Recently in Notes from the Bakery Category

You guys, I have to tell you something but don't get all judge-y on me, ok? We are in a safe zone here, right?

Ok, here it is: I get really weird and bummed out at Fall. I know the leaves are beautiful, the cool breeze is more "comfortable" then the heat and that many of you can't wait to put on your new fall outfits (I'm talking to you scarf-in-68-degree-weather-wearers!). I get it. Maybe it's because I was raised in San Diego and even though the weather never dipped below a comfortable 65 degrees, me and my 7 sisters would gather around listing all the things that we didn't like about the season. Most of the list I'll warn you were things many people enjoy (sipping hot apple cider under a cozy blanket, listening to the rain tap on the windows while listening to jazz, cuddling...). But this is a part of me I can't let go.

My point? I need some help with suggestions for our Fall menu. Seeing that spices and pumpkins and other things of that nature epitomize fall, you can see where I may come up a little short in the inspiration department. So what'll it be, deers? I want to make what you want to eat. I'm willing to do this for you. Just don't make me do sweet potato pie, ok??? Thanks.

(By the way, that picture in the upper left hand corner makes me so bummed).

I got an email from a colleague of Gwyneth Paltrow's for her website Goop a little while ago asking if I wanted to be a part of their upcoming newsletters. I almost fell over because I live for Goop. The first time I read it, I couldn't believe there was someone out there who was interested in all the same things as me. Her recipes were simple and delicious (she too believes that Vegenaise could possibly be added to the mother sauce list) and I've totally chiseled my shoulder muscles following her Tracy Anderson sculpting videos. So, of course I said yes! You can click to read it here. It's worth it, y'all. There are 4 recipes! Clink this highlighted thingy:
goop.html
I'm so ready to propose.

Oh thank God I didn't know about this sooner or I would most likely be a royal mess. Apparently Heathers bar in the east village sells gluten-free liquor and beer. I know I'm a wee bit late on this one since they've been open for years, but I guess I'm too busy baking and making dance videos that I don't get out much. Spread the word with me! Oh! You should definitely check out their live podcasts here too. I'm so into it!

Did you ever see the episode of Martha where Snoop Dog shows her how to make mashed potatoes? Well, I think it's the best bit of TV I have ever seen. I guess Martha agrees because it's up on her homepage right now being featured as one of her best moments of TV. And guess who else made the top 5??? Me. Me! You remember the time I showed her how to make the cookies? If not, you can watch it here. And don't skip the Snoop. It's a total must.

If you've been to the bakery on the weekend, you've seen how packed out it gets in here. We're so busy that every limb is in use (one hand to frost, one to mix batter, a foot to clean the floor, the other foot scratching records). Needless to say, we aren't able to take orders or set anything aside for anyone--not even Madonna.

A couple weeks ago, however, one of the counter girls took a call from a panicked boyfriend. He wanted to make his girlfriend's birthday extra special with some fresh donuts to follow dinner. Girlfriend was a celiac who had never tasted a donut in her life and he wanted to give her an experience she would never forget. I think that day we were all pissed at our boyfriends or something because we all got teary about it and I quickly waved our normal policy and had the girls pack a perfect box of donuts for him to pick up.

A couple days ago, we received this very exciting email:

Hi,

I have to say a million thank-yous to the chefs/bakers who created the
Gluten-Free doughnuts, as it made my evening on Saturday, August 29th
so very special. I had heard about the doughnuts and my boyfriend had
specially pre-ordered some for me on this Saturday to make sure I
would be able to eat them for dessert. As I sat outside, drinking
coffee and devouring the chocolate glazed, and then the raspberry
filled powered doughnut, my boyfriend surprised me once more, got down
on one knee, and proposed!!

I was so completely happy and thrilled your bakery became a key
element in our engagement.

We have promised to come back each year on the anniversary of this
engagement (which also happens to be close to my birthday) to eat GF
doughnuts and remember what an amazing proposal this became.

Thank you so much for being a part of my GF life in NYC.

I'll be forever grateful.

Best,
Rachel Friedman

We are so excited for you guys!! Congratulations! Oh, and I totally expect the first child to be called BabyCakes, ok?

I have this thing called Google Alerts on my email that notifies me anytime an article, blog or other mention of cupcakes is put on the internet. I get so many alerts every day that I've thought about canceling it. Still, it's fun to keep up on all the goings-on in the cupcakes world. I really can't get enough. So I was pretty shocked when this article in Newsweek (read here) came up.

You're probably too lazy (I mean, busy) to read it so I'll give you a quick summary: It says that CUPCAKES ARE OOOOOVER!!!! Who the what?!?! That's right. Done. He makes some noise about how everyone is a foodie now so they've developed sophisticated palettes and that cupcakes are, "willfully uncomplex, familiar...".

