Robicelli's

Super Bowl’s over. Now to get talkin’ bout sweet, sweet love.

AWWWWW!!!! Yes, that IS two red pandas kissing. I went to the Prospect Park Zoo with the kids yesterday, and though normally when I get to the zoo these guys are always passed out in a tree somewhere, the cold weather totally brings the cuteness! These are the animals that have finally gotten me through my heartbreaking conundrum of “Oh God I want a koala so bad it hurts”/”Oh God why do koalas have to be rife with chlamydia”/”Will my husband be cool with me getting chlamydia? I mean, you just need to take antibiotics or something for a few weeks, right?”/”Will Matt believe I got the chlamydia from a koala?”.  I’m on the red panda train now, baby. You koalas can take your STDs elsewhere.

Anyway, on a side note you should go to the Prospect Park Zoo and get your heart melted by the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen, and that INCLUDES crap on the internet. Now we’ll get back to talking about sweet love and our business.

Ok, just one more.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

NOW to sweet love- namely, Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day ordering is officially open! As we did last year, we’re offering 12 cupcakes wrapped in a sexy bow with a handwritten card and delivered to your loved one’s doorstep for only FIFTY DOLLARS. You find me a dozen flowers for that price- and not only that, you can’t even eat flowers! (trust me) The only one eating flowers is the cat, and then they throw them up all over the apartment! Valentine’s Day= RUINED. Cupcakes, however, can be savored together while snuggling on the couch and listening to Miles Davis, or used in something Cosmo suggests that sounds fun but is likely awkward in real life (and I beg of you- if you try it, please don’t send us pictures. Again. That part isn’t a joke)

If you don’t live in NYC, you can still get a special Valentine’s gift for the person in your life- we’re offering our limited edition Chambord Brownies in our online store! Velvety melted bittersweet chocolate and creamery butter mixed with Chambord liqueur, swirled with raspberry jam. I’ve yet to see someone try our brownies and not declare that they were the best ones they’ve ever tried- and I’ll guarantee whomever you buy them for will be all over you once they try them. Unless it’s your grandma or something, because that’s just gross.

Note that mail orders need to be placed no later than Saturday, February 9th. All packages are going out 2-day shipping on Monday morning. Cupcake delivery orders can get placed til Monday the 11th, or until we end up completely booked as we unfortunately can’t make personalized deliveries to every person in NYC (we did book up last year, so get in early!).

And lest we forget, we are doing a one night only Valentine’s Day pop-up dessert bar at The Owl’s Head in Bay Ridge, and it’s already almost 100% booked. Don’t want to be pushy, but it’s a small place and I don’t want anyone who really wanted to go to be disappointed that they couldn’t get a table. Valentine’s Day is about love and eating fatty food and getting hammered, and no one is going to do that better than us this year. NO ONE.

Now here’s today’s flavors! No picture today, so enjoy another one of these:

AWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liddabit: Chocolate cake, salted caramel nougat buttercream, roasted peanuts, caramel and ganache drizzles

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

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

S’Mores: Chocolate cake, toasted marshmallow buttercream, speculoos pudding, ganache, graham cracker crumbs

Super short post tonight because I have to be up super early to make it to a Gifted & Talented kindergarten open house at 8:30 in the morning.

I know I’m a giant crybaby, but I’ve been working nights for as long as I can remember, and my day typically ends somewhere between 3 and 4am.  I’m terrified I’m going to end up accidentally growling at the principal, Atticus won’t be allowed in because no one wants the crazy growling lady near the building, and then he ends up shooting dice in an alley somewhere, never ends up getting into an Ivy league school, then winds up living with us til he’s 45 while he’s waiting for his reggae-funk-fusion band to take off. 

Two quick notes:

1. We’re 77% of the way to our internet fundraising goal for the Great American Bakesale- every donation, no matter how small, makes a BIG difference. And don’t forget that 25% of all purchases made at our DeKalb Market shop until Friday will be donated as well!

2. Today’s flavors? Four of our most popular flavors ever. Why? Because they are so ridiculously delicious that they may make you spontaneously burst into tears. As I’m expecting to do at PS 748 at about 8:35am. 

Clockwise from front: Coconut Custard, S’Mores, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel, Banana Cream Pie

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

S’Mores: Chocolate cake, speculoos pudding, toasted marshmallow buttercream, ganache, graham cracker crumbs

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

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

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Cupcakes Available at:

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

Hom: Third Avenue and 88th Street, Bay Ridge

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

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

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

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

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Whoopie Pies Available At:

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

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

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

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

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Brownies Available At:

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

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 we got our first ever school portraits of our boys, and they are so adorable I totally cried.  They’re both sitting at their little preschool desks with their hands folded, looking wide-eyed off into the distance…..really, there’s only one way it could have been better:

LASERS!!!!

