Plymouth Rocks: The Story of the Jumble for Serious Eats

Have you ever been curious about what the pilgrims ate on the Mayflower? 

Well, you're in for a treat: check out the writeup I did for Serious Eats about the Jumble, one of the first cookies that made it over to the US from the old world. Jumbles originally gained popularity because of the fact that they kept amazingly well on sea voyages (although undoubtedly they became pretty dense and rocklike by the end of the trip!). These days they've evolved into a soft, moist drop cookie with unlimited flavor variations. You can more about one of our nation's oldest cookies--as well as get a delicious recipe for a soft, spicy, frosted version (complete with mini candy rocks as a shout-out to Plymouth Rock!), on Serious Eats!

Cake Byte: The ClaireSquares Mini Debuts!

As you probably know, me n' Mr. CakeSpy are pretty big fans of ClaireSquares, a San Francisco-based baking company which specializes in a sort of stylized take on Millionaire's Shortbread (they're able to ship them too--you can order here). But they've just introduced an adorable (and exceedingly decadent-sounding) new product: a chocolate-covered mini ClaireSquare! Here's the official announcement:

After six months in the test kitchen, our cutest addition to the Clairesquares family has finally arrived.

We created a bite size square made of Irish styled shortbread and caramel, then drenched it in Belgian chocolate.
The first image shows mini squares passing through a curtain of chocolate; the second image shows Clairesquares' Minis passing out of the chocolate enrober cooling tunnel, ready for eating!

Starting on Saturday the 22nd at the San Francisco Street Food Festival, you can sample the sweet treats people have been raving about.

Upcoming Tasting opportunities:

• This Saturday, 11am to 7pm on Folsom Street in front of La Cocina
• Saturday 29th, 10am to 1pm Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, La Cocina booth.
• Available exclusively at Andronico's Markets starting in September.

For more information, visit clairesquares.com or follow them via Twitter!

CakeSpy Sweetens Up Serious Eats With Pizza Pie!

It's a pie all right, but that's not pizza. It's just dressed up to look like it: this sweet confection is comprised of pie crust heaped with fruit preserves, cheesecake and marzipan "leaves" to resemble a classic Neapolitan pie. Not only is it delicious, but it's fun to watch the reactions as unsuspecting guests bite into a slice.

And this sweet pie also marks CakeSpy's debut on Serious Eats (which, incidentally, is where you can also find the recipe)! Yup--I've joined forces with the premier food blog community on the interweb! You can look out for my contributions on Mondays at 3pm EST.

Looks like the internet just got sweeter!

If you haven't already, bookmark Serious Eats now and visit often!

Cake Byte: CakeSpy for All-Mighty!

Do you love cupcakes? Do you love dogs? Do you love cute?

Well then, my friends, prepare for the triple threat of awesome that is the new CakeSpy / All-Mighty.net collaboration!

All-Mighty is an online shop run by CakeSpy buddies Erica and Jen and their adorable Boston Terriers, Mighty and Stinky! Their shop features all sorts of adorable clothing for humans and their furry friends, and I have collaborated with them on several sets of pins which are now available for purchase in their shop.

First, there's the pack of "Paris Pins", which includes three adorable pins with scenes of Parisian puppies and pastries. They come on a nice thick postcard made of 100% recycled matte paper--and each set comes with a frame-able print on the back.

There's also a pack of "Big Apple Badges" which includes three pins portraying some sweet street scenes from the Big Apple; like the other sets, they come on a nice thick postcard made of 100% recycled matte paper--and each set comes with a frame-able print on the back.

They can be purchased (along with a lot of other cool stuff!) at all-mighty.net!

Refreshing and Sweet: Cupcake Royale Debuts the Raspberry-Lemonade Cupcake for August

Cupcake Royale has had a lot going on lately, what with the opening of their beautifully outfitted new location and owner Jody Hall speaking out about Health Care on NPR. But of course we can't forget the cupcakes, and this August they've got a refreshing new flavor: Raspberry Lemonade.

Per their site, the new flavor consists of "fresh, local, organic raspberries from Willie Green's organic farm in the cake, topped with tart and tangy, oh-so-summery lemon cream cheese frosting". I love that the flavor has the raspberries mixed into the cake rather than just as part of the frosting--it sounds so refreshing for the summer heat, but with a welcome bit of richness from the cream cheese frosting.

The new flavor will be available at all four Cupcake Royale locations through August 31st; for more information, visit cupcakeroyale.com; for instant updates, follow them on Twitter!

Taking the Cake: Trophy Cupcakes Announces New Bellevue Location!

It's official, friends: Trophy Cupcakes is expanding! They just announced the upcoming opening of their third location which will be in Bellevue. Here are the details from their Facebook page:

we had not planned on expanding this quickly but when the Bravern in Bellevue invited us to be a part of their amazing collection of shops, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse! With so many die-hard, commuting for Trophy Cupcakes, Eastside customers, how could we say no?!

