Robicelli's

Flavors: Monday, April 30th

This past weekend we beta launched Twilight Market at DeKalb, debuted ice cream sandwiches, and stayed up way way waaaaay past our bedtimes. The thing I love about beta launches is that it’s not as much about selling or doing but observing - watching and listening to your audience, figuring them out, learning from them to tailor your product and experience to them. 

I learned the following this weekend, and decided for the second post in a row to illustrate it in MS Paint. This isn’t going to be an every day thing, but I’m sort of on a roll with the clicking and the dragging and circle making, and with no sleep this weekend the English thing isn’t doing it too good for me right now but the stick figures are, so this seemed like the best way to make the point:

But to all the people who stuck out the freezing cold and stayed at Twilight Market, and hung out with me inside the store where we lived like kings in 56 degree temperatures, I had an incredible time with you all and can’t wait for you to come back! Absolutely the most fun I’ve had on a Saturday night in months.

Now we’re going to hang up the MS Paint for a while, as I need to conserve my awesome art skills for a very super awesome secret project I’m working on. Who could possibly want to utilize skills that mind blowing? The US Government perhaps? Mayyybeeeee…..

And yes, ice cream sandwiches were a huge success! We’ll have them all week at DeKalb, though not today as we’re closed on Mondays.  Need something sweet to make you smile at the very beginning of the work week? Who’s better at making that happen than us?

Clockwise from front: Creamsicle, Ebinger, Tiramisu, Funky Monkey

Creamsicle: Orange cake, vanilla buttercream, hand candied orange peel

Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge, chocolate cake crumbs

Tiramisu: Espresso soaked cake, espresso ganache, mascarpone buttercream, cocoa powder

Funky Monkey: Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

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Cupcakes Available At:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: 138 Willoughby Street, Downtown Brooklyn (CLOSED MONDAYS- open Tuesday at noon, just in time for 2 for $5 Tuesday! Woot woot!)

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

Simon Sips: Hidden inside 1185 6th Avenue, Midtown

Battery Place Markets: 240 Murray Street, Goldman Sachs Building, Financial District

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

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

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Whoopie Pies Available At:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market

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

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Brownies:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market

Simon Sips: Hidden inside 1185 6th Avenue, Midtown

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan; 48 Greenwich Avenue, West Village Manhattan

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

Flavors: Monday, March 12th

Happy Monday everyone! Pretty uneventful weekend over here at the Robicelli’s camp- nice dinner at Tuscany Grill on Friday, lunch at Union Square Coffee Shop Saturday, few errands- that’s about it. Yep.

What’s a good way to end a weekend that low key? Laying in bed watching Sandra Lee baking videos. Now, even though foodies love to talk smack about Sandra, as a working mother I really do understand and appreciate her approach, and understand that it definitely has it’s place in realistic households. But sweet Lord almighty she needs to keep her hands off dessert. And here’s why:

Processed supermarket cake, covered with Cool Whip. Really. At this point, why are you bothering? Go to a bakery, to someone who does this professionally, and buy a damn cake. Ask one of your guests to bring dessert. Or serve ice cream. Really, Sandra. Everyone loves ice cream.  

You know what I had at my big Italian wedding? A cake filled with COCONUT AND PINEAPPLE.

Please, Sandra, please look at a map. And for the love of God, adding a tablespoon of vanilla extract to anything does not make it taste homemade. It makes it taste like a can of chemicals with vanilla in it. 

I have nothing to say about this cake. You know how I usually talk way way waaaaay too much? Well, now we’ve found the answer. Just show me this video. I’ll stand there, slackjawed, as tears pour down my face.

Really, my biggest problem with Sandra Lee isn’t the cheaping out on ingredients, or taking shortcuts, or any of that. She wants to do a 30 minute show where she makes everything with soup mix, that’s fine by me- I understand not everyone knows how to cook, or has the time, and that groceries are expensive. But then THIS happens at the end of every freaking episode (go straight to the one minute mark):

You can spend $1000 on plates and accessories, and days on craft projects, just to set the freaking table for one solitary meal. And what are you serving at this fancy table that’s obviously set for high society? Fondue made from canned cheese soup and Cool Whip covered supermarket angel food cake.

That’s where I’m losing you Sandy. I think that’s where everyone’s losing you.

Now go enjoy your Monday everyone. But first:

KWANZAA CAKE! I know I’ve posted this one before, but I just can’t watch Sandra Lee videos if I don’t watch this one, too. Plus, our cupcakes look REALLY good next to the Kwanzaa cake. Sorry, Sandra.

