Cake Byte: Whoopie Pies in Harrods Department Store

Now, I know I declared that no way were whoopie pies going to be the next big thing. But according to CakeSpy readers Ellie and Shamila, who both reported on the fact that the trendsetting Harrods department store in London, is now stocking the cream-filled sweet burgers in their food halls, could that be changing?

Here's the scoop from the Harrods site:

Originally a New England phenomenon, the craze for these cookie-textured treats has already swept America where they are flying off the shelves at speciality shops and boutique bakeries up and down the country. Harrods pastry chefs have expertly crafted four of these delectable delicacies, creating luxurious Whoopies based on the time-honoured recipe of the pies. Each comprises two delicious cake pillows filled with homemade buttercream and topped with cute edible couture.

Shoppers will be tempted by:

• The Classic, a heady mix of dark chocolate cakes, vanilla cream and sparkly couture
• A seasonal Gingerbread, slightly spicy and adorned with chocolate and mini polka dots
• A Pistachio extravaganza featuring green fondant icing and finished with edible glitter and silver balls
• The retro Red Velvet, made with chocolate cakes, peanut butter cream, burgundy fondant and topped with sugar hearts.

I still don't know about them being the next big thing, but I sure do know I'd like to take a big bite of any (or all) of the varieties on offer in Harrods!

Dark, Bitter and Handsome: Chocolate Stout Cupcakes from Rainy Day Gal

CakeSpy Note: This is a guest post from Rainy Day Gal (a.k.a. Jenny Miller), a fellow Seattle blogger with a major sweet tooth.

Once in a blue moon, I love a good dark beer.

But every day that ends in y do I love chocolate stout cake.

It's rich, moist, and tastes like an indescribably dark chocolatey-chocolate cake without being overly sweet. Plus, you get to pour beer into the batter. Which is fun. For those of you wary about adding beer to chocolate cake, fear not--they don't taste like beer, the stout just keeps them moist, rich, and prevents them from being overly sweet. I came across an intriguing recipe that was begging, nay, pleading to be turned into cupcakes. Because, c'mon. Who bakes whole cakes anymore? We are living in a cupcake world and I am a cupcake gal. So without further ado, here they are. Fair warning: this recipe makes an ungodly amount of cupcakes. Make a half-batch if you don't know 48 people who would like to eat a chocolate stout cupcake in the next two days. Oh, and fair warning #2: You should probably also be drinking a stout while you're making these. Just sayin.

First, let's make the ganache because it'll need a few hours to chill. You need one pound of bittersweet chocolate (chopped or in chip form) and one pint (or 2 cups) of whipping cream. Again, halve this if you don't want to make a billion cupcakes.

Place the chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wisk attachment. You could also use a hand mixer if you're more in the mood.

Bring the cream just to a simmer on the stove and then remove from heat. Immediately pour the whipping cream over the chocolate. Mix on medium-low until totally combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

You should probably lick this. It's okay. No one is watching. I'll wait. All done? Wasn't it delicious? Good. Let's move on to the cupcakes.

You need at absolutely sinful amount of butter. 4 sticks or 2 cups unsalted. Paula Deen would be so proud. Also find some sour cream (1 1/2 cups) and four eggies.

For the dry stuff, grab some baking soda (1 tbsp), all-purpose flour (4 cups), salt (1 1/2 tsp), and granulated sugar (4 cups. Yes. I'm serious.). Oh, and you'll also need 1 1/2 cups of cocoa powder. Sorry--forgot to snap a photo.

Finally, the goods: Guinness. Or a similarly dark stout. You'll need two cups, which turns out to be about 1 1/4 bottles. Ready? Let's go. Preheat your oven to 350°. If you want to. Or wait 'till later. Measure out your beer. It won't hurt it it's a few sips less than 2 cups. I promise.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the stout. Bring just to a simmer and then remove from heat. I never thought I would have a pan of butter and Guinness heating on my stove.

Grab your cocoa powder...

...and immediately whisk it into the butter/beer mixture until smooth. Set aside to let cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, mix your dry ingredients together in a big ol' bowl...

...and put the sour cream and eggies into another bowl. I love cracking eggs. It's my favorite part of baking. But I'm also completely terrified of finding a little baby chicken fetus inside. I would cry for days. Too much information? Alright. Moving on.

Cream together the sour cream and eggs using an electric hand mixer on low speed.

Ummm....don't lick these blades. Even I don't love sour cream that much. For the next step, grab a big bowl....

...and dump the sour cream/egg mixture into it. Pour the beer/cocoa/butter mixture on top. Mix on low with the electric hand mixer to combine.

Next, dump in the flour/sugar mixture. Beat a little with the electric mixer just to get it started...

...and finish it off with a spatula. Shiny.

