Category Archives: Bakeries

Beauteous Bundts

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Definitely not your average bundt cake.

You know how when you’re a kid, you have all the time in the world, but just don’t know it?

When I was a kid, I loved to bake cakes. Layer cakes. With homemade frosting, all done up with elaborate swirls, sprinkles, and flowers.

Heck, I had the time then.

Now? Forget about it.

Nowadays, if I do bake a cake, it’s apt to be a no-nonsense springform-pan variety or the reliable bundt-style.

So when Nothing Bundt Cakes came calling, offering to send a sample for me to try, my first thought was: “Really? A bakery that makes nothing but bundt cakes? Why on earth?”

After all, bundts are one of the quickest and easiest of cakes to make. Would people really opt to buy these, rather than fancy layer cakes enrobed in pastel fondant or airy meringue buttercream if they were going to the trouble and expense of buying a cake?

Marble bundt cake

When the doorbell rang and the cakes arrived, I understood why they would.

Why, of course, if they got a bundt cake that looked like this: Dressed up with a big, bright yellow sunflower bursting from its center, and thick ripples of ivory cream cheese frosting cascading down it. A precious card and butterfly magnet perched atop it all upped the cute factor even more.

Sure, it looked amazing. But was it merely a bimbo cake — all looks and no substance underneath? One taste would determine that.

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Kara’s Cupcakes Opens In Napa

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Chocolate cupcakes. (Photo courtesy of Kara's Cupcakes)

If you think Napa is all about wine, wine, and more wine, well, it still is. But now, you can get your fix of cupcakes there, too.

Kara’s Cupcakes has opened in the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa.

Now, if you need a pick-me-up after wine-tasting, head over to Kara’s for a Fleur de Sel (chocolate cupcake with caramel filling, and ganache frosting sprinkled with sea salt) or Kara’s Karrot (carrot cupcake with tangy, thick cream cheese frosting).

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Green Velvet Cupcake

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Green, it is! (Photo courtesy of Sprinkles Cupcakes)

Yes, it’s what you think it is: A Red Velvet cupcake shaded green instead.

It’s a special St. Patrick’s Day cupcake that will be featured at Sprinkles  Cupcakes for the holiday. Priced at $3.25, it’s available now through March 17.

For even more St. Patrick’s fun, Sprinkles also is offering an Irish Chocolate Cupcake at the same price. It’s a Belgian dark chocolate cake topped with Bailey’s Irish cream cheese frosting, and a green shamrock.

At Kara’s Cupcakes in Palo Alto and San Franciso, all the cupcakes will get a dash of green.

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Teacake Cupcakes

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Teacake Bake Shop cupcakes. Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with dulce de leche frosting in foreground.

As with politics, when you have two opposing viewpoints, you listen intently, weighing both sides to form your own opinion.

Call this then the politics of cupcakes.

When my sis-in-law Jennifer urged me to try the cupcakes at Teacake Bake Shop, I was eager to do so, especially when she heard my teeth were practically disintegrating from all those achingly sweet frosting bombs at so many other bakeries.

But when Single Guy Chef got wind of that recommendation, he cautioned me that he had found Teacake’s cupcakes just so-so.

Hmmmm, hmmm, I thought.

So what was a Food Gal to do except try some for herself, right? So recently, my hubby and I made our way to the Emeryville location (Teacake also has branches in Corte Madera and Lafayette). Each day, about nine or so different cupcakes are available.

We toted home a Pink Velvet with cream cheese frosting, a Chocolate Sour Cream with dulce de leche buttercream, and a Peanut Butter with peanut butter buttercream.

The cupcakes ($3 each) are pretty, decorated simply with a clean, modern sensibility. I took a bite of the Pink Velvet. My sis-in-law was correct that the frosting was not overly sweet, and actually had a nice tang from the cream cheese. The cake itself was not super strong in cocoa-flavor, and the texture a little dry.

Pink Velvet.

The chocolate cupcake was fudgy tasting, and the frosting was thick, creamy, and tasted dreamily of caramel. But again, the cake was a little on the dry side.

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