Clockwise from front: Funky Monkey, Pecan Praline, Cinnamon Bun, The Hinsch

Funky Monkey: Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

Pecan Praline: Pecan cake, vanilla buttercream, homemade pecan pralines

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

The Hinsch: Chocolate malted cake, vanilla buttercream, malted chocolate suace, homemade malted milk balls

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Cupcakes Available At:

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

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

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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

Flavors: Friday, February 10th

The Tumblr is 11 hours late today because I’ve been dealing with a migraine all night. Sorry America. And non-Americans, too- don’t think I don’t notice all you readers in Australia. 

Here’s a video of the Swedish Chef making donuts. That should be enough to distract you from my total lack of content.

Now let’s get to the cupcakes

Clockwise from front: Tres Leches, Dark Chocolate Dulce, German Chocolate, Funky Monkey

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

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

Funky Monkey: Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

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

___________________________

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

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

Bar 5F at Bergdorf Goodman: 5th Avenue & 58th Street, 5th Floor, Manhattan

Queen City Cupcakes: 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

Flavors: Wednesday, February 8th

Ok, Super Bowl over. Now back to the real world, guys. Time to nag you about buying your special lady something sexy for Valentine’s Day.  Something like…..cupcakes. (or Chambord brownies- they’re sexy too!)

Yes, there is a “Sexy Cupcake” Halloween costume. Because really, why the hell wouldn’t there be. I mean, I pulled off “Sexy Pepperoni Pizza” so well and all.

For only $50, you get:

One Dozen Cupcakes or Brownies: Choose from either our classic cupcake pack (Creme Brulee, Strawberry Champagne, The Eve & The Ebinger), our nut-free pack, or 12 rich Chocolate Chambord Brownies with a raspberry jam swirl

A Handwritten Personalized Card: I will write whatever filthy, depraved message you want in my fanciest script, and won’t judge you at all for it. (Unless it’s, like, really weird.  I’ll still write it, but I won’t be able to help the silent judgement.)

Delivery: Brought straight to the home or office of your darling in Brooklyn or Manhatttan!

Tax: I’ve got nothing sexy to say about tax.

In contrast, you can get:

One dozen red roses for $39.99, plus a charge for the vase, plus a card, plus tax, plus delivery

A bear in a Forever Lazy for $69.99, plus card, plus tax, plus delivery.

A giant inflatable giraffe for $39.99, plus card, tax and delivery

A pair of Christian Louboutin Exagona Platform Sandals for $1,095, plus card, tax and delivery (you know that I’m a jeans, t-shirts and sneakers girl, and even I get tingly all over when I see these).

Order now, and you don’t have to worry about this crap again til next year! And you know what else?  Provided the Mayan don’t kill us all we’ll have cupcakes in 2013 too, so once you win their heart with them this year, you’ll never have to worry again! An investment in a Robicelli’s gift box isn’t just an investment in your relationship, it’s an investment in your sanity in the future.

If you’re looking to get on anyone’s good side today, or you’re just looking to treat yourself to something pretty, grab one of these cupcakes you see below.  You’re having a rough week- you deserve one.

Clockwise from front: Funky Monkey, Butterbeer, Bluth, Tres Leches

Funky Monkey: Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

Butterbeer: Butterscotch soaked cake, butterscotch buttercream, edible gold dust

Bluth: Chocolate banana cake, chocolate buttercream, roasted walnuts, ganache

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

__________________________________

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

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

Joe Columbia University: W. 120th Street btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside 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

Flavors: Friday, October 7th

Aside from that part where my mother decided to “surprise” us by handing out little homemade sacks of birdseed to all of our friends, deciding not to remove the walnuts still in their shells from the birdseed mix, and also forgetting that our friends are jerks who wouldn’t actually unwrap the little parcels, but rather throw them at us whole like little nutmeat filled grenades- five years ago today was the best day of my entire life.

Matt, you are without question the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I have two perfect kids because of you. We make thousands of people happy every week because YOU make this business work.  Every night before I go to sleep and every morning when I wake up, I know I’m the luckiest person alive because you’re there next to me. Thank you for not killing or divorcing me for five years. You’re the best friend I have ever had.

And mom, if you’re reading this: NEVER, EVER SURPRISE PEOPLE WITH PROJECTILE OBJECTS. EVER.

