Sweetness in San Francisco: CakeSpy at the Renegade Craft Fair!

Get excited, San Francisco. Get very excited.

A veritable tornado of sweetness is coming your way on July 18th and 19th: I (Head Spy Jessie) will be taking part in the annual Renegade Craft Fair at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion. I hope that I'll see some of your smiling faces there! I will have all manner of sweet artwork and accessories on sale, including original paintings, stationery and gift items--even some new products which I did in collaboration with Eleven Eleven Industries, including CakeSpy checkbook holders, passport covers and more!

But I won't be alone: there will be all sorts of other awesome vendors and exhibitors including the likes of Chronicle Books,
Cynically Delicious, Rock Scissor Paper and RustBelt Fiberwerks.

Here are the details:

San Francisco Renegade Craft Fair
July 18 + 19 at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion (Directions)
11 a.m. - 7 p.m. 

Entry is free!

Check out the official site here.

Berry Delicious: Cupcake Royale Debuts the Strawberry 66 for July!

Let's get excited about Cupcake Royale. Why? Well, beyond the obvious (they are a shop that sells cupcakes), here are two very exciting reasons this month:

#1: Their new flavor for July, the Strawberry 66. Why 66? Well, it's made with 66% local ingredients. That is no small feat! So not only is it sweet, it's a great way to support local farmers and vendors. Here's their description:

Sweet and summery strawberry buttercream swirled atop our delicious, NEW More Moisty-er! vanilla buttercake. Made with strawberries from Skagit Sun Farms, eggs and dairy from Meadowsweet, and flour from Shepherd's Grain, this cupcake is 66% Washingtonian! It's like an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake. Only better.

#2: Their long-awaited Capitol Hill location is set to open this month! Also per their newsletter:

You've waited, anticipated, and salivated. Now, the wait is over. The cupcakes are coming to Capitol Hill. We open this month at 1111 E Pike, just in time for Block Party! Watch our blog for updates. And we'll see you on the Hill!

Looks like this summer is going to be totally sweet!

To obtain one of those delicious Strawberry 66 cupcakes, you can visit any of the three (soon to be four!) Cupcake Royale locations all July long; for more information, visit cupcakeroyale.com; for instant updates, follow them on Twitter!

Cake Byte: Threadcakes Contest!

When awesome t-shirt designs meet cake, the result is awesome deliciousness!

Yup: it's time for the second Annual Threadcakes Amazing Cake Contest, in which you can enter a cake design inspired by an awesome Threadless tee, and you might just win some amazing prizes!

It's bound to be good, what with judges from the Ace of Cakes, Baking Bites,  Bake or Break and Cake Journal (just to name a few!).

For full details and to enter, visit their official entry page!

Cake Byte: Layer Cake Shop Opens!

Update: Based on reader responses to this post I have followed up here--please weigh in!

It's a funny thing about baking supply shops. They always feel so cramped and dark to me--rarely do they seem as bright and happy as the cakes the supplies are used to make.

So it was a delightful surprise to receive an email announcing a new online retailer, Layer Cake Shop, which specializes in all manner of supplies for making sweets, from specialty cupcake cups to cookie cutters; a dazzling spectrum of food colorings and sprinkles and other decorations; they even have a respectable selection of packaging supplies, and even cute little DIY kits which make great gifts. Everything is beautifully and brightly displayed in this online boutique; it's definitely one to bookmark.

Yup: the internet just got even sweeter!

Layer Cake Shop, online at layercakeshop.com.

Update: Based on reader responses to this post I have followed up here--please weigh in!

Cake Byte: Another Sweet Art Show at Trophy Cupcakes!

Dude. You know how Trophy Cupcakes always has, like, the awesomest art shows? CakeSpy, Jessixa Bagley...and now, Matthew Porter!

Matthew Porter is a Scotland-bred artist who now makes his home in Seattle, where he not only illustrates awesome children's books but also co-owns Bluebottle Art Gallery with his über-talented and cute wife, Andrea Porter.

And through the month of July, you can purchase his artwork--and cupcakes with his artwork on them--at Trophy Cupcakes! The reception (you know you don't want to miss that) will be taking place this Wednesday, July 1 from 6 - 8 p.m.; for more details, visit the Bluebottle blog or trophycupcakes.com!

Sugar Daddy: Trophy Cupcakes Debuts the Chocolate Stout Cupcake for Father's Day

Beer and cupcakes may not be the first things that come to mind when you think of Father's Day, but they should be.

