May 2009 Archives

I'm in LA and loving it! Tomorrow night (Wednesday, the 27th) I'll give a brief talk and sign books for anyone that has one at Borders in Century City! The book is going into it's second printing so if you've put off buying one I suggest you do it soon. Hope to see you tomorrow night!

For anyone living in San Diego, I'll be making the cookies on XETV San Diego Living tomorrow morning (Thursday May 21st) and later that night I'll be signing books (in the company of my 12 siblings) at Warwicks, 7:30. Click here for details on the signing. So excited to go back to my hometown!

We all know what a drag it is when you find out you have all sorts of food allergies. But what do you do when your dog's got them? No, you don't feed them BabyCakes! You throw the dog a bone (sorry! that was way too easy). Biscuits by Lambchop is a local company that makes dog treats that are free of gluten, wheat, rice, corn, soy, animal proteins and preservatives, the most common sources of canine food allergies. They are also low in fat, sodium and phosphorus to meet the special dietary needs of some dogs with kidney, liver and pancreas conditions.

But are they any good? Yep. Annette, the genius behind the brand, lives in the neighborhood and all the dogs know her. They pull their owners to her because they know she's packin treats. I've seen it happen a few times and it's AFV funny.

Don't live in New York? Lucky you, she ships! You can order them here. Your doggie will love you! Mean it!

YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS, WE'VE GOT ANSWERS

The following are some common questions you've all had about the recipes in the cookbook.

1. What gluten-free flour can I substitute for spelt flour in the recipes that are not gluten-free?

The spelt recipes in the book were specifically tailored for spelt flour. If you feel like experimenting, you might want to try substituting 1 cup of Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour plus 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of spelt flour. Again, this is just a general idea of where to start and is not guaranteed results. This substitution will work best for the muffins, teacakes and cupcakes. It is not suggested for the biscuits, scones, or pies.

2. What type of coconut oil should I use? Virgin Or Extra Virgin? Should I measure it solid for or liquid?

We prefer Omega Nutrition's Organic Coconut Oil in the unscented variety, but Jarrow also makes an unscented product as well. Virgin or Extra Virgin is fine. You should melt the oil before you measure.

3. Why do some of your recipe use soy? Isn't your bakery soy-free?

Yes, the bakery is soy-free. We wrote the recipes with soy because it is more widely accessible on the market. We do include tips for how to substitute soy milks with other non-soy milks (page 22).

4. Can I use nut milk instead of soy milk?

We have never experimented with it, but you can try.

5. What if I don't want to use soy in my frosting?

You can substitute soy with rice milk, both liquid and powdered.

6. What do you use in the bakery instead of powdered soy milk?

The product we use in the bakery is made specially for us and is not on the market. Many people are having great success with Better Than Milk Dry Soy Milk or Rice Milk. They are both available on Amazon.com.

7. My frosting won't thicken. What happened?

It's hard to say. Try adding more rice or soy milk powder and if that doesn't work, use more coconut oil.

8. My cookies came out too flat. What happened?

Not sure. Try adding 1/3 cup more flour to make them cake-ier.

9. My teacake wasn't cooked the whole way through. What happened?

You took it out of the oven before it was fully cooked. Remember to check your baked goods with the toothpick method (insert toothpick in center of item and make sure it comes out clean).

10. My teacake fell.

You may have over-measured your liquid ingredients. To ensure better results add 1/3 cup more flour next time.

Alternately, you may have opened the oven too soon. Don't go in to the oven too soon or it could fall.

11. Is Potato Starch the same as Potato Flour?

Nope. You have to use what the recipe calls for.

12. Is Soy Flour or Soya Powder the same as Dry Soy Milk Powder?

No.

13. My recipe is not done when the instructions say it should be ready to come out of the oven. What do I do?

Not all ovens are created equally, therefore you should continue baking until the goods are done, don't pull them out of the oven beforehand.

14. What if I can't have gluten or bean flours? Is there a substitute?

You may substitute rice flour for the recipes that call for Garbanzo-Fava bean flour, but not for the recipes that call for Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour or Spelt Flour

15. Can I replace coconut oil with another oil?

You may replace coconut oil with the oil of your choice for everything except for the frosting.

16. What brand of ingredients do you use?

For all the ingredients that make a big difference, see the Resourses guide in the back of the book (page 139).

17. LIght or Dark Agave Nectar?

Light.

18. Can I use honey instead of Agave?

We have never tried it.

19. What is Evaporated Cane Juice? Is it liquid or granular?

It's granular and relatively easy to find. Try Florida Crystals. You may also use Rapadura.

20. You used less rice milk on Martha. Why?

It was a mistake. Sorry!

Ok new bakers, feel free to comment on your blunders and my other little proteges who have had more luck can comment with tips? Yes? It'll be fun!

If you are having trouble with any of the recipes, email cookbook@babycakesnyc.com

Remember, baker buddies, this isn't easy stuff! Make sure to read the "Tools, Ingredients, and Tips" thoroughly before you get started. There's a ton of helpful instructions in there. Also, seems like everyone's oven is producing different baking times so make sure to check your goods before taking them out of the oven to make sure that it's baked the whole way through, k? Insert a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean before removing it from the oven.

Also. If your making the banana bread, just use 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas instead of the 6 bananas suggested in the recipe. And make sure to get all them mashed up real good because the big chunks tend to sink the bread.

Deep breathes everyone. Soon your desserts are going to be so good you'll put me out of business!

Haven't gotten your cookbook yet? No problem! The beautiful, hard working blogistas at The Frisky is giving away 5 autographed copies to the best commenters on this post! Good luck!

I couldn't sleep last night because I'm so pumped that BabyCakes, the cookbook, is in stores today!

Now, go out and get it before tomorrow mornin' cause I'll be making our famous Cookie Sandwiches on Martha at 11am!. Wouldn't it would be so cute if we all got baking together across the nation? Kinda like Hands Across America, but with spatulas. Sorta?

Anyhoo. Oh man. This is awesome.

Delicious Damage
by Vanity Fair
May 1, 2009, 3:00 PM

In Father of the Bride, George Banks says, "When the last guest was gone, and the last glass of champagne had been drunk, we surveyed the damage." That's what we did last night at the New York City launch party for BabyCakes, a cookbook from the wizards at BabyCakes NYC, the Lower East Side bakery that specializes in vegan deliciousness. (Among our favorite "healthy" sweets: the cupcakes, banana bread, muffin tops, and cookie sandwiches.)

Now you can replicate BabyCakes's vegan, gluten-free, and mostly sugar-free treats for your next party. But perhaps whip up some wrapper-less cookies, cakes, or breads (or a few smoothies), if the only thing you want to clean up afterward is the mess in your kitchen.

We celebrated the launch of our cookbook BabyCakes at the National Arts Club in Grammercy last night. So many lovely people chipped in, Thomas Onorato and Max Wixom of OW! PR handled the door with grace, DJ Jeremy Grandpa made us dip down low, roll and grind, Zygo provided our liquor, Dry Soda and Y Water set us up with good for you mixers. Take a peak of some photos courtesy of Ian Meyer. Note to Sabrina: You may run from the camera but you can't hide for long!

Me and Claire Robinson of Food Network

Me and Sister Elizabeth

Me and BabyCakes Graphic Designer, Hamish Robertson

Jeremy Grandpa Keeping it Down