Clockwise from front: Strawberry Champagne, Funky Monkey, Car Bomb, Butternut Spice

Strawberry Champagne (To toast our anniversary!): Champagne cake, strawberry champagne buttercream and compote, edible gold dust

Butternut Spice (Our favorite flavor out of all of them!): Butternut squash cake, vanilla buttercream, pumpkin seeds, butternut squash seed oil

Car Bombs (The drink that got us engaged after only 6 weeks of dating!): Chocolate Guinness stout cake, Jameson whiskey ganache, Bailey’s Irish Cream buttercream

Funky Monkey (Ummm…..I just like monkeys?): Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

Available at:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: Corner of Flatbush & Willoughby, Downtown Brooklyn

Robicelli’s at Madison Square Eats: Corner of 25th Street & 5th Avenue, Flatiron District

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

Aloha Grinds: 76th and Third Ave, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: 76th and Third Ave, Bay Ridge

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

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

Court Street Grocers: Court Street off Luquer, Carroll Gardens

Eastern District: Manhattan Ave off Eagle Street, Greenpoint

Brooklyn Standard: Nassau & Jewel, Greenpoint

Cake Shop: Ludlow St btwn Standon & Rivington, LES

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

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

Red Hook Lobster Pound: Van Brunt Street, Red Hook; Brooklyn Flea; Smorgasburg; Roving Food Truck (Whoopie Pies Only)

Flavors: Wednesday, October 5th- Plus, Bad Days

In the past few months, I’ve been giving out a lot of advice to fledgling small business owners, whether it’s via Facebook or Twitter, through some of the penpal relationships I’ve developed with aspiring bakers & entrepreneurs all over the world (G’day Australia!), or even phone calls with friends who have known me since before we were potty trained (I’m lucky in that I have surprisingly many of those). 

Though I’ve been in small businesses for 10 years, I don’t consider myself an “expert” on it - I’m honestly making it up as I go along. That’s really the best blanket advice I can give- if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that “rules” are constantly changing, and you need to be as flexible as possible in order to change with them.  It sometimes happens in a matter of hours.  I learned that the hard way when we lost everything in the stock market crash of ‘08, and it took us six months to stop hoping for the best and radically redesign our game plan.  If you didn’t know, Robicelli’s didn’t start off with cupcakes or actually any baking whatsoever- but that’s a different story for a different day- or for the book I’m supposed to be working on in my free time (HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Oh man I have no life.)

Point is as I type at 2am in sleep deprived delirium- people think I know what the hell I’m talking about.  And being as I’m completely overwhelmed with projects and emails right now from my normal business that I can’t keep up with all the people who are writing me for business advice on a daily basis, I thought an occasional blog post was the way to go.  Because I can’t write about my pants forever, folks!

Or CAN I?!?!?!

One thing that comes up in almost all my correspondence is people remarking how hard it is to be “on” all the time- always having a smile on your face and sunshine pouring out of you, even when you’re having the worst day ever.  And yes, that is 100%, without a doubt the hardest part of the job.  I tried doing it for a long, long time, and it came off as totally disingenuous and made me miserable.

I am not Miss Mary Sunshine. I am certainly not perfect. I am in fact probably the farthest thing from perfect that has ever existed.  But it wasn’t until I stopped trying to pretend I was that we actually started getting successful.  

On Sunday, I had a “bad day”. Our best friend/godfather of our children was getting married down in Disney World, and we couldn’t go (no lives, remember!). I hadn’t seen my kids since Thursday.  And do you remember back at New Year’s when I made the resolution that THIS was the year Matt and I finally ate at WD-50 for our 5 year anniversary? That’s coming up this Friday, and once again, we’re going to be stuck working. We both kinda expected this because it happens every year, as when we planned our wedding we hadn’t thought of the whole “opening a bakery and having it be our busy season” thing yet. See what I mean about things constantly changing?

As we’re used to this sort of thing, we’ve adjusted our lifestyle to “keep the magic alive”, even though we have ridiculous schedules, a business we’re growing together, and two kids who like sleeping smack dab between both of us every night. One of the tricks we have are “text message dates”, where we pretty much play pretend over the phone, in a world where time and money is no issue. This was it:

Allison 11:23 AM: We can have a virtual anniversary! Let’s pretend we’re in a hotel room. A REALLY expensive one with nice sheets!

Matt 11:23: Where?

Allison 11:24: In Manhattan. Or Paris. Anywhere.  Somewhere with big windows that’s really high up where we can see the city and there’s a good view with lots of lights. You know me and the shiny things.

Matt 11:55: Sry i had customers. So are we in Paris?

Allison 12:25: Hey, sorry. No, it doesn’t matter. Nice sheets, really fancy. We should order everything on the room service menu. We can watch a movie in bed.

Matt 12:31 PM: Got busy. Sorry. We can watch that movie about Aaron Neville. 

Allison 1:24: Sorry, customers. Busy. What movie about Aaron Neville?

