Baked, Not Fried: Bakedbars from Brooklyn

“Some say our bakedbar is a dangerous addiction.”

This disclaimer appears right on the website of Baked, a Brooklyn-based bakery. To some, this might seem foreboding, and perhaps it should. While technically the bakedbar can be defined (a graham crusted bar topped with layers of coconut, chocolate, condensed milk, walnuts and butterscotch), we cannot explain the certain something they possess that makes you wonder just how many you can cram in your mouth, and how quickly, before you’ll regret it. Certainly the secret must lie somewhere in those six dense, dreamy, creamy-meets-crunchy layers, but exactly where is uncertain.

Luckily, you’ll have no problem devoting yourself to research like this.

Cakespy Note: While rumor has it that the story behind the bakedbar will be revealed in the Baked Cookbook, due out in 2008, even non-Brooklynites can get sweet gratification: the bakedbar is available for shipping all over the US on their website, as well as a small but good selection of cakes, cookies, brownies, and even homemade marshmallows.

Available online at bakednyc.com, or at their storefront, located at 359 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn; (718) 222-0345.

Cake Byte: Hey, Cupcake! in Austin, TX

Has it all been done before? At Cakespy, we like to think not, and like to consider ourselves poised to be amazed by feats of baking. That's why we were delighted hear about Hey, Cupcake! through Cake Gumshoe Erin.

Hey, Cupcake! combines all the best things that hipsterdom has to offer: cheap ($2) cupcakes, an Airstream trailer, and a cute 29-year old guy baking and selling them in small batches in a convection oven.

And what could make us love the proprietor, Wes Hurt, even more? As he's quoted as saying in an article in News 8 Austin, "No shortening. We use good old butter. There’s nothing low calorie about cupcakes."

Swoon.

For more information, visit heycupcakaaustin.com.

Cakespy Note: There's also a very nice writeup on Hey, Cupcake! on one of our favorite blogs; click here to read it: cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com.

Batter Chatter: Interview with Evan of Evan's Kitchen Ramblings

Ever felt like maybe you were destined to live another life? One of intrigue and glamour perhaps? Well, quit whining--unless that is you're Evan, authoress of Evan's Kitchen Ramblings and amazing French Patissier...who just so happens to live in Singapore and has never set foot in France. Incroyable; clearly she belongs at a Parisian patisserie. After coming across her work through her amazing Flickr page, Cakespy swiftly set out to get the full scoop behind her work; here's what we learned via e-mail interview:

Cakespy: We can't believe you've never attended culinary school! How did you get started as a baker?

Evan's Kitchen Ramblings: I've always been fascinated about cooking (especially baking) since I was young, despite (the fact that) I didn't watch my mother or grandmother cook often. Guess it's an in-born interest. I've also been collecting cookbooks since I was seventeen. And after purchasing an oven almost two years ago, there was no turning back. I've been baking almost daily since then.

CS: How do you sell your pastries? By special order only, or through bakeries?

EKR: I post up some of the stuff I'm selling on my blog, and people who are interested simply email me for orders. I've actually done a site solely dedicated to this little business of mine but it hasn't been launched yet.

CS: Do you make your living by baking, or do you have another job?
EKR: I don't have another job. Am concentrating on my baking business fully.

CS: What is your most popular special-order item?

EKR: Since I've only put up macaroons and cupcakes for sale, these are the two items which are available for ordering. In terms of flavors, chocolate and matcha green tea macaroons and carrot walnut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are the most sought-after flavors.

CS: What is your favorite type of dessert?
EKR: Cheesecakes, as well as French gateaux and entremets. Love the dense creamy texture in baked cheesecakes, and the play on different layer textures & exquisite ingredients like raspberries, hazelnuts and pistachios in French entremets.

CS: How often do you eat dessert?
EKR: It's not a must to have dessert, but I keep ice-cream and frozen yoghurt/sorbets at home just in case I have a craving for something sweet (which is just about all the time!). And if I have some free time on hand, I'll whip up something indulgent like a tiramisu, panna cotta or creme brulee.

CS: What is your favorite beverage to accompany dessert?
EKR: Earl Grey, Cafe mocha or a Frappuccino Venti. Plus a glass of iced water to clear the palate.

CS: You're based in Singapore…what type of pastries or desserts are popular in Singapore right now?
EKR: Macaroons are getting popular, as well as cupcakes, which seem like an eternal favorite!