Pour into greased (or lined) muffin pans. I usually use liners, but all I had were the ugly ones left from a Christmas variety pack. I couldn't handle dancing reindeer today. Where's Bella when I need 'em? Bake, one pan at a time, for 16-18 minutes or until...you know the drill. Clean toothpick. Or not. Sometimes I think when the whole toothpick comes out clean that I've already over-baked them. You're the judge of your own cupcake world---you decide.

I filled them up almost to the brim because I like big cupcakes.

Let cool on wire racks.

See what I mean? Ungodly amount of cupcakes.

Once the cupcakes have cooled and the ganache has hardened, let's frost those suckers. Give the ganache a good stir before we start.

Spread it around. Spread it around good. I used about a tablespoon and a half per cupcake and still had a little leftover. You frost 'em however you like 'em.

Oh my. A moment of silence, please.

I wasn't drinking that Guinness while eating a cupcake. You must be thinking of someone else.

Nope. Not me (*licks chocolate ganache from lips*).

The verdict on chocolate stout cupcakes? They were divine. Moist. Rich. Chocolatey with a hint of stout. The bittersweet ganache made them ultra-decadent.

When I make them again, however, I'll try a few variations:

1) Use a more flavorful stout. Maybe a local brew, or something with a little more body. Maybe I'll even boil a larger quantity down to make it more concentrated. I wanted more Guinness-y flavor and less sweet.

2) Halve the recipe. Too. Many. Cupcakes.

3) Try not to eat so dang many. There goes one full week of salads. Happy monday!  

The original recipe for chocolate stout cake can be found right here. Just follow the directions above to make them cupcakes. Enjoy!

Do or Donut: The German Chocolate Cake Donut from Rocket Donuts, Bellingham WA

Every so often, a donut comes along that can only be described as a holey experience.

And this baby is worth a pilgrimage to Rocket Donuts in Bellingham, Washington: The German Chocolate Cake Donut. 

Now, the whole theory behind Rocket Donuts, which boasts a cool, sci-fi inspired interior, is that "donuts just ain't serious business"--the idea being that donuts are an indulgence, something fun, and something to be enjoyed. No, they're not healthy, but they do you good. 

But while they claim not to take themselves seriously, the donuts are indeed serious business. With a gorgeous display filled with varieties including a perfect Homer Simpson pink frosted cake donut with sprinkes, pretty crullers, several vegan options, and even a devilish maple bacon bar (not one of the vegan options), deciding on just a couple of flavors was difficult. 

Ultimately, we (myself and CakeSpy buddy Nicole) chose several cake varieties, including the chocolate frosted cake with coconut on top, the Homer Simpson (my term, not theirs), and the donut of the month, the German Chocolate Cake.

While all flavors had a dense and flavorful crumb, the flavor of the month really took the cake. The donut itself had an understated chocolate flavor which wasn't overpowering, but rather perfectly balanced by a thick slathering of traditional coconut-rich German chocolate cake frosting, which added moisture and richness to every bite. The sweet little cherry on top not only added an extra dose of sweetness, but it sure was cute too (and cuteness cannot be underrated in baked goods).

To sum it all up? When classic cake flavor meets cake donut, each bite is like a little jaunt to Bliss City. Of course, if you don't like coconut, bet you wouldn't turn away one of these:

Rocket Donuts, 306 W. Holly St. (Corner of Holly and Bay, Downtown Bellingham), 360.671.6111; online at rocketdonuts.com.

Batter Chatter: Interview with Rose Levy Beranbaum

Rose Levy Beranbaum wrote the bible on cakes--literally. Her first book, The Cake Bible, originally published in the 1980s, is largely considered a classic and is currently in its 42nd printing (in case you needed to be told, that is a lot of books!). And it's not hard to see why--Rose approaches baking with a chemist's knowledge but an artist's eye, with recipes which yield delicious and beautiful results. And after a number of blockbuster baking books, now she's back to cakes again with the gorgeous volume Rose's Heavenly Cakes, which includes over 100 recipes for all sorts of cakes, ranging from decadent flourless chocolate cakes to the ethereal Golden Lemon Almond cake and so many more. Even non-bakers will find it hard to resist the gorgeous color photos by Ben Fink (some of which are featured here). Ready to learn more about the baker behind the cakes? Let's go:

CakeSpy: What was the first cake you ever remember baking?

Rose Levy Beranbaum: A Duncan Hines chocolate cake from a mix. The instructions just said to grease, not grease and flour and the cake came apart in three pieces so I had to glue it together with canned frosting. It was for my parents' anniversary.

CS: With Valentine's Day coming up, what cakes might you suggest to set
the mood for love?

RLB: Rose Red Velvet, Double Chocolate Valentine, Quail Egg Indulgence Cake.

CS: My mom will probably be mortified that I am saying this, but she recently confessed to me that although she knows it's wrong "because it says so in Rose Levy Beranbaum's book" that she still uses salted butter in her recipes. Can you give any advice as to why she shouldn't do this?