Matt 3:03: The one where he’s a baseball player. Where’s the extra bags?

Allison 3:47: Middle drawer. You have no idea who Aaron Neville is, do you.

Matt 4:33:  We need to go to Jetro for more Mexican Coke this week.

Even theoretical Matt & Allison get screwed out of the romance!

Yes sad panda- that IS sad.

By the time Sunday rolled around, I didn’t want to go to work.  Instead I dragged my ass out of bed, got dressed, headed to Madison, and tried to pretend that I really wanted to be there and not at Disney watching one of the best friends I’ve ever had get married.  The day was perfect, I met lots of great people, and I was still miserable.  And then I felt bad about myself because there were fans of the blog/Twitter who came down specifically to meet me, and I felt I let them down. Plus, it’s not any of YOUR faults I was having a lousy day! Maybe you were having a great day! I needed to be out there giving 110% to everyone who needed me to regardless of how I felt……but I couldn’t.  Because despite the fact that I am a business owner and subject to your harsh criticism on Yelp, I am still an extremely human being. And Sunday McSucked.

A friend of mine had a bad day two days earlier and blogged about it, and I started looking through his tips on how to make it better so I could “fake the funk”, so to speak.  I couldn’t borrow a dog and my cat thinks I’m a jerk, I couldn’t get out of my geographical situation, had no time to go shopping or for a pedicure, I don’t drink alcohol so I couldn’t get wasted, I don’t belong to a gym and can’t really punch stuff in my house because my kids will see me and then THEY will start punching everything, too. Meanwhile they can watch me pick up their toys ONE MILLION BILLION TIMES and yet somehow they can’t repeat that. Someone please explain to me how the hell that works.

The only thing I had, and I always have, is my Blackberry, which he said to turn off.  And while he’s usually right on just about everything (he doesn’t pay me to say that), I had to disagree with him on that one.  Blackberry needed to stay on.

The internet has changed everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, about the mom and pop business. I don’t just mean in the way how local stores turn to eBay to sell goods or how Foursquare has turned being a regular at a bar into a competitive sport. We know how the big box stores and the internet are slowly killing Main Street, but what’s incredibly cool is that the internet is also giving the best part of being a mom & pop a way to thrive, and rewarding them beyond measure for it.

We’re going to have another flashback now: to an old butcher shop in Brooklyn called “The Meating Place”. Don’t bother looking for it- it hasn’t existed in over 15 years, and the owners are long since deceased.  I’d go in nearly every day with my mom, and Richie the butcher would always ask us about our day, about what I was studying in school or how many teeth I’d lost.  He’d tell us about his life, some of it good, some of it bad, but it made us feel like we were part of his family and we were important to him.  Once year I remember my mother telling him about something she’d seen in Reader’s Digest called a “Turducken”, and how she’d love to go to New Orleans one day to see it.  The next morning our doorbell rang, and on our stoop there was a package with a perfect turducken in it, with a note that said “Those guys in New Orleans have nothing on me. I knew I could do it. -Richie”. You’ll never hear about a Stop and Shop doing THAT.

And yes, it was delicious.

Today we all get our meat from supermarkets where no one knows who you are. We save fifty cents a pound over those lousy old timey butcher shops that have all gone out of business! But no one asks me how I’m doing in school, or how’s that nice boy I’m dating, or did I find a nice wedding dress yet, or what we’re going to name the baby, or how our son’s first day of school went.  And to me, that was one of the best part of living in a real community in Brooklyn.  

Even if we closed all the box stores tomorrow and replaced them with the old mom and pops, they’d never fly. We’re all too busy rushing around, not slowing down for a minute to chat with our shopkeepers or even read their nametags.  Everyone is disconnecting from everyone else, but yet everyone is checking their phones every thirty seconds to see if they have an email, or a Facebook notification, or if something happened on Twitter. They’re doing this because even though we’ve withdrawn from people, we are desperate for human interaction.

The witty banter, the knowing your customers, the learning about them and letting them know they’re the backbone of your business- it isn’t dead, but doesn’t happen in front of a meat case anymore. It happens on the phone.

If you’re a small business owner, you need to use social media not just to advertise sales or list your special of the day. You need to use it to make sure we do not lose the humanity of small business.  Make jokes. Interact with people. “Chit chat”, as my grandmother used to say.  Talk to people like you’re talking to an old friend, respond when you can, ask people about their day.  When we opened our original, and long gone store, the dream was for us to have the great American mom and pop where we’d see the same faces day after day, watch our kids grow up in the store, and save a custom we were both so desperate to hold onto but saw slowly fading away.  The physical aspect of that may be a thing of the past, but the custom? It’s still there- it’s just on Twitter.

