OHHHHHHMG! The Cookbook is Finally HERE!!!!!!!!

I love the cookbook!
There was only one on the shelf at my barnes & noble.
I grabbed it up!
I had to sell books and movies just to get a cookbook!
It was definitely worth it.
We made the chocolate chip cookies and they were amazing. I stopped being raw just to eat 4 of them!
There is a post of them on my blog with my friend modeling how delicious they are!

yay!! do you think you could put in a word to martha tomorrow about Absolutely Not Martha? hee-hee. no, but seriously.

Got my copy on Monday -- can't wait to put it to use!

I pre-ordered it and got mine today, haven't put it down. I am lactose challenged, and live in SF, so will have to make my own. Thanks!

I already received my copy of it in the mail!! I'm so excited!!

I absolutely love the design of the book and can't decide what to make first. One question - Erin recommends using unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch or alkalized) under "Ingredients" and later on suggests investing in French Valrhona. When I search for the French Valrhona, it's listed as Dutch and alkalized on:

http://www.worldwidechocolate.com/shop_valrhona_cocoa_powder.html

So which do I go with? Thanks.

The chocolate scones with caramelized bananas are calling me...

just saw you on martha... great job! cant wait to get the cookbook. i love coming to babycakes when i need just one treat, but the book will be great when i need to bring some to a party! thanks for making delicious vegan food!

book looks awesome. I saw you on martha and can't wait to check the book out! great job, congrats!

Loved you on Martha! When is LA coming??????

I pre-ordered this beautiful cookbook for my best friend and I. We both visited the bakery a few months ago for a cupcake. She is allergic to gluten and I made her wedding cake! We both had to visit your bakery together and now we both have the book. It's so pretty and I am planning on making the carrot cupcakes first! That was the cupcake I had on my visit and I bragged about it all week being the best cupcake I ever had!

I'm so glad you decided to share your secrets with us! The book is absolutely delightful and I can't wait to get baking! I was so excited when my copy arrived I danced around my lab (just like in the commercial!). Now all my friends think I'm crazy but they will understand as soon as they have tried these wonderful little treats :)

I pre-ordered the book, and just received it today. It is beautiful! I'm really excited to try some of the recipes. Thank you so much for creating this.

I was surprised at the number of recipes that call for spelt flour (I want my scones and pies too =)!). Do you have a recommendation for the best gluten-free substitute? Brown rice flour?

Just got my copy yesterday - it's so unbelievably gorgeous!

I just got my Babycakes cookbook today (which I pre-ordered so long ago) and I could not be more excited! I live in Oklahoma (very far from Babycakes) so finally, I can have all of those wonderful baked goods that my celiac disease (and the distant to NY) has kept from me. I absolutely cannot wait to start baking! Thank you SO SO much for making this book!

My friends bought me this (and a whole bunch of GF Flours - ala Stranger than Fiction) for my birthday and I am SO excited. I started reading it during my commute this morning.
One thing I'm really sad about is the whole section on biscuits & scones... What can I sub in for the Spelt flour? I guess spelt has some gluten in it, which is what will help the dough rise? I'm staying away from gluten all together, so if there is some kind of flour substitute, can someone, anyone, please let me know?
Muchas Gracias & Happy Baking!!

So great Erin! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You were so annoying on Martha! I was surprised she was as nice to you as she was. I'm sure she didn't appreciate how condescending you were. Your attitude totally turned me off from ever buying from your bakery again!

I'm so excited to get mine in the mail. i live in Australia, and i ordered mine from amazon. now i guess i just have to wait for the postman.

When I made the red velet cupcakes they were dry, dense and tastless. What did I do wrong? and the frosting was spongy and tasted like gooey toothpaste; which is disgusting. can someone please help me figure out what I did wrong?
P.S. I love your cookbook!
p.p.s. HELPP!!!!!!!!!

Ellie,
I had similar results with the vanilla cupcakes. They were very, very heavy. I recognize that using atypical ingredients might result in textures I'm not used to but these weren't worth the effort. I haven't made the frosting yet. I also tried the johnnycakes which were tasty but didn't look *anything* like the picture. On the positive side, I just put the banana bread in the oven and I'm hopeful.

Unfortunately, another disappointment with the banana bread. The batter looked and tasted really good going in to the oven. I baked it for the recommended time of 35 min. The bread looked and smelled wonderful coming out but the middle of my bread never got cooked. I tried baking it longer but I was only starting to overcook the top. I cut it into slices after it sat for 20 min. and am now baking those on a baking sheet, hoping to salvage the entire loaf, minus the two ends, which were the only pieces to get cooked. Where did I go wrong?

