BABYCAKES NYC: COMING TO LOS ANGELES IN DECEMBER!!! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

Hey everybody! Watch this "we're this close to opening!" video we put together! Follow us on twitter here for up to the second updates!!! Whoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Publishers Weekly just posted an article addressing how cookbook authors are responding to reader complaints. I was thrilled when Lynn Andriani, the reporter who wrote the article, contacted me for a quote because some BabyCakes cookbook readers have had a hard time with my recipes while others are having amazing results with everything they try. I even put out this video to help people out with common mistakes they were making--I really, really want to help!

BabyCakes NYC: Some Baking Tips! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

I was sad to see that the article posted a list of negative reviews about my cookbook from a couple readers without balancing it out with positive reviews. The reality is, we get far more emails about successes than failures. If someone emails us citing failures we take the time to email each one back personally to get to the root of the problem. After a while, I realized that so many people were making the same mistakes so I decided to make the video above so that everyone would be able to enjoy better success. So far, it's helped so much. I get so excited when people stop by the bakery and tell me how the video helped guide them through recipes they weren't making right and that they now mastered the recipe. It's even inspired me to make more baking instructional videos for other recipes in the cookbook (more to come on that).

So why do people only post the negative? I don't know. Maybe people reach out on the internet when they are having problems more than they would if recipes are coming out right. In the end (and I can't say it enough) I'm here to help. These recipes aren't as easy as normal cookbooks, admittedly! I didn't master them in one try and I made tons of mistakes along the way too. But if you stick to it, you'll have a kitchen full of delicious desserts and even a few go-to recipes that will never leave your memory.

Until next time...

Ok folks, we are now all booked up for Thanksgiving orders, but don't fret! We will be baking our hearts out on Monday the 22nd, Tuesday the 23rd and Wednesday the 24th to best accommodate walk-in customers. We will be baking on Wednesday until about 2pm, and then we will sell-out.

I'm in LA right now helping the bakery along in it's final stages and it's really exciting! We're picking paint, finalizing our sign, choosing stains for the cabinets--you know, buttoning the place up. In the picture here is Jen, my new General Manager of the LA outpost of BabyCakes NYC. She's acting like she's working but you can tell by the way she's holding that roller that she's totally faking it for the camera! But seriously, she is the hardest working woman I've ever met in LA (I used to live here for 2 years!) and the mother of two wildly gorgeous and sweet children . She'll be the one answering the phone when you call to place your orders so be sweet to her!

We're doing our best to get this thing opened as fast as we can so just hang tight for a teany bit longer, k? I know it's been a really long wait, but we're almost there! Ok, I gotta get back to work. More updates soon!

BabyCakes NYC: Some Baking Tips! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

Watch me and my super brilliant sister guide you through a few common baking blunders some of you have been having. I'm here to help, y'all!

Oh, hi there! I guess you're wondering what the big announcement is, so I'll take this opportunity to drag it out and tell you a long winded story.

About 37 seconds after "Babycakes" the cookbook came out I was cradling it my arms like a newborn. Just then my editor, Aliza Fogelson, phoned and the conversation went something like this:

Aliza: Hey Erin! The book is doing great, congratulations!
Me: Thanks!
Aliza: How about writing another one?
Me: No
Aliza: Yes
Me: No
Aliza: Yes
Me: Ok

So! It brings me great joy and pride to announce that I've inked the deal for my second book, "Babycakes Covers the Classics and Other Food Fantasies" with Clarkson Potter!!

For the past few months, I've secretly been expanding my imagination and messing around with ingredients to cover my favorite classic desserts. I had no idea how much fun it was going to be crafting up these new lil guys. You're going to lose it! Expect donuts, pancakes, girl scout cookies, candies and more!

Thanks to everyone who commented way back in summer when I was looking for inspiration! I read all the comments and have included a ton of your suggestions in the next cookbook. I'm so excited, you guys!!! Ok, I gotta get back to the kitchen. Bye!

When I wrote "Babycakes" the cookbook, I thought my audience was strictly made up of hopeless allergy sufferers, die hard vegans and virtuous health-conscious eaters alone. Little did I know how many different walks of culinary life would embrace it. So it was to my (super stoked) surprise that "Babycakes" was one of the 16 cookbooks in Food52.Com's annual Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks! Especially because the books in the tournament were considered to be the best of the year.

Quick buzz kill: "Babycakes" lost to "Well Preserved", but in my mind I couldn't have been defeated by a better book. My ego was minimally damaged. So on to the party, right? Here's some details about the event from Food52.Com and Astor Center:

Is the cookbook as we know it still relevant? We think so. In fact, it may be in its prime. From now through November 5th, you can witness the proof: watch the action unfold in the Tournament of Cookbooks on food52.com as 16 of the year's best cookbooks go head to head in a bracketed competition, vying for the coveted Piglet Trophy. Once a winner has been declared, come raise a glass (or several) with both authors and judges as you feast on a variety of dishes from the contenders.

There will be an hour-long panel discussion beginning at 7 pm, moderated by Gail Simmons. Panelists will include Peter Kaminsky, Gabrielle Hamilton, Peter Meehan, Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, and they will talk about the current state of cookbooks, as well as the direction they're headed. They'll ponder what makes a great cookbook, and how new technology is shaping both the medium and content of the culinary genre.

You can score tickets to the event here. I'll be there with frosted brownie bites if that sweetens the deal!

For the week of Thanksgiving (November 23rd through 25th), we will be making items from our specialized Thanksgiving Menu only. We will be shipping items from the Thanksgiving Menu through FedEx for arrival on Wednesday, November 18th; Thursday, November 19th; Friday, November 20th; Tuesday, November 24th; and Wednesday, November 25th.

