Robicelli's

The book is DONE! I think! 

(Jebus if you allow this show to be cancelled I will be SO ANGRY. This is the only bright spot I have in my life! Besides, you know, the children.)

I have written, edited and revised 74,928 words (give or take), and now I’ve let my baby go and placed it in the hands of the Penguin/Viking Studio team where they shall caress her into a beautiful shiny book that will reveal herself on October 17th and is going to MAKE your fall/holiday 2013. What is it right now- February? I’ve already figured out what you’re getting everyone you know for Christmas. You’re done. Now you can live the next 10 months of your life free from that burden.

The moment the final manuscript was submitted, Matt and I did the only logical thing: got so freaking sick that we spent the  ”two days off with our kids” we planned almost completely catatonic. Apparently if I take NyQuil, I not only become unresponsive for 12 hours, but I also have vivid dreams about pandas, mashed potatoes, and running a flamethrower smuggling trade in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. And when I wake up, Matt will be furious with me as in the middle of the night I will have punched him/kicked him/randomly rolled over and bit his nipple while screaming “CRACKERS!”. For the record, I believe NONE of this, and think me being banished to the couch is less about “preventative measures” as it is “someone wants the bed to himself”.

The important part of all of this is I FEEL BETTER, and we can thank the NyQuill for that. I also might start using it recreationally  because that panda/flamethrower crap was pretty freaking awesome. Now other important things:

-Since the book is finally finished and I don’t have to funnel all my creativity/stupidity towards that, I’ll not only be back on the blog, but also spending too much time over on Twitter. And maybe I’m working on some other super secret stuff,…

-Our online store is officially reopen! We are now shipping with a new carrier who have guaranteed us quicker delivery and safer handling of your packages. And to celebrate, we’re offering 10% off our entire stock until Sunday if you enter the code “Snowball” at checkout!

-I’ve posted up the March cupcake schedule, with April’s coming later today (taking requests over on Twitter! Get yours in!). We’re accepting preorders for St. Patty’s Day and Easter, and will be selling our flourless Passover brownies online this year. Planning ahead!

-Speaking of St. Patty’s day, we’ve already started production of Matt’s famous Irish Soda Bread, with a few loaves headed out to Queen City Cupcakes in Patchogue Long Island. Ours is less like a rock, and more subtly flavored with honey and studded with Drambuie soaked golden raisins. Yeah yeah yeah- we all know how much I hate raisins, and how I’ve vowed to never allow them in any of our items. But there’s no way around it for soda bread, and if we have to make an exception to the rule, we may as well rehydrate them in booze. And yes, even I will eat raisins in the context of this bread. It’s that good. 

-These puppies are headed to stores as we speak!

Banana Nutella: Banana cake, Nutella buttercream, banana hazelnut praline

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

Dark Chocolate Dulce: Chocolate cake, dulce de leche buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, sea salt

Cinnamon Bun: Cinnamon sugar spotted cake, cream cheese buttercream, cinnamon streusel, cinnamon butterscotch

There is just TOO MUCH GOING ON OVER HERE! I can’t even begin to tell you all about it because I need to fit in some sleeping. Last night I tried clearing the table after dinner and ended up accidentally passing out on the floor for about two hours. So no time for funny businesses today!

Ok- maybe a little funny business.

Yes, second day in a row I’m posting a gif from Happy Endings. I’m going to keep doing this until you all start watching and I hear it’s been picked up for another season, because it’s the funniest show on network television and the only thing I look forward to watching every week. And I will NOT let you people take this from me the same way you took Arrested Development!!! YOU GOT THAT, AMERICA!!!

Now to get to one business thing today, before I close the computer and head back into the abyss of photoshoots and paperwork:

You’ve been waiting 4 long years for the Robicelli’s to come back to Bay Ridge. Yes, we have a few joints we wholesale there, but if there’s any SUPER old fans out there who remember our first store that ran from 2008-2009, you’ll remember that we did LOTS more that cupcakes. There were scones, sticky buns, pies, doughnuts, cakes, cookies and so so so much more. We also had a great sit-down brunch on the weekends where we did all sorts of fancy stuff on a plate. Bay Ridge is more than where we live: it’s where we met, where we cut our teeth, where we practiced our trade in the beginnings of our careers, where we began tinkering with the original ideas that would become Robicelli’s.

Well, what better place for us to spend Valentine’s Day then right in the place where our marriage, our business, was born. 

For one night only, and two EXTREMELY limited seatings, Matt and I are coming back to Bay Ridge to do a dessert pop-up at The Owl’s Head Wine Bar. We’re known for reverse engineering our ideas for fancy-schmancy plated desserts to make them into cupcakes- for Valentine’s, we’re engineering them back to their original state. 

We’ll post the final menu later today when it’s ready, but you may want to try and nab a reservation now- they already have a few couples on the book, and again, this place is tiny. 

Now to the Robicelli’s deliciousness that’s available TODAY- namely these cupcakes! How much do you guys love cake?

That’s what I thought- go get ‘em!