RLB: Salted butter varies in amount of salt. Sometimes being 3 x the amount of salt specified in the recipe.

(CakeSpy Note: Mama Spy, stop making salt lick cakes!)

CS: In the intro of your book, you acknowledge bloggers as a source of inspiration. Has the advent of food blogs changed the way that you work?

RLB: Hugely! My blog has provided a means of connection for people all around the world which quickly and exponentially increases all of our knowledge. I love seeing bloggers¹ renditions of my recipes with new variations and draw inspiration from requests for specific types of cakes such as the Orange Chiffon baked in a pan without a center tube. I am able to have my recipes tested by my assistant who lives in another state and see the results online.

CS: You say that "today, my goal in baking is to translate the chemical into the practical"--can you explain a bit more?

RLB: The Rose Red Velvet is a perfect example to demonstrate how my analysis of the individual components affects the creation of the recipe. Understanding that buttermilk benefits from baking powder rather than being neutralized by baking soda enabled me to eliminate the usual vinegar and still have a nice tang. Understanding the way in which ovens vary and mixing methods all contributing to the outcomes in baking taste and texture.

CS: Tell me about a favorite cake memory of yours.
RLB: There are so many! Research wise: After many years and many tests trying to make a chocolate chiffon cake, when I finally discovered that adding the egg whites to the batter unbeaten and then beating the batter created the perfect cake I was ecstatic. I called my assistant and he still remembers the words I used which were "cake history has been made tonight!" This cake became the base for my German Chocolate Cake and then the base for the Deep Chocolate Passion Wedding Cake. I traveled across country to make this cake for my friend chef/restaurateur Daniel Patterson and this version appears in my new book, presented on my mother's milk glass dental plate which used to hold her instruments for dentistry. It is the most stunning photo in the book! (pictured left)

Another favorite memory was my appearance doing the Pinecone Chocolate Cake on the Charlie Rose show. It started off with me being very shy but evolved to my favorite part of the long segment when Charlie said he wanted to go into business with me and would sweep my floors and I suggested we marry so my name could be Rose Rose!

Want more? You can easily lose yourself for hours on the informative and entertaining Real Baking With Rose Levy Beranbaum, which includes recipes, baking tips, discussion groups and so much more; you can also get baking with the Rose-inspired baking group Heavenly Cake Bake-Along, and follow the grande dame of cakery on Twitter and Facebook!

Cake Byte: New Cuppie Love Rubber Stamps by Taylored Expressions!

Love is sweet, but cupcakes are sweeter. And while this brand new set of rubber stamps featuring CakeSpy art by Taylored Expressions are not exactly edible, they're incredibly sugary-sweet: they depict scenes of Cuppie love! This set would be perfect as a Valentine's Day surprise for your sweetie, or buy it to make a sweet card for all of the sweetest people in your life!

This set retails for $21.95 and comes nicely packaged with a beautiful color index sheet; you can purchase it here. You can also find great project ideas on the Taylored Expressions blog and stay in touch with Taylored Expressions via Twitter!

Sweet Love: A Bakery Crush on My Kids' Cookies, Bainbridge Island WA

Cookies are one of those foods fraught with nostalgia--few people can think of freshly baked cookies without sweet memories of the mom, dad, grandma, or neighbor who baked them. And that is the idea behind Bainbridge Island-based My Kids' Cookies, a retail bakery run by Barbara Reininger, who, according to their website,

began baking these fabulous cookies when her children were young. Having a love of chocolate chip cookies, but not able to eat them all, she began to give them away to friends. Her children wanted to share with their friends too, so they created the cookie raffle. They'd pick a friends name and off they'd go to deliver ‘just because’ cookies. More than one of the happy beneficiaries suggested that Barbara begin selling her cookies and the rest is My Kids' Cookies history. Barbara used to bake cookies to get her kids to do their homework. Now she's baking cookies to pay for college.

But not only is the story sweet--so are the cookies. Since they opened in 2007, they have branched out from the chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal varieties to offer a number of other delicious cookies and sweets as well: milk chocolate peanut butter delights and gorgeous slabs of buttery shortbread, as well as some non-cookie goods like brownies, pumpkin muffins and cupcakes--many of which can also be shipped nationwide.

Perhaps the best thing about My Kids' Cookies is that while they have grown, they've still remained very true to their humble beginnings: simple, unfussy, but very good treats that would taste just as good today as they would have after school when you were little. Oh, and they've maintained a great sense of humor, too.

My Kids' Cookies retail bakery is located at 9723 Coppertop Loop NE, #202, Bainbridge Island, WA; a variety of their baked goods can be shipped and are available for purchase online at mykidscookies.com; if you want yet more, you can keep in contact via their blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Moments in Fiction

Baby, it's cold outside--so why not get all warm and fuzzy-feeling by curling up with a book featuring delicious treats? Here's a baker's dozen of fictional tales which include memorable scenes involving sweets.