I Love the cookbook!
I am trying to get all of the exact ingredients to bake with so that my goodies will turn out, however I am not sure which of the Agave Nectar's to order.
Which one specifically, and are all of your flour Bob's Red Mill?
Just want specifics on the ingrdient brands.
Thanks for such a wonderful cookbook!

I made the banana bread as well, following the directions exactly. After baking it for three times the time listed, it was still underdone in the middle. The pieces around the sides were okay. It is probably dangerous simply to list "6 medium bananas" as an ingredient. Also, the author idiosyncratically doesn't believe in liquid measuring cups (which I didn't discover until after I made the bread); so my coconut oil amounts may have been off. I don't think this recipe was field tested. It's so disappointing!

I made the banana bread as well, following the directions exactly. After baking it for three times the time listed, it was still underdone in the middle. The pieces around the sides were okay. It is probably dangerous simply to list "6 medium bananas" as an ingredient. Also, the author idiosyncratically doesn't believe in liquid measuring cups (which I didn't discover until after I made the bread); so my coconut oil amounts may have been off. I don't think this recipe was field tested. It's so disappointing!

Ok I just bought the book today, and actually forced the sales guy at the store to search in multiple different locations until he finally found it! And it was so worth pissing him off a little bit, because the cookbook is awesome! I lOVE IT! I've pretty much already read it cover to cover and can't wait to try some recipes. First thing I think I'll be making are the Lemon Poppy Teacakes! It's exciting because I already have most of the ingredients used in the recipes. I just have to finally cave and buy some xantham gum, but I think that I'm going to have use another oil substitute for the coconut oil. Thank you Erin! I'll report back once I start baking!

Erika and Jen,

Erika,

Try using just 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas. Also, make sure to check that your bread is done before you take it out of the oven. Some ovens take a bit longer to bake things. It's really important to read the book before you bake, so you can avoid using the wrong measuring cups etc. Keep at it!

Erin

Thanks for personally responding! I am sooo happy with my cookbok! I have purchased all of the flours-Bob's Red Mill Brand, and have ordered the Omega Nutrition Coconut Oil!
I have tried to order the Agave Nectar from Organic Nectar, there are different ones to choose from-light, dark, raw and they call it syrup I think.
I just want to order the right one and it does not say it in the book-only refers to the website.
Thanks again for your help!!!! They seem to be out of stock on some of the nectar as well. FYI for anyone else ordering.

Congrats on the book!!! Thanks, I cannot wait to get to baking:O)

Thank you for putting together such a beautiful book --- I love it! :) I bought all the exact ingredients (found at my local Hoboken health food store) and I am good to go!

I tried two recipes so far, and haven't had much success though :( The vanilla cupcakes were hard like hockey pucks and dry, and the frosting was gooey and tasted wierd. I also tried the red velvet cupcakes and they looked better and were lighter than the vanilla ones, but they were also super dry. My second attempt at frosting was a little bit better, but still tasted... off.

Questions:
1. What soy milk powder brand do you suggest? The first one I tried was BETTER THAN MILK (vegan beverage mix - soy) and I think that is what made my first batch of frosting not work out. Next I bought the brand FEARN soya powder, and couldn't find anything else in the store for soy MILK powder. I also can't find rice milk powder.
2. The red velvet cupcake recipe differs from the other cupcakes in that it doesn't include the applesauce, and it doesn't seem like the rice milk/vinegar is enough to make the cupcake moist. Suggestions?
3. Coconut oil: First time around I used virgin coconut oil (spectrum brand) and i could totally taste the coconut flavor. So second time around I used refined organic coconut oil (spectrum again) and there wasn't a coconut flavor. Will the Omega Nutrition virgin coconut oil be a better choice, and not have too much of the coconut flavor?
4. In the cookbook you say to use Natural cocoa powder that isn't Dutch/alkalai - but the only Valhorna I found was dutch. just curious.

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to put together such a comprehensive vegan cookbook -- you rock!

I just got my cookbook last week and decided I would try the chocolate chip cookies to celebrate Mother's Day with my kids. I followed the directions exactly, which I don't normally do - I'm kind of a do your own thing and imagine my surprise when my cookies turned out like crackers. Even though the cookies were extremely thin the taste was very good - I'm hoping for some suggestions on what I might try next time.
Thanks for the help - I'm looking forward to trying more of the recipes! Good luck with the book, it is very much appreciated by those of us who have food allergies!