Banana Nutella: Banana cake, Nutella buttercream, banana hazlenut praline

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

Dark Chocolate Dulce: Dark chocolate cake, dulce de leche buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, sea salt

CPB: Chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, roasted peanut butter, ganache

You know happens after “Allison Gets No Sleep Week” comes to an end? Day one, you wake up and don’t leave the bed for two hours. Then you pull yourself out of bed and move six feet to the couch, where you proceed to spend the entire afternoon watching the Ranger game, eating a huuuuge bag of Doritos, and then fitting in a quick nap before heading to DeKalb Market (ok, I needed to get a little work in. I couldn’t help it). Then following another DeKalb dance party by sleeping til 1pm for the first time in, well, YEARS, followed by screwing around on my brand new iPhone, then another nap, then Chinese food while hanging out with the kids.

Usually I hate doing nothing, but Sweet Jesus that was freaking outstanding.

Speaking of new iPhones, now that I’m out of Blackberry hell I’m finally able to download aps that are actually functional, meaning that our Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram pages are going to get a lot more active. Which also means that much like our Twitter and Tumblr (already here) pages, it’s going to start off with food pics and well-intentioned attempts at professionalism, and then very quickly spiral into total nonsense (my signature!). Will the tangents I go off on be about small dogs in stupid outfits? My thoughts on the later seasons of Boy Meets World? Pictures of random portions of my apartment as I figure out how to work this stupid camera? Only time will tell!

In the meantime, go ahead and enjoy THIS picture of today’s cupcakes, which doesn’t include shots of my pillow or the side of my thumb.

Clockwise from front: Banana Cream Pie, The CPB, Boston Cream, Car Bomb

Banana Cream Pie: Banana cake, vanilla pudding, vanilla custard buttercream, banana chip, graham cracker crumbs

The CPB: Chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, ganache, peanuts

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

Car Bomb: Chocolate Guinness stout cake, Jameson whiskey ganache, Bailey’s buttercream

Note: To make my life slightly simpler (and to stop cutting into my sleep time), I will no longer be posting the entire list of locations at the end of every post. I will just be putting a link to our locations tab for you to reference. Please note that inventory, rotations and quantity is up to our retail partners and not us, so please call ahead if you’re looking for something specific or want to ensure availability.

Ooooof.

After Choice Eats a few weeks ago I thought I had learned something about pacing myself when people are putting tables full of free meat in front of me. And then we went to Tasting Brooklyn and it became painfully obvious to me that I have learned absolutely nothing.

Before I go crawl under the covers to resume my meat coma:

This is the absolutely, positively last moment that you can place a preorder for Easter cupcakes or Passover brownies for delivery or pick-up at DeKalb! 

We’ll have them available to purchase this weekend at the grand reopening of our shop at DeKalb Market, but if you know the drill- if you don’t preorder there’s no guarantee we won’t sell out of them. We’ll also have all the treats we served at Tasting Brooklyn tonight, including our brand spankin’ new Sixpoint Brownstone Ale brownie. (and, yet, the Chicken n’Waffles will be there too- don’t worry).

You know what else is back? CARROT CAKE! I know, I know, it doesn’t sound that exciting, but this is the one that started all this cupcake nonsense three years ago, and we only do it the week of Easter. And as always I swear, there are absolutely, positively no raisins in them. Because as we know, raisins are agents of the devil, and they have no place in cake. (Unless it’s clearly marked “raisin cake”, but seriously, who the hell wants to eat raisin cake?)

Clockwise from front: Allison’s Famous Carrot Cake, Root Beer Float, CPB, Boston Cream

Allison’s Famous Carrot Cake: Carrot cake, cream cheese buttercream, roasted walnuts

Root Beer Float: Root beer cake, root beer custard, vanilla buttercream, maraschino cherries

CPB: Chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, roasted peanuts, ganache

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

___________________________________

Cupcakes Available at:

Hom: Third Avenue and 88th Street, Bay Ridge

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry, AND Henry off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City AND 200 West Street, Goldman Sachs Building

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

_______________________

Whoopie Pies Available At:

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

_____________________

Brownies Available At:

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan

One of the nice things about growing up in New York City is that for us natives, this really is a very small town. I rarely go anywhere without running into someone I went to school or day camp with, or knew from going to underground hardcore/metal shows, or worked with part-time ages ago, or who knows my mother somehow. I can’t avoid it.

On ads all over NYC….

is Billy Eichner, who was a friend of mine back in high school, and also one of my epic teenage crushes (before he was out and obsessed with Meryl Streep. Ok, maybe he was obsessed back then too and I should have known).

On tv…..

My best friend (and 2012 Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speaker) Telly Leung (who also is currently starring in Godspell on Broadway)

Or shopping….

I met Kari, the manager of Williamsburg’s kitchen wundershop Whisk at a food event. And turns out her live-in boyfriend is an old friend from the punk scene I lost touch with 10 years ago.  Also through the food world I met blogger Feisty Foodie, whom I had gone to Stuyvesant with and hadn’t seen since 1996. In reading about the new Brooklyn seafood hotspot Littleneck, I noticed that one of the owners was someone I used to hang out with semi regularly back when he was an editor at Law of Intertia Magazine, and I was writing the long gone webzine Barefoot and Pregnant. 

We met a guy named Mike O’Dea when he was interning at The Meat Hook, and shortly afterwards he was offered a job at MLB.com.  The person who was vacating the job?  Matt’s cousin from Iowa, who unbeknownst to us had been living in NYC.  Our often referenced friend Danny Macaroons was introduced to us at another food event, and it turns out his wife was college roommates with the little sister of my oldest friend (as in “we’ve know each other since we were 3, and his little sister is like my little sister” oldest friend).