Bread Alone and The Baker's Apprentice by Judith Ryan Hendricks: These linked books detail a pivotal time in the life of the main character, who abandons a plastic LA lifestyle and keeps it real by working at a bakery in Seattle. 

Carrot Cake Murder (and basically anything by Joann Fluke): A murder mystery series which focuses on an unlucky baker who has a tendency to come across dead bodies. This series includes recipes that are actually quite good!

Chocolat by Joanne Harris: If this doesn't make you want chocolate, nothing will.

Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser: OK, so this is not fiction, but it really does read like it--and it has a recipe for cake. Win-win!

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: Who could forget Miss Havisham's mummified wedding cake? 

Heartburn by Nora Ephron: Before there was Sleepless in Seattle, before she directed Julie and Julia, Nora Ephron was one of the first novelists to include recipes in a novel. This one is liberally peppered with all sorts of food, but has a killer Key Lime Pie recipe.

Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister: Owen Wister's tale from whence the cake of the same name sprouted!

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel: Sex! Betrayal! Sadness! And best of all, plenty of food (including cake!).

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Two words for you: Maple Snow. What kid didn't want to get in on that action after reading this classic?

Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and Discoveries by Bharti Kirchner: The title does kind of say it all--this novel details the soul-searching journey of a Seattle baker.

Ruby Bakes a Cake by Susan Hill: This one's for the kids, but even adults will enjoy the sweet illustrations (by my mom, Margie Moore!) accompanying an equally sweet story of Ruby the Raccoon and her journey to make the ultimate sweet treat.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister: This wonderfully written novel details several students in a cooking class and the ways in which they lose (and find) themselves in cooking. Includes a great chapter (with valuable baking tips and a recipe!) on cake.

September Fair: A Murder-by-Month Mystery by Jess Lourey: This murder mystery is not about sweets per se, but it takes place at a Minnesota state fair and includes plenty of appetizing descriptors of decadent fair foods (deep fried nut goodie, anyone?).

That's just a baker's dozen of sweet reads--please feel free to comment with your favorites or to leave suggestions!

Rising Above: Cake Pedestals by Once Upon a Pedestal

Presentation is everything.

What exactly does that mean? Don't put your beautifully frosted and decorated cake on a paper plate, that's what it means.

A great cake pedestal can make your sweet treats even sweeter--and nobody knows this better than Devon of Once Upon a Pedestal. Though by day she is a research at UW ("U-Dub", as anyone who has ever seen Singles knows), she comes from a sweet background: her mother and grandmother both worked in the same bakery when she was growing up, and she herself worked at a bakery for five years. 

But it was reading some of the awesomest blogs out there (Bakerella, Tartelette, etc) that galvanized her action: she realized that she didn't have a creative way to display her goodies. Unable to find a display she liked in shops, she made one herself--a shop soon followed. Constructed using found and vintage objects paired in sometimes unlikely combinations, these pedestals are treasures--like snowflakes (or hand-frosted cupcakes), no two are exactly the same, but each one is precious.

Seriously, wouldn't your next batch of cupcakes--or brownies, or cookies, or even an Opera cake--look beautiful on one of these babies?

Want more? Go ahead and visit the Once Upon a Pedestal shop.

Batter Up: Deep Fried Cupcakes on a Stick for Serious Eats

This one's dedicated to all of you who made New Year's resolutions to eat healthier: deep fried cupcakes on a stick.

These babies were made for the weekly CakeSpy installment on Serious Eats, inspired by a deep fried candy bar recipe; each little cake was speared on a stick, chilled, then battered up and fried until it reached a perfect golden hue. The resulting taste, which falls somewhere between childhood nostalgia and greasy fair food, is alarmingly addictive.

And hey, if it is in fact a one way ticket to Heart Attack City, at least we had a good run.

For the full scoop plus recipe and tutorial, visit Serious Eats!

Sweet Love: A Valentine's Day Bakery Crush on Fields of Cake in Maine

Question: What is love?

Answer: Love is sweet, rich, and full of butter. And this Valentine's Day season, the collective CakeSpy heart has been captured by the sweet treats made by Fields of Cake, a Brunswick, Maine-based custom order baking operation which (joyfully!) is able to ship a select few sugary sweets nationwide.