And yes, this means you can have the occasional bad day. Note I said “occasional”. REALLY think before you tweet something, and wonder if you’ll regret saying it in a day or so. Never post anything negative about an employee, or about a customer.  Picture what you’re saying coming out of someone else’s mouth, and think if you’d want to hear it.  You’re not always going to be perfect at it, and you may lose a follower here or there.  But as with everything you do, try to be mindful, not artificial. 

I don’t want to read 2,000 tweets about someone who’s just angry at the world for no specific reason. But if they’re hilarious about doing it? I’ll want an old lady to go kick them in the shins just so they have more material.  Someone gets stuck on hold with a company’s automated customer service loop for hours? I am SO HAPPY that doesn’t only happen to me! You’re missing your kid’s first piano recital because of your job? I can relate, and I’m comforted in knowing I’m not the only person out there struggling trying to balance a business and a family.  It’s not about throwing a pity party- it’s about allowing yourself to breathe, and to let other people have the opportunity to relate to you.

BE HUMAN.  Not only will it help you as a small business owner, but I think it will lead to a culture of better customers.  It’s far too easy for people to get on the internet and judge people based on standards that are sometimes unattainable (or even unreasonable if they’re not familiar with the inner workings of your industry), provided they have the safety of total anonymity. But when people begin to connect again, when they remember that the people that serve them every day aren’t robots but living breathing human beings, when we are not all just talking but actually listening, then we’ll have something incredible.

And the most important part of all of this? It will keep you from jumping off a roof. It is completely effing impossible to be walking around with a smile on your face and a spring in your step all the time, especially when you’re answering the same questions over and over and over again and sometimes you feel that if one more person asks you that question you are seriously going to scream but you can’t so you just suck it up and deal with it and God sometimes I really miss drinking but sure this coffee will do and “Yes sir how may I be of service today?” 

You know what question that is for me? “Which of these cupcakes is your favorite”?  If you are an avid follower of this blog, you will know that at this point, after I’ve baked and frosted well over 200,000 of the damn things, I can no longer eat cupcakes. It’s really really sad, but true. There’s actually only one of our cupcakes that I can still stand to eat, that I’m absolutely, 100% head over heels crazy about, but it’s a seasonal flavor so during the rest of the year when someone asks me that question I lie.  However, that seasonal flavor is happening right freaking now!!!!  Told you guys I loved fall! GO GET THE BUTTERNUT SPICE BEFORE I EAT THEM ALL!

And if you’re not a small business owner and none of this applied to you- why not go shop in one today, smile a lot, give the cashier a compliment and say “Thank You”?  Little things like that always make a persons day, and they have a way of becoming contagious. :)

Clockwise from front: CPB, Funky Monkey, Butternut Spice, Apple Peanut Butter

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

Funky Monkey: Banana cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

Butternut Spice: Butternut squash cake, vanilla buttercream, candied pumpkin seeds, Stony Brook butternut squash seed oil

Apple Peanut Butter: Apple cake, peanut butter buttercream, crushed homemade peanut brittle

Available at:

Robicelli’s at Madison Square Eats: Corner of 25th and 5th

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: Corner of Flatbush & Willoughby, Downtown Brooklyn

Hom: 88th and Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

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

Court Street Grocers: Court Street off Luquer, Carroll Gardens

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

Radish: Bedford off North 8th, Williamsburg

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

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

Flavors: Monday, August 22nd

After four weeks of displacement thanks to a flood, we are finally out of my parents house and back in our apartment, which means that I am at last sleeping in a bed and not on the dining room floor. I’m pretty sure that winning an Oscar pales in comparison to the feeling of sleeping on a mattress for the first time in weeks.

I heart you so much, bed. Don’t ever leave me.

Being at my parents house for a few weeks had it’s perks, though- namely unlimited access to all our old VHS tapes. My dad is a total AV nut, and saved all his spare cash between 1982 and 1983 to afford our first VCR, which cost $1300 (close to $4000 today).  And if you’ spend that kind of money on something, you use it. A LOT.  You name a holiday special or PBS fundraiser that occurred between 84 and 89, and there’s an excellent chance that it’s somewhere in my parents basement.

Last week I was overtired and stressed out, and wanted to zone out with something that made me feel like I was 4 again.  I pulled a few out at random, and I must have done something to make Jesus extra happy that day because I pulled out one of the greatest television experiences of my childhood, which has now become one of the greatest of my adult life: 

CIRCUS OF THE MOTHEREFFING STARS!!!!

