Home, Sweet Home (Literally): Interior Design by Cakespy

Deck the halls? That's so last year. In 2008, resolve to let more sweetness in your life by decking the walls--and fridge, and your whole house or apartment for that matter---out in dessert-related finery. Not only will these ideas make everyday life a whole lot sweeter, but they're also calorie-free for the (*cough* nevergonnalast) resolution dieters out there.

For your walls: These cupcake plaques by Serious Gnome will brighten up any wall in your house, sans doute. We want one for every room; not only are they gorgeous, but we're fascinated by the painstaking process involved in making them: each piece is designed, cast and hand-finished right in the Serious Gnome studios (rare these days!). Visit their website to learn more about the process and to browse their other (alas, non-cake related, but still cool) styles. $85 each; available online at seriousgnome.com.

For your fridge: Cake and dessert related refrigerator magnets are like a preview of what's in the fridge! Our own Head Spy Jessie is the art director of this company (no, she doesn't get paid extra for putting them in here), so naturally there are a lot of cake related designs, including dessert-themed magnets by Julia Rothman, Stacey Asato and even Mrs. Cakespy herself. $11.50 for a set of 4 one-inch magnets, $6.50 for one "Big" magnet; various styles available online at ipopshop.com; cakes shown to the left currently only available by calling 800.638.9622.

For your bedroom: You'll be guaranteed sweet dreams if you rest your little head on one of these pillows: cookie pillows by Pancake Dinner are perfect for naps or as throw pillows ($20; available online at thepaperdoll.net); for bigger appetites or a longer sleep, artist Bethany Schlegel does cozy, fluffy screen printed ice cream ones ($34 ea.; available online at buzzbuzzbee.etsy.com).

For the kitchen: While technically calorie-free in and of themselves, we will admit that these cupcake toppers by Bake+Destroy! are perhaps at their best when perched atop freshly baked little cupcakes. Call us diet-saboteurs if you will; call us enablers...both very true. But seriously, how could you resist these toppers, available in styles like Holy Elvis (left), Shark Attack, Gnomes and more? $6 ea., or $3 for a DIY kit; available online at bakeanddestroy.etsy.com.

We'd say that 2008 is going to be one sweet year.

For more information or to pass on more awesome ways to deck your home out in sweetness, please email us!

Cakewalk in the Chelsea Market, NYC

If pressed to choose one building to be stuck in overnight in a Mannequin-esque sort of way, the Chelsea Market wouldn't be a bad spot. Residing in what used to be the National Biscuit Company (you may know them as Nabisco, makers of all sorts of items from Saltines to Animal Crackers to Oreos), this is a strangely unassuming building from the outside, opening up into a gorgeous urban market including flower shops, boutiques...and bakeries, lots of bakeries. On our recent trip back east, we spent quite a bit of time in this historic building residing on Ninth and Tenth Avenues between 15th and 16th Streets; here were some of our favorite spots:

Cakespy Note: The address for all of the retail spaces at the Chelsea Market is 75 Ninth Avenue; thus, we have not labeled the addresses individually below.

Amy's Bread: We love Amy's Bread in so, so many ways, but most of all for their perfect pink-frosted yellow cake which is available by the slice most days. We're proud to say that we've tried it in all three locations (this one, Bleecker Street, and Hell's Kitchen), and each is excellent. Their other pastries are no slouch either; even Zagat has called out their excellence. (212) 462-4338; online at amysbread.com.

Chelsea Market Baskets: A great find--chock full of wonderful Scottish shortbread and "oaties", fancy little imported marzipan cakes and other gourmet treats from the likes of Ditty's Home Bakery, Cookie it Up and Frank's Luxury Biscuits. We fell for the Nancy's Fudge Cups at first bite; the Leonidas truffles looked wonderful. As a bonus to non-NYC residents, they do ship a lot of cookies and less perishable items nationwide! (212) 727-1111; online at chelseamarketbaskets.com.

Eleni's: Cookies, and cakes, and cupcakes--oh my! This is an extremely cool place, with white exposed brick walls and extremely photogenic baked goods (see top photo). Sure, cookies will top $4, but hey, rent's pretty high in Chelsea. Negative points for telling us to stop taking photos though, although we resisted the urge to say "don't you know who we are?". Kidding. (888) 435-3647; online at elenis.com.