In a town of over eight million people, it’s ridiculous how many “chance encounters” you end up having. Or I’m just really really really really popular, which is what I like to think.

Today I was checking out a deal we have on Daily Candy with the aforementioned Danny Macaroons - an exclusive event at Saxon & Parole with the producers of the Food Film Festival that includes short films, a tasting menu prepared by super chef Brad Farmarie, and a gift box provided by Dan & yours truly. And by clicking on Daily Candy I find…….

That my old friend Randall, the guy I was with the moment I met my husband who I managed to lose touch with a few years ago is now apparently in the hottest band ever. EVER. Randall and his band, @#, are the future, and THE FUTURE IS NOW.

Go download the future onto your iPod, then pull on your tightest pants and a scarf, go buy some cupcakes, and make some new friends. You never know how it’s all going to come back around.

Clockwise from front: Root Beer Float, Boston Cream, Bea Arthur, Toasted Almond

Root Beer Float: Root beer cake, root beer custard, vanilla buttercream, maraschino cherry

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

Bea Arthur: Black coffee chocolate cake, cheesecake buttercream, espresso ganache

Toasted Almond: Almond cake, vanilla buttercream, roasted almonds

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Cupcakes Available At:

Aloha Grinds: 77th & 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Cake Shop: 152 Ludlow St, Lower East Side

Battery Place Markets: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City AND 240 Murray Street, Goldman Sachs Building, Financial District

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Whoopie Pies Available At

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Brownies

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Matt went away for the weekend, the kids were at my moms, and I must have cried like four times. Seriously. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. Last week was the 7th anniversary of the day we met, and I went 12 hours without him before I got really sad and started listening to the Air Supply station on Pandora. Is that normal after 7 years? Or am I just pathetic?

I did get my mind off of him for a few hours by heading down to DeKalb Market tocheck out how some of the construction is coming along (answer: lovely!), talk to the new management team about all the improvements still to come, meet the new beer & wine bar manager, and hear more about upcoming events like:

-Sunday afternoon dance parties

-the monthly roller derby hosted by Down & Derby

-lobster boils with our good friends (and Robicelli’s retail partner) Red Hook Lobster Pound

-live bands and DJs on the brand spanking new stage 

-bike-in movies

-SQUARE DANCES (yes! I have always wanted to try this! And considering that everyone else participating will probably have spent the day drinking beer in the hot summer sun, there’s at least a small chance that I won’t be the most spastic!)

-and finally, updates on the super ultra crazy big opening weekend featuring an Easter Egg hunt, plant market, cooking & gardening classes, bands, DJs, special Easter cupcakes & Passover brownies, and of course…….

Photo courtesy of Blondie & Brownie

CHICKEN N’WAFFLES!!!!!

Our most famous creation, our #1 best seller, our most requested by a mile, and also one of our rarest.  This is only released a few times every year, so if you’ve been dying to try it, you need to get there opening weekend. You’ve been told, so put it on your calendars.

Super excited yet? Can’t wait two weeks for us to open? Maybe you should go grab a couple of these to hold you over.

Clockwise from front: Boston Cream, CPB, Lemon Blueberry Ricotta, Caramel Macchiato

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta: Lemon cake, ricotta buttercream, wild Maine blueberries, lemon zest

CPB: Chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, roasted peanuts, ganache

Caramel Macchiato: Chocolate espresso cake, caramel mocha buttercream, salted caramel, ganache, crushed chocolate covered espresso beans

__________________________________________

Cupcakes Available At:

Aloha Grinds: 77th & 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Cake Shop: 152 Ludlow St, Lower East Side

Battery Place Markets: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City AND 240 Murray Street, Goldman Sachs Building, Financial District

Joe: Columbia University: West 120th Street btwn Broadway & Amsterdam. Morningside Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Whoopie Pies Available At

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Brownies

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Tomorrow is Matt’s birthday! WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!

And you KNOW we’re going to be partying hard! Saturday we’re going to take our oldest son for this Kindergarten admission test! And if he’s good, we’re going to get him some ice cream!!! WOOOOO!!!!

*sigh* I had planned something really nice, and then right after I was all set I got the letter from the Department of Education that out of all days, they scheduled Atticus’ test right in the middle of Matt’s birthday surprise. Things happen.  But now my husband’s birthday is less than 24 hours away, and I have NO idea what to get him.  

You know what I think he’d REALLY like? For all of you to wish him a happy birthday on Twitter. Many of you don’t realize that he has his own account (@mattrobicelli), since I’m the one @robicellis who’s always talking (that’s in real life too).  You should follow him and wish him a happy birthday, because I really think that would make his day.  

Or what about making him a card like the one I did above and posting it up to our Facebook page?  Or perhaps a video of you singing “Happy Birthday”, or “(I Wear My) Sunglasses At Night”?  There could be a prize in it for the one that makes him smile the most.  Not that I need to bribe you or anything.

What else can you do for Matt’s birthday? Celebrate with some cake! 