If you weren’t lucky enough to experience this cultural touchstone- back in the day CBS took the “biggest” and “brightest” stars in television and made them train for months to do circus acts.  Sort of like “Dancing With the Stars”, but a lot, I mean a LOT more badass.  So badass it must be seen to be believed.  So badass I felt the need to livetweet the whole thing so everyone could share in its awesome glory, and still I could not do it close to justice. So badass it was hosted by Bea Arthur, and she is wearing a poncho made out of silver lame for the entire freaking show.

I knew just from the responses I got on Twitter that I would be selfish if I kept this gem all to myself.  So Tuesday night at sundown, I’ll be hosting a special screening of Circus of the Stars 10 under the big top of DeKalb Market! You’ll be dazzled by countless Hollywood legends performing incredible feats beyond the capabilities of mere mortals! See:

-Nell Carter do some stuff with small dogs!

-The dude from “The Blue Lagoon” almost get eaten by a tiger!

-Mary Hart laying the smackdown on some high wire action!

-A riveting display of acrobatics by Willie Ames, Alfonso Ribero and the incomparable Miss Tina Yothers!

-And of course, Bea Arthur!  You’ll gasp in amazement!

You’ll squeal with delight!

Your mind will be BLOWN on multiple levels!

THIS TUESDAY NIGHT! 7:30- ON THE CORNER OF FLATBUSH AND WILLOUGHBY IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN! YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!!!

And in case you’re wondering- YES, there will be lots of cupcakes for sale! And here’s some of them!

Clockwise from front: Apricot Chardonnay, Mocha Almond Turtle, Tres Leches, Funky Monkey

Apricot Chardonnay: Apricot chardonnay cake, apricot buttercream, chardonnay simmered Turkish apricot

Funky Monkey: Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

Mocha Almond Turtle: Chocolate espresso cake, mocha caramel buttercream, roasted almonds, ganache

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

Available at:

AVAILABLE AT:

ROBICELLI’S AT DEKALB MARKET: Flatbush Ave Extension & Willoughby Street, Downtown Brooklyn

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

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

ALOHA GRINDS: Third Avenue and 77th Street, Bay Ridge

THE CUPCAKE STAND: Fifth Avenue between 60th and 61st, Sunset Park

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

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

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: West 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Also Available At DeKalb Market:

Cupcakes: Elvis, Speculoos, Bluth, Peach Cobbler, Banana Nutella, Ebinger, Coconut Custard, Cookies & Cream, Dom DeLuise, All Rotation Flavors

Whoopie Pies: Classic, Pecan Bourbon Butterscotch

Brownies: Classic Sea Salt, Maltz (bourbon-bacon), Moverley (Scotch whiskey espresso walnut), L’Orange Noir (Grand Mariner)

Flavors: Monday, May 22nd

Thanks to everyone who came down to Craftacular this past Saturday, and welcome to all our new followers!  We had a fantastic time putting faces to avatars, meeting new friends like Seamus from Brooklyn Brine (one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet), and Gabrielle Hamilton (of Prune), who was one of the nicest, most down to earth chefs I’ve encountered in a long time.  Definitely a day I’ll always remember. 

Also, thanks to everyone who helped my latest Nona Brooklyn column go viral, including The New York Times and San Francisco Weekly!  Now I’m stressed out about writing this weeks installment.  If you have suggestions on topics, post to our Facebook page, because so far all I’ve got is six sentences on why I think panda bears look like they’d be delicious even though they’re super cute, which I know isn’t going to go over well.

Now I’d like to turn your attention to a new location we quietly started last week…..a secret Starbucks (who doesn’t like secrets?).  How, you ask, can a Starbucks be a secret in a town where there’s about a million of them?  Well, this one is in a hotel in Tribeca, and it’s not branded a Starbucks- it’s called the Link Cafe at the Sheraton Tribeca. 

Link, or Super Secret Starbucks, is still regulated and inspected by the Starbucks corporation, offers almost all the same drinks, but the food is chosen by the hotel.  Meaning that we have managed to finagle ourselves into Starbucks!  (BOOYAH!)  And as a plus- this one isn’t ridiculously crowded like all the others, meaning no lines and places to sit.  But remember, its a secret……..

