Cupcakes in Philly, an Embarrassment of Riches

Cupcakes are everywhere. And we've rarely met a treat we didn't like, especially a pretty, nicely-portioned, eat-with-your-hands-but-not-like-a-barbarian-cake. Good thing Philly is well stocked with cupcake providers.....

We enjoyed this sixpack from Buttercream Philly Cupcake Truck. 
And were thrilled to learn that they will be opening an actual shop in August.  Stay tuned for details; we heard the location is Pennsport.

Buttercream Cupcake Truck's Selection

We had a lovely encounter with one half of the Cupcake Wonderland Team at South Street's New Market.    We sidled up after dinner, around 9pm just as the Market was closing down.  We chatted briefly with Nima, who was utterly charming, and even as the lights were shut off, he stayed to make sure we got the cupcakes we wanted.  He was terribly apologetic that he wasn't able to decorate the cupcakes properly--what with it being pitch dark by then, but he did scatter a few Spiderman oatmeal cookies on the cakes for some additional pizzazz.

A Cupcake Wonderland Cupcakes--Cupcake War Champions!

We're huge fans of Cookie Confidential--their push pops are a perfect pick me up.  The novelty packaging is great, and the small size of the cupcakes makes them ideal for, well, everything.

You can never go wrong with treats from Brown Betty.  With locations in Northern Liberties, and Liberty Place and a wide assortment of amusingly named cakes ("Company's Comin'" is a personal fave) these are always a hit.  They are generously portioned, so I'm a fan of cutting them in half.

Brown Betty Cupcakes

And no cupcake post would be complete without mentioning Flying Monkey.  Their lemon-filled cupcake puts me in a swoon.  Pistachio, too.

Flying Monkey's Bouquet (photographed by Albert Yee)

Which is YOUR favorite?

Goody Baskets of Eggs...

The Reading Terminal Market was in the news, or should we say "on" the news this morning when FOX Philly's Good Morning show turned the spotlight on the Market's Easter related produce.

Researchers for the show ran round the Market, scooping up anything vaguely egg-shaped and this is what their scouts came up with....

This cookie basket is filled with real hard boiled eggs, creating a traditional tablepiece - and talking point - for Easter. 

Made by Termini Bros. in Reading Terminal Market, these Easter decorations are also available made from a brioche-like bread.  Termini's sells this Easter bread in a number of entertaining shapes including a colorful braided ring and a leaping bunny rabbit.


Fair Food Farmstand is always the first port of call if you're seeking fresh farm eggs.  Take your pick.  They stock regular chicken eggs, duck eggs and oversized goose eggs.

If you're looking for something special for Easter weekend, feast your eyes on these delicate and naturally colored eggs.  The beautiful pale green/blue eggs are laid by a heritage breed of chicken, the Americana.  The eggs taste just the same, but really are a treat to behold. 

As a fan of quails' eggs, we were hoping to try out Chef Ottolenghi's Royal Potato Salad (with quails eggs) this Easter weekend.  Unfortunately Fair Food are out of stock until next week, so that will just have to wait...


Oh well. 

Cue one great excuse to console oneself with an Easter themed treat from Flying Monkey: 

This chocolate cupcake with its pastel buttercream icing contains a hidden surprise.  Embedded in the cake itself is another little treat - a gem of a chocolate mini  egg from Zitners, of course!

And, if this wasn't enough, don't forget all the Easter goodies to be found at the Pennsylvania General Store.

They'll even custom ice a message on their chocolate Easter eggs for you.  But be quick.  They're selling like hot cakes.

We'll have an 8oz Asher's Dark Chocolate Egg with Buttercream Filling - as you're asking...

Sweet Treats in the Market

Baking Season is upon us, and recipes are flying.  But some of us are just not bakers.  Never fear; deprivation need not be your destiny.  Reading Terminal Market is a mecca for treats the year round, but especially as the holidays approach.....

Termini's Tiramisu Cake is a perpetual favorite.

Flying Monkey's Pumpple Cake is justifiably world famous..

Photograph by Albert Yee

Pumpkin Pie from Market Bakery....it isn't just for Thanksgiving any more!

Chocoholic?  Try Metropolitan Bakery's Chocolate Guinness Stout Cake.

Bieler's Bakery has a staggering selection....

Pennsylvania General Store stocks a wide variety of cookies, chocolates, and other treats.

And for those of you who do bake, stay tuned.  We'll be featuring plenty of ideas for homemade treats in upcoming posts!

Flying Monkey Patisserie - A Cupcake Lover's Fantasy

photo courtesy of Albert Yee/Flying Monkey

The Flying Monkey Bakery has become a cult and for good reason.

(photo courtesy of Albert Yee/Flying Monkey)

Owner Elizabeth Halen, a self taught baker, bakes up treats which range from the homely - oatmeal chocolate chip is a stalwart - to the downright exotic (people emote orgiastically about her Elvis cake, a divine combo of peanut butter and banana, and her ever expanding range of whoopie pies).  