Clockwise from front: Boston Cream, Cinnamon Bun, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel, Banana Nutella

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

Cinnamon Bun: Cinnamon sugar spotted cake, cream cheese buttercream, cinnamon streusel, cinnamon butterscotch

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, crushed pretzels, caramel, ganache

Banana Nutella: Banana cake, Nutella buttercream, banana hazelnut praline

___________________________

Cupcakes Available at:

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off 3rd Avenue, Bay Ridge

Aloha Grinds: 77th & 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: 76th & 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Ave off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza Cafes: Clark St off Henry AND Henry St off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Blue Apron Foods: Union Street off 7th Ave, Park Slope

Eastern District: Manhattan Ave off Eagle, Greenpoint

Brooklyn Standard: Nassau Street off Jewel, Greenpoint

Cake Shop: Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, LES

Joe Columbia University: West 120th Street btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: Patchogue, Long Island

Whoopie Pies Available At:

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook

Tazza Cafes: Clark off Henry AND Henry off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Brownies Available At:

Crespella: 7th Ave off 9th Street, Park Slope

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan

We’re only halfway through the week and I got to do two really cool things.  Monday night, me and my BFF Danny Macaroons hit the launch party for the redesigned Zagat blog, which was even more fun than you can imagine.  Saw lots of great friends, made some new ones, got to meet a lot of fans for the first time, AND I went home with a snazzy tin of Zagat breath mints! I smelled like an effervescent bouquet of wintergreen and sweet & sour chicken all night, which is no doubt why I was so popular!

Even thought that pretty much would have qualified as the coolest thing EVER on any given week in my life, this week, it gets second place.  WHAT could have been more exciting? Well how about on Sunday night at Madame X, getting all amped up for…….

CUPCAKE CRUISE!!!!!

Once again- YES, this is a real thing! I wouldn’t lie about something this important!

This is what I know from the meeting:

A- This is going to be pretty much the coolest thing ever. Matt and I have been looking over all the stuff there is to do on the Celebrity Summit, and want to get on the boat NOW.  They’re also well known for having the best food on any cruise line, and as someone who’s been on a few cruises before, that’s really saying something (I still remember every single meal I had on a Princess Cruise 10 years ago- it was that memorable).

B- If you call it a “boat”, the people from the cruise get REALLY mad. It’s a ship, and you hurt the ship’s feelings when you call it a boat. Sorry, ship

C- The cruise isn’t all about cupcakes, so everyone who’s thinks they can’t take seven whole days of cupcakes can relax.  What it IS is a regular Celebrity cruise with all the normal events, shows, entertainment etc.  HOWEVER, if you book through the Cupcake Cruise tour group, you will get all the regular stuff, plus

          -a pastry science and technique master class with us! 

          -a recipe development class with the dudes from Baked!

           -a cupcake decorating class with the authors of Hello, Cupcake!

            -a “How to start a small business” class with us!

             -a private cupcake and cocktail party!

              -a tour of the cruise ship kitchen with Celebrity’s pastry chef!

              -a private beach party with other bakers from across the globe!

               -the chance to work out with me in the gym every morning, and watch me berate myself on the treadmill as I cry!

All that stuff above is over a $500 value on land. But at sea, all those things, PLUS all your food, PLUS your lodging and travel to Bermuda, PLUS your entertainment, PLUS childcare, PLUS all the room service you care to order- it’s all included in the price of your trip! How ridiculous is that!

If you love baking, this really is the best vacation you can take this year.  And did I mention the free childcare yet? I did? Can I admit that this is my favorite part of the entire trip? Like, I can drop my preschoolers off and have a romantic dinner with Matt, or leave them on the boat while I go snorkeling at the site of a sunken ship?  Or maybe my favorite part is that once they go to sleep, Matt and I can order unlimited room service pizzas and eat them in bed?

Start talking your family into it now- that last thing I learned at the meeting is that there’s only a limited amount of room on the cruise, and bookings have already started coming in from all over the country.  So essentially, book sooner rather than later- they told me by April, the boat (er, ship) is usually fully booked.

Also remember- if you own a bakery or a food blog, you can write this off! Seriously! Go call your accountant right now and ask him- it’s going to make your entire day! And if it doesn’t totally make your day, then maybe you need a cupcake for that extra push!

Clockwise from front: Banana Nutella, Creme Brulee, Dark Chocolate Dulce, Boston Cream

Banana Nutella: Banana cake, Nutella buttercream, banana hazelnut praline

Creme Brulee: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, caramelized sugar

Dark Chocolate Dulce: Dark chocolate cake, dulce de leche buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, Maldon sea salt

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge 

__________________________________________

Cupcakes Available at:

Hom: Third Avenue and 88th Street, Bay Ridge

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery:  94th off 3rd, Bay Ridge

Tazza Cafes: Clark off Henry AND Henry off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyneer: 220 West Houston Street, West Village

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Whoopie Pies Available At:

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook

Tazza Cafes: Clark off Henry AND Henry off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Brownies Available At:

Crespella: 7th Ave off 9th Street, Park Slope

Queen City Cupcakes: West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan

Yesterday, Zagat released it’s list of the 140 Foodie Twitter Accounts to Follow, and guess who made the list?

NOT US.

That’s because you make cupcakes! Don’t you know they’re over now? You were bumped for the artisan herring people.

Once again, snubbed for the genius content I put out on a daily basis in less than 140 characters, like when I offer special discounts at DeKalb Market, or that time I showed you guys pictures James Beard’s bathroom with the floor to ceiling coke-mirrors and closet full of polished river rocks, or when I’m at the vegetable store and I see an eggplant that looks like a fat man with a big nose hugging a baby koala and need to show you all a photo of it.  And let’s not forget the epic time I live-tweeted Circus of the Stars 1985 because I really didn’t want to work on my business plan (still not done, btw).