ATTENTION COOKBOOKERS:

If you have questions about the cookbook and recipes, please email: cookbook@babycakesnyc.com

I don't check the blog as often as my email and lord knows how busy things can get at the bakery.

Cool? Thanks!

Erin and Babycakes Crew,

I received my Babycakes cookbook earlier this week from Amazon.com and I couldn't wait for the weekend (my only downtime to bake). So far I've made the banana bread (AMAZING!), the lemon poppyseed teacake and the pumpkin spice muffins. My husband told me I'm not allowed to bake for awhile (only because he ate half the banana loaf by himself and he can see what the future of his waistband will be if I continue to bake like a maniac). Everything was incredibly moist and delicious. I fooled everyone with my muffins- they couldn't believe it was vegan. My only problem is trying to find a loaf pan the size that you suggested (7 x 4 x 3) I've looked everywhere for this size! Do you have any suggestions? I've been using a 9 inch loaf pan, and I need to bake the breads longer because of it, but its hard to gauge how much longer. So if you can tell me where to find these loaf pans I would really appreciate it. Thanks and keep on bakin'!

OK, after an oven fire, a smoky house and an additional 45 mins of baking time - the bread tastes great. Next time I will use my super sized antique loaf pans to avoid another disaster. I cannot help but wonder if this recipe was intended for two loaf pans regular sized loaf pans and not just one - as stated in the recipe.

Hi, Erin. Thanks for the advice and encouragement, and thank you so much for this book and your fantastic bakery. I'm delighted that you're setting up an email help line, and I'll put it to good use.

For others, I'll report my experience with the poppyseed bread which was an improvement. I switched to a heavy duty dark commercial baking pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 since I too have been unable to find the exact loaf pan called for---which was fine for the banana bread which I'm sure would have overflowed like Stella's!); the pan called for me to reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees which I purposefully did not do on the hunch that the bakery might be using commercial pans like the one I purchased. I used an oven thermometer to check the temp of my oven which was spot on. I baked the bread for 25 minutes longer than the 35 minutes called for; it looked done and the toothpick came out clean, but after the 20 minute resting period, it was still underdone (but not nearly as underdone as the banana bread) both to my taste and in comparison with the picture in the book. The structural integrity was quite good, and the flavor is nice. My husband and I have almost finished the loaf from last night, so it's obviously not all bad, but not quite ready to feed to friends yet. I am encouraged to give things another go.

Steph,
I'd stay away from refined coconut oil for health reasons and because it lacks the delicious coconut flavor (which is delicious on popcorn). I buy unrefined coconut oil in bulk here:
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bulkoil/a-c.html
It looks like a lot, but it keeps for two years and is the same price as two to four tiny containers of oil.
Best,
Erika

I bought my copy at the bakery on Thursday.

I am GF and allergic to everything, so this is really great - I was really getting tired of hippy GF granola squares for desert.

I am looking forward to wearing my 'buffet shirt,' and baking and eating!

thanks!
Alanna

After reading some of the review on amazon, I think (hope) I found the source of my problems. I've been using potato flour, not potato starch. Anyone know the difference?

Thanks,
Jen

First off I think the book is beautiful! I enjoyed reading it. The list of ingredients is long and expensive but I bought everything at whole foods and was anxious to try my hand at the banana bread. I think it was quite a success with these small
problems. I had to bake it 65 minutes to get it done. I think I would use 2 small pans next time. And be careful when you mash bananas to smash completely as any lumps will leave a wet spot. Other than this I think it a great bread. My pan was 7.5X8.5 (top rim measure) It was about 1 inch above the top when baked. Oh and I used 1.5 cups of banana.
Nancy

Third time's a charm. I made the pumpkin spice muffins, and they are perfect. As a bonus, the batter made too much for my muffin (no, not a cupcake) tin, so I got more than a dozen. They were good an hour after baking, but they were superb the next day: not too sweet, perfect texture and delicious flavor (enhanced, I think, by using dark agave nectar this time which harmonized with the pumpkin and spices). Thanks, Erin!