I say this without an iota of facetiousness- whenever I see a laser background I get butterflies, because there will always be a little part of me that thinks that this truly was the coolest thing that has ever existed. I don’t know if this background has been discontinued, but if it has, I urge all of you to pester the School Portrait Photographers Council to reinstate the lasers. Truly, one of the things that makes America great.

This week we passed 12,000 direct subscribers to this blog, and have tens of thousands more visit us directly. When I started writing I honestly didn’t think anyone but my mother was reading this, so I am completely floored we’ve reached these numbers, and incredibly grateful for it. But the realization of how popular this blog has become and how it continues to grow bigger every day makes me think that as much as I am tempted to show you all the school pictures so you can all bask in how ridiculously good looking our kids are and how obvious it is that Matt and I have superior genetics, I’ve decided that for now I don’t want to share pictures of my kids. They’re going to hate me enough one day for sharing stories about them on the blog and my assorted writing- the least I can do is try to keep them somewhat anonymous so they’re not “internet famous” before they’re ready. If they decide they want to be a part of it one day that’s fine, but it will be their choice and not me Mama Rose-ing them.

Now I know I got your guys all psyched up for school pics, and you’re all just dying to see some right now! I mean, who wouldn’t be!  I feel bad that I led you on a bit just to let you down, but I think I’ve come up with a great consolation. 

My BFF Danny Macaroons with lasers AND lightning. It’s also his birthday today and I’m hoping this picture can count as his present, because I’m not buying him anything. 

This is obviously the type of quality material that has brought us 12,000 Tumblr subscribers.

Thank you all for subscribing, following our adventures as we’ve grown, and supporting us. We’re happy you’re here.

Clockwise from front: S’Mores, Bananas Foster, Ebinger, Milk & Cookies

S’Mores: Chocolate cake, speculoos pudding, toasted marshmallow buttercream, ganache, graham cracker crumbs

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

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

Milk & Cookies: Brown sugar chocolate chip cake, mascarpone buttercream, crushed chocolate chip cookies

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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

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

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

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

Eastern District: Manhattan Ave off Eagle, Greenpoint

Brooklyn Standard: Nassau Street off Jewel, Greenpoint

Cake Shop: Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, LES

Brooklyneer: 220 West Houston Street, West Village

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

Queen City Cupcakes: Patchogue, Long Island

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Whoopie Pies Available At:

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

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

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

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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

I know you’re probably expecting some long, awesome post about our grand opening weekend at DeKalb Market or Meatopia. I was, too. Then today after production and picking up our kids, we went home to find our luxurious basement apartment completely flooded. Do I really need this right now, Jesus?!?! Really?!?!?! I’d go look for another apartment, but it’s down the block from the preschool I just put a deposit down at, and besides, I have NO time to pack. I may just set the place on fire and start new somewhere.  Right now, that somewhere new is a sleeping bag in front of the air conditioner on my parents’ dining room floor.  

That’s EXACTLY right, cat. Exactly right.

But now lets get to the sunshine of life……the cupcakes.

Just because we opened up our new shop at DeKalb Market DOES NOT mean that we’re stopping our wholesale business!  We’re keeping the relationships we have with all of our current stores, and will more than likely be adding a few more through the year (and if you’re interested in becoming one of those stores, email us!).  And all the rotation flavors will be going to DeKalb, PLUS off-rotation ones and exclusives which will probably only be posted on Facebook and Twitter.  So in summary- NOTHING has changed….except we added one more location that happens to be ours.

And if you’re going to visit any of our locations, it’s a very special day!!!!  That’s right America……..it’s Estelle Getty’s birthday, meaning it’s a GOLDEN GIRLS DAY!!!  Estelle died before we began making cupcakes, so even though we designed this one over two years ago, we knew we’d wait to release it on her birthday.  In honor of Sophia’s Sicilian heritage, we’ve made an almond cake with the Golden Girls Cheesecake buttercream, then sprinkled crushed imported Amaretti cookies all over the top.  Insanely delicious.

Joining in today’s celebration are Bea and Rue, though there is no Betty yet since she’s thankfully still with us.  Now I don’t want any of you to go rooting for Betty to kick it so that you can finally try her cupcake.  That’s just sick, folks.  But the only way we’ll release it sooner than posthumously is if we get permission from Betty herself, and girlfriend won’t return my calls or answer those notes I tied to rocks and threw through her window.  So you’re just going to have to eat the ones we have, and you’re going to have to like it.