So what kind of sweets could you get by mail? Here's a roundup:

Red Hots Fudge: White Chocolate Fudge with just enough crushed red hots for a creamy, spicy balance that is out of this world! $6/ 8 ounce box

Red Velvet Whoppidy-Do’s (pictured top): Red Velvet whoopie pies filled with scrumptious Amaretto Buttercream and half dipped in White Chocolate and beautiful edible red glitter. Amazing. $9/ half dozen

Fresh Raspberry Truffles: Fresh Raspberries, filled with a bit of almond paste then dipped in silky dark chocolate. $12/ 8 ounces (note: these are not shippable)

Fresh Strawberry Marshmallows: Beautiful light pink swirled clouds of strawberry sweetness. If you have never tasted a homemade marshmallow, DON’T miss out on this. They are heaven. $9/ dozen

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies: As big as a saucer, with chunks of delicious fine dark chocolate. These cookies are crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the center made with 3 kinds of sugar and a few of my own secrets. $15/ dozen

Chocolate Toffee Marshmallows: A light delicious vanilla bean marshmallow swirled with fine dark chocolate and chunks of toffee. Insane! $9/ Dozen

Heartbreaker Cupcakes: Chocolate cupcakes, filled with chocolate chunks and smoked sea salt caramel, topped with chocolate ganache and white chocolate buttercream. (shipped cupcakes will be in mason jars) $21/ half dozen

Combo Pack: 4 pieces of Red Hots Fudge, 2 Whoopidy-Do’s, 4 Truffles, 4 of each Marshmallow and 2 Giant cookies. Blissful Excess at it’s best. $18/pack (Note: If you are having the combo pack shipped to you, the truffles will be swapped for either 4 extra pieces of fudge or 4 extra marshmallows, your choice).

Want to order? You can check out the Fields of Cake shop, or contact Head Baker Carrie by email at carrielynnfields@gmail.com or by phone (so old-school!) at (207)449-7982.

Accent on the Butter: Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo bars are quite possibly one of the most perfect foods out there, comprised of a dense, chocolatey crust, a dreamy middle layer of custardy buttercream, and a thick slab of chocolate on top as a crowning glory. But what happens when you add peanut butter to all this awesome?

What happens, friends, is that you get an indescribeably rich, irresistible, salty-sweet dessert experience: this is the type of treat that peanut butter cups dream of becoming when they grow up.

Wanna try it out? Here's the recipe.

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars

- makes about 36 bite-size bars -

 Adapted from a recipe found on the City of Nanaimo website

Ingredients for bottom layer

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped roasted peanuts (or walnuts or almonds work nicely too)
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Ingredients for middle layer

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder or instant vanilla pudding powder
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit this if your peanut butter is salted)

Ingredients for top layer

• 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 ounce each)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Procedure

1. Prepare bottom layer. Melt the butter, sugar, and cocoa in a double boiler until fully incorporated, but do not let the mixture come to a boil. Add the beaten egg and stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press down firmly into an ungreased 8 x 8-inch pan; try to make the mixture as flat as possible in the pan. Let this cool for about an hour.
2. Prepare the middle layer. Cream the butter, peanut butter, instant pudding powder, salt, and confectioners' sugar together, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. If it is too thick, you might want to add a small quantity of milk or cream to the mixture, til it is of a spreadable consistency. Spread over bottom layer, once again trying to make the surface as flat as possible. At this point, I like to put the pan in the refrigerator, as it is easier to spread the top layer on when the buttery middle layer is a bit more solid.
3. Prepare the top layer. Melt chocolate and butter slowly over low heat. Once fully melted and incorporated, remove from heat and allow to solidify to the point where it is thick but still pourable. Pour over second layer as quickly as you can so that the middle layer doesn't begin to melt.
4. Let the bars cool for at least one hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Sweet Reunion: Catching up with Dozen Bake Shop, Pittsburgh PA

Sure, you love spying on the sweet spots via CakeSpy's Batter Chatter feature. But what goes on after the sweet interrogations?

It having been about two years since the interview with Dozen Cupcakes in Pittsburgh, it seemed high time to check in and see what's been going on in their sweet universe.

Not only have their wares since been declared Pittsburgh's best cupcakes, but they also opened an exciting second location--Dozen Bake Shop! And that led to locations 3...and 4...and 5! 

A natural follow up to Dozen Cupcakes, the Bake Shop does have some seriously delectable-looking cupcakes...but they also boast a full range of baked goods, ranging from cookies...

to bars (like these oat-fudge bars! OMG!)...

to gobs ("whoopie pies" to a lot of us)...

to an amazing array of layer cakes such as the gorgeous rainbow cake pictured top, or these...

Like, whoa.
As they say, proof is in the pudding--and based on all of the awesome baked goods featured here, Dozen has had no problem continuing to make the world a sweeter place.

Dozen Cupcakes and Dozen Bake Shop are located in Pittsburgh, PA; for more information and locations, visit dozencupcakes.com and dozenbakeshop.com. You can also connect with them via Flickr, Facebook and Twitter!

Hopeless Quandary: A Quest for the Elusive Peppermint Bark Ice Cream

There are probably worse things than having a craving for a particular sweet which you cannot satisfy.

Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind at the moment.

This is why, when CakeSpy reader Stephanie sent a plaintive plea a few weeks ago inquiring about Peppermint Bark Ice Cream, I couldn't help but feel her pain.