Words can't do justice to the divine Elvis Cake



Elizabeth is an inspirational baker, but this was not her original vocation, as she explains:

"I was an academic most of my working life; I spent six years at Temple University teaching Sociology and Statistics, but I had lots of part-time jobs to support my way through college. I then worked for friends in Northern Liberties who let me use their restaurant to try out my baking recipes."

"My Mother was a good baker and I always liked to watch food being made on TV.  I like experimenting with food.  I didn't go to cookery school; I went through the school of trial and error..."

Elizabeth shares the story of one of her recent creations - a Summer Pummple Cake:  "We took our enormously popular Fall/Winter version (pumpkin and apple pies baked inside of cake) and made seasonal changes to the recipe.

The end result which comprises a blueberry pie, baked inside a vanilla cake, and a cherry pie which is baked inside chocolate cake, is causing a ripple on Twitter!

Summer Pummple Cake (photo courtesy of Flying Monkey)

Flying Monkey Patisseries is equally famous for its whoopie pies, which according to Elizabeth were developed "based on the recipes that I grew up loving. I had to adjust the quantities and some of the ingredients for commercial baking though and I also wanted a seasonal emphasis." 

This theme runs through many of her cosmic creations; Elizabeth likes to change it up to reflect new seasonal ingredients as they hit the Reading Terminal Market. 

Flavors range from Lavender to Cherry Limeade - anything is possible! 

Elizabeth tries to source all her produce from other vendors in the Market, including Iovines Brothers, the Spice Merchant and she gets all her candy from the Pennsylvania General Store: "By keeping it in the Market, we can guarantee that we are using fresh, all natural ingredients in our cakes," says Elizabeth.

The Flying Monkey team are always innovating.  One of the cleverest innovations that Elizabeth has introduced is the use of pumpkin or veggie purees to replace butter in her whoopie pie cookies, as she explains: "We do this for additional moisture, not to reduce the fat, although this is an added bonus."


We asked Flying Monkey to share what she's learned from her "school of trial and error" experiences.  As a master baker, what are her golden rules?

1. "Use cake flour when appropriate.  Because it has a higher milling, it has a finer crumb and makes for a lighter cake.  All purpose flour is still better suited for some recipes, however.

2. Both butter and eggs need to be at room temperature before you add other ingredients to them,  Baking is a chemical process, it's important to observe this principle in order to emulsify ingredients (that is blend the fat and other ingredients correctly). 

3. Remember you are trying to incorporating air - this is the science part of baking...along with the emulsification process!

4. It's common sense but a few materials are reactive.  Some baking equipment is better suited for some tasks; I prefer to use stainless steel and copper for example, as they help egg whites whip into a nice froth," so says Elizabeth.

*** Meanwhile, I must dash, planning to sample the Bakery's newest addition to its whoopie pie collection - the oatmeal caramel whoopie pie.  By the way, do YOU know why whoopie pies are so named?

According to Elizabeth and the folks from Lancaster County, PA, whoopie pies were developed for a workman's lunch.  It was non-messy, a kind of cake-like sandwich, and when the workman threw open his lunch box and viewed its contents, especially this tasty whoopie cake, they'd stand up and shout "whoopie"!

There you have it.

Favorite Bakeries in Philadelphia

Philadelphia boasts a wealth of wonderful bakeries, and that is good news for those of us with a sweet tooth.

We've been talking cakes of late, but we recognize that this heat can be a significant deterrent to baking.  Unless you opt to do your baking early in the morning or late at night when the temperatures are slightly cooler, you may feel that you yourself are cooking along with your dessert.  Even when you avoid the heat of the day, the weather of late has been rather steamy, so turning on the oven is simply not tempting.

Fortunately for us,  there are plenty of local places to procure a delicious cake without the swelter of your kitchen...

In Reading Terminal Market alone, there is an enormous selection of baked goods....

Termini's--we liked this chocolate glaze cake: a chocolate cake topped with a vanilla glaze and chocolate drizzle.   This is only one of dozens of tasty treats created by Termin's.

Flying Monkey offers a veritable bouquet of cupcakes and other treats; if you think they look good wait til you taste them.

Flying Monkey Cupcake Assortment [photo used with their permission]

Metropolitan Bakery, known predominantly for their artisan breads, is no slouch in the dessert department--as demonstrated by their chocolate torte and fruit tart.

Bieler's Bakery offers a staggering array of choices...

While we are rabidly devoted to Reading Terminal Market, we do stray from there occasionally.  In such cases, Brown Betty Bakery fills our need for sweets.   We brought a dozen of their justly famous cupcakes to a friend's house for dinner last weekend, thus assuring that we will be invited back soon.

And if you are looking for fancy, nobody maneuvers fondant like Allison's Cups and Cakes.  There is no sculpture, no shape, no theme too ambitious for Allison; she has of course, created beautiful, traditional multi-tiered wedding cakes adorned with flowers.  But that is the tip of the iceberg.  She once made a cake shaped like stacked Tiffany boxes (in the signature blue, of course) with 'jewels' spilling out of them.  With equal skill and attention to detail, she has sculpted a transformers, Elmo, Hello Kitty, a Louis Vuitton bag and dozens of other awe-inspiring cakes that are (almost) too beautiful to eat.

