Gobble Gobble is a set of 16 images and sentiments made from deeply etched rubber in a *cute* shade of pink! The cling-mounted stamps are packaged on a 5.5" x 8.5" storage panel with a color printed index and come already die cut so they're ready to use as soon as they arrive on your doorstep. Check out all of the inspiration in the Gobble Gobble Gallery!

So what are you waiting for? Go buy them now. And don't forget to check out the super sweet gallery of project ideas!

Cake Byte: October Sweetness at CakeSpy Shop!

Dudes. Dudettes. Don't, like, freak out, but there are some very awesome things on the horizon at CakeSpy Shop (415 E. Pine St, Capitol Hill, Seattle) this month.

October 9, 5-8 p.m. Witch Craft Book Tour Halloween Party

Trick or Sweet? There will be plenty of both at this Halloween party with guest of honor Alicia Kachmar, co-author of Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cute Toys, Magical Treats, and More!, a collection of totally sweet Halloween crafts and recipes (and whose totally adorable crocheted candy corn and other sweet characters can be purchased at CakeSpy Shop!). Get your book signed, enjoy crafty activities from the book, engage in Halloween games, and indulge in Halloween cupcakes!

Oh, and there will be prizes! WIN sweet treats or perhaps even a copy of Witch Craft!

October 14, 6-8 p.m. Artist Reception: Jill Labieniec

Let's face it: the walls of your house look lame. Why not remedy the situation by buying a gorgeous print by Seattle-based artist and CakeSpy buddy Jill Labieniec? She'll be showing artwork in the upstairs gallery at the shop for October, and we'll be hosting an artist reception on Thursday, October 14th, so you can meet the super sweet artist yourself!

Update on Monday, October 18, 2010 by Cakespy

Sorry for the inconvenience buddies, but the event for Tuesday, 10/19 has been cancelled. We'll reschedule soon, ok?

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Recipes Featured on Peanut Butter & Co.!

Probably you already suspected this...but I'm an all-star.

No, not in the "can't get that Smashmouth song out of my head" sort of way. I've been chosen as an All-Star Blogger and contributor to the Peanut Butter & Co. All-Star Recipe Blog!

Basically, this means that you'll be seeing a series of totally sweet recipes dreamed up by moi on the site over the next few weeks, featuring (natch!) the awesomely rich and delicious peanut buttery goodness that is Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter, a product which I am very happy to say I believe in, and frequently eat by the spoonful. You can already find a recipes for Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars and for a Peanut Butter Dutch Baby, with more to come!

Keep updated on all of the sweet (and savory!) recipes on the site, from myself and a knockout series of food writers/bloggers, on the Peanut Butter & Co. All-Star Recipe Blog!

Cake Byte: Essential Baking Debuts Tea Cakes for the Northwest Tea Festival

Finish this phrase: Tea and _________.

If you said "sympathy", you're a dope. Because the correct answer is CAKE.

And you'll have plenty of it if you go to this year's Northwest Tea Festival, because this year, there's an official Tea Cake maker for the event: Essential Baking Company! The clever little cookies over at EBC have developed three unique tea cakes which will be debuted at the festival, but will also be part of their retail bakery offerings. Designed to be paired with a wide variety of teas, these buttery cakes are all delicately sweet, each with a fresh, contrasting flavor to refresh the palate: think blueberry-orange, carrot-pineapple, and raspberry-lemon. 

Now, don't get too jealous, but since I got a sneak peek (er, taste?) of these cakes at the lovely Perrenial Tea Room in the Pike Place Market, I can attest that you should start working up your appetite. The Northwest Tea Festival takes place next weekend, October 2 + 3, at the Seattle Center.

For more info on the festival, click here; also, I should tell you that the loaves will also be available at Essential Baking retail locations.

Cake Byte: New Holiday Card Designs Available!

Some say that the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year, but I say if it's a season that involves cookies and Yule Logs, bring it on.

And it's in that sweet spirit that I'm delighted to unveil my 2010 collection of holiday cards! As reported on Cupcakes Take the Cake by the charming Java Cupcake, the sweetest cards on earth are now available online and at CakeSpy Shop--but be warned, they won't be reprinted, so when they're gone they're gone!

Of course, if you were a fan of last year's popular Naughty and Nice collection, I do still have a limited quantity of mixed cards available; or, you can either mix and match or have me choose a mix for you.

Find it all online at cakespyshop.com!

Cake Byte: Update on Cupcake Royale's Bellevue Location!

Dudes, dudettes. How exciting is it that Cupcake Royale is expanding to Bellevue?

Well, they've done an official press release, which is pasted below to give you all the sweet scoop!