Peppermint Bark Ice Cream, you say? Yes, friends. It exists. It's a rare holiday treat produced by Haagen Daz which includes delicious swirls of the beloved holiday confection. It's so much more than just peppermint--and don't you dare confuse them.

But with such deliciousness as this, why was it so hard to locate?

As Stephanie reported, she visited several retail outlets (grocery stores, big box stores, etc) which advertised the dear dairy stuff--some of which even had it specifically advertised in their freezer aisle--but nary a pint was to be found.

On her urging, I too took up the cause, but to no avail--the sweet stuff seemed to be impossible to find in Seattle (although I did discover this--Take The Cake ice cream!).

But just when she was about to start drafting a strongly worded letter to Haagen Daz, a little lightbulb went off. After all...doesn't Seattle happen to be the home of the only Haagen-Dazs store in the Northwest? As Stephanie reported, "I googled "Haagen-Dazs ice cream" and the store was the first thing on the list, so I called and she said she had it. The pictures show the freezer case at Fred Meyer and the absence of the ice cream, despite the huge picture; the ice cream store owner who packed it for me and the cute thing she wrote on top.

So after all that, how was the ice cream? "It's a lovely ice cream, pepperminty, for sure. The white chocolate flavor is very subtle. I think if snow had a flavor it would be peppermint bark ice cream." Though she notes that one could "probably make an excellent substitute with any good vanilla ice cream and pieces of peppermint bark", ultimately it was worth the quest--"I always look forward to the Ghirardelli peppermint bark that is everywhere this time of year, that's why I was so obsessed with finding the ice cream."

Batter Chatter: Interview with Christa of Bake Sale, Courtenay, British Columbia

When someone says that they run a custom-order baking business, my general reaction is a gleeful whoop of joy. But when they specify that they specialize in gluten-free, vegan baked goods? Well, my eyes may slightly narrow in a "prove it" sort of way. But Christa of Bake Sale, a Courtenay, Canada-based operation, has an enthusiasm for baking which simply can't be denied--devoid of gluten and dairy as they may be, the committment to deliciousness cannot be denied! Curious? Here's more:

CakeSpy: First off--what's the last baked good or sweet you ate?

Christa / Bake Sale: A gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookie, leftover from one of yesterday’s orders.

CS: What made you decide to take your baking interest to the next level--by starting a custom order business?

CBS: It’s really been a long time coming. For years I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a baking business, but something always seemed to get in the way of making it a reality. When we moved to a small town (Courtenay, BC) in 2007 and I started learning to bake specialty vegan and allergy-sensitive goods for friends, I began feeling like I was in a place where there was a niche to be filled. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the last 4.5 years, and it also felt like it was time for me to have something going on for me again, apart from raising my son.

CS: What are some of your goals with your business?

CBS: I have no plans for world domination. I would love to venture into more elaborate catering to large events, and weddings in particular. Many people are urging to me get into a storefront, but I love being able to work in small batches.

CS: A lot of people hear "gluten free" or "vegan" baked goods and immediately think of hockey-puck type cakes. How do you respond to this dismissive type of reaction?

CBS: I think that these words sometimes scare people off a little. If they’ve never tried any vegan baking, they might be skeptical. The common perception is that butter, wheat and dairy are what make everything delicious, but this is not always the case. Vegan baking is relatively simple. There are many suitable substitutions for animal products, it’s all about finding the right ones to work with your favorite non-vegan recipes. Gluten-free flours, on the other hand, can be tricky to work with. It’s easy to get discouraged when you try to replace all purpose flour with rice flour, and wind up with rock hard cookies or cakes. There’s a bit more trickery in baking gluten-free. There almost always needs to be a combination of flours, and what works for one item will fail miserably with another. It can be very frustrating, and the ingredients are expensive. Many of us have had a bad experience with disappointing gluten-free items we’ve encountered, and thus gluten-free baking has earned a bad reputation. But there is hope! Alternative baking can be quite delicious, and pleasing to those who routinely eat its wheat, butter and egg-laden counterparts.

CS: Which is the hardest baked good to make with dietary restrictions?

CBS: Pastries. I’ve made numerous attempts at gluten-free vegan hand pies, and have yet to find the perfect pastry that is relatively easy to handle, and produces a truly great result.

CS: What's your most popular item?

CBS: Mini Cupcakes. People really love the cuteness of them, and usually order more than one variety. They are especially popular for children’s birthday parties, being that they are the perfect size for little hands.

CS: I feel like date squares are a bit of a throwback recipe, something you don't see often -- tell me about how they got on your menu?

CBS: They are a coffee shop staple here in Canada, actually. They are sometimes called “matrimonial cakes”, and made with various fillings. My husband and I made two large matrimonial cakes, in place of traditional cake, for our wedding, so I guess I have a soft spot for these oat & brown sugar-laden squares.

CS: What baked good do you think will be the next big thing (or which one do you wish would be)?