Sure, any chef can tweet out their specials, but it takes a certain type of crazy to share the crap I do.  If it wasn’t for Twitter, you never would have experienced Bea Arthur in a sliver lame tree skirt, seeing where James Beard used to tinkle, or the fat man eggplant.  Are those the sort of things you want to be missing in life, Zagat?  Really, why do I even bother to do things if I’m not going to be lauded with endless praise and attention for every single little freaking thing?!?!?!  HUH, ZAGAT!?!?!??! WHY DO I EVEN TRY ANYMORE?!?!?!

**sniff**…..it’s so lonely outside of the top one hundred and forty. So terribly cold and lonely.

Anyway…..I should probably talk about cupcakes or something. Everything will be ok, Al.  Keep telling yourself that.

Moving on…..

A big HELLO to all our new friends out in Patchogue, who helped Queen City Cupcakes sell out during the first two days of her super-soft opening!  New cupcakes should be arriving at any moment! (See! Long Island loves me, ZAGAT!). And she’s planning a Grand Opening for early October, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

We are still looking for new locations in Long Island and Queens since we have the new delivery route, so if there’s a place you patronize where you can help us make the introduction, either email me at Allison at Robicellis dot com, or even better, send us a note on Facebook.  If you help us bring cupcakes to your neck of the woods, we’ll give you a few dozen on us as a commission! 

And speaking of soft openings- we’ll have one on Friday when we set up at Madison Square Eats- the month long food pop-up in the middle of, well, Madison Square. For all you people who are always bemoaning how we don’t have enough Manhattan locations (blame your traffic which makes deliveries hell on earth), we’ll have a shop there for an entire month.  Then we’ll close down for a bit and move 10 blocks south to Union Square for the holidays.  

Does this mean we’ll be opening a shop in Manhattan one day? I honestly don’t know.  We said that we wouldn’t even consider going into retail again until the kids were in school, and we opened DeKalb sort of as a trial since they just started preschool.  Next year is Kindergarten, and we didn’t realize that time was sneaking up on us so fast.  We’ve been talking about it a lot recently, but it’s very theoretical- really, we’re going to see how successful Madison and Union Squares are, how stressful they are, and take it from there.

If ANYONE was under the assumption that it was easy trying to do the right thing by your family while simultaneously running a business, you are so so sooooo wrong.

What we still love, and will always love, is wholesale. It lets us be in lots of places at once, lets us bring cupcakes to people in different ethnic neighborhoods, different boroughs, and now even to Long Island.  And it allows these delicious cupcakes you see to be closer to you!

Clockwise from front: Boston Cream, The Ebinger, Pumpkin Spice Latte, German Chocolate

NEW!!! Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, chocolate covered espresso beans with fall spices

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, homemade fudge glaze

German Chocolate: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted coconut

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, homemade fudge glaze, cake crumbs

Available at:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: 138 Willoughby Street, Downtown Brooklyn

Hom: 3rd Avenue and 88th Street, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: Third Avenue & 76th Street, Bay Ridge

Blue Apron: Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope

Tazza: Henry Street off Atlantic AND Clark Street off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

Flying Saucer Cafe: Atlantic Avenue btwn 3rd Ave & Nevins, Boerum Hill

Radish: Bedford Ave & N8th Street, Williamsburg

Brooklyneer: 220 West Houston Street, West Village

Joe at Columbia University: West 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchouge, Long Island NY

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook and Roving Food Truck  *Classic Whoopie Pies only*

Also at DeKalb Market: 

Cupcakes: Banana Cashew, Maple Walnut, Bourbon Caramel Apple, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel, Butterbeer, Horchata 

Whoopie Pies: Classic, Nutella w/Hazelnut Praline

Brownies: Toasted Almond, Classic with Sea Salt, The Moverley

Marshmallows by Kitty Lee Thomas: Banana Fluffernut

Amaaaazzzziiinnngg weekend. Hooo boy.  As you can see from the title, we’ve got some big big big big news, but this weekend was really so ridiculously incredible we have to recap it. Hang tight, we’ll get there.

Or I suppose you could also just scroll through this next part to the end. I mean, you certainly could do that if you want, but it would be nice if you’d read the whole thing.  I’m kinda super proud of this next part.

See that grainy photo up there of actual good photos being exhibited somewhere?  Those photos are of US! And where are they being exhibited?!?!?! How about the freaking JAMES BEARD HOUSE!!! AND they’re the featured photo on their website leading to information about said photo exhibit, Foodaissance by the remarkable (and gosh darn sexy) Mr. Donny Tsang. 

But let’s look at this bigger picture for a second. That up there is a picture of CUPCAKES. On the wall of the James Freaking Beard House.

To everyone out there who said that cupcakes are over, or lame, or any other ridiculous nasty thing they’ve said because they’ve run out of actual interesting things to talk about- you people can now officially SUCK IT.