Clockwise from front: Estelle Getty, S’Mores, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan

NEW! Estelle Getty: Almond cake, cheesecake buttercream, crushed amaretti cookies

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

Rue McClanahan: Peach cake, cheesecake buttercream, peach compote

S’Mores: Chocolate cake, speculoos pudding, toasted marshmallow buttercream, ganache, crushed graham crackers

Available at:

ROBICELLI’S AT DEKALB MARKET: 332 Flatbush Ave Extention off Willoughby, 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

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

BROOKLYNEER: 220 West Houston Street, West Village

BATTERY PLACE MARKET:  77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

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

We changed the schedule up a bit today; “The Ebinger” was supposed to be released next week, but as we were sketching it out we didn’t want to wait any longer than we had to in order to eat one. 

Since we first put it on the schedule, we got lots of messages asking “What’s an Ebinger?”. Ebinger’s was one of the great Brooklyn bakeries- some say the greatest- which gave the world what’s known as “Blackout Cake”.  Right now I’d love to hit you all with a sentimental story of going down to Ebinger’s with my mom and begging her for cake, but alas, the company folded long before I was born. 

It was only recently that I learned that Blackout cake was an iconic Brooklyn food.  I’ve had plenty of them, but to be honest, they were never any good.  It was always that weird cake in the diner display case spinning around and around, tempting me with it’s chocolatey promise, only to break my heart once I actually tasted it.  No one knows the original recipe for the cake, even though everyone can agree on it’s essential components: cake, cake crumbs, pudding, and fudge frosting.  I asked my mother if she had ever had one, and immediately her eyes looked like she was lost in a far away land, and a huge grin spread across her face.  “Oh, Ebingers!” she said.  “That cake wasn’t just cake.  That cake was magic”.

So even though we’ll never know first hand what it tasted like, we knew our job was to make a chocolate cupcake that tasted like pure magic.  And since the name “Blackout” has been trampled on so much by mass-production bakeries and a certain diner (you know who you are), we’d call it “The Ebinger” to honor our Brooklyn heritage, and to remind everyone of the rich baking heritage the Brooklyn has always had, LONG before any sort of trendy food scene happened.  

While we’re on the topic of great Brooklyn baking, we’ve brought back the “Dom DeLuise” this week for the first time in two years.  Why has it been so long?  I have absolutely no idea- this is by far one of our best cupcakes.  While the rest of America grew up eating cupcakes, I grew up eating cannolis, particularly the ones from Alba’s up on 18th Avenue.  If you ask me to name one culinary hero, one chef that I’ve admired more than any other, it was whoever was making those damn cannolis at Alba’s.  We first made this one when Dom DeLuise died in his, as we grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same public schools and our families were friendly.  Plus, I must have read his cookbook about a thousand times when I was a kid.  The recipes aren’t the best, but his love of food, being Italian and our community was infectious, and it remains one of my favorites to this day.

 If neither of these are coming to a store near you today, fear not: they’re both on the rotation for Friday. 

NEW!!! The Ebinger:  Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream dipped in chocolate fudge, chocolate cake crumbs

Dom DeLuise:  Pistachio cake, cannoli buttercream, roasted pistachios, candied citron, miniature chocolate chips

S’Mores:  Chocolate cake, speculoos pudding, toasted marshmallow buttercream, ganache, graham cracker crumbs

Pecan French Toast:  Maple custard soaked cinnamon cake, maple cinnamon buttercream, candied pecans

Available at:

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

HOM:  88th and 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

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

CRESPELLA: Seventh Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

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

COURT STREET GROCERS: 485 Court Street, Carroll Gardens

JOE- Columbia: Broadway & 120th Street, Morningside Heights

*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

We didn’t make our goal.  We were $220 short. (You get to keep the money you raised on IndieGoGo- it’s not like that Kickstarter “All or Nothing” stuff. We are ecstatic right about now)

I am so overcome with emotion and full of words, and when I try to write them down for you all they get all crazy and jumbled and hysterical.  Sure, I get away with that with just about all my posts, but what I need to say to you guys now is just too important for half asleep rambling after a long hard day of work. 

I need a bit for my head to catch up to my heart- it’s having trouble processing it all.  Right now, I’m going to go give my kids one last kiss goodnight, crawl into the arms of the man I love, and fall asleep knowing I have thousands of angels watching over my family.  And tomorrow morning, once Matt goes out on deliveries, the kids are playing with their toys, the coffee has been made and I have taken all of this in to the point where I can articulate it better, then I’m going to write about this weekend. I’ll announce on Twitter and Facebook when it’s up.

In the meantime- it’s Monday morning, so get your asses to work! And maybe pick up one of these flavors if you need a pick me up.

Love you guys. :)

Clockwise from front: Rue McClanahan, Hazelnut Kiss, Pecan French Toast, S’Mores

RUE MCCLANAHAN:  Peach cake, cheesecake buttercream, spiced peach compote

HAZELNUT KISS:  Chocolate hazelnut cake, Nutella buttercream, roasted hazelnuts

PECAN FRENCH TOAST:  Maple custard soaked cinnamon cake, maple-cinnamon buttercream, candied pecans

S’MORES:  Chocolate cake, speculoos pudding, toasted marshmallow buttercream, ganache, crushed graham crackers

SIDE NOTE: Good news! The refrigeration at Qathra has been repaired, meaning we’re back, Ditmas Park!!!!