Clockwise from front: Chocolate Cheerwine, Funky Monkey, Coconut Custard, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel

CHOCOLATE CHEERWINE:  Chocolate Cheerwine cake, chocolate buttercream, chocolate Cheerwine ganache, Cheerwine simmered cherry

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

COCONUT CUSTARD:  Coconut cake, pastry cream buttercream, roasted coconut

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PRETZEL:  Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, crushed pretzels, ganache & caramel drizzle

Available at:

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

THE CUPCAKE STAND: Fifth Avenue between 60th and 61st, Sunset Park

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

QATHRA:  1112 Cortelyou Road, Ditmas Park

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

RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg

CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side 

LINK CAFE @ THE SHERATON TRIBECA: 307 Canal Street, Tribeca

SCHNITZEL AND THINGS: Third Avenue between 44th and 45th, Midtown

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

*Note: Not all locations receive all flavors.  The flavors recieved are determined by each store’s management, not by us.  If there’s something in the upcoming rotation you want to see, let them know directly

Flavors: Friday, April 29th

Today’s the day….our whoopie pies are finally back and at the Red Hook Lobster Pound! Um….WHOOPIE!!!!

I’m going to do something pretty shocking in today’s post: I’m ACTUALLY going to talk about baking!  Trust me, none of you are as surprised about this than I am.

We were first asked by RHLP to do their whoopie pies months ago, but didn’t just want to jump into it until we developed a recipe that we felt was perfect.  We’d tested dozens we had found in books and online, tasted more than our fair share, and at the end of the day we just couldn’t get into them.  Crazy, right?  I mean, it’s cake baked into the shape of a cookie and stuffed with frosting!  How can that possibly go wrong?

Well, we took one for the team and ate enough whoopie pies to figure out exactly why we weren’t having our socks knocked off, then went all Chris Kimball on its ass.  And THEN we made this handy dandy illustration to make it easier to understand!

I know, I know…..that picture just changed your life.  I knew it would happen.

Whoopie pies look like they’re chocolate, but when we bit into them they didn’t taste like chocolate at all.  They were an odd shape with each bite getting a different ratio of cake to buttercream.  The center, where the cake was the highest, seemed to dry out quickly, leaving us with a pie that had delicious edges, but a center that was a chore to finish.  And then the worst part: the filling that tasted like nothing but pure sugar.  Honestly, that’s bound to happen when your classic filling recipe is 1:1 Marshmallow Fluff:Pure Vegetable Shortening. 

We spent several weeks tinkering with our ratios to get the right shape for the cake/cookie (caookie?).  We changed the entire recipe process and fiddled with the classic ingredients so it wouldn’t just look like it was chocolate- it would have a deepest chocolate flavor we could cram into it.  We kept the marshmallow fluff in the center out of respect to tradition- but we replaced the shortening with our signature French buttercream. 

The end result?

Look how adorable that whoopie pie is!  Couldn’t you just die?!?!! Look, it looks like he’s smiling at you!  I bet he’s saying “Please eat me- I’m ever so delicious!!!”

And you know what?  He IS delicious.  And when you eat him, you may spontaneously combust out of sheer joy.  It’s been known to happen.

Whoopie pies will be available exclusively through the Red Hook Lobster Pound at all their locations, including the shop on Van Brunt street, the Brooklyn Flea, and their brand spanking new LOBSTERMOBILE, taking to the streets in only a few short weeks to bring lobster rolls and whoopie pies to all the good little girls and boys!!!

And yes, we made cupcakes too today.  If you can, grab an Aris- after this weekend, it goes back into the vault until next year!  Also be keen on our delivery list- the weather sort of hurt everyone pretty bad this week.  We’ve had one store see all his refrigeration blow, and two who need new air conditioners to regulate the extreme humidity.  If we get a nice day this weekend, go out and spend some cash at a small business.  They could use it.

Clockwise from front: Coconut Custard, Funky Monkey, Caramel Macchiato, Aris

NEW!!! COCONUT CUSTARD:  Coconut cake, vanilla custard buttercream roasted toasted coconut

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

CARAMEL MACCHIATO:  Chocolate espresso cake, caramel macchiato buttercream, ganache, caramel, ground chocolate covered espresso beans

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

Available at:

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

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

BLUE APRON FOODS: Union St. off 7th Ave, Park Slope

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

RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg

EASTERN DISTRICT- Manhattan Ave off Eagle St, Greenpoint

BROOKLYN STANDARD:  Nassau Ave & Jewel St, Greenpoint

RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook *Whoopie Pies and Wild Maine Blueberry Cobbler cupcakes only*

THE BROOKLYNEER:  220 W. Houston Street, West Village

CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side

QUEENS COMFORT: 40-09 30th Ave, Astoria

Flavors: Monday, March 28th

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

Flavors: Monday, February 6th

This weekend, someone told me that they love reading this site because my posts are apparently “hysterically funny”.  Now I’m collapsing under the pressure to amuse you people.  So to that guy who’s such a fan, thanks a lot, jerk.  Let’s just go straight to flavors.

