Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Totally sweet! It's friday! Fire up Facebook, click on these links, and while away the work day, sweetly! (I won't tell your boss, promise.)

Cake Revival: In Los Angeles, almost-extinct desserts get new life.

Sweet cream: Jeni's Ice Creams are "the best I've ever tasted" says Cake Gumshoe Margaret, who says her favorite is the salty caramel.

Sweet fancy: here's a reason to wish you were in Chicago right now: The Baked Escape.

More sweet TV: DC Cupcakes is coming to TLC!

Cream Cheese and Paula Deen: They're teaming up to help us get fat with a $500 per day recipe giveaway starting July 19!

Best Book Tour Ever: Jennifer Weiner is doing a book tour for her newest novel, and at each reading, there will be cupcakes from a local cupcakery (including Love at First Bite in Berkeley, Sprinkles in Los Angeles, Betty's Tasty Buttons in Philadelphia, and Society Bakery in Dallas!).

Ice Cream Sundae Brownies? I love you, Picky Palate.

Toffee? Pretzels? Beer? Why decide? In Chicago, a confectioner combines all three. (via NY Times)

Whoopie! If you're in Seattle, you're in for a treat, with the upcoming Whoopie Pie Bake-Off at Oddfellows Cafe.

What did you do over your summer vacation? In the Seattle area, an 11 year old is making cupcakes (and bank!). (Thanks Suzette for the tip!)

Sweet sisterhood: new show DC Cupcakes is hosting a blog essay-contest giveaway.

Pie Irons. Yeah! In double, square, and round. Thanks to Kristin at Meringue Bake Shop for the tip-off!

Sweet Memories: Remember the CupShake?

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

These links won't ease the heat wave, but they may bring on a sweet wave! Happy Friday!

Not to brag, but...my artwork is totally featured in the Stranger's spread about Urban Craft Uprising (coming up this weekend, people!). 

When Can meets Sandwich: The Candwich. Which begs the big question: How soon til they make an Ice Cream Candwich?

Pake: Pie inside of a Cake. Discovered via This is Why You're Fat.

What's really in a Twinkie? Find out here. 

Speaking of Twinkies, remember when I killed a bunch of them?

How hot is hot enough to make Garlic Ice Cream sound like a good idea?

Still using regular measuring cups like a jerk? Matryoshka measuring cups are far cuter.

Accent on cute: Dri Dri Gelato opens in London, and has a very cute aesthetic!

Shoe-in: A cake that is shaped like Converse is adorable, and likely tastier than its sneaker inspiration. (thank you Sarah!)

A sweet interview: Cupcakes Take the Cake asks Jace Robinson of Lick It Bite it Or Both the hard-hitting cupcake questions.

Best Breakfast: Caramel apple french toast.

In case you didn't know (don't worry, I didn't): there is a Cinnabon Cereal.

Stracciatella: is there a sweeter word in the summer?

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet 4th of July Links

Happy Birthday, America. Let's celebrate by getting fat together! Here are some great ways to do it:

Explosively delicious: Pop Rocks cookies!

...but if it's hot, cool it down with Pop Rocks Ice cream!

Ice Dreams: a dozen masterpieces of ice cream sandwichery from Epicurious.

America the Sweet: Hartford Election Day Cake from United Cakes of America.

Totally sweet trompe l'oeuil: hot dog and hamburger style!

Red, White, and Blueberry: A pretty (tasty) cheesecake tart via Martha Stewart.

Strawberries are more American (and more delicious) when stuffed with cream cheese and Pecans. (thanks, Paula Deen!)

Dessert Nachos: heaven on a plate?

Seeing red isn't so bad, when it's Red Velvet Strawberry Shortcake.

Peachy Keen: Country peach pie sounds like a sweet treat!

Raise your eat flag high with this American Flag Cake, which I discovered via Serious Eats.

Got extra cake? No worries, cool it down in Cake Shake form!

These sweets aren't for eating, but aren't these 4th of July Donut Cufflinks cute? 

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Happy Friday! Let's hang out on the internet in these places:

Via the New York Times: Move over Soy Vay sauces. Chozen is a new kosher ice cream with mix-ins that would make Tevye happy. 

Snazzy snickerdoodles: Cinnamon cardamom snickerdoodles by A Sweet Spoonful, as discovered on Food News Journal.

Whoopie! Save the date for the Whoopie Pie Festival 2010, coming up on September 18 in Lancaster, PA!

