Cake Byte: CakeSpy Artwork at Trophy Cupcakes Starting December 5!

Breaking Cake News! CakeSpy is having another art show at Trophy Cupcakes! The first one this summer was such a success that they have asked for more cupcake art to get them through the holiday season!

Please note that if you read the update about the show a week or so ago, the artist reception has changed. It will now take place at the following time:

Saturday, December 5, from 6-8 p.m.
at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford, 1815 N. 45th Street in the Wallingford Center
There will be plenty of awesome artwork and of course a limited supply of free cupcakes!

There will be over 80 new paintings featuring cupcakes (and even some other foods!) in all sorts of sweet (and sometimes bittersweet) situations, and many illustrations including Seattle landmarks.

Of course if you can't make the reception, the artwork will be up all month long in Wallingford, through January 2, so you can pick up sweet gifts for your friends, neighbors, family and maybe even your sweet self all December long!

Hope to see you there!

Cake Byte: Holiday Art Show Schedule!

Brace yourselves, sweeties: it's gonna be one sugar-filled holiday season. Here's a schedule of where you can find me selling artwork this winter!

November 21+22: EtsyRAIN Holiday Show! Come on down to the first ever EtsyRAIN Holiday show at the Intiman Theater at Seattle Center! I will be selling my artwork along with a great variety of other Seattle artists. The show will take place in the lobby of Intiman Theatre (201 Mercer Street) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22. For more details, visit the official site.

December 5: Artist Reception at Trophy Cupcakes! The summer show was such a success that we decided to put on another showing of CakeSpy art at the Wallingford Trophy Cupcakes. The artist reception will take place on Saturday, December 5 from 6-8 p.m; the show will be up through January 2nd, so you'll have plenty of time to shop for original artwork! Trophy Cupcakes is located at 1815 N. 45th Street, Wallingford, Seattle; for more information visit their site!

December 5+6: Urban Craft Uprising! If you've been to this show in the past, you know it's one of the best places to shop for the holidays in Seattle! If you haven't attended the UCU in the past, make this the year! I'll be selling artwork and would love to see you! The Urban Craft Uprising will take place Saturday and Sunday, December 5+6 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall; for more information, visit the official site.

Of course, if you're not in Seattle, you could always shop online at cakespyshop.com!

Sweet November: Cranberry Orange Cupcakes, and Sweet Artwork, at Cupcake Royale

Breaking cupcake news from Cupcake Royale (per their email newsletter):

The Cupcake Harvest Festival isn't over yet, and we have a fresh crop of Cranberry Orange Cupcakes through Thanksgiving! Made with real Pacific NW cranberries in the cake and the cream cheese frosting, these cakes were meant to be gobbled!

But delicious cupcakes aren't the only reason to hit up Cupcake Royale this month: they've got a bunch of sweet art events too! Here's the lowdown:

Blitz Capitol Hill Art Walk ARTIST RECEPTION Thu 11/12 from 5-8 | Check out the killer new group show "I do," curated by Joey Veltkamp and featuring work by David Warren Bernam, Dawn Cerny, Claire Cowie, and Leo Saul Berk.

West Seattle Art Walk Thu 11/12 from 7-9 | Check out new work from Erin Shaftkind.

Ballard Art Walk Sat 11/13 from 7-9 | Round out your art-filled week with Brandon Ilenstine's new show.

You can find out more about the art shows here; to obtain one of the cupcakes, you can visit any of the four Cupcake Royale locations til Thanksgiving; for more information, visit cupcakeroyale.com; for instant updates, follow them on Twitter!

Sweet November: Seasonal Flavors at Trophy Cupcakes

Forget the Pumpkin Pie: this November, it's all about the cupcakes! Local cupcake bakery Trophy Cupcakes has two seasonal flavors which will be available all month long starting Saturday, November 14:

First, the Candied Yam Cupcake. This delicious confection starts with cake made using Garnet yams, toasted pecans and traditional fall spices--and then it gets even better with the addition of marshmallow meringue, which is torched for a perfect crispy edge and gooey inside. This cupcake has developed an almost cult-like following since its debut in 2007!

Next, there's the Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake. Imagine Nutella and chocolate cake having a baby, and you're beginning to get the idea! This cake is dense, decadent, and completely delicious, comprised of chocolate cake, Nutella buttercream, edged in candied hazelnuts.
Of course, due to limited availability of these flavors, be sure to call first to make sure they haven't sold out for the day; for larger orders, be sure to give 48 hours notice.

These two seasonal flavors will be available starting November 14 through the end of the month at all three Trophy Cupcakes locations; for directions and hours, visit their website.

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Grilled Cheesecake in This Is Why You're Fat!

It's official, world: CakeSpy is making you fat.

Yup, it's true! CakeSpy contributed a sweet spread to the brand new book This Is Why You're Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks: the Grilled Cheesecake Sandwich! You may remember the so-decadent-it's-deadly recipe from a while back on the site--and now it's immortalized in print!

There are plenty of other so bad but so good recipe ideas in the book--it's definitely worth checking out!

