Sweet Giveaway: Sweet Art For Sweethearts!

For no particular reason, other than I think you're sweet and I like you, I'd like to offer up a sweet giveaway: a framed CakeSpy print!

This 5x7 framed print depicts a sweetly subversive scene: Cuppie enjoying a red velvet cupcake and some delicious coffee! It has an inner mat and is printed in vibrant ink on a thick cardstock paper.

And it will go to one lucky winner! How do you put your name in the hat? It's, like, totally easy. Just leave a comment below weighing in on this important question: when it comes to Red Velvet Cake, what is your favorite frosting? A traditional boiled frosting? A classic cream cheese frosting? Or perhaps a vanilla or even cocoa buttercream?

This giveaway will close one week from today, on February 13, at noon PST. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter. Of course, if you can't wait to buy CakeSpy art, click on over to cakespyshop.com!

Update on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER! Sweeties, we have a winner. It's Lucy, who (duh!) says that Cream Cheese is her choice! Congratulations!

Sweet Giveaway: A Melange of Chocolate Cake and Brownie Mixes from Naturally Nora

Guess what? Today is officially National Chocolate Cake Day (which basically means that every other day is unofficially chocolate cake day, no caps involved).

And to celebrate, Naturally Nora, a manufacturer of all-natural, no-creepy-ingredient cake mixes, has kindly offered up a sweet prize for one lucky reader: a parcel containing a box of their chocolate cake mix, a box of their chocolate frosting mix, and a box of brownie mix. 

Having sampled these sweet mixes for myself during my week of birthday cake making, I can attest that they are highly delicious--and everyone knows that for a quick fix, it's fun to use a mix. (Yes, I just made that up)

How do you put yourself in the running? Simply leave a comment below stating your favorite type of chocolate cake. Perhaps it's German chocolate? Or Black forest? Or a simple chocolate birthday cake with fluffy buttercream frosting? 

The giveaway will close on February 2 at 12pm PST; the winner will be announced shortly after. US Entrants only, please. Oh, and if you can't wait for these mixes, find a retailer near you via the Naturally Nora site; you can also find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Update on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 by Cakespy

UPDATE: The winner! We have a winner, friends! It is Erin, who wisely chooses chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Good choice! Enjoy the cake mixes!

Sweet Giveaway: Valentine Cupcake Wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture

Want to bake some sweets for your sweet?

Well, put 'em in a pretty package with these delightful valentine cupcake wrappers from CakeSpy sponsor (and buddy!) Bella Cupcake Couture!

That's right: Bella Cupcake Couture has kindly offered up a pack of these sweet cupcake wrappers for two lucky CakeSpy readers!

How do you put your name in the hat? It's like, so easy. All you have to do is leave a comment below answering this important cake question:

In your opinion, what is the most romantic cake flavor?

Is it a sexy red velvet? Decadent flourless chocolate? Or maybe it's gooey butter cake that proves sweetly alluring? Curious cake fiends want to know! This giveaway will close on January 21 at 12pm PST and the winners will be announced shortly after! In the meantime, check out Bella Cupcake Couture's website here, and find 'em on Facebook here.

Update on Saturday, January 22, 2011 by Cakespy

Update: The winners!

We have winners, friends! They are Lynne, who says the most romantic cake is "chocolate of course!" - and also Ohjalapeno, who says "I guess I'm gonna be a little different, I say White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cupcakes with buttercream frosting!". Sounds delicious to me!

Sweet Giveaway: Enough Salt to Turn You into a Seafarer from Morton Salt

As Dorie Greenspan wisely said, "salt is pastry's unsung hero...a pinch is enough to balance the sugar in a tart crust, underscore the flavor in any chocolate dessert, give caramel that certain je ne sais quoi."

And oh, the sweet (and salty) places you'll go with this gift pack that Morton Salt (still my favorite salt package design!) has offered up for giveaway!

When it rains, it pours, and one lucky reader will win a big ol' parcel full of the following:

• Season-All Brand Seasoned Salts
• Nature's Seasoning Product
• Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
• Morton Sea Salt Grinder

but wait, there's more! The package also comes with salt accessories, including

• Sea Salt Container
• Morton Salt Stadium Blanket
• Morton Salt Coffee Mug
• Morton Salt Dog Treats
• Coupons for additional Morton Salt products!