We've been in Seattle for seven years now, baking our cupcakes fresh from scratch each and every day using mostly local, organic, and sustainable ingredients. We make 'em with love, the way Grandma did, and we hand-frost each and every one with real American buttercream. It's been a super sweet seven years, and we are proud to call Capitol Hill, Ballard, Madrona and West Seattle home. Now,we want in on all the Bellevue fun.  As a token of our friendship, we're bringing cupcakes! Seattle's Best Cupcakes, actually. That's right, folks. At the end of this month, we are opening the doors to our newest cupcake café...in Bellevue!

Our fifth cupcake café is gonna be an extravaganza of cupcake and coffee Americana goodness! The newest addition to the Cupcake Royale family will make its home in one of America's original IHOP buildings, complete with all the architectural charm and whimsy of those bygone days. Remember the A-frames and the wood paneling? As Jody likes to say, this is "what our café would have looked like had we opened in 1971." We're lucky enough to work once again with Roy McMakin on a quick and easy, guerilla-style makeover, to create a hip and homey neighborhood cupcake café that we think you'll really love.

This café is going to be special for sure. A little bit different from our Seattle locations, this one will celebrate the history of the building and the quirkiness of the original design with a sweet and sassy combo of found decor, relics from the original IHOP, and custom pieces created especially for Cupcake Royale, like the 30-person, Doug Fir picnic table where you and all your friends can hang out on our patio. For those of you who frequented the original IHOPs of yore, you may remember those cool open kitchens. Well, we're keeping that, too! The café will feature a wide-open kitchen where wide-eyed cupcakers of all ages can marvel at the magic of our behind-the-scenes operations.

The perfect partner for all this cupcake love? STUMPTOWN! We'll be the first café in Bellevue to be brewing those legendary Stumptown beans. That's right, people! We're bringing the very best, small-batch, freshly roasted beans in the whole wide world to Bellevue. And for those lazy days at home, we'll feature a fine little assortment of whole beans and home-brewing equipment.

Hold on! There's more! The new café will open its doors at the end of this month, and we know it sure wouldn't be very Royale of us to get our brand new friends-and-neighbors-to-be all excited about the impending cupcake funtimes...and then leave them waiting. So...the piece de résistance...THE MOBILE CUPCAKE PARTY-CART!  We are super excited to be debuting Puget Sound's first-ever mobile cupcake cart! It's like a hot dog cart, only way more awesome, and filled with cupcakes. We'll be parkin' our cart in the parking lot and serving up fresh-baked goodness to our new friends and neighbors until the doors to the café are officially open. We sure would love it if you stopped by and said hello. Anyone who gets a cupcake from the cart will also get a thank you card good for a free coffee when the doors to the café finally do open. Once the café is open for business, the Cupcake Party-Cart will head out into the world, available for birthdays, company parties, weddings, anniversaries, you name it!

For more info, visit cupcakeroyale.com!

Cake Byte: CakeSpy is About To Make Chicago Awesomer, September 11 and 12

Oh, Chicago, you're about to get so, so sweet!

For one thing, I'm coming your way for the Renegade Craft Fair next weekend. You'll find me and my crafty BFFAbbeyChristine cute-ing it up at the fair...come say hi! 

Second, I will be part of the HOOT! Owl group show at the Renegade Handmade store. It's a group show with a unifying theme: it's all inspired by Renegade Handmade's owl logo! My entry is pretty freaking adorable: it features a series of cupcakes and owls enjoying some delicious Tootsie Pops! Wonder who's gonna bite it first? One, two...three!

And, it goes without saying that you will vote for me, because it is a competition in addition to being a group show! And I could win a free booth at another Renegade Craft Fair, which means that I might come and show my art in your hometown! Well, if your hometown is New York, Austin, San Francisco, Chicago, or Los Angeles, that is. Voting will open in just a few days, but here's the link to bookmark.

For details on the Renegade Craft Fair, visit the official site!

Huckleberry, But Not Finn: Huckleberry Cupcakes for September at Cupcake Royale

What's a ton funner than climbing a mountain, and many times more delicious?

The Blue Mountain Huckleberry Cupcake from Cupcake Royale, that's what.

That's right: it's September, and it's time for a new flavor of the month. Here's what they have to say about the new variety:

Our fine friends over at Foraged and Found collect these delicate little woodland wonders and bring them to us fresh and direct. Baskets of sparkling huckleberries, packed with sweet Pacific Northwest goodness, fill our bakery in anticipation of being baked up into the perfect cupcake. So, that's we do with them, and we top it off with a huckleberry buttercream that's as pretty as it is delicious.

These are blue mountain huckleberries. They're a little different from the ruby red gems you might be picturing. They're  a bit sweeter, akin to a very fancy wild blueberry...only better! They make for one super delicious cake, and one beautiful hue for a buttercream!

Which just goes to show that a sugar high is better than, say, a Rocky Mountain High, any day of the week.

You can find this flavor all month long at all four Cupcake Royale locations; for directions and hours, visit cupcakeroyale.com. Stay updated on their daily goings-on and the progress of their upcoming Bellevue location via Twitter!