CBS: I’ve been really into different takes on pie. Smitten Kitchen featured a slab pie over the Summer that blew my mind. Hand pies and galettes are also awesome variations. I would be excited to see pie shops pop up in the same way that cupcake shops have in recent years.

CS: If there were a made-for-tv movie made out of your life, what would be the title?

CBS: I was really stumped by this question, so I asked a few friends for help with it. My friend Aaron said it would simply be called “Rad”, but it’s not so catchy, is it? 

CS: So what's next for Bake Sale?

CBS: I would like to see Bake Sale accepted into our fantastic local farmer's market this spring, and establish a reputation among locals as the go-to spot for delicious baking that happens to be vegan and wheat/gluten free.

Want more? Naturally. You can visit Bake Sale online at itsabakesale.ca; you can also join their Facebook fan club here.

Sweet Art: Confined for Illustration Friday

How could it be wrong when it tastes so right? Love shouldn't be confined to just cake or pie, when they're so much better together. Done for this week's Illustration Friday theme of Confined.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Photo credits, from top left clockwise: the kitchn, Piece of Cake, Jules Food, Hardly Utopia

This year, resolve to do the opposite of dieting, starting with this batch of sweet excess:

"You've Got Mail" cupcakes--complete with mini mailboxes! Now that is cute. (via hardly utopia)

Piece of Cake delivers the ultimate peace offering: a hunk of fat, New York-style crumb cake. (via piece of cake)

When millionaire's shortbread invests well, you get multi-millionaire's shortbread. (via julesfood)

No mixer? No problem--check out this No Mixer, One Bowl Cake. (via the kitchn)

Dulce de leche sandwich cookies: double the pleasure, plus filling. (via joy the baker)

These cinnamon rolls are devoid of gluten, but not delicious butter or sugar. (via gluten free girl)

Give your crepes a super sweet makeover (crepe-over?) by cake-ifying them. (via martha stewart)

If you are what you eat, let's all be honest: the fat piggy cake. (via family fun go)

Tastes like heaven: leftover eggnog and bread pudding cupcakes. (via paula deen)

Addictive anise cookies, dreamed up by Dorie and endorsed by Tea. (via tea and cookies)

Looking pale has its upside, based on this Brown butter vanilla cake with caramel buttercream. (via dessert first)

Just Fondue It! Chocolate orange fondue is a great way to eat more fruit. (via ezra poundcake)

It's hip to be square, so long as we're talking Nutella cheesecake squares. (via coconut & lime)

Wink and a Smile: A Warm Welcome to Wink Cupcakes in Seattle

Some say that the cupcake thing has gone too far in Seattle. They say that 10+ cupcake shops (4 Cupcake Royale locations, 3 Trophy Cupcakes locations, plus Yellow Leaf Cupcakes, Coffee to a Tea with Sugar, New York Cupcakes, Sweet Cakes, plus numerous other bakeries which carry cupcakes) in Seattle and the Eastside is simply too many.

However, because I have a deeply rooted belief that there is always room for more cupcakes, I'm happy to welcome the newest member of the cupcake club, Wink Cupcakes.



Wink had previously operated as a special-order operation from a commercial kitchen in lower Queen Anne, but has now upgraded to a retail location on top of Queen Anne.

And so, in celebration of Wink's upgrade to being a retail operation, I decided to take these little cakes on a tour of some of their Seattle surroundings:


Vanilla vanilla, say hello to Dick's Drive-In. Acquaint yourself well, because you simply don't know how beautifully you work together--you are bound to share belly space.


Red Velvet, meet the Monorail. It has a tendency toward crashing into itself and really only goes from the Space Needle to the mall, but it's a Seattle icon. Enjoy.


Guiness cupcake, say hello to the Vera Project. You look like a trendy little cake, so you're bound to enjoy the hipster bands who play here. But just be quiet about the whole alcohol thing--it's an all ages venue!


OK, Guiness, I could tell you were getting itchy for a drinky-drink. Happily, Vera isn't too far away from the Five Point Cafe, a lovely dive bar where you might be fancier than some of the beers on tap, and you're definitely dressed fancier than the typical customer, but still, you might find some comfort here.


Champagne cupcake, say hello to the Space Needle. It's a famous tower here in Seattle, perhaps you've heard of it? Even on a rainy day, it's a lovely feat of architecture...kind of like you, you pretty little work of cupcake art.

Oh, look, Red Velvet--we've reached our final destination. What's this place, you ask? Well, it's my kitchen. What do you mean it's not as cool as the other places?



Sorry Red Velvet, but it appears that this is the end of the tour for you.

Want your own Wink Cupcakes adventure? Visit the shop at 1817 Queen Anne Ave. North, Seattle; online at winkcupcakes.com.

Sweet Art: Cupcakes in their Underwear Eating Soup and Watching Dawson's Creek

As a professional cupcake illustrator, I am occasionally faced with requests which I imagine are not often encountered in other industries.