Fat Witch Bakery: Somewhere between fudge, and a brownie, is the Fat Witch Brownie: extremely dense, rich, fudgy and excellent. Don't make the mistake of trying to eat one of these dry though--they cry out for a glass of milk (perhaps at the Ronnybrook Farm Dairy? see below) as accompaniment. Happily, these can be shipped nationwide; check out their online store! (212) 807-1335; online at fatwitch.com.

Milk Bar @ Ronnybrook Farm Dairy: Holy Cow (sorry, couldn't resist). Places like this make you marvel at how creamy and good something so simple as milk can taste. The milkshakes are close-your-eyes-with-pleasure good; they have a full lunch menu too, full of appetizing dishes to warm you up for dessert. (212) 741-6455; online at ronnybrook.com.

Ruthy's: A solid offering of cakes and treats, although we wish they didn't put those novelty cookies and cakes on display right as you walk in; the stuff inside (rugelach, cakes, etc) looked so much nicer. (212) 463-8800; online at ruthys.com.

Sarabeth's: We much prefer this outpost to the famous Upper East Side location, in which we've never felt quite "pinkies out" enough. Still, killer jam (you may recognize the name; they sell their jam at Williams-Sonoma stores), and their weekend specials, including pumpkin waffles with sour cream, raisins and maple syrup, are awe-inspiring. (212) 989-2424; online at sarabeths.com.

For more information about the Chelsea Market, visit chelseamarket.com. Got any other Chelsea Market spots to suggest? Email us!

Cakewalk in Bruce Springsteen Country (Central NJ Shore)

There exists, in a pocket of the central New Jersey Coast, an area that we'll refer to as "Bruce Springsteen Country"--an area which includes the namesake of his album "Greetings from Asbury Park", and stretches between Monmouth and Ocean Counties. And while everyone is fiercely proud of their hometown boy, there is so much more on offer here than just the possibility of a Boss sighting: it's also home to some of the most memorable black and white cookies, crumb cake and pastries we've ever tasted. On a recent visit, we sampled a number of the local bakeries; and while we didn't see Bruce along the way, we did spy (and taste) all sorts of other good things:

America's Cup Coffee Co.: This place looked pretty chain-y from the outside, but what an unexpectedly sweet surprise to find a beautiful display of alluring homemade biscotti. It was toasty, crunchy and satisfying. The coffee was just-OK, but the biscotti made our visit worthwhile. 633 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park; (732) 988-2000.

The Baker Boys: The New Jersey coast's answer to NYC's Billy's Bakery, their pastries stand alone, with a meltingly delicious apricot bar, moist cupcakes with jaunty peaks of frosting, and awesome cookies. Pastry chef Carol is pretty much our NJ idol. 69 Main Ave., Ocean Grove. Check out their brand-new location in Asbury Park's Convention Hall too! 69 Main Ave., Ocean Grove; (732) 361-8839. Online at thebakerboys.us.

Bella Sogno: Make like Tony Soprano at this traditional Italian-style bakery in Bradley Beach, adjoining an espresso joint filled with an assortment of "Jersey" characters. The cookies are our pick here, from the buttery lemon twists to the "Chinese Cookie", whose name we've never quite understood but we love the taste. 600 Main Street., Bradley Beach; (732) 869-

0700.

Chez Cakespy: OK, so this isn't a bakery or even open to the public, but we couldn't resist sharing one of the true highlights of our trip, a three-tiered chocolate cake with pink buttercream frosting made by Cake Gumshoe Margie, which was unbelievably rich and perfect. The occasion was happy too: a 6-month wedding anniversary cake for Mr. and Mrs. Cakespy. Sigh. Cake Gumshoes Margie and Kenny's House, West Belmar.

Delicious Orchards: A bit off the shore path but worth the drive, Delicious Orchards is a gorgeous farm market featuring Apple Cider Donuts (available online) and great pies; though we hear their crumb cake leaves something to be desired. 36 State Rte. 34 So., Colts Neck; (732) 462-1989. Online at deliciousorchardsnj.com.

Dunkin' Donuts: They say that America Runs on Dunkin', and we don't know where this is more clearly illustrated than in New Jersey (anyone who's seen the line there at 8am will know). No, their donuts are not the best we've ever had, but there's just something about Dunkin' Donuts; being based on the West Coast, we'd be remiss if we didn't pay homage. Various locations; online at dunkindonuts.com.