Extreme Red Velvet! Amped-up Red Velvet Cupcakes on Shelterrific.

Sweetness you can hold onto: the Yummies handbag by Bored, Inc.!

Sweet obsession: Wyeth-esque paintings of retro sweet foodstuffs by Vic Vicini.

Clever crafts: paper cupcake stands, discovered via Not Martha (pictured above)

I'm just going to say it: I kind of love the mini Birthday Cake Donuts at Starbucks (pictured above)

Kings of Pastry: A new documentary about sixteen French Pastry chefs competing for the collar of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France.

The perfect companion to TastyKake art: a TastyKake computer mouse! (Pictured above--thanks Stacy!)

Have you not heard of Gooey Butter Bites? Poor, poor you.

Ice cream sandwich taste test. Need I say more? 

Sweet memories: rediscover the Biscochito, official state cookie of New Mexico! (pictured above)

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Happy Friday! Here's a baker's dozen of sweet ways to spend some time on the internet!

How many cakes are Father's Day Tie themed? More than you'd think.

Red Velvet Madness: read the recaps on the Red Velvet Smackdown at CakeSpy Shop on Lorna Yee's and Jackie Baisa's sites!

A Tablet, but not for writing: Not So Humble Pie introduced me to a Scottish Candy.

The. Most. Stunning. Swiss Black Forest Cake. (via Passionate About Baking)

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World? A new bakery with serious moxie in NYC.

Mighty Donuts: Leslie Kelly interviews Sara Beth Russert of Mighty-O Donuts.

Setting out to try 7 cupcake shops in one day? I salute you, Road to Sweetness.

Just donut: a sweet (and calorie-free!) donut clutch by Confection Collection!

Get Figgy: Ricotta with Honey and Roasted Figs recipe, via the Zabar's blog.

Sweet bites: online bakery Sweet Dreamery Desserts sells Tiffany Blue "Sweetbites" cake truffles.

"I'm not sure if this video is supposed to make you want to eat cupcakes, or make you never eat them again"--Cake Gumshoe Phil on the new Katy Perry video.

Cake stationery alert! You can find some cute cards here.

Sweet memories: rediscover the mazurka bar!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Item of the week at CakeSpy Shop: New Giclee print by Julie West!Make the most of your friday by checking out these super sweet links!

Tiramisu that soaks up wine instead of coffee is just fine by me.

Beet cake is divine when topped with "slabs" of cream cheese frosting. 

A carrot cake to dream about, via Mango Power Girl.

What's the next big thing in baking? Modern Baking weighs in.

Where do cupcakes come from? "The Talk" notecards (featuring the image at the top of the post) now available online and at the retail CakeSpy Shop!

Sounds like a sweet getaway to me: 10 sweet factory tours to take in the US!

Sweet news: Treats Truck goes stationary--with a brick and mortar retail location!

Peanut butter, bacon, sugar, and a side of sweet pun: Sir Francis Bacon's bacon peanut brittle! (via The Nibble)

A savory side that is sweet enough for CakeSpy approval: Tom Douglas's Cornbread Pudding recipe from Etta's.

Art of the Tart: If you liked these Pop-Tarts Ice cream sandwiches, you'll probably like all the other over-the-top sweet recipes on the Pop-tarts website.

This granola is acceptable, because it's kind of like a deconstructed cereal cookie. (Molly Wizenberg for Bon Appetit)

Sweet and salty Espresso Nut Brownies: Yum, yum, and yum. (via The Cookbook Chronicles)

Sweet memories: You deserve a grilled cheesecake sandwich!

Beyond A Baker's Dozen: Sweet Links for National Doughnut Day

Upon first glance, these Doughnut Seeds might appear to simply be cereal cleverly packaged for sale for a tidy little profit.

But you're so wrong, because oh, the places these doughnut seeds could go. In honor of National Doughnut Day, here are several things to which doughnut seeds can aspire:

They could become delicious doughnut pies:
They could become athletic heros (just donut!):

Or maybe Trompe l'oeil bagel-and-cream cheese doughnuts:
They could become Red Velvet Cake doughnuts:
They could become any number of these clever donuts:
Or maybe they'd grow into doughnut lookalike cookies:
They could grow up to be the inspiration for portraits:
They could become German chocolate cake doughnuts:
They could become the anchor for some delicious Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict:
Or perhaps a doughnut burger:
Or maybe even a wedding cake substitute:
They could become the hopeless quandary:

They could be a saving grace at a Texas airport:
They could be the crowning glory on a Doughnut Upside Down cake:
They could become the sweetest thing for 500 miles around in South Dakota:
They could make cupcakes even better.
They could be the subject of a tell-all, such as the amazing book Donuts: An American Passion by John T. Edge (which I think everyone should read!) 
They could be a Los Angeles landmark...