Hmm. I mean, c'mon. I consider myself someone who is borderline obsessed with food and while I do enjoy the subtle and complex approach to cooking/baking that is so now, I also appreciate the straight-forward deliciously simple offering of a cupcake. They have no bells and whistles. They don't act cool or put on airs (as my irish mother says). They're just hanging out being cupcakes. There's always going to be the new hottest thing (DONUTS?!?!?!?!) but even if the press moves on to other sweets to obsess over, I'm certain that cupcakes are here to stay.

Are you with me? What do you guys think? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

In honor of Labor Day we'll be closed so all the BabyCakes girls can get down to some nitty-gritty work and give the basement a good scrub. Just kidding!!! I mean, we will be closed on Monday but instead of cleaning they will be free to be beach partying with the rest of you! We're back to normal hours on Tuesday. See you real soon!!!

There was a tasty little item in today's Tasting Table NYC Newsletter:

Who said it's impossible to make a healthy doughnut that tastes as good as the real (fried) thing? We did--and were then proven wrong.

BabyCakes NYC founder Erin McKenna, who's already demonstrated that dairy- and gluten-free sweets can indeed be delicious, has created a non-fried vegan doughnut that rivals its fattier counterparts.

While crafting recipes for her new cookbook, McKenna challenged herself to master a gluten-free, soy-free, agave-sweetened doughnut that has the same cakey consistency we love.

Using texture as her guide, she created a base recipe that can be adapted to all manner of flavors. She was so pleased with the results that she's permanently adding a rotating array of doughnuts ($3 to $3.50) to the bakery's menu, including maple-glazed, raspberry-glazed, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and lemon-coconut, as well as a chocolate-dipped variety that is so dead-on in its sinfully rich texture that BabyCakes's daily stock often disappears before noon.

BabyCakes NYC, 248 Broome St. (between Orchard and Ludlow sts.); 212-677-5047 or babycakesnyc.com. Photograph by Hamish Robertson.

Happy Birthday to our dear beloved oven! He turns 4 years old today which means our anniversary is very near. Be on the lookout for our next dance video in honor of our anniversary--along with a special promotion in honor of it all early September!

The plumbing is done and she's starting to get framed out! And it looks like a bus totally stops in front of the store so LA people get to know your public transit system! I'll post more pics of the progress as they roll in. Oh, LA. I cannot wait for you. I can wear a bikini all day there and no one will care, right? Rad.

Longtime customers Shaudi and Danny get engaged with a red velvet cupcake from the bakery. Look at her face!!!! I'm hoping she was just stoked to see the cupcake but I have a suspicion that she was a little distracted by the ring! Congratulations you two!!!!

Ryan McGinley is after my heart. This is a clipping from NY Mag's weekly article, The New York Diet starring Ryan himself:

Saturday, August 1
I woke up at 9 a.m. and had a bowl of Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes with Almond Dream Almond Milk and a cup of "Get Charged" Herbal Tea for Energy by Republic of Tea.

I went and did yoga at Yoga High in the Lower East Side on Clinton Street and took a car service to my lab at Pochron Studios in Red Hook to look at photographs from the summer's Cave Journey with my printer Donnie.

At 4 p.m. I had lunch in Red Hook at this place called Hope & Anchor. It's really hard to find good food in Red Hook, so whenever I go out to my lab I always get food from there.

I had a Caesar salad, fish tacos with chipotle mayo, and plantain chips, and I shared the fish tacos with a dog named Goose, a pig named Emmit, and a cat named Noodles. They all live in the lab. The AC was broken at the lab and it was like a sauna in there, so I had a six-pack of Coronas with two limes. I shared it with Donnie and Julie Pochron and everyone who was working there, since we were baking [from the heat].

For dinner, at 8 p.m. I had cupcakes from Babycakes at Michael Stipe's new apartment. It was a pre-housewarming, pre-curtains-on-the-windows party; he hadn't been in town for three months. We drank coconut water and vodka. Michael's friends' kids were there, so I was playing with all the little kids and this little girl's mom came up and we started talking and it was Jane Pratt, and that was really cool. I fanned out so hard. Growing up, I was really into Sassy and the boy's version, Dirt. It was exciting to meet her. She definitely changed the face of magazines forever.

That was sort of dinner-ish. Then I went to an empty-loft party around the corner from my apartment on Eldridge and Canal. They were playing disco, and it was jam-packed, with everyone sweating and dancing. I went up to the roof to cool off, and it was full of people partying. I hung out and got home and realized I had silver roofing tar all over my ass and I was really bummed out about that.

Really late-night, around 3 a.m., I ordered Lil' Frankies and just ate it in bed. I had the Lil' Frankies Salad, which is arugula, roasted beets, tomatoes, green beans, new potatoes, broccoli, red onions, zucchini, and fresh fennel. Then I ordered ravioli with spinach and ricotta, and the Nutella Focaccino with strawberries; it's a dessert they have. Read the rest here.