So what are you waiting for? Enter yourself to win this parcel of salty awesome. Simply leave a comment below saying what your favorite sweet-and-salty treat is. Chocolate-covered potato chips? Maple bacon bars? Or simply salted caramel?

One lucky winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, January 12 at noon PST. US entrants only, please. In the meantime, remember to check out Morton Salt on Facebook! Good luck!

Update on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER!

We have a winner! Our winner, chosen at random, is Elo13, who favors a deliciously sweet and salty combo: "caramel ice cream with peanut butter and salt sprinkled on top. the best!"

Sweet Giveaway: Delicious Candy from Sarris Candies

The holidays can be a stressful time. Stress makes you hungry.

But at least one lucky reader (well, from the lower 48 US States, that is) won't starve to death, because Sarris Candies was kind enough to offer some sweet booty for a giveaway!

Never heard of Sarris Candies? Too bad, because not only do they have delicious chocolates, but they come with a delicious backstory which includes both chocolate and love:

You might say it all started when Frank Sarris found a sweetheart. As a young man trying to win the affections of the lovely Athena, Frank presented her with a gift as sweet as she was, a box of chocolates. Athena's face lit up as she lifted the lid and Frank knew he was in love. He also knew he could make better chocolate.

And so he began, first producing small amounts in his basement for friends and family and then, as the word spread, he began making more and more candy for the local market. Frank and Athena married soon after and Sarris Candies was born in the basement of their Canonsburg (PA) home. 

and it goes on...

To this day, Frank and Athena are still sweet on each other. One taste of Sarris Chocolates and you'll fall in love, too!

What could you win? Good stuff. The parcel will start with a one-pound assortment:

Our most popular assortment containing old time favorites such as freshly roasted nuts, double dipped in our rich milk chocolate, assorted meltaways, fresh fruit creams, toasted coconut, caramels and more all nestled in a beautiful gold foil gift box

But wait, there's more! Said reader will also receive a sweet and salty delight known as the Pretzel Bag:

In the kitchen, bakers hand-twist fresh dough into those old, familiar knots, then oven-bake them to just the right crispness. Each pretzel is then lovingly dipped into decadently rich milk, dark or white chocolate. 

How do you put your name in the running? Simply leave a comment below saying what your favorite type of chocolate is when you receive an assortment. Do you dig in for the often square-shaped caramels, like me? Or do you try to find an elusive maple cream? Or perhaps you covet the chocolate covered cherries?

Of course (duh) if you can't wait, you can always order online here.

The giveaway will close on Tuesday, December 28 at 12pm PST!

Sweet Giveaway: Choose a Sweet Tee from Fibers

Curious about where I get my secret spy superpowers?

Well, it's actually no secret at all: I'm Powered by Crumb Cake. I consider it probably the world's most perfect food--heavy on the crumb, light on the cake.

And I was delighted to get a chance to tell the world all about it, in t-shirt form, when Fibers.com offered me a totally sweet giveaway opportunity: a free t-shirt for one lucky reader (US only, please) AND one for me, you know, so I could demonstrate the capabilities.

You can either choose to customize your tee, like I did (they have a fun custom-design tool which will help you waste a good half hour of your workday -- I mean, personal at-home time -- on the computer)--or you can choose from an extensive gallery of ready-made tees, which include plenty of sweet-themed tees (several riffs on the "Powered by" theme, such as "Powered by Cupcakes", "Powered by Baklava"...as well as other great tees such as "I (heart) Fondant" and many, many others).

How do you enter? Simply leave a comment below saying what sweet slogan you'd be dying to wear on a tee (whether it's one you've come up with, or one from the Fibers.com catalog!).

The giveaway will close on Sunday, December 26, at 12pm PST.

Update on Monday, December 27, 2010 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER!

Looks like we have a winner! It is Meister of Eat This Neighborhood, who says this about the tees:

What fun shirts! I think mine'd have to say: Crust > Filling (It's totally true -- I eat pie solely for the crust!)

Totally sweet! And agreed about the crust thing. It's delicious! Stay tuned for the next giveaway, coming soon!

Sweet Giveaway: Cookbook and Cookies From Tate's

Oh, hey. Remember how like two days ago I did this bake-off, comparing the homemade version of Tate's Bake Shop cookies versus their own mail-order version?

Well, obviously this experiment would be better if you did it yourself, so the fine folks at Tate's are offering up a sweet giveaway!