For instance, over the holidays, when customer Megan inquired if I would be able to create a painting featuring "Cupcakes in their underpants eating soup and watching Dawson's Creek...with a little orange kitten nearby batting at something?"

...let's just say my response was swift and confident (and, I might add, without any follow up questions): YES.

Just another example of why I love my job.

For more information on custom CakeSpy art, visit cakespyshop.com!

King of the Hill: The Difference Between Galettes des Rois and King Cake

CakeSpy Note: the King Cake photo above left is from a previous post on this site, from flickr user bobby_emm.

Christmas may be over, but the season of the King is just about to begin. No, not Elvis--we're talking King Cake. And as the Epiphany (aka King Cake Kickoff Date) draws ever closer, it seemed like a good time to examine the Galette des Rois and the King Cake to see some of the differences. Ready?

First, let's discuss the physical differences--what are these cakes?

Galette Des Rois: This cake consists of rounds of flaky puff pastry, layered with a gorgeously dense filling of frangipane. By many accounts, this popular version of the cake seems to hail from northern France.

King Cake: This version, as we know it in the USA, is largely associated with New Orleans, and is defined by wikipedia as "a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green, and gold (the traditional Carnival colors)... Some varieties have filling inside, the most common being cream cheese followed by praline."

Both cakes are often garnished with crowns--the galette des rois version commonly being a paper version which can be worn.

Based on my research, the New Orleans King Cake more closely resembles another regional French variation which goes by various names: Gâteau des Rois, or sometimes the couronne, or sometimes the Twelfth Night Cake, which is made of brioche and candied fruits--one could surmise that the New Orleans version is a derivation of this. (Note: Not to confuse things, but it does seem that occasionally galette des rois and gateau des rois are used interchangeably).

Physical differences aside, there are several other subtle differences between the two cakes:

The Trinket

With both the Galette des Rois and the King Cake, there will be a trinket hidden inside the cake, and the person who finds it in their slice is declared "King". However, what the trinket is can vary.

With the Galette des Rois, Individual bakeries may offer a specialized line of fèves depicting diverse themes from great works of art to classic movie stars and popular cartoon characters. According to Dorie Greenspan's entry on Serious Eats,

Feve means bean and, originally, that’s what the trinket was. But over the years, while the word feve remained, the beans gave way to fanciful trinkets. (There are feve collectors all over the world now.) It probably goes without saying, but this being Paris, the best pastry chefs change their feves each year and, yes, vie to be the most original.

With the King Cake, while variations exist, by far the most popular trinket is a baby figurine. Why? Well, as you learned in last year's King Cake entry, some say is to represent the young Christ of the epiphany; however, we like this explanation so much better: "a local bakery chain got a large shipment of such plastic dolls from Hong Kong very cheaply in the 1950's and had to use them up and there is no more signifigance than that." Who knows the real truth, but hey, it makes a good story.

The Duties of the King

Additionally, the duties associated with being crowned king can vary. With both cakes, the lucky trinket-finder gets to wear the crown that traditionally garnishes the cake; while in both cases this person is declared king of the moment, it seems that a tradition more closely tied to the King Cake is that this person is also responsible for buying the cake for the next party. It would make sense that this tradition is tied only with the King Cake though, as it is available for a longer period of time and therefore there would be more occasions for the cake to be served. Which brings us to the next point...

Dates Available

Another major difference between the cakes is the dates of availability. Though both make their big debut on the Epiphany (January 6), the Galette des Rois has a noticeably shorter season--it is generally available through the month of January, whereas the King Cake will be available for the full Carnival Season, culminating on Mardi Gras (mid to late February, or sometimes even March).

Want more?

Now, by this point you may be feeling a royal hankering for one or the other of these cakes--happily, there are sweet, sweet resources for you. Ready?

Here is a recipe for the galette des rois; here is a recipe for the King Cake.

As for places to buy? 

For the galette des rois, look to your local French bakery--anyone worth their fleur de sel should have it available at least on January 6th. As for the King Cake? Alas a harder species to find, unless you're in the New Orleans area--however, joyfully, several bakeries, such as Gambino's, Haydel Bakery, and Randazzo will ship King Cakes anywhere in the US.

Sweet Art: Custom Holiday Artwork Roundup

Dude, this holiday season was totally sweet! And I am happy to say that I contributed to many a Christmas miracle this year, through a variety of custom artwork commissions which were given as sweet holiday gifts! Here are just some of the highlights:

A custom scene of sweets in San Francisco (shown above);

A scene in which Kermit generously offers kitties a cupcake:

A sweet piece commissioned to include the recipient as a cupcake, surrounded by her favorite things:

Cupcakes having a sweet moment in Florence (commissioned by a really cool dudette):

A sweet little baker-caker:

A holiday scene at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle:

And of course, who could forget the cupcake-bacon family in front of their favorite bakery:

Thanks again everyone for making it a totally sweet holiday season!