Dear Erin
I´ve been dreaming to visit your store one day,and this book brought to me the very "Babycakes NYC"´s atmosphere; colorful cupcakes, beautiful rasberry scone, rich banana bread, and as the best of all, the very cheerful and warmhearted place where we can find many smiles.
I hope I can visit "Babycakes NYC" soon.
Thank you for this lovely recipe book!

Huge hug from a Japanese Babycakes fan living in Argentina:)

I finally hit success with the banana bread, reducing the amount of bananas to 1.5 cups (about 3 bananas). However, I and some others who tasted it individually noted an alcohol-type after taste. Has anyone else experienced this or have any ideas what may be causing the flavor?

Thanks,
Jen

I ordered a stack of these for Book Soup in West Hollywood. I love it!
The recipes are amazing, the photography is beautiful, and I love the celebrity confessions.
I just found out I am moving to Manhattan June 1st, and I will be sure to come by the bakery (possibly every day).

I was in NYC briefly this weekend and a friend and I headed out to the Lower Eastside for sushi when I suddenly was struck with the thought: Babycakes! I am so glad I remembered to go (since I live on the west coast). I tried a carrot cupcake, my friend a piece of frosted banana blueberry loaf for our dessert and got pastries for breakfast. Every bite was absolutely amazing. As someone who is dairy free, egg free, soy free and gluten free it is hard to find delicious baked goods. After my first bite I was making a bee-line to buy your cookbook. It was the perfect post-run (for us) or anytime treat. Thank you thank you! Can't wait to cook the book!

I just wanted to report that after a second attempt at making the white cupcakes and frosting, I have a success! My first attempt was BAD! Mostly due to the fact that I used coconut oil that wasn't unscented and that I didn't melt down before using. Also for the frosting, I used rice milk and Better Than Milk soy powder, NOT Soya powder. I didn't have to add more of the soy powder since it wouldn't set up like frosting should. But I kept adding more powder until it set and it is so good I can't stop eating it! The cupcakes are good too. The only drawback, I think I would omit the lemon zest in the cupcakes next time. My kids won't eat them since they can taste the lemon and don't like it. I also took the other half of the batter and added chocolate chips to it, which I thought tasted great. It made of a more muffin-like cupcake. Still, kids wouldn't eat them. I want to try the Healthy Hostess next since they are chocolate and that seems to go over better in my house. Then maybe the chocolate chip cookies. Like the book says, you will have some mistakes when you first try the recipes, but I would keep at it and you will succeed.

Thank you, thank you! It is fun to bake again!

I pre-ordered your book back in November and received it in the Mail on the 5th! My son and husband are allergic to Gluten, wheat, dairy and egg and it has been a six year struggle to find them "treats", not to mention many gray hairs and a fortune in failed attempts.

So far, I have made the chocolate and vanilla muffins, the brownies, the pumpkin muffins and a zucchini variation of the pumpkin muffin. Everything has turned out fantastic, with a moist soft, and delicate crumb without that cardboardy "healthy" taste. Even better, they were all great after a couple of days and did not turn into dense and heavy hockey pucks!

For those of you not watching the sugar, I substituted 2/3 cup agave nectar with 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup soy milk. It worked for every recipe so far.

I also substituted 1 3/4 cup zucchini plus 1/4 cup applesauce for the pumpkin and hot water in the pumpkin muffin recipe for a gluten-free zucchini muffin.

For garfava flour I use a 50/50 mixture of white bean flour and chickpea flour. (I don't understand why they charge so much more if they mix it together for you!)

And instead of Bob's Mill I premix my own:
1 part potato starch
2 parts garfava flour
2 part rice flour

Happy baking everyone! Bon apetit!

HipChickZine.net loves your cookbook! Read the review here: http://blog.hipchickzine.net

Nice job! I was so excited to see that the cookbook was out. :)

I just received my copy yesterday =). I can't wait to try the recipes, they all look delicious!

I'm a little late to the party...but I have some cornbread in the oven right now! Thank you so much for creating a cookbook. It is beautiful and I can't wait to try everything!

I bought my copy on July 3 and spent the holiday weekend baking cookies. Holy cow, I have been waiting for a gluten-free chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe and it is finally here! I now alternate between those and the chocolate chip cookies. I've tried the ice box cake and the banana bread (cake?) with chocolate chips, of course. Everything has been delicious so far. Tonight, I will roast apples and make the apple-cinnamon toastie. I can hardly wait!

I LOVE this cookbook. It was like a little gift from heaven when I first saw it's beautiful cover. Thank you so much!