I forgot to take pictures of the cupcakes tonight, so instead I’m posting a picture of Urkel eating an ice cream cone.  I really don’t think that needs any further explanation.

Bailey’s Cheesecake:  Chocolate Irish cream cake, Bailey’s cheesecake buttercream, cake crumbs

Funky Monkey:  Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, ganache

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

The Aris:  Honey walnut cake, orange scented Greek yogurt buttercream, honey glazed walnuts

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

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

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

The Brooklyneer-  220 West Houston btwn 6th & 7th Avenues, West Village

Flavors: Thursday & Friday, 1/20-21

Soooo….remember how I was all “Look at my new camera!  Now this website will no longer be filled with shame!!!” on Monday?  Yeah- well I forgot to bring it to the kitchen tonight.  I was going to take a picture with my Blackberry and kick-it old skool (like, last Thursday style), but yeah, I forgot that too.  To make it up to Matt for these annoying little snafus I caused, I serenaded him for over 6 hours with the theme from “Family Ties”, because I’ve had it stuck in my head since last night.  This is why he loves me, ladies!

Onto cupcake related issues- it’s a NEW FLAVOR WEEK! (cue disco ball & Chuck Mangione soundtrack).  Maybe you should go down take a picture of it and upload it to Foodspotting, because even though I’m promising to post pictures tomorrow night, it’s obvious I can’t be trusted.  I might get too busy working out a four-part harmony of the “Perfect Stranger” theme.

NEW FLAVOR!!! 

MOCHA ALMOND TURTLE:  Almond mocha cake, salted caramel mocha buttercream, roasted almonds, ganache, salted caramel

CREAMSICLE:  Orange cake, vanilla buttercream, hand candied orange peel

BUTTERBEER:  Butterscotch-soaked cake, butterscotch buttercream, edible gold dust

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

Available Thursday at:

HOM- 88th St and 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

BLUE APRON FOODS- Union St. off 7th Ave, Park Slope

CAFE 474- 4th Ave off 11th St, Park Slope

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

MARKET- Cortelyou Road btwn Westminster & Argyle, Ditmas Park

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

FARMACY:  Corner of Henry & Sackett, Carroll Gardens

FLYING SAUCER CAFE: Atlantic Ave btwn Nevins & 3rd Ave, Boerum Hill

Available Friday at:

RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg

EASTERN DISTRICT- Manhattan Ave off N8th Eagle St, Greenpoint

BROOKLYN STANDARD:  Nassau Ave & Jewel St, Greenpoint

CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side

THE BROOKLYNEER-  220 West Houston btwn 6th & 7th Avenues, West Village

LILY O’BRIEN’S AT BRYANT PARK-  E40th btwn 5th and 6th, Midtown

Flavors- Monday October 19th

Too tired for jibba-jabba….straight to flavors!

Brandy Alexander- chocolate cake with brandy buttercream and a chocolate dipped brandy snap cookie

Funky Monkey- banana cake with peanut butter buttercream, ganache, ground chocolate and peanuts

German Chocolate- chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream, rolled in toasted coconut

Pecan French Toast- maple custard soaked cinnamon cake with maple-cinnamon buttercream and maple-candied pecans

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

PARKED at Governor’s Island! Tomorrow Noon to 5

We are ridiculously excited to be participating in MeanRed Productions’ second PARKED of the year, this time being held on beautiful Governor’s Island!  We had a blast at the last on at BKLYNYARD, and this one is going to be even bigger and better, with more room, more vendors, and more cupcakes!  Here’s the lineup:

LAST APPEARANCE THIS YEAR!!!!  CHICKEN N’WAFFLES:  Vanilla “waffle” cake with vanilla buttercream, topped with a hunk of buttermilk-soaked fried chicken dipped in pure Vermont maple syrup.

THE MALTZ:  Chocolate-bourbon cake & buttercream topped with brown sugar candied bacon

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PRETZEL:  Chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream, rolled in crushed pretzels

LAST APPEARANCE THIS YEAR!!!  PEACH COBBLER:  Peach cake with vanilla buttercream, sauteed Jersey peaches and cinnamon streusel topping

FUNKY MONKEY:  Banana chocolate chip cake with peanut butter buttercream, ganache & ground chocolate

Free ferries depart from Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the event runs from 12-5.  LOTS of our favorites will be there, such as Red Hook Lobster Pound, Cinnamon Snail Vegan Organic (even meat-lovers like us adore them), Hallo Berlin, and so many more I’m dying to try that I can’t even remember them all.  Wear fat pants, and we’ll see you there!