Cake Byte: Stanley CupCakes!

Here's some sweet news for lovers of cupcakes and sports:

Detroit’s Cupcake Station and Pittsburgh’s CoCo’s Cupcake Café Compete for the Stanley Cup(cake)!

The Cupcake Station in Birmingham is in their own Stanley Cup(cake) competition with Pittsburgh-based CoCo’s Cupcake Café to see who has the most cupcake loving fans in hockey.

For every Wings or Pens cupcake purchased, a goal is added to the Goals Chalkboard located in each store. At the end of the series, one cupcake bakery will be able to claim the highest scoring, most d edicated, cupcake loving fans in hockey, and will be the rightful winner of The Stanley Cup(cake). Each location will be updating the “opposing” team’s score daily. Plus, the Cupcake Station will be donating a portion of their proceeds to a Red Wings charity!

From now until the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Cupcake Station will be offering special Red Wing cupcakes. Choose from an Octopus cupcake, a “Go Red Wings” cupcake or one in the team colors of Red and White. Why not score a hat trick and try all three?!

CoCo’s custo mers can choose between black and gold cupcakes, ones that spell out “Let’s Go Pens,” or those that show their support for a favorite player.

For more information, check out cupcakestation.com or call 248-593-1903 in Detroit; in Pittsburgh, please visit cocoscupcakecafe.com or 412-361-2625.

Cake Byte: Sweet New Additions to the Seattle Bakery Scene

Sweetless in Seattle? Not on your life, jerk. Here's just a brief roundup of all of the sugary magic on the horizon:

Cupcake Royale: Seattle's first cupcake shop is opening their fourth retail location in Capitol Hill. Combined with the added deliciousness of Oddfellows' bakery case and the newly opened Molly Moon Ice Cream a block away, Cupcake Royale's entrance on the scene is really establishing Capitol Hill as a sweet mecca. Coming this summer; online at cupcakeroyale.com (you can also keep updated via their blog).

Curio Confections: When a Trophy Cupcakes alum branches out and opens a baking business, you know it's going to be good. No conflict of interest here--there are no cupcakes on the menu at this University District sweetshop, but plenty of pies both sweet and savory, fancy marshmallows, and even goats' milk caramels. Scheduled to open May 23; online at curioconfections.com.

 

Manderin Cookie Co.: A custom-order cookie bakery specializing in decadent cookies and bars. Bacon may have jumped the shark, but just try telling that to devotees of the Bean's Bacon Bar (a heart-attack inducing bar of deliciousness comprised of layers of chocolate, peanut butter, cayenne pepper, caramel, and bacon). They're working on placing the product in retail locations; in the meantime, they can be ordered online at manderincookieco.com.

 

Molly Moon Ice Cream: How did such a cold treat get so hot? Molly Moon is featured in Bon Appetit and all over on the interweb--and now, there's more sweetness to go around. Their second location is now open in Capitol Hill! Online at mollymoonicecream.com.

Old School Frozen Custard: Can you stand it? Yet another place to get a sweet fix on Capitol Hill! This is actually their second location (the first is in Bonney Lake, wherever that may be); they specialize in frozen custard (different than other ice creams you may have tasted--read about it here), and we're so happy that they're coming. Opening this summer; online at oldschoolfrozencustard.com.

Trophy Cupcakes: Martha Stewart's favorite cupcake shop in Seattle has multiplied: their second location will open in the University Village early this summer. Now, all they have to do is open a third location next door to the CakeSpy headquarters and the holy trinityof sweetness will be complete. Scheduled to open either late May or early June; online at trophycupcakes.com.

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.: Seattle's newest cupcake shop, located in Belltown, will feature mostly cupcakes but a small array of morning pastries as well; though they will have coffee, fancy tea will be their beverage focus; they'll also have suggested "pairings" for tea and cupcakes. Wonder which tea would go with their much-anticipated signature Tomato Soup cupcake (AnTea Warhol perhaps)? Scheduled for a soft opening on May 15; online at theyellowleafcupcake.com.

Ready for some sweet gossip? In the Central District, a Japanese sweet shop is coming; also, we hear that there's a new gourmet ice cream truck coming later this summer to a neighborhood near you. More info as we receive it!

Cake Byte: Upcoming Art Shows!

This is going to be the sweetest spring and summer...ever! Please come hang out with us at these upcoming events:

Art Show at Trophy Cupcakes: Featuring over 50 paintings of Cuppie the cupcake all around Seattle! Artist reception Wednesday, May 6, 6-8 p.m.; show up all month! For more information visit trophycupcakes.com.

Art Show at Schmancy: Featuring about 30 new CakeSpy painting featuring cupcakes in the cutest situations imaginable! Artist reception Friday, May 8, 6-9 p.m.; show up all month! For more information visit schmancytoys.com.

Crafty Wonderland: CakeSpy Takes Portland on Mother's Day at Portland's premier craft fair! Come buy last minute artwork for mom on May 10, from 11 a.m - 4 p.m. at the Doug Fir Lounge; for more information, visit craftywonderland.com.