AVAILABLE AT

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

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

Crespella: Seventh Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

The Cupcake Stand: Fifth Avenue between 60th and 61st, Sunset Park

Qathra:  1112 Cortelyou Road, Ditmas Park

Radish: Bedford Avenue off N. 8th, Williamsburg

Cake Shop: Ludlow Street between Stanton and Rivington, Lower East Side

Schnitzel and Things: Third Avenue between 44th and 45th, Midtown

Joe- Columbia: Broadway & 120th Street, Morningside Heights

*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

I’m really loving the menu today, guys. It’s got all sorts of sentiment and meaning that’s making me warm and gushy on the inside.  Or maybe because it’s 4am, I worked far over 12 hours and I just got in, and I’m starting to hallucinate just a tad.  Whatever- I’m sticking with the mushy stuff.  Laugh at me ALL YOU WANT, purple panda- just take off my bathrobe and stop drinking all my Vanilla Coke, jerk!!!  Why are my socks glowing?  BEES!!!!!

First, this month marks the third anniversary of Robicelli’s, and the second anniversary of our cupcakes.  In April of ‘09 we were pitching ideas back and forth on ways to get people into our gourmet shop during the recession, and thought about falling back on our pastry training and making cakes.  Problem is with cakes, people buy them once, maybe twice a year.  So we figured we’d make them into individual portions instead- cupcakes.  Then people would come in for those, then start getting addicted to our sandwiches and prepared foods- we thought we’d be making two dozen a week, tops.  Our first weekend, I made my famous carrot cake, and Matt made the CPB, and the rest, as you know, is history.  We’ve tweaked the recipes a bit over the past two years to make them even more delicious- we’ve gotten a lot better at what we do after 100,000+ cupcakes or so. 

Second, the entire philosophy of what we do is pretty much on display in our special Easter cupcake: “Pizza Grana”.  The correct Italian spelling of this is “Pastiera di Grano”, but in our butchered Bensonhurst-Italian dialect, it was Pizza Grana, and it was always on the dinner table during Easter.  Pizza Grana translates to “Grain Pie”, and is something like an orange-scented ricotta cheesecake filled with cooked wheatberries.  It’s not a pastry that’s had as much crossover success like the cannoli, but it’s absolutely one of my most favorite, and the fact that we only eat it once a year makes me love it even more.  Odds are, you’ve never heard of pizza grana, but this is why we do what we do.  We’re taking one of our beloved traditions and Americanizing it just enough so you’ll be brave enough to try it (besides, it’s a big commitment buying a whole pie).  I’m betting you’ll love it as much as I do.  Then maybe next Easter, you’ll go down to Villabate or Luigi’s or Veniero’s and buy an authentic Pizza Grana from one of the great Italian bakeries.  And by sharing our family’s tradition with you, we help it become a tradition with your family, too, and keep it alive for another generation. 

And finally- S’Mores. I think the entire Robicelli’s team deserves a medal for not eating all the spekuloos pudding and saving it for the cupcakes.  My favorite part about making this flavor is that it’s the only one that allows me to use a blowtorch.  I’m sure there’s probably a much easier way to make toasted marshmallow buttercream than handtorching several pans of marshmallows, but I absolutely refuse to look for one.  In fact, I may look for other ways to set our cupcakes on fire.  Anyone with ideas, let me know.  Also looking for ideas on how to use our cupcakes to travel through time. And how to make a cupcake that’s also a robot, so when the zombies attack, I can be like “Cupcakes! Defend me!” and I’ll have an army of cupcakes doing my bidding!  ACK!  MORE BEES!

Clockwise from front: Pizza Grana, S’Mores, Carrot, CPB

NEW!!!  Pizza Grana:  Italian citrus cake, ricotta & wheatberry buttercream, pie crust shards

NEW!!!  S’Mores:  Chocolate cake, spekuloos pudding, toasted marshmallow buttercream, ganache, graham cracker crumbs

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

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

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

COURT STREET GROCERS: 485 Court Street, Carroll Gardens

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 *Wild Maine Blueberry Cobbler cupcakes only*

THE BROOKLYNEER:  220 W. Houston Street, West Village

CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side

NOLITA MART: Mott Street btwn Grand & Broome, NoLIta

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

JOE: GRAND CENTRAL STATION-  Graybar Passage

SCHNITZEL AND THINGS:  Third Avenue btwn 45th & 46th Streets, Midtown

QUEENS COMFORT: 40-09 30th Ave, Astoria