We will be taking orders for pick-up in the bakery and Manhattan delivery for the days leading up to Thanksgiving as well. Please get your orders in early! Our holiday orders do book up quickly.

If you are unable to get your order in on time, all of the items on the Thanksgiving Menu will also be available for pick-up at the bakery on a first come, first served basis Monday, November 23rd through Wednesday, November 25th. Please note our special hours for the week of Thanksgiving:

And here it is...

To place an order, please give the bakery a call (212.677.5047) during office hours, Monday through Friday from 10a-5p. Our office staff will be happy to help you with any questions.

Hi everyone! This is Emily, the GM here at BabyCakes NYC and the resident Walt Disney World fanatic. I am excited to announce that this coming weekend, BabyCakes NYC is coming to Walt Disney World! Well, specifically, the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Erin is honored to have been asked to participate in the Authors Without Borders series. She will be giving a brief talk about her cookbook, Babycakes followed by a book signing at the Wonders Theatre in the Wonders of Life Pavilion in Epcot. She is participating Friday, October 23rd; Saturday, October 24th; and Sunday, October 25th. The presentation is each day at 12 noon, immediately followed by a book signing at 12:45.

If you will be visiting the Orlando area this weekend, or if you live in central Florida we would love to see you there! For the complete event schedule,please click here.

Let me get right to it.

When I realized I couldn't tolerate wheat, dairy and sugar it wasn't because I had a blood test done or anything, it was by quitting cold turkey. After removing them from my diet, all my ailments went away. My skin cleared up, I had more energy, the stomach upsets were gone. I was a new girl. And oh-my-agave was I ever grateful.

Soon after this realization, not only did I stop eating wheat, dairy and sugar--I got really nit-picky about everything I ate and obsessed with digestion and overall health. The good news is that I learned a lot about nutrition and used the knowledge while creating my recipes for the bakery.The bad news was that I got all koo-koo crazy about every little thing I ate. My list of requirements read like the Odyssey. Is it organic? Are there preservatives? Hormones? Omega 3's? If I combine my rice with beans would it give me more energy then eating rice with nuts? When out to dinner, I was one of those girls. You know the one that's like, "What kind of oil do you use? Are your vegetables organic? Is your soy non-GMO? How do you make your tempeh?". I was real obnoxious and a total buzz kill for any dinner companion. Luckily, I've learned how to loosen up since then. I love food too much to agonize over the tiny things that I can't control and I have to say much happier with simply avoiding dairy, wheat, and sugar.

Now to the real talk. Last week I met my sisters for breakfast when I was in San Diego. They decided to meet at a bagel shop because that's what they and many normal people eat for breakfast. Now, I blame this partially on the fact that I was jet lagged, another partially on wanting to do what my sisters were doing and a final partially cause after all this time there's still a little voice in me that doesn't believe I can't digest wheat. So...I. Ate. A. Bagel. I know, gasp! gasp! I totally did it. And I was fine. For an hour. And then the pain began and let's just say I was not comfortable for the rest of the day. Why did I do this to myself? Was I insane? I guess I must have been temporarily but I learned my lesson. Wheat's sword is swift indeed. I guess I need to open a bagel shop next.

So instead of keeping this just my little secret, I thought I'd share my experience with y'all. Have any of you had a similar experience? Any war stories to share? You're in a safe place here!

Oh. No.

As if the girls at the bakery needed any help being adorable, now they're looking cuter then ever thanks to our new uniforms designed by In God We Trust. It's borderline obnoxious how perfect they are. We sorta want to roll our eyes at ourselves, it's that bad.

But these uniforms didn't come easy! Shana Tabor, the wizard behind the label, spent countless sessions with us to achieve the perfect material and fit to keep the girls comfy while they frost, bake, and gossip. In God We Trust employees judged the uniform's wear-ability by simulating bakery tasks like intense whisking, extreme flour lifting and turbo frosting. Countless revisions were made, endless samples trashed and many tears were shed. But in the end, it was all so worth it.

Thank you Shana and In God We Trust for transforming us from baking nerds into kool kids.

Oh, you guys are my favorites! Thank you, thank you everyone for posting really great comments and suggestions for the Fall menu.

At first, every comment was like, "Pumpkin chocolate chip!", "Pumpkin Chocolate Chip sounds good!", "What about Pumpkin Chocolate Chip?" and "Oh! Have you thought of pumpkin chocolate chip?!" I was beginning to think it was the only seasonal thing you guys were into, which was fine by me! But then a lot more ideas started rolling in and I want you to know that I've been playing around with the ingredient combos you guys suggested. It has been fun making things that I know will excite you and I'm not totally hating the flavors. Sorry! That's the best I can do with anything involving pumpkin.

Which leads me to my lunch today. I'm sitting at Le Pain Quotidien in the Village working on a secret project on my computer (details soon!) and take a glance at the menu. They have a gluten-free vegen quiche on the menu so I ordered it out of curiosity. Despite the fact that it has pureed pumpkin and a slight Thanksgiving-y finish on my palette, it's really good! I took a pic of it, like a total blogger to show you. It was definitely worth trying. I know there are a ton of small cafes and restaurants around the country that do gluten-free, vegan dishes but it's interesting to see a chain restaurant do it nicely. They have a number of locations that you can check out here .

Do you have a favorite spot for finds like this? I want to hear it! I'm traveling a lot lately and often find myself looking for options without any luck. So, let's hear it!