Renegade Craft Fair, Brooklyn: CakeSpy is going to be sweeting it up in the Big Apple at the legendary Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn's McCarren Park! It will be going on June 6+7; for more information, visit renegadecraft.com.

Some Like it Hot: Cupcake Royale Debuts the Chocolate Scorcher Cupcake

It's not summer yet, but Cupcake Royale is bringing on the heat with their new flavor of the month for May: the Chocolate Scorcher. Direct from the source, here's the lowdown:

Fiery ghost chiles. Theo chocolate. Fragrant spices. Dark chocolate cake. Rich cream cheese.

These tantalizing ingredients combine to form our newest Cupcake of the Month in all it's magnificent, spicy glory. We're thrilled to partner with our local pals Theo Chocolate to bring you a taste of the world's hottest chile, the Ghost chile. Found primarily in the Assam region of India, we're bringing it to you in combination with warm Indian spices, chocolate cream cheese frosting, and our dark chocolate cake Royale.

The Chocolate Scorcher will be available for the entire month of May at all three locations; for more information, visit cupcakeroyale.com.

Cake Byte: Sweet New Stamps by Taylored Expressions!

Like, totally sweet! It's time for a new batch of rubber stamps created by our own Head Spy Jessie in collaboration with Taylored Expressions! The newest set has a shopping theme, with all sorts of cute Cuppie around town images! 

You can get ideas for projects like the card shown above, here; to buy the stamps, which retail for $21.95, visit tayloredexpressions.com!

Bee Sweet: Cupcake Royale Debuts the Honey Peanut Brittle Cupcake in April

Sounds like Seattle's Cupcake Royale is ready for spring, with their new Honey Peanut Brittle Cupcakes, available starting April 1! Direct from the Cupcake Royale Blog, some musings on this new flavor:

What we've done here is take some delicious Pacific Northwest blackberry honey and transform it into a mouth-watering buttercream.

Then, we took some more of that delicious Pacific Northwest blackberry honey, threw some salted peanuts in there, wiggled our magical cupcake noses, and out came honey peanut brittle.

That's right. Honey. Peanut. Brittle.

Finally, we swirled the honey buttercream onto our vanilla buttercake, and crumbled the honey peanut brittle all over it. Good God y'all!

Maybe April isn't such a cruel month, after all.

For more information, visit the Cupcake Royale website or their blog.

Cake Byte: CRAVEbusiness SHOP Symposium, Featuring CakeSpy

Running CakeSpy.com is certainly a fun job: drawing pictures of (and writing about) cake and baked goods all day--what could be sweeter? But have you ever wondered exactly how a cake and baked good related website can actually make money? Or how on earth such a niche business can survive in such a harsh economy?

Our Head Spy Jessie is going to be weighing in on the art of selling cupcake-themed products and the life of a professional Cake Gumshoe at the upcoming CRAVEbusiness SHOP Symposium on March 23 at the Seattle Design Center, as part of two of the day's events: "Start-Up Stars: Entrepreneurs Who Are Making it Happen" in which several business owners will talk about building a business in a tough economy, followed by a "Live Think Tank" in which we will talk generally about ideas and thoughts on transforming and building businesses.

Here's a blurb on the mission statement of the Symposium: 

SHOP Symposium / 09 is dedicated to celebrating, inspiring and educating independent business owners of all stripes. The only conference of its kind, this one-day event teaches practical skills, offers wise encouragement, and builds camaraderie. Whether you sell shoes or facials, travel getaway or graphic design, we invite you to join us. Bring your questions, your frustrations, your fears, and your hopes. Prepare to be inspired.

For more information, tickets, and the schedule, visit the official SHOP Symposium website.

Cake Byte: Sweet New Stamps by Taylored Expressions!

It's time to spring ahead--sweetly--with a new batch of rubber stamps created by our own Head Spy Jessie in collaboration with Taylored Expressions! The newest set has Cuppie, that little rascal of a cupcake, getting into all sorts of Easter adventures!

You can get ideas for projects like the card shown at the top, here; to buy the stamps, which retail for $21.95, visit tayloredexpressions.com!

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Featured on Good Food!

What a sweet Valentine's Day treat: CakeSpy was featured on KCRW's Good Food! Our Head Spy Jessie was interviewed about her recent cupcake art installation in Seattle by the amazing Evan Kleiman. It was such an honor to be featured on the show--in our opinion, it's one of the best food shows out there!

You can download the show at the Good Food website, and here's a link to the cupcake art installation post.

And of course, don't forget to support KCRW and Good Food!

Cake Byte: Crafty Wonderland in Portland!

Hey, Portland Cake Enthusiasts! If you're free on Sunday and looking for something awesome to do, why not come hang out and buy some Cakespy artwork at Crafty Wonderland? 

Here are the details: 

Date: Sunday, February 8th

Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Location: Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside, Portland, OR (Map)

Hope to see you there!