The new Trophy Cupcakes location will be part of The Shops at the Bravern, an upscale shopping center which is scheduled to open in September. The new Trophy location is tentatively scheduled to open on September 12. Read more on the Trophy Cupcakes Facebook page!

Cake Byte: Come Hang Out with CakeSpy at the Urban Craft Uprising!

Seattle's hot this week. Like, literally. But you can cool down and stay sweet this weekend by coming to hang out with CakeSpy at Seattle's largest indie craft fair, the Urban Craft Uprising!

Anyone who has ever attended the winter show knows just how much cool stuff is on show at this fair, so it's very exciting that they are now hosting an event in the summer, too! Plus, you can stock up on some sweet CakeSpy gear--there will be plenty of new original paintings, new unicorn-cupcake-rainbow tees, stationery (including cupcake-bacon notecards, zombie-cupcake notecards, and more!), bookmarks, and so much more. Plus, I usually bring cookies. Cookies!

Please say you'll come visit.

Here are the details:

Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and 2
11 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Seattle Center Exhibition Hall (entrance on Mercer Street)

For more information, directions, or to check out the awesome vendor list, visit urbancraftuprising.com.

Totally Sweet and Magical: New CakeSpy Tees Available!

Might as well burn all of your other tee shirts, because from now on, this is the only one you'll ever need.

Yes, it's time to acquaint yourself with the newest CakeSpy t-shirt! It has basically the most magical scene ever: cupcakes, rainbows, unicorns, hearts and shooting stars! This limited edition design is printed on American Apparel black t-shirts; they are hand screen printed in bright, vibrant pink and sparkly metallic silver (please note that American Apparel tees can run a bit small, so please check out the size chart).

Want to feel the magic? Click on over to cakespyshop.com to purchase!

Cake Byte: Why You Should Be Excited About Cupcake Royale's New Location

So, Cupcake Royale is coming to Capitol Hill. Naturally, this in and of itself is cause for celebration. But why should you be extra-super excited? Well, let's review:

Free Cupcakes on Opening Day: Stop by the new Capitol Hill location on opening day (July 22), utter the words “Legalize Frostitution,” and you'll get a free Strawberry 66 babycake while supplies last.

Cake Meets Architecture: The decor of this location is bound to be gorgeous, having been assembled with a dream team of artisans and architects, including: Domestic Architecture, led by Roy McMakin (artist and longtime neighbor/customer of Cupcake Royale in Madrona); Dovetail Construction (which recently completed Molly Moon’s and Oddfellows); Sterling Voss; Big Leaf Manufacturing; and glass artist Greg Lundgren (owner of Hideout, and Stranger Genius award winner for Vital 5). The space is housed within the first commercial building by internationally acclaimed architect Tom Kundig.

Cake and Art: Distinctive from the other three locations, this one is a conceptually designed space, including one-of-a-kind works of cupcake art (including a 5 foot tall, stained-glass cupcake Royale) and signature Roy McMakin tables. 

Party On: Expect a semi-private party area, bistro tables and chairs, a community table, and a bakery peepshow picture window exposing back-of-the-house operations. 

Going Green (um...the ingredients, not the batter): The new Capitol Hill location, along with its sister Seattle locations, are also celebrating Cupcake Royale’s recent “most local cupcake” status. Cupcake Royale continues to prove their commitment to regional sustainability and local farmers through the premium, local ingredients it uses. Already all-natural and scratch-baked, Cupcake Royale cupcakes are now “More Moisty-er!” thanks to pastry chef Sue McCown’s new recipes, and they are also a minimum of 66% local following a newly forged relationship with Eastern Washington’s Shepherd’s Grain, which will be milling custom cake and pastry flour specifically for Cupcake Royale. This means Cupcake Royale’s milk, butter, flour, sour cream and eggs are all deliciously Washingtonian.

Late-night snacking: The new location's hours will be 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. 

Want to visit? The new Capitol Hill Cupcake Royale café and bakery is located at 1111 E Pike Street and opens for business on July 22, 2009. For more information, visit their site; keep updated on their daily goings-on via their blog and twitter.

Cake Byte: Look Cupcakes To Be Sold at The Chocolate Box!

Big news, Seattle: delicious mini cupcakes from Look Cupcake are now going to be sold at The Chocolate Box! Previously only available by special order, this is an exciting new venue for these treats (read the previous CakeSpy writeup about them here!).

Here's the scoop from The Chocolate Box:

Chocolate Box is always looking for new and exciting local tasty treats to offer you. We are very excited to be hosting a potentially new local passionate cake maker, Rhienn Davis. Rhienn's Look cupcakes will make you do a double take because they look fantastic. The flavors will tempt your taste buds to ask for more. This may become an addiction. As our guest this Sunday from 12 to 3, Rhienn will be sampling her cupcakes, and we will be asking your opinion. We want to know what you think. If you like, then we will see Rhienn more in our case and hopefully in your happy tummy.

Now, in case you missed the most important part:

Free. Cupcakes. This Sunday. From 12-3 p.m., at The Chocolate Box!

For the location and more information, visit their site!