Back to pleasant conversation- if you followed us on Twitter, you would have been able to follow along with my night at the Beard House as it happened, plus you would have seen photos of Mr. Beard’s kitchen, some more grainy pics of his wallpaper, and one of me in what quite possibly is the greatest bathroom in NYC (I was fully clothed…THIS time). So, you know, make sure you follow us so you don’t miss out on any more of my wacky adventures, like when I see a funny looking dog on the street or I need your help picking out clothes while I shop in my neighborhood.

Moving on…..

This weekend was The Brooklyn Local at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO, and we had such a good time that we sort of wish it could happen every week!  As awesome as it is hanging with all our amazing food friends, the best part is always getting to meet new fans and see lots of old friendly faces (we even saw some customers from the long gone original Robicelli’s store, which made us sooooo happy!).  

The second best part of The Brooklyn Local?  Finally getting my hands on THIS:

THIS is exactly what it looks like- a big beautiful, sexy delicious book, complied by our friend (and James Beard Award winning writer) Rachel Wharton (who, like Donny, is also gosh darn sexy).

If you give that picture up there a little click, you can hop on over to Barnes & Noble where you can put a pre-order on it- then get excited knowing that in mere weeks, you’ll be experiencing the Robicellis on page 138!!!!

I have wanted my own cookbook since I was a little kid. As you all know by this point, I’m working on a proposal right now in hopes that dream will come true.  Holding that book in my hands- seeing my recipe, one I had created at my first pastry chef job nearly 10 years ago, reading the little blurb recounting my courtship with Matt and the early days of our relationship- that’s one of those special moments where your emotions overwhelm you and you make a complete and total ass of yourself in front of all the people working at the cookbook table. 

I’ll just let you know that there was some skipping going on. That’s enough.

And now:

IT’S TIME FOR THE VERY VERY VERY VERY BIG NEWS!!!

What could possibly be better than being in a cookbook or getting to use a really awesome bathroom? Only one possible thing….

NEW STORE!  And not just another store that’s carrying some of our stuff- a new store ENTIRELY DEVOTED to our stuff (and coffee)! AND to the relief of so many of your long suffering fans out East, it’s in……LONG ISLAND!!!

We are happy to announce the opening of Queen City Cupcakes in Patchouge, NY, the ONLY place on Long Island where you can find Robicelli’s cupcake, brownies, and whoopie pies! (That’s right, they’ve got the WHOLE LINE!!!)

And here’s more exciting news: we’ve created a new delivery route with a new driver to bring our stuff halfway across Long Island every day, meaning there’s a LOT of ground we can cover now, but have no idea where to start!  We spent our whole lives in Brooklyn and know nothing about Queens or Long Island- which means we need your help! Head to our Facebook page and let us know if you either own or know a place in LI or Queens that should be carrying our cupcakes, browenis and whoopie pies- we’d love to make it as easy as possible for all of you to have access to our stuff!!!

How’s that for a good way to start the week? You know would make this Monday even better? Putting one of these sexy little cupcakes inside your tummy:

Clockwise from front: Horchata, Boston Cream, German Chocolate, PB&J

Horchata: Horchata cake, pudding and buttercream, cinnamon sugar rice cripies

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, homemade chocolate fudge glaze

German Chocolate: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted coconut

PB&J: Vanilla cake, grape jelly, peanut butter buttercream, roasted peanuts

Available at:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: 138 Willoughby Street, Downtown Brooklyn

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off 3rd Avenue, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: Third Avenue & 76th Street, Bay Ridge

Aloha Grinds: Third Avenue & 77th Street, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza: Henry Street off Atlantic AND Clark Street off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

Cake Shop: Ludlow Street btwn Stanton & Rivington, LES

Joe at Columbia University: West 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchouge, Long Island NY

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook and Roving Food Truck  *Classic Whoopie Pies only*

Also at DeKalb Market: 

Cupcakes: Banana Cashew, Sweet Potato Pie, Maple Walnut, Bourbon Caramel Apple, Kettle Corn, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel, Butterbeer, Hinsch, 

Whoopie Pies: Classic

Brownies: Toasted Almond, Classic with Sea Salt

Marshmallows by Kitty Lee Thomas: Banana Fluffernut

Ok, I’m not going to talk about the store today.  I’m feeling good about where we’re at, and really excited about all the new projects to come.  Right now I’m most excited about finally ending buildout phase, then going back to being a good woman and getting my ass back in the kitchen where it belongs. The past few weeks I’ve been nuts and obsessive over opening, and I need to start stepping back and relaxing, and remembering that I do have a life. So we’ll talk about something else.

But just one thing really quick……we had a few IndieGoGo notes come back to us in the mail.  If you haven’t received yours yet, email me at allison@robicellis.com so I can go back into our databases and make sure everyone gets their thank you note and coupon.  That’s all.  I promise.

Ok, now back to me not talking about anything related to the store.

Ummmmmm…….

So…..ummmm…..how are you guys doing? You doing good? It’s really hot out, ain’t it? Yeah. Real hot. Yeeeeaaaaahhhh……..um………

Oh! I got an email this week that I’m not a Gold Star Member at Starbucks!  That’s pretty exciting, right? My birthday’s in a few few weeks, and I’m going to get a free drink!  I usually get something sensible like just plain coffee, but I think for my birthday I’ll get something more indulgent, like a vanilla latte or something.  I’m really looking forward to it!

Ummmmmm…….sooooo……..

Ah, screw it.  LOOK AT WHAT I MADE TODAY!!!!