Or they could be written up in fancy doughnut day articles on MSN.

So there you have it--who knows what could happen when you plant these sweet seeds?

Sweet Links: A Batch of Sweet Memorial Day Recipe Ideas

Three! Day! Weekend!

...and I'll bet you haven't even thought about what you'll bring to the barbecue tomorrow. Well, here's a sweet batch of recipes and ideas perfectly suited for outdoor eating!

Chocolate Cakes grilled in orange shells, a CakeSpy entry on Serious Eats!

Hot dogs and hamburgers--made completely from sweets! 

...of course, along those lines, burger macarons would also be cute.

Pop Rocks-infused cookies are bound to bring fireworks to any affair.

Nobody likes getting their hands dirty, so why not serve up some deep fried cupcakes on a stick?

S'mores Pie, as featured in the NY Times T Magazine.

...or, even easier, how 'bout some S'moreos?

Of course, my offering tomorrow will be a revamped version of the Cookie Cake Pie, and let's just say I'm a highly anticipated guest.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Clockwise from left: Pop-Tarts; food fails; cute cupcake toppers from Confessions of a Cookbook QueenIn case you needed suggestions: six new ways to eat chocolate, from ChefShop.com.

Sugar circus: a whimsical circus-themed dessert table feature from the Amy Atlas blog.

What kind of desserts does Clothilde of Chocolate & Zucchini eat? I must confess a minor obsession with her "moblog" documenting basically every delicious French thing she eats, especially the desserts.

The scoop on ice cream scoops, via Al Dente Blog.

What exactly do baking soda and baking powder do in baking? Find out here.

Something's fishy...Sushi-shaped donuts. Yup, you heard me. (via Bon Appetit)

Why chocolate fries never took off, and other food fails, via Mental Floss.

Cupcakes...topped with mini cupcakes! (pictured above; via Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Writing (and baking brownies) as therapy: the NY Times on Cakewalk: A Memoir by Kate Moses

Toasted Coconut Rice Krispie Treats: kind of like macaroon meets cereal treat. (via Craving Chronicles)

Chocolate chip cookie dough Pop-Tarts: I'm sorry...but how did I not know these existed?

Supernatural, and super delicious: Nick Malgieri shares a brownie recipe in Saveur.

Cinema and Sugar: revisit this old CakeSpy post (with supporting comments!) featuring desserts from the silver screen.

 

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Need a sweet diversion? Here are just a few of this week's sugary obsessions.

Got wanderlust? Discover Bariloche, Argentina, home of the "Street of Chocolate Dreams". (thanks to a CakeSpy Shop customer for the lead!)

Cajeta in my mouth: goat milk caramels from France, not Mexico. (via The NY Times)

Baking in a slow cooker? Betty Crocker says "it's magical". I'm intrigued. Recipe here.

It's biscuit, it's biscuit time: Strawberry shortcake with the most delectable-looking cream biscuits you ever did see, via Love and Olive Oil.

Fashionable financiers: Tartelette makes delightful cookies for a guest turn on Design*Sponge.

But do they have bar cookies? Cookie Bar opens in Chicago, and has a funkadelic website.

Cinnamon bun pie pockets. I'd try to say it five times fast, but my mouth is full. (via Gimme Some Oven)

Peas on earth: Sweet pea cupcakes with sour cream frosting. Believe it. (oldie but goodie via Vanilla Garlic)

Food Takes Over Stationery: Finally! (via Bon Appetit)

Pastries and politics: Bernanke tours the Tastykake factory.

Peabody takes on Seasonal Fruit Desserts by Deborah Madison: I just received this book too so was excited to get a sneak peek.

Seattle bakeries hit the big time, via a feature by Sara Dickerman in the NY Times (prominently featuring CS favorite, Columbia City Bakery!). Thanks to everyone who shared the link with me!

Speaking of Columbia City Bakery, let's have another loving look at the doughnut muffin.