Cake Byte: CakeSpy Grilled Cheesecake in This Is Why You're Fat!

It's official, world: CakeSpy is making you fat.

Yup, it's true! CakeSpy contributed a sweet spread to the brand new book This Is Why You're Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks: the Grilled Cheesecake Sandwich! You may remember the so-decadent-it's-deadly recipe from a while back on the site--and now it's immortalized in print!

There are plenty of other so bad but so good recipe ideas in the book--it's definitely worth checking out!

You can also follow This Is Why You're Fat via their website and via Twitter!

Cake Byte: Bella Cupcake Couture Debuts Mini Cupcake Wrappers!

Everything's cuter when it's tiny, and cupcakes are no exception! And you can increase that cuteness quotient even more with Bella Cupcake Couture's newest offering: mini cupcake wrappers!

These pint-sized decorative cupcake wrappers are ideal for special occasions--cooing is guaranteed when you serve your cakes using them!

Plus, they're made by a really cool local company (read the CakeSpy interview with owner Carrie Middlemiss here).

Cupcake wrappers available for purchase at bellacupcakecouture.com.

Cake Byte: Sweet Cupcakes at the Space Needle Holiday Cards!

Here's a shout-out to all of the Seattle sweeties out there: a bonus Cupcakes at the Space Needle holiday card design! It's the newest item in the CakeSpyShop.

Here's the basic info:

This is a boxed set of 10 cards and envelopes. The cards measure 4.25 x 5.5 inches folded. All ten are the same design: sweet little wintry cupcakes at the Space Needle in Seattle! The envelopes are plain white, and empty canvas to draw little snowflakes, hearts and Santa hats on for the recipient!

Inner Greeting: "Sweet holiday wishes"

These cards (as well as a bunch of other sweet stuff for the holidays!) are available for purchase at CakeSpyShop.com.

Cake Byte: New Collaboration With All-Mighty!

Holy sweetness, Batman!

You can accessorize in the cutest way possible with a brand new suite of custom card and checkbook holders I designed for one of my favorite companies, All-Mighty! The designs incorporate all sorts of cupcakes and sweets hanging out with Boston Terriers in some of the world's most chic places!

Now if these aren't cute, I don't know what is!

To purchase these new items (as well as a bunch of other sweet products!), visit all-mighty.net.

High On Pie: Delicious Fall Offerings from High 5 Pie, Seattle

Like, OMG. As a huge fan of Seattle's High 5 Pie, Danny and myself were very excited to receive a preview pack of their new fall "flipside" hand pie offerings. Here's what we sampled:

First, the spiced plum walnut flipside, a sweet and spicy pie with a great texture and cozy, spicy flavor;

Then there's the sweet potato pie flipside (below), which is dense and aromatic, and lovely with a dollop of thick whipped cream;

and of course the S'mores flipside ( below); while initially we were surprised to slice it in half and discover that the chocolate had mostly sunk to the bottom leaving a hollow pie shell on top, this was quickly turned into an advantage when we heated the halves and stuffed them with vanilla ice cream;

Though I generally don't go savory, I would be remiss if I didn't give a quick mention to their hearty potato/cheese/dill/veggie flipside, a comforting and homey potpie type of snack...

As well as their rich as all get-out, savory mac n cheese flipside (below). Mac and Cheese in a thick pie shell? Carbohydrate heaven!

Though they weren't ready when we sampled them, there will also be caramel pecan and pumpkin pie options available.

Overall thoughts? Suffice it to say it's going to be a very good fall to become fat.

High 5 Pies are available at all Fuel Coffee locations; for more information, visit high5pie.com. Also, keep updated with them via Twitter and their blog, and you can also buy proprietress Dani Cone's awesome book on Northwest coffee culture, Tall Skinny Bitter: Notes from the Center of Coffee Culture.

Season of Sweetness: The Fall and Winter 2009 Lineup at Essential Baking Company, Seattle

The weather may be getting cooler, but in Seattle, Essential Baking Company is clearly going to keep us all warm this winter. Just take a look at their seasonal menu. Like, yum.

The following items will be available all season long, from October 1-December 31: Apple Cranberry Tart, Bourbon Pecan Tart, Individual Raspberry Baked Alaska, Individual White Chocolate Snowman, Black Forest Cake (in 9" or individual servings), Caramel Praline Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake.

And later on in the season (from November 20-December 31) you'll be able to find the following: Buche de Noel (12" or individual buchette), sugar cutout Christmas cookies, and Gingerbread men.

But wait, there's more: from November 4-December 31, they will also have the following specialty items on the menu:

Holiday Cakes From Around The World: A sweet suite of three cakes that will "take your tastebuds on a journey around the world: the Creole, South Indian and Mexican falvors each boast a velvety rich texture, regional spices and a hint of liquor for extra holiday cheer."

Stollen: A traditional German cake-like bread packed with raisins, dried cranberries, and currants with a hint of orange liqueur. Festively sprinkled with icing sugar.