Trophy Cupcakes is bravely helping Seattleites avoid cheesy cliche father's day gifts like ties and "World's Best Dad" t-shirts by debuted an amazing new limited edition flavor which will be available only through Sunday: the Elysian Dragon's Tooth Stout Cupcake.

The rich chocolate stout cake is delicious, but what really puts it over the edge is the Dragon's Tooth Stout Caramel Buttercream, which is so amazingly rich and buttery, it'll make Dad melt. 

Of course, if your dad isn't in the Seattle area you can still enjoy one in his honor. Ah, the gift that gives back.

Elysian Dragon's Tooth Stout Cupcakes, available through Sunday, June 21 at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford and University Village. For more information and locations, visit trophycupcakes.com.

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Products Now Available at Teacake Bake Shop!

Teacake Bake Shop, a Bay Area bakery which boasts three adorable retail locations and a wonderful online store, is definitely a CakeSpy favorite (they've been mentioned a few times in the past!). Why? Well, just take a look at what they sell. Cupcakes! Cookies! More cookies! Brownies!

And now, if you're in California, you can also get CakeSpy notecards, pins and bookmarks at all three retail locations! We're also working on a custom notecard design (shown top) which will be available in the next few weeks.

Yup, it's for sure: the Bay Area just got even sweeter!

Teacake Bake Shop has locations in Emeryville, Lafayette and Corte Madera; for directions and addresses, click here.

Sweet Times at Trophy Cupcakes: Art and Cake in June!

There are so many reasons to be excited about Seattle's Trophy Cupcakes during the month of June.

First: they're multiplying! Their second location, which is a small but sweet space in the University Village, is slated to open either this Friday or next monday. Having attended a preview soiree last weekend (jealous?), we can attest that it's gonna be awesome.

Second: they've got a sweet new suite of artwork for sale! The CakeSpy show has ended (if you'd like to shop for some of the items from the show, visit the CakeSpy shop!), but there is a new batch of cupcake art up by another awesome Seattle artist, Jessixa Bagley. Cupcakes and Robots are her game (you may remember the CakeSpy feature on her a while back); the artist reception will be this Wednesday, June 3 at 6:00 p.m. at the flagship Wallingford location.

Third: They've got a sweet new summer flavor! It's a summery and nostalgic take on a classic: Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes w/ Brown Sugar Buttercream. When you peel off the wrapper, you'll find the pineapple lurking at the bottom of the cake as a little sweet surprise! It will be on show at the artwalk, and regularly available on Fridays.

For more information, visit trophycupcakes.com; for up-to-the-moment info, follow them on twitter!

Very Cherry: Cupcake Royale Debuts the Rainier Cherry Cupcake

The month of June effing rules. School's out, the weather is warm, and there are all sorts of delicious fruits and veggies coming into season. Happily, Cupcake Royale is reaping the benefits of the cherry harvest by making them into sweet cake. Here's the lowdown on their newest flavor of the month, the Rainier Cherry Cupcake:

We top our delicious NEW vanilla buttercake with tangy cream cheese frosting, made with chunks of sweet Rainier cherries from Olmsted Orchards, and a little splash of cherry liqueur from Clear Creek Distillery.

Then we top the whole thing off with a sprinkling of organic roasted cocoa nibs from our pals at Theo Chocolate.

Available at Cupcake Royale; for more information and locations, visit cupcakeroyale.com.

CakeSpy Note: You should also check out their new blog for the latest and greatest cupcake news, including updates on their new location in Capitol Hill, set to open in July! Here's the url: legalizefrostitution.blogspot.com!

Sweet in the City: CakeSpy Artwork at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn!

What's awesomer than hanging out in über-hip McCarren Park in Brooklyn on the weekend?

How 'bout hanging out in uber-awesome McCarren Park with a professional Cake Gumshoe?

I (Head Spy Jessie) will be taking part in the annual Renegade Craft Fair this coming weekend in Brooklyn; I hope that I'll see some of your smiling faces! I will be sharing a booth with the awesome Ivey of Bombalurina while I sell some super-sweet artwork, stationery and gift items--and even debut a few new products which I did in collaboration with Eleven Eleven Industries, including CakeSpy checkbook holders, passport covers and more!

Here are the details:

Renegade Craft Fair
June 6 +7 (Saturday and Sunday)
McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn, New York

For directions and more information, visit the official website!