They're offering a copy of the Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook -- and a filled cookie jar full of their tasty cookies!

It's a fantastic prize package, fun to share with friends or to hoard and enjoy all by yourself (trust me, I won't judge you). Oh, and you should totally follow them on Facebook.

Want to enter yourself in the running? Well (US Residents only, please, since part of the parcel is perishable!), you can do just that by leaving a comment below telling me what kind of chocolate chip cookies you like best: chewy, gooey, or crunchy?

The winner will be chosen at random (and announced shortly thereafter) on next Thursday, December 16 at noon PST!

Update on Thursday, December 16, 2010 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER! We have a winner! It's Katie, who says: Definitely chewy chocolate chip cookies, please!

Sweet Giveaway: Happy Haul-idays With Chronicle Books!

Like, OMG!

Chronicle Books, only the sweetest publisher, like, on the planet, has launched a pretty freaking awesome promotion called Happy Haul-idays. The 411? By posting a wish-list of Chronicle Books valued at up to $500 that I'd like to "haul" in, I get automatically entered into a drawing to win said list. And--awesome overload--if I win, a CakeSpy reader who comments on this post will win the list, too!

So, here's my impeccably chosen list of Chronicle Books. Want to win this list too? Scroll below the list for entry instructions.

Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

Cake Pops! By Bakerella!

I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita

Flour by Joanne Chang

Southern Pies by Nancie McDermott

Luscious Coconut Desserts by Lori Long

Chocolate Cakes by Elinor Klivans

All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray

Gingerbread by Jennifer McGlinn

Field Guide to Candy by Anita Chu

Field Guide to Cookies by Anita Chu

Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker

Pops! By Krystina Castella

Luscious Creamy Desserts by Lori Longbotham

Killer Pies by Stephanie Anderson

Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor

Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Sky High by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne

Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson

See's Famous Old Time Candies by Margaret Moos Pick

Cupcakes! By Elinor Klivans

Big Fat Cookies by Elinor Klivans

Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham

Want to win the list too? Comment below with which one you're most excited about. Seriously. I'm, like, so excited for us to both win this. 

Sweet Giveaway: Win an Original Framed CakeSpy Watercolor!

Today, for no particular reason other than the fact that it might sweeten your day, CakeSpy is offering a giveaway.

Totally sweet: you could win a framed and matted original watercolor by CakeSpy! It pictures a sweet scene of treats flying a kite on what looks like a carefree and sugar-filled day (of course, if you can't wait to see if you won, feel free to shop online here).

Want a piece of that sweetness? To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post to satisfy the spy's curiosity:

What is the last dessert, sweet, or baked good that really knocked your socks off?

A buttery croissant? A decadent chocolate torte? Or perhaps a homespun apple pie? I want to hear all about it. Of course recipes are welcome too! 

This giveaway is open to entrants everywhere (US and abroad). The giveaway will close for entries on Thursday, November 18, at 12pm PST, and a winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

Update on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 by Cakespy

Update: the winner!

Our winner has been chosen at random! It's Jessie from Brooklyn, NY, who says: "A black and white cookie from William Greenburg here in NYC. y-u-m."

Sweet Giveaway: Win a Copy of Mitford Cookbook by Bestselling Author Jan Karon

Who doesn't love having a sweet new recipe book? 

While you mull that one over, let me introduce a totally sweet giveaway: one lucky reader will receive the gorgeously designed Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader: Recipes from Mitford Cooks, Favorite Tales from Mitford Books. In case you're not familiar, Jan Karon is the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mitford Series (35 million copies in print). But even more importantly, this book is filled with over 150 delicious Southern recipes, including Esther Bolick’s delicious Orange Marmalade Cake, The Irish Lady Rhubarb Tart, and more! And, since we all love a good backstory, this four-color cookbook features Jan’s personal reminiscences, dozens of beloved scenes from the Mitford books, jokes, cooking tips, and a story never before published in the novels.

How do you put your name in the hat? It's easy. Simply answer in the comments below telling me what your favorite Southern dish is (either sweet OR savory, I am feeling generous!).

Details: The giveaway is open to US entrants only, please--the giveaway will close at Midnight next Friday, October 15.

Update on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by Cakespy

Update: the winner! The winner is Amy L., whose name was chosen at random and who just loves BISCUITS AND GRAVY! Congratulations!