You can also follow This Is Why You're Fat via their website and via Twitter!

Cake Byte: Bella Cupcake Couture Debuts Mini Cupcake Wrappers!

Everything's cuter when it's tiny, and cupcakes are no exception! And you can increase that cuteness quotient even more with Bella Cupcake Couture's newest offering: mini cupcake wrappers!

These pint-sized decorative cupcake wrappers are ideal for special occasions--cooing is guaranteed when you serve your cakes using them!

Plus, they're made by a really cool local company (read the CakeSpy interview with owner Carrie Middlemiss here).

Cupcake wrappers available for purchase at bellacupcakecouture.com.

Cake Byte: Sweet Cupcakes at the Space Needle Holiday Cards!

Here's a shout-out to all of the Seattle sweeties out there: a bonus Cupcakes at the Space Needle holiday card design! It's the newest item in the CakeSpyShop.

Here's the basic info:

This is a boxed set of 10 cards and envelopes. The cards measure 4.25 x 5.5 inches folded. All ten are the same design: sweet little wintry cupcakes at the Space Needle in Seattle! The envelopes are plain white, and empty canvas to draw little snowflakes, hearts and Santa hats on for the recipient!

Inner Greeting: "Sweet holiday wishes"

These cards (as well as a bunch of other sweet stuff for the holidays!) are available for purchase at CakeSpyShop.com.

Cake Byte: New Collaboration With All-Mighty!

Holy sweetness, Batman!

You can accessorize in the cutest way possible with a brand new suite of custom card and checkbook holders I designed for one of my favorite companies, All-Mighty! The designs incorporate all sorts of cupcakes and sweets hanging out with Boston Terriers in some of the world's most chic places!

Now if these aren't cute, I don't know what is!

To purchase these new items (as well as a bunch of other sweet products!), visit all-mighty.net.

High On Pie: Delicious Fall Offerings from High 5 Pie, Seattle

Like, OMG. As a huge fan of Seattle's High 5 Pie, Danny and myself were very excited to receive a preview pack of their new fall "flipside" hand pie offerings. Here's what we sampled:

First, the spiced plum walnut flipside, a sweet and spicy pie with a great texture and cozy, spicy flavor;

Then there's the sweet potato pie flipside (below), which is dense and aromatic, and lovely with a dollop of thick whipped cream;

and of course the S'mores flipside ( below); while initially we were surprised to slice it in half and discover that the chocolate had mostly sunk to the bottom leaving a hollow pie shell on top, this was quickly turned into an advantage when we heated the halves and stuffed them with vanilla ice cream;

Though I generally don't go savory, I would be remiss if I didn't give a quick mention to their hearty potato/cheese/dill/veggie flipside, a comforting and homey potpie type of snack...

As well as their rich as all get-out, savory mac n cheese flipside (below). Mac and Cheese in a thick pie shell? Carbohydrate heaven!

Though they weren't ready when we sampled them, there will also be caramel pecan and pumpkin pie options available.

Overall thoughts? Suffice it to say it's going to be a very good fall to become fat.

High 5 Pies are available at all Fuel Coffee locations; for more information, visit high5pie.com. Also, keep updated with them via Twitter and their blog, and you can also buy proprietress Dani Cone's awesome book on Northwest coffee culture, Tall Skinny Bitter: Notes from the Center of Coffee Culture.

Season of Sweetness: The Fall and Winter 2009 Lineup at Essential Baking Company, Seattle

The weather may be getting cooler, but in Seattle, Essential Baking Company is clearly going to keep us all warm this winter. Just take a look at their seasonal menu. Like, yum.

The following items will be available all season long, from October 1-December 31: Apple Cranberry Tart, Bourbon Pecan Tart, Individual Raspberry Baked Alaska, Individual White Chocolate Snowman, Black Forest Cake (in 9" or individual servings), Caramel Praline Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake.

And later on in the season (from November 20-December 31) you'll be able to find the following: Buche de Noel (12" or individual buchette), sugar cutout Christmas cookies, and Gingerbread men.

But wait, there's more: from November 4-December 31, they will also have the following specialty items on the menu:

Holiday Cakes From Around The World: A sweet suite of three cakes that will "take your tastebuds on a journey around the world: the Creole, South Indian and Mexican falvors each boast a velvety rich texture, regional spices and a hint of liquor for extra holiday cheer."

Stollen: A traditional German cake-like bread packed with raisins, dried cranberries, and currants with a hint of orange liqueur. Festively sprinkled with icing sugar.

Peppermint Swirl Cookies: Marbled chocolate and vanilla tea cookies with refreshing peppermint flavor throughout. (pictured top)

Three Wise Loaves: A modern version of gold, frankincense and myrrh, these tea loaves in Cranberry, Pear Ginger and Spice boast a moist, fine crumb. Slice up and serve with a cozy beverage.

To ensure that the location closest to you has the item you want, be sure to call first, because they're bound to sell like...well, you know. For locations and more information, visit essentialbaking.com.