Espresso Mio: They don't make it in house, but their crumb cake was gorgeous, with the perfect crumb-to-cake ratio (roughly two thirds crumb, one third cake) and a heavenly dusting of powdered sugar.

Their scones, which looked quite good, are made in-house. Bonus: their coffee stood up to Seattle-based Mr. and Mrs. Cakespy's standards too! 1005 1/2 Main St., Belmar; (732) 280-9001.

Freedman's Bakery: Walk right past the cakes and go for a black and white cookie here: they're perfect. The texture of the cookie and consistency of the frosting simply cannot be beat, in our book. Make like Jerry Seinfeld and see if you can get black and white in every bite. 803 Main St., Belmar; (732) 681-2334.

Hoffman's Ice Cream: This place rules the dairy arena with rich, flavorful homemade ice cream. We have a guilty place in our hearts for the bubblegum ice cream, which, if pressed to describe how it tastes, we would have to say "pink". 569 Church Street, Spring Lake; (732) 974-2253.

The Macaroon Shop: The Cakespy crew is split on this one: Head Spy Jessie likes their crumb cake; Cake Gumshoes Bridget and Kenny prefer the namesake macaroons; Cake Gumshoe Margie doesn't care for their goods at all. Mr. Cakespy just eats what we tell him to eat. See for yourself! 107 Main St., Avon-By-The-Sea; (732) 776-6363. Online at themacaroonshop.com.

Mueller's Bakery: Gorgeous cookies, and a wonderful neighborhood to walk around in during the summer. Their crumb cake and black and white cookies are our picks. 80 Bridge Ave., Bay Head; (732) 892-0442. Online at muellersbakery.com.

Pianconnes Deli and Bakery: Ogle at the cases upon cases of deli and bakery treats: butter cookies, Italian pastries, and cakes. Don't go in a rush though; service can be slow, and lines are often long. It's worth the wait. 804 Main St., Bradley Beach; (732) 775-4780.

What's For Dessert: The service can be gruff, but their cakes and pastries more than make up for it. Perfect shortbread cookies, cupcakes, and a gorgeous crumb cake all await you in a tantalizingly scented sanitary white bakery. 2407 State Rte. 71, Spring Lake Heights; (732) 974-3003.

Wish You Were Here: Half souvenir shop, half cafe, this is an absolute treasure, with cookies like you wish your mama made, beautiful brownies, and creatively flavored homemade truffles in flavors like mango-habanero and peanut butter and jelly. 612 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park; (732) 774-1601.

Got any other hot NJ tips? Email us!

Champagne Dreams and Sweet Wishes: An Experiment in Champagne and Dessert Pairing

With a new year upon us, it's time to pause and reflect. A time to resolve to do better next year, to recall the good moments of last year...and of course, a time to imbibe mass quantities of champagne.

And this brings up a very important question: what desserts might go best with your bubbly at a New Year's Eve bash?

In an effort to address this pressing issue, we at Cakespy have done an intensive taste testing, trying out champagne with a variety of party-friendly desserts to see which pairings work best. We tried to choose a range of desserts with different and distinct flavors, ranging from salty-sweet (chocolate covered pretzels) to sweet-but-tart (Skittles) to the truly saccharine (pop-tarts; cupcakes); each one was tried with a few sips of champagne to see how the flavors would mingle. Here's our review:

Cakespy Note: To be completely technical our tasting was done with sparkling wine; nonetheless, "champagne" rolls off the tongue so much nicer, and we think you know what we mean, so that's the word we're using in this writeup. Also, our apologies to any champagne enthusiasts who may be offended that we used the "wrong" type of glass. 

Champagne with Peanut Butter Cookies: The logic behind the pairing was inspired by the concept of opposites. The tartness of jelly seems to go nicely with peanut butter, so would the tartly acidic champagne do the same with a peanut butter cookie? Unfortunately, in our opinion, no. The flavors seemed to be fighting with one another, and the champagne won the battle, washing out the flavor of the cookie. Bummer.

Champagne with dark Chocolate Truffles: This combination was surprisingly good; the not too-sweet dark chocolate ganache was an excellent balance to the sharp, bubbly champagne. However, one taster noted that while the combination was good, it was not quite as good as pairing dark chocolate with red wine. 