One of Allison's simpler creations, a spider cake for Halloween.

So, if cake is your wish but turning your oven on is your dread, Philly's got you covered.

What's your favorite bakery?

Putting a Spin on Eggs...



Delicate quail eggs and more intense goose eggs are now in season at  the Fair Food Farmstand 



Having devoured a wonderful Lindt chocolate bunny on Easter Sunday, and smashed a cascerone on the head of my son, daughter, and bemused husband (being British, we're new to this particular Easter tradition from Mexico), it seemed fitting to turn our attention to the humble egg - a key ingredient in so many of our favorite dishes.

Thanks to the ladies at Reading Terminal Market, who painted and directed these confetti filled eggs (cascerones) to raise money for charities that assist children who are afflicted with AIDS. 

Over the next two weeks, we'll be sharing our favorite egg recipes, ranging from the sweet to the savory, while spotlighting the array of egg-based dishes available at the Market -- of course we had to start at the beginning with breakfasts on Wednesday this week!

Our Very Own Treasure Hunt
 Before embarking on this culinary venture, we took a light-hearted look at the eggs we spotted on an (Easter) egg hunt around the Market last week...

The lads at Profi's Creperie, were only too happy to rustle up a crepe for us.  Apparently this chicken, spinach, tomato crepe, with a sprinkling of mozarella, is their lunchtime best-seller:

We topped off the crepe with a lemon curd cupcake from Flying Monkey Patisserie.  This divine cupcake, topped with a light buttercream, just oozed the most delicious lemon filling when we cut it in half.    

Now we know why they need so many pallets of eggs!

Also, an honorable mention to the freshly cooked Japanese omelet, crammed with chicken, from Tokyo Sushi Bar. While we didn't actually get a chance to sample it, the chef assured us it was very tasty - it certainly smelled exquisite...

 

One thing we just had to try was A.J.Pickle Patch's pickled eggs.  Stained a very pretty purple-ly color (a result of them being pickled with the sweet baby beets), these eggs are good! 

We polished them off for lunch the next day, but could imagine them being chopped up and featuring in a very interestingly colored egg mayo salad. We may try this sometime during the Summer...

Following this egg hunt, we dipped into some of the traditions and folklore associated with eggs at Easter time.   Why are eggs are so closely tied to Easter?  

In Christian lore, the egg is viewed as being symbolic of the Resurrection - a symbol of rebirth, the cycle of Life and renewal.   Since medieval times, birds eggs have been painted bright, Spring-like colors, and given as gifts to friends and family.  In the course of our research, we cracked open some of the odd-ball customs associated with the non-chocolate kind of Easter eggs - many of these, such as egg-rolling, originate in Europe and the U.K.  My particular favorite - and I'm indebted to Mandy Barrow, writing on the website British Life and Culture for her insights here http://www.projectbritain.com/easter/eggs.html is egg jarping. 

Yes, that's right; there is apparently a sport called "egg jarping" in the UK.  This contest entails opponents bashing their eggs together - much like you would play the game of conkers (where you take the nut from a horse chestnut tree, bake it 'til hard, thread a string through it and then you have your weapon ready to play "Conkers".)  We're assuming that the game of jarping involves hard-boiled eggs...
 

On the subject of hard boiled eggs, we stumbled across this irreverant egg timer and toast stamper combination in Amy's Place, the cookshop at the Market.  Having cooked your perfectly timed egg, you can accompany it with a miraculous image of the Madonna, courtesy of this "Holy Toast" duo. 

We just might give this one a try!



The Apple of His Eye

So Michele is obviously the apple of Barack's eye, evidenced by the fact that while at work he thought of her and brought her home a treat--four Gala apples, to be exact, from the Fair Food Farmstand.  Wasn't that the coolest thing that he stopped at Our Market?

Which brings us to this week's contest:  Write a caption for this photo--be clever, be witty, and remember our overall theme:  food and love.  Email entries by Wednesday, October 6.  Winner will be announced Friday October 8.  And yes, you will win a prize!  Here it is...a book about Inter Courses (We mean entrees and appetisers -- this is PG-rated after all.)

President Obama's offering got us thinking about spouses and gifts.  We heartily encourage gifts from spouses, and of course we love apples, but if our spouses hoped to woo us, well, a bag of apples just wouldn't do the trick.  There are many other delectables that would serve their purposes better, especially in the culinary Mecca of Reading Terminal Market.

Here are our top five:
1.  Chocolates by Mueller's Dark Chocolate Cashew Turtles
2.  Cheese (Tallegio, Pecorino, and Belladonna, perhaps)  from Salumeria or Downtown Cheese
3.  Red Velvet Cupcakes from Flying Monkey
4.  Pretzels from Miller's Twist
5.  Fried Chicken from Delilah's



What are your go-to foods when trying to pave the road to your beloved's heart?