It’s not close to being done yet, but this is a hand-painted sign that will be facing the inside of the market.  We took the colors from the paint that was already on the container, but they’re also the school colors of my alma mater McKinley IS 259 (Strutting Eagles! What what!!!).  They also celebrate my children’s most favorite place in the whole world, which in their eyes is as close as we mere mortals can get to heaven on this earth: Ikea.

Friday I’ll give you the whole rundown on everything to expect this weekend, plus the scoop on what will be coming up for the next few months down there.  But the weekend is so far away, and the cupcakes that you see below you are going on RIGHT NOW, so you should eat them because they are super-yummy.

Clockwise from front: Banana Cream Pie, The Ebinger, Coconut Custard, Boston Cream

Banana Cream Pie: Banana cake, vanilla custard buttercream, pastry cream, banana chip, graham cracker crumbs

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate glaze, cake crumbs

Coconut Custard: Coconut cake, vanilla custard buttercream, roasted coconut

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate glaze

AVAILABLE AT:

CAFE AT SAM’S BAKERY- 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

BAGEL SCHMAGEL:  Third Avenue btwn Bay Ridge Pkway & 76th Street, Bay Ridge

BLUE APRON FOODS- Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope

COURT STREET GROCERS: 485 Court Street, Carroll Gardens

CRESPELLA CREPE & ESPRESSO BAR- 321  7th Avenue at 9th Street, Park Slope

TAZZA CAFES- Henry off Atlantic and Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

BATTERY PLACE MARKET:  77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

JOE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY-  W. 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue

RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook and Roving Food Truck *Whoopie Pies only*

Six days until opening!!!!  Ninety degree weather with 100% humidity and thunderstorms during the last week of buildout!  Heh heh heh heh heh……..I’M NOT FREAKING OUT AT ALL!!!!  HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!  HA!! HA!!! HA!!!! HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Clockwise from front: Hazelnut Kiss, Coconut Custard, Boston Cream, Strawberry Shortcake

Hazelnut Kiss: Chocolate hazelnut cake, Nutella buttercream, roasted hazelnuts

Coconut Custard: Coconut cake, vanilla custard buttercream, roasted coconut

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge glaze

Strawberry Shortcake: Vanilla cake, strawberry syrup, mascarpone buttercream, fresh strawberry compote

Available at:

CAFE AT SAM’S BAKERY- 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

BAGEL SCHMAGEL:  Third Avenue btwn Bay Ridge Pkway & 76th Street, Bay Ridge

CRESPELLA CREPE & ESPRESSO BAR- 321  7th Avenue at 9th Street, Park Slope

TAZZA CAFES- Henry off Atlantic and Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg

RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook and Roving Food Truck *Whoopie Pies only*

CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side 

BATTERY PLACE MARKET:  77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

JOE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY-  W. 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue

Yesterday I was the first ever guest of Cupcakes Take the Cake’s Twitterchat series, and was asked a very interesting question: do I ever make mistakes. The answer is a resounding yes- I make mistakes all the time.  If you want a classic story about epic failure and redemption, just go look at the story up on our IndieGoGo page (it’s not just about pleading for money! It’s also about….um…..ok, maybe it is about pleading for money).

I’d love to tell you I’m perfect.  I’ll always be striving for perfection, and I am fully aware it will more than likely be just slightly out of my reach. I will never be Martha Stewart, and it took me a long time to say that I’m totally ok with that.  

Sometimes Matt and I will go back and re-evaluate cupcakes that we’ve done, and think as good as they are, they aren’t perfect.  We want every single flavor to be the absolute best we can make it, and sometimes even though we can have a great reception to a cupcake, there’s a nagging suspicion in the back of our minds that it isn’t at it’s full potential. 

That’s how we felt about the Aris.  The Aris began last spring as a honey cake with Greek yogurt buttercream and honey glazed walnuts.  We got good feedback, but we still weren’t happy with it.  It came back into the rotation earlier this year, with walnuts mixed into the honey cake, and a faint hint of orange zest to contrast the honey.  Again, great, but not perfect.  We’ve been tinkering and toying with it for a few weeks, and realized our problem was that even with the tang of the yogurt buttercream, it was just too sweet- honey is one of those flavors that while delicious, can also run over everything in it’s path like a steamroller.  Matt and I finally decided the solution was that we needed to pull it out of the cake altogether.  We created a straight up walnut cake that’s accented with bright notes of orange and spicy cinnamon.  We’ve brushed that cake with a good amount of homemade honey butter, topped it with with our tangy Greek yogurt buttercream, then finished with roasted walnuts glazed in fresh-squeezed orange juice and honey. It took countless prototypes, pulling it out of rotation for tinkering, putting it back in, and pulling it out for more tinkering until we came up with something that we’re finally mostly happy with (this week).

To all the novice bakers who asked my advice yesterday: it’s ok to make mistakes, provided nobody ends up dead or horribly disfigured.  I don’t consider the Aris, or any of our many cupcakes that continue to evolve, “mistakes” so to speak.  However, I rarely see perfection in what I do, because I’m a woman and I’m unbelievably self critical.  In so many ways I’ll always be the 12 year old girl sitting in McKinley Junior High School who feels like a failure for not being perfect. Then 30 year old Allison reminds me that if I was perfect, what the hell would be the point? I would have nothing to strive to be, no place to grow.  I’d be standing in one spot, doing one thing perfectly over and over like a robot. Why in God’s name would I ever want to do that?  That’s no fun at all!