Champagne with Vanilla Cupcakes (with vanilla frosting and sprinkles): We thought this combination might be sweet overload, but it turned out to be a very...happy combination. Maybe it was a combination of the sugar, sprinkles and bubbles, but this combo made us giddy.

Champagne with Skittles: We were split down the middle with this one. Where some thought the combination was entirely too sour, some enjoyed the sweet, tart tastes intermingling. Bonus: this one is extra fun if you put one of the Skittles in the champagne and watch it dance amongst the bubbles. 

Champagne with Brownies: You'd think that we'd love this combo based on liking the dark chocolate and champagne combo, but somehow the brownie just didn't work quite as well. Perhaps it was just too heavy, but the brownie overpowered the champagne and just made it taste sour.

Champagne with Chocolate Covered Pretzels: To us, this combination was a very good one; the saltiness of the pretzels could stand up to the acidity and strong taste of the champagne, and the chocolate gave a nice, mellow aftertaste. 

Champagne with Pop-Tarts: The tastes worked quite nicely on this combo at first, with the shortbready crust and frosted strawberry goodness heightened by the bubbles. However, the aftertaste was a little bit cloying to our oh-so-refined tastes, so we wouldn't rate it one of our favorite combinations.

To sum it all up? While our favorite combinations seemed to be either chocolate covered pretzels with champagne or cupcakes with champagne, like so many things, it really seemed to be a matter of personal taste, and so we welcome you to host your own tasting to see for yourself what combinations work for you! No matter what the results, it's bound to be a sweet and rewarding experience.

In the meantime, here's to a year of experimentation, growth, and much sweetness. 

Happy 2008! 

Vive la Second Banana: An Ode to Magnolia Bakery's #2 Dessert

(Photo used with thanks to Wsgal)

It's got to be hard being the #2 dessert at the Magnolia Bakery. We imagine it's sort of like having a really famous sibling (who knows the name of the Olsen twins' other sister, for crying out loud?). This is the plight of the Banana Pudding at Magnolia Bakery; delicious as it is, what is its place really, with those famous cupcakes in the spotlight? At Cakespy we feel its pain, and want to give this sweet dessert a long-deserved moment in the spotlight. And so here, we offer this sweet ballad to Magnolia's #2 treat:

Dearest Banana pudding,

How do we love thee? Let us count the ways.

We love the way you hang out in the bakery case, slightly chilled and a little aloof...don't you know that playing hard to get just makes us want you more?

We love your inviting, pale yellow hue. 

We love the symphony of textures that you award us with in each spoonful: the rich, creamy pudding, with cakey Nilla wafer bits which have become soft and absorbed the banana flavor; the ever so slight hint of a crunch that some of the Nilla wafers still retain.

We love your sugary, heady banana scent. 

We love your little white takeout cup, like a takeaway coffee to the unknowing, but bearing a much sweeter and richer treat. 

In fact, dear pudding, the only part we don't like is coming to the last spoonful; you always leave us wanting more.

Oh, banana pudding! For you, we'd gladly wait on that line all night until the cupcake bouncer deigned to let us in; even more happily, we'd breeze right by those ubiquitous little frosted treats, making a straight path toward you, sweet, wonderful you. 

Eternal love and sweetness,

Cakespy

To try this ambrosial treat, visit the Magnolia Bakery at 401 Bleecker St., New York City; online at magnoliabakery.com.

Cakespy Note: Not in NYC? Happily, the Magnolia Bakery's Cookbook, More From Magnolia by Allysa Torey, contains the recipe. Although it takes a while to prepare due to letting the mixture set at various stages, it's extremely easy to make; we've copied the recipe as it appears in the book (below).

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

I started making this pudding when I was in my early twenties and cooking at a Tex-Mex restaurant and bar. Customers loved it, so when we opened the bakery many years later, it seemed like a great idea to serve it there. It remains the second most popular dessert (after the cupcakes) at the bakery.

Ingredients:

-1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

-1 1/2 cups ice cold water

-1 (3.4oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix (they like the Jell-O Brand)

-3 cups heavy cream

-1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)

-4 cups sliced ripe bananas

Directions:

-In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about one minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerated for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set. 

-In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

-To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours--or up to 8 hours, but no longer--before serving.