Peppermint Swirl Cookies: Marbled chocolate and vanilla tea cookies with refreshing peppermint flavor throughout. (pictured top)

Three Wise Loaves: A modern version of gold, frankincense and myrrh, these tea loaves in Cranberry, Pear Ginger and Spice boast a moist, fine crumb. Slice up and serve with a cozy beverage.

To ensure that the location closest to you has the item you want, be sure to call first, because they're bound to sell like...well, you know. For locations and more information, visit essentialbaking.com.

Cake Quandary: What Kind of Cupcakes Do Celebrities Eat?

As a loyal reader of In Touch and US Weekly, I have come to depend on their thoughtful writing and vivid photographs. But as thorough and thought-provoking as the articles are, there is one facet of celebrity culture which I have found lacking in these fine publications: what kind of cake do celebrities like to eat?

Happily, The Cupcakery in Las Vegas has got this important subject covered, and recently sent me on some of the inside scoop on what flavors celebrities have enjoyed. Curious? Here is just a sampling of documented celebrity cupcake flavor picks (some with pictures!):

Avril Lavigne chose Tickle Me Pink.

Lance Bass had red velvet with special birthday decorations;

Fergie had a specialty assortment;
Quentin Tarantino loved the chocolate passion;
Joey Fatone is a red velvet fan;
Boys II Men (so circa 1992!) love red velvet;
Jermaine O’Neil (NBA) digs red velvet;
Pete Wentz (AKA Mr. Ashlee Simpson) is also a fan of the red velvet.

So what does this tell us all? As one associate of The Cupcakery aptly put it, "I guess red velvet is the most popular!". And why wouldn't it be--their version of the classic treat, the Southern Belle, is a red velvet cupcake that's been in the owner's family for decades. Of course, other flavors on the menu, like Orange Julius, Pink Lemonade, Oh My Gosh Ganache and (coming soon) the Elvis sound pretty good too.

Of course, it still doesn't answer the bigger question of why we never actually see celebrities eating cake. But still, it does make for some fun gossip, and the cupcakes do look wonderful.

Want more? Check them out online at thecupcakery.com.

Fall-ing In Love: Trophy Cupcakes Debuts Chocolate Stout Oktoberfest Cupcakes

Beer? Chocolate? Cupcakes?

Yes, yes, and yes: say hello to Trophy Cupcakes' limited-edition flavor of the month for October: the Chocolate Stout Cupcake with Caramel Stout Buttercream! Here's the 411, per the owner Jennifer Shea:

Made this season with Hale’s Cream Stout, our Chocolate Stout cupcake is topped with Caramel Stout Buttercream and a stout caramel drizzle. A cupcake made with beer? Absolutely! The flavors from the roasted and chocolate malts in this stout match so well with our Valrhona Chocolate cupcake…and the caramel made from this beer makes an unbelievably delicious buttercream. Even burly guys (who would usually not be caught dead eating a cupcake) have become die-hard fans of Trophy Cupcakes over this flavor! It was such a huge hit this past Fathers Day that we just couldn’t wait another year!

Every Wednesday and Saturday in the month of October, we will feature our Chocolate Stout Cupcake at all three locations!

Beer not your thing? Well, happily there are some other seasonal flavors on the horizon as well:

Candied Yam returns in November--a sweet yam and roasted pecan cupcake topped with our hand torched marshmallow meringue. December is a cupcake wonderland with Gingerbread, a blackstrap molasses and fresh ginger cupcake topped with the lightest, tangiest orange cream cheese buttercream; Chocolate Candy Cane, our Valrhona chocolate cupcake and pure peppermint buttercream rolled in crushed candy cane; Bourbon Eggnog, a nutmeg spice cupcake topped with bourbon buttercream.

For hours and locations, visit trophycupcakes.com.

Cake Byte: Sweet New Holiday Stamps by Taylored Expressions!

Still in a cuteness frenzy over the 2009 CakeSpy holiday card collection which made its debut the other day? Well, brace yourselves, because here comes yet more holiday sweetness: the new CakeSpy Holiday Rubber Stamps for Taylored Expressions!

Perfect for making your own holiday cards (the card shown at the top of the post was made using these stamps!) or a wonderful gift for your favorite crafty cupcake, this Holiday Wonder set retails for $21.95 and comes nicely packaged with a beautiful color index sheet. You can also find great project ideas on the Taylored Expressions blog.

This set, along with many other sweet stamps and accessories, can be purchased at tayloredexpressions.com.

Cake Byte: The 2009 CakeSpy Holiday Card Collection!

Oh, hello. Meet the 2009 CakeSpy holiday card collection!

Whether you've been naughty or nice, there's some sugar and spice for everyone in this sweet suite of stationery, which is ready to ship starting October 10.

Here are the new designs:

Inner Greeting: "Season's Sweetings"

Inner Greeting: "Sweet holiday wishes"

Inner Greeting: "Sweet holiday wishes"

Inner Greeting: "Hope your holidays are an absolute scream"

Plus the cupcake and robot card pictured top.

The cards are available in boxes of 10 assorted cards and envelopes, or you can buy 10-packs full of just one style (if you'd like all one style, simply purchase the assorted pack and specify which style you'd like ten of in your payment "notes").

They can be purchased at cakespyshop.com.