CS: Red Velvet cupcakes are all the rage in the USA right now. Are they popular in Singapore?
EKR: I don't think so. I haven't seen any bakeries selling red velvet cakes yet.

CS: What are some of your favorite cookbooks?
EKR: Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, Modern Classics 2 by Donna Hay and Simply Sensational Desserts by Francois Payard. I also love food magazines and publications like delicious., Donna Hay Magazine and Martha Stewart Living.

CS: Your macaroons are simply gorgeous. Are they inspired by Laduree in Paris?
EKR: Actually, they're inspired by the 'picasso of pastry' - Pierre Herme. But of course macaroons by Laduree, Gerard Mulot, Fauchon, Jean-Paul Hevin and Lenotre are the ones on the must-try list if I ever visit Paris one day!

CS: What exactly is a mooncake?
EKR: Mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. A thick filling usually made from lotus paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. Newer varieties like snow skin/ice crust mooncakes are also very popular among the younger people.

CS: Do you have any favorite recipes you could share with us?
EKR: You may refer to my blog for recipes. All recipes I've posted are tried and tested from my own kitchen. I've made sure they're delicious and worth giving a try before posting them up to share.

CS: Do you have any goals for the future with your baking?

EKR: I'm constantly trying to come up with special bakes that are not easily available elsewhere instead of the usual muffins, brownies and cookies. I love to challenge myself with new bakes and recipes so that's kinda...my goal, both immediate and for the future.

CS: Do you have any tips for bakers just starting out?

EKR: Start slow and small, and do not be overly ambitious. It takes a lot to set up a business due to the fierce competition from both online (home bakers selling their bakes) and...commercial bakeries / patisseries / cafes. Word of mouth is also very important at this point in time, since you would definitely want customers to return or to recommend their friends and family. So, it's important to churn out quality bakes. Inexpensive publicity that you can give yourself would be to bring your bakes to gatherings, functions and parties. This way, you can appeal to a wider...crowd, of which some might be potential customers.

To check out Evan's excellent pastry photos, visit flickr.com/photos/bossacafez.

For more information or to see Evan's recipes, visit bossacafez.blogspot.com.

Photo credit goes to Evan with thanks.

Sweet Loafing: Cinnamon Bread by the Holland American Bakery

Breakfast time is like a masquerade ball for baked goods; many of the best morning-desserts hide under unassuming and vaguely healthy-sounding names. Take granola--actually oatmeal cookies in cereal form. And muffins? Not always, but frequently, they're cupcakes without frosting. But certainly the closest to our hearts is Holland American Bakery's cinnamon "bread", which is certainly a close cousin to cake.

This cinnamon bread was actually the discovery of one of our spies' ex boyfriends: his family would stockpile loaves whenever passing by this gem of a bakery in Northern New Jersey, which has quietly been serving up Dutch-style treats since the 1950s. The relationship didn't work out, but sometimes you have to take the sour with the sweet, right? And how sweet this bread is: with gooey pockets of buttery cinnamon and a dense, cakey texture, it's pure heaven toasted with a pat of butter, and we daresay that it wouldn't taste bad with an icing glaze or bit of cake frosting either.

Now this is the kind of love that lasts.

Cakespy Note: The Holland American Bakery is based in NJ, but non Garden Staters rejoice: they will ship anywhere in the US. And--get this--it's only $3.10 per generous loaf.

Available at Holland American Bakery, 246 Rte. 23, Sussex, NJ; also available online at hollandamericanbakery.com.

So Corny: Vegan Candy Corn by Propamanda

Don't mess with Jersey. There have been some great things that come from the Garden State: tomatoes, Bon Jovi, Pork Roll. And now to be added to that roster is Vegan Candy Corn by Garden-state based Vegan Propamanda.

Now, we're not vegan at Cakespy, but these slab-cut, extra-large candy corn pieces seemed to transcend labels of that sort and we just fell in love with them. And the results were very rewarding: they were chewy, sugary and vaguely reminiscent of vanilla tootsie rolls, but without that waxy aftertaste. Vegan Propamanda's head baker Amanda Sacco tells us the recipe is inspired by the vegan candy corn recipe by The Urban Housewife, but with some small tweaks. And we certainly trust her baking judgment: Amanda has tested vegan recipes before cookbook publication for the likes of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, Lauren Ulm and Joanna Vaught.

But watch out: her wares sell like hotcakes (dairy free of course) from her online shop, but we're sure that if you send her a message through etsy she'd accommodate your order.

Available at asacco9642.etsy.com.