Go out and make lots and lots of mistakes.  Try, fail, learn and try again.  I believe the most important thing I can tell any aspiring chef or baker is that that you MUST be constantly pushing yourself, and that you MUST keep learning. I read books on technique and method constantly. I’m always researching, either by eating out, searching the internet, traveling to different ethnic enclaves or asking questions of anyone who knows more than me (and that’s a LOT of people).  The one thing that attracted me to this business years ago is that I know that I can do this every day for a hundred years, and I STILL won’t come remotely close to knowing everything.

The only way you are failing is that when you fall down, you don’t get up and try again.  Don’t judge yourself against our cupcakes or our accomplishments, against your competition, against your friends.  Compete against YOU, make mistakes, and learn far more than you ever could being too scared to try in the first place.

And now for all the people who think I haven’t been funny enough in today’s post:  Poopie.

Onto flavors!!!!

Clockwise from front: Funky Monkey, Aris, German Chocolate, Boston Cream

FUNKY MONKEY:  Banana cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, chocolate ganache

THE ARIS:  Walnut cake, honey butter, Greek yogurt buttercream, honey-orange glazed walnuts

GERMAN CHOCOLATE: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted coconut

BOSTON CREAM:  Vanilla cake, pastry cream buttercream, chocolate ganache

AVAILABLE AT:

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

Crespella:  7th Ave off 9th St, Park Slope

Tazza Cafes:  Clark St off Henry AND Henry St off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Radish:  N8th & Bedford Ave, Williamsburg

Cake Shop:  152 Ludlow St, Lower East Side

Joe: Columbia University-  W. 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue

Mondays are my Fridays…..we start our workweek on Wednesdays, and end with Monday morning deliveries.  It’s really nice because while you all are bitching about your jobs on Facebook, Matt, the kids and I have the whole city to ourselves and finally get a moment to unwind.  And this Monday is particularly special because JESUS H CHRIST you would not believe the week we just survived.  I really don’t think any of you need to hear yet another person complain about the snow, but I will say this: if it snows again, I will personally walk down the street and punch every goddamn snowflake I see in its smarmy little jerk-ass face.  For reals. 

If you have sent me an email or are waiting for a response from me on something, I apologize for all the delays.  We do all our own deliveries and inventory, and the weather has literally tripled the amount of time I need to spend in the car, which means that every waking moment of “personal time” I have (which is my chance to do paperwork) has been completely erased.  It’s now close to 1am and I’m chugging coffee while Matt and the kids sleep in an attempt to catch up.  If you do get an email from me that contains mostly vowels and various threats against the UN, again I apologize.

On another tangent, a BIG thank you to everyone who came out to our latest Pop-Up on Saturday at 201 Mulberry!  Also a big thank you to our friends at NoLIta Mart, who supplied me with the 13 cups of coffee that allowed me to stand upright all day.  We got awesome feedback on the cupcakes, but as always the best part of the day was seeing all of you guys.  I hope we get to do it again real soon. :)

In fact, real soon could be tonight, especially if you’re into facial hair.  The Bell House is hosting the 2011 Beard Fest & Stache Bash- a celebration of all things beardy!  And when they thought of beards and they thought about awesome food, there was only one call they could make.  Fortunately for us the Mast Brothers were unavailable and we got called instead!  Matt will be there all night selling manly flavors and watching dudes get frosting in their beards, hoping to get on this site.  You could be one of those dudes, or a woman who loves one.  Is that really the sort of opportunity you can pass up?

And now………flavors!

From top: Banana Foster, Pecan Potato Chip, Boston Cream, Tres Leches

Bananas Foster:  Banana rum cake, rum-salted caramel buttercream & drizzle

Pecan Potato Chip:  Pecan potato chip cake, vanilla buttercream, crushed pecans & potato chips, salted butterscotch drizzle

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, pastry cream buttercream, chocolate ganache

Tres Leches:  Three milk soaked brown butter cake, dulce de leche buttercream, caramel shards

AVAILABLE MONDAY AT:

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery:  94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

Crespella:  7th Ave off 9th St, Park Slope

Market:  Cortelyou Road btwn Westminster & Arglye, Ditmas Park

Tazza Cafes:  Clark St off Henry AND Henry St off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Radish:  N8th & Bedford Ave, Williamsburg

Cake Shop:  152 Ludlow St, Lower East Side

Lily O’Brien’s at Bryant Park:  E. 40th St btwn 5th & 6th Ave, Midtown Manhattan

At the request of many of our Midtown friends, we’ve decided to repeat last weeks flavors for this week’s Monday delivery.  We debuted three new flavors, two of which are seasonal and will go back into the vault til next fall in only a few short weeks!  Make sure you enjoy them while you still can.

Dark Chocolate Dulce

Apple Maple Crisp

Butternut Spice

Boston Cream

Available Monday morning at:

Market- 1211 Cortelyou Road, Ditmas Park

Tazza Cafes- Henry off Atlantic and Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

Radish- Bedford Ave and N8th, Williamsburg

Cakeshop- Ludlow St btwn Stanton and Rivington, LES

Lily O’Briens at Bryant Park- E40th St btwn 5th and 6th Aves, Midtown