Up, Up and Away!: Upcakes by Dixie Picnic

What goes up, must come down. True, but not always pretty: ruined pancakes, botched face lifts and Britney Spears' careers come to mind.

However, at Cakespy we've spied something that's just as sweet on the flipside: Upcakes by Dixie Picnic, a Southern NJ-based bakery. What exactly is an Upcake? Well, according to their website, it was an invention prompted when a young family member would only eat the frosting off of cupcakes and then discard the rest; such a waste! The solution? Frosting the sides in addition to the top, duh. A win-win situation; no cake wasted, and no more poor cake-to-frosting ratio. As might be expected, they have become a bit of a legend in the area.

And now, with thanks to a custom-designed shipping box, they are able to ship these frosting-laden treats (in flavors like lemon buttercream, red velvet or pistachio in addition to the requisite chocolate and vanilla) anywhere in the inland US! Overnight shipping is the only option for most places, but within the Mid-Atlantic region and parts of the Northeast, they'll ship via ground.

We'd say that everything's coming up cake.

Dixie Picnic is located at 819 8th St., Ocean City, NJ; orders can be placed via telephone (609) 399-1999 or online at dixiepicnic.com.

Cakespy Note: It was rather difficult to resist the temptation to call this post "Up Yours, Cupcakes!", but as you can see we took the high road.

Short and Sweet: Cupcake Shortbread Cookies by Teacake Bakeshop

What could be nicer with afternoon tea than a couple of shortbread cookies?

Shortbread cookies decorated to look like cupcakes, that's what.

And now that can be an everyday treat, thanks to the Bay Area-based Teacake Bakeshop, whose vanilla bean shortbread cookies are each decorated with a simple but charming cupcake drawing rendered out of icing. The 1.5" diameter mini-shortbread cookies are a little spendy ($44 for 48) but each one is hand decorated, sweet and buttery; just think of how many people you could make smile with a box of 48 of these happy little treats. Seriously, we're smiling just looking at the pictures!

Just more proof that cupcakes make everything happier.

Available online at teacakebakeshop.com. Or, if you're in the Bay Area, visit their retail store at 5615 Bay Street, Emeryville, CA.

Fudge It: Confections by Oh, Fudge!

A company specializing in confectionery and soap kind of sounds like the makings of a sitcom: the inevitable mixed-up orders, hilarity ensuing.

Nonetheless, we took the brave step of buying fudge by Oh Fudge, a Graham, WA-based operation run by Ann Smith, whose Etsy shop is half comprised of fudge, cookies and sweet cake bars; the other half is comprised of Lush-esque cakes of soap which also look strangely delicious. So, were we playing with fire? Was this fudge going to taste like a stern lesson?

Happily, it was more like a reward. The fudge was like a cross between cake frosting and cookie dough, so smooth and rich it would eat just as comfortably from a spoon as with your fingers; the baker tells us the secret to the texture is using cream instead of milk for the fudge (which is loosely based on her grandmother's recipe).

Of course if you do eat it with your fingers, you know what to wash your hands with later.

Available online at wwizebody.etsy.com.

Buzz Balls: Spotlight on CakeLove's Crown Jewels

Nobody is going to accuse Warren Brown of being lazy. The owner of DC-based CakeLove and its related cafes, he is a darling with the press and even filmed a show with the Food Network for a while. And the attention is warranted: their baked goods are buttery, creamy and comforting just like good dessert needs to be! While the cupcakes and cakes are the stars of the show, Cakespy was most impressed by yet another pastry whose name mortifies us: The Buzz Ball.

So what is a Buzz Ball?

No, it does not involve drunken frat boys finding an electric razor and hilarity ensuing. Buzz Balls are cream puff-esque pastries, filled with rich creams in flavors like coffee, chocolate, mango and lemon. Apparently the name is a derivation based on taste and appearance--coffee was the first cream flavor offered, lending the "buzz"; once the cream was injected into the dough it made it round, like a ball. Either way, the light-as-air dumplings filled with rich cream and drizzled with sugar icing have completely won us over, even if we're not convinced that the name is as innocent as they say.

Unfortunately they can't be shipped at this time, so if you want to taste the coveted Buzz Balls you're going to have to visit one of the DC-area locations (check out locations online at cakelove.com); however, CakeLove does have a "Box-O-Luv" series of pastry samplers which can be shipped; visit here to see the options.

Better Brownies: Cupcake Brownies by Simply Divine

Brownies--now there's a case of a dessert with an identity crisis. What are they exactly? Cakey fudge? Fudgy cake? A bar? A cookie? All of the above?

There are some mysteries which may never be solved.

One thing is for sure though: brownies decorated to look like cupcakes are adorable, as proven by Simply Divine. A browniemaking factory based in Maine, Simply Divine makes gorgeously dense, chewy brownies comprised of ingredients you can actually pronounce. Sure, they have a classic collection (including the intriguing breakfast brownie) for brownie die-hards, but the true stars are their "decorated brownies".
Decorated with thick layers of cheerfully-colored frosting and sprinkles, the adorable brownies come in a wide variety of shapes in addition to cupcakes too, including gold-dusted acorns, Maine lobsters, and rubber duckies. And they ship nationwide (not always cheap, but it's not about that, is it?).

Talk about raising the bar (or cookie...or fudgy cake...or whatever they are).

Available online at simplydivinebrownies.com.

Fat Daddy (Loves you!)

Like Grandma's preserves meets cupcakes!

So named for what baker Nicole Mahler has made her husband into, Fat Daddy Loves You serves up ready-to eat cupcake trifle type confections shipped in mason jars, which will keep in the refrigerator for 7-9 days. Ranging in price for $5 for a half-pint cupcake jar to $10 for larger items, Mahler's hallmarks include using the finest ingredients: the cupcakes are made with ingredients like homemade vanilla sugar and madagascar vanilla buttercream icing (!). Shipping isn't cheap, but they're worth it.