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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!

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!

We made our big announcement that we will be opening our first LA location in the historic Bank District of Los Angeles yesterday via newsletter to our mailing list. We knew we would receive mixed opinions from our LA people, but we had no idea this would be so controversial!

Look. We know downtown isn't West Hollywood. We are aware that it can be a pain to travel there. We get it. But we all know the economy's doing weird stuff and has challenged us to get creative with our expansion budget. We are aware of the parking situation, and are working on a deal to get free, convenient parking for our customers. We also know that many of you have small children and it's just too much to get in the car to beat the traffic. No prob. We're working on a dessert truck that will park in central locations too (we're looking at you West Hollywood and Silverlake).

But you know what? We kind of love downtown. And by love I mean adore. The block we have chosen reminds us of our beloved Broome Street location. The art culture is rich, the community is passionate, and there are a lot of cool businesses making a name for it already.

Those of you eager to come, we look forward to knocking back a frosting shot with you! Thanks for your support!

It only took us about 3 years to catch on, but we are now on Twitter! Click here to start following us and get daily updates, insider info and specials!

I'll be dishing about vegan baking on LA based radio show Food and Wine with Jamie Gwen on KFWB 980 AM between 8-10am this Sunday. Set your alarm clocks!

There are times when I come across a business that makes my heart melt. Allow me to introduce Craft Kitchen, an art space in Orange County where aspiring crafters can learn the tricks of the trade under the guidance of professional art makers. Don't know how to sew? Big deal. They'll teach you everything from threading the machine to advanced stitchery. But wait! There's more! Classes for screenprinting, accessory-making, painting , and transforming your t-shirts into wearable art. Learn to make books! Truffles! Loomed Flowes! Are you joking? No.

Could there possibly be a better way to spend the day with your friends? And mommies-- they even have classes for kids so you can raise a little do-it-yourselfer, just like you!

BabyCakes, the Book of Recipes: It's Here (Almost)! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

If you're in the food industry, you probably have a little fear tucked away for that annual surprise inspection from the Department of Health. It seems like every restaurant I see gets shut down temporarily after that visit, even the real fancy ones! Abiding by all the codes and keeping things squeaky clean is all it takes, but it's something that requires daily maintenance to pull off. Once you let one thing go, it's a slippery slope, but don't get me started...

This Saturday amidst the packed stream of customers, our Health Inspector cut in line, flashed his badge and a smile. NOT exactly something you like thrown in the mix of an already hectic day, but what can you do? With the mantra: "keep calm and carry on" repeating through my head I tried to ignore the inspector as he made his way around the bakery: hawk-like, red pen poised.

After 30 minutes or so he approached me with a big smile. "I like it here," he said. "This place is very clean". I almost fell over. A compliment from the health inspector? I didn't think they were allowed to! I quickly hugged Sabrina (seen in the pic) because she is the reason this place is so impeccably clean and organized. Thank you Sabrina!

So join us for a (tea) toast to another clean year! Mazel-tov!

I think it was about 2 days after the opening of BabyCakes NYC that Jason Schwartzman walked into the bakery and bought a cupcake. Back in those days, there were no lines and I was actually sitting at the counter reading a book (and not even a good one). Jason said he heard about the bakery from a friend and because he was vegan AND a super healthy young man he really appreciated that we used agave nectar and was well versed on the benefits of coconut oil-I might even say he was coconut obsessed (he named his band Coconut Records. Loco). He took my suggestion on the carrot cupcake (it's my fav) and off he went on a plane to another country or something (Paris? India?). He returned from his trip and headed to the bakery with about 900 friends. They had an eating contest. They mowed so much. I couldn't frost fast enough. Dang.

Anyhow-we've gotten to know each other over the years and I've become as big of a fan of his as he is of the bakery (look for his testimonial in the BabyCakes NYC cookbook out in May). I mean, did you know that between movies he has put out 2 albums? On his own record label, Young Baby Records? And that he composed and played all the music on them on top of singing? AND. It's really really good. It's like,

"WHOA. What??? Really?!?! "

Just like that. We started playing it at the bakery because the girls thought it had some good jams to frost cupcakes to, and then had so many inquiries about it from customers that we've started selling his album, Davy, at the counter. For all of you who can't make it in, we're also making it available on our website. If you are too lazy to call us, you can always download it on iTunes too. Get ready for your newest favorite!