#liddabit

Three big chances to see us these next few days, in the event you can't wait for our store to open in a little more than a week. Yes, you read that right. We'll be open the week of Thanksgiving, so you people should probably start following me on Twitter now so you don't miss the Britney-circa-2007 crap that will inevitably happen any day now.

TODAY: Come Be On TV With Us!

Yay TV! We're shooting a bit for VH1's Morning Buzz to air next week, and we need you guys to come down so they can shoot you guys eating cupcakes all sexy like in sloooooowwww moooootioooon. Or something like that. 

Even more exciting: the cupcakes we're making are not rotation flavors - in fact, they won't be available anywhere else but at today's shoot. So if you want to get your hands on a pumpkin cupcake filled with white chocolate cheesecake mousse, topped with bourbon caramel buttercream, and sprinkled with salted glazed pecans, you better come see us at Tazza, 72 Clark Street, in Brooklyn Heights today between 2 and 5pm.

TOMORROW: Signing & Samples at the Union Square Greenmarket

We'll be there from 11-2 singing books, answering all your holiday baking questions, and demoing some of the new pound cake flavors we'll be shipping this holiday. I've only lived in New York City, but I'm pretty confident in saying that Union Square is the greatest Greenmarket in all of America -- though last week they hosted Alice Waters and then went downhill pretty quickly by booking us as the follow-up. I'm only assuming we got the slot because 2 Chainz wasn't available, but hell, I'll take it!

SUNDAY: Singing, samples, and talking about ? at The Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza

Adding this event to the one from last week at the 92nd Street Y, all those years of public schooling, and rooting for the Yankees back in the 1980s -- I'm  thismuchcloser to the coveted "ultimate native New Yorker" belt. You better watch your back, Woody Allen!

I actually have no idea what we're going to be doing at this one yet, but there will be free cake if you get there early enough. 

After this week, the next shot you'll have at seeing us and getting a book signed is at our shop opening, which is on Monday, November 25th. More about that next week- pinky swear. Now I'm going to sleep for about 40 minuted before I wake up having a panic attack over picking the right paper towel dispensers, because that's my life now.

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

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

Chocolate Sweet Potato: Sweet potato cake, chocolate marshmallow buttercream, ganache, sugar in the raw

I don't know what to write today. I spent all of yesterday in the new shop, painting, watching the "year since Sandy" tweets and Facebook updates pop up on my phone. I painted alone in total silence, thinking of the storm, remembering the days and weeks that came afterwards.  I did a fair amount of crying. Later, some friends I made at the Bay Ridge Cares Soup Kitchen I helped establish to feed storm victims came by, which cheered me up a lot. There was a lot of good that came from such tragedy, and I'm trying to remember that.

There was plenty written about our Sandy efforts that told pieces of the story, but I never sat down and wrote about it in my own words.  It occurred to me today that I probably should, and I will tomorrow. It just doesn't feel right to sit here and pour my heart out, and end it with "And here's this weeks special limited edition candy bar themed Halloween cupcake! Yippee!"

So with that, here's this years Halloween cupcakes. They're made with all the good stuff that's supposed to be in candy, but isn't anymore because the big food bogeymen are cheaping out on ingredients. Seriously, I just ate half a bag of my favorite candy of all time, KitKats, and they tasted like wax. I also have a pretty bad tummyache, because I never freaking learn.

Coconut Bliss: Coconut cake, coconut almond buttercream, roasted almond, chocolate fudge

Twicks: Brown sugar cake, salted caramel chocolate buttercream, ganache, vanilla cookies

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

Another lazy summer Monday where I'm silently stressing out about my birthday this week.  33 this time. Yep.

Honestly, I'm cool with it. Really. Totally cool.

Cupcakes make me feel better about crap like this. Probably can make you feel better about Monday, or the heat, or the fact that we all don't live in Key West or someplace lovely like that.

Key Lime Cheesecake: Brown sugar cake, key lime curd, key lime cheesecake buttercream, graham cracker crumbs

Chocolate Merlot: Chocolate merlot cake, dark chocolate buttercream, merlot reduction, shaved chocolate

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

We've got cupcakes heading to stores today (of course), but we've got some BRAND SPANKING NEW BAKED GOODS in our online shop right this very second! Well, they're not exactly NEW per se, but you haven't seen them since last March, so there's a good chance you forgot they existed. So "brand spanking new to you baked goods" then!

First up is......

PASSOVER SEA SALT BROWNIES!  We made these last year to sell at our now-bulldozed shop at DeKalb Market (RIP 2011-2012), and the entire lot which was meant for a few days sold out in two hours. They are that delicious.

Our Passover brownies are made without flour or leavening, using all Kosher ingredients and Made-In-NYC Streit's Matzoh Meal. Since we're not in a certified kashrut facility nor are we under Rabbinical supervision, these brownies are unfortunately not kosher. However if you don't keep a kosher household, they're as kosher as anything you'd make yourself. Matt and I also have professional experience working in kashrut kitchens, meaning we inspect our eggs, bake in disposable certified pans, etc. 

You can order them through our online store, and we're going to be sending them to retail shops that want them! (And if you happen to be a retail shop we're not working with but YOU want them, check out our wholesale page)

Next....

MATT'S FAMOUS IRISH SODA BREAD! And no, your eyes are not deceiving you- those are raisins in there. We all know by now how much I despise raisins with every fiber of my being and think they should fed only to prisoners and very bad children, but they're kinda traditional in this instance and we can't fight the man. But we can fight against raisins' suckitude by using the golden variety (which for some reason I don't think are evil- if you've read this blog for any period of time you know that logic isn't my strong suit). And to fix them further, we rehydrate the raisins so they're more like their former selves as grapes. We also decided that reconstituting them in water would be boring, so instead we use Drambuie, aka "Scotch whiskey blended with honey". BOOM! CHECK OUT THOSE SKILLS, RAISINS!

If you want these shipped in time for St. Patrick's Day, you'll need to order them by 8am Tuesday morning. They'll also be turning up at select locations, like Queen City Cupcakes in Patchogue and ALC in Bay Ridge. They're wonderful sliced up and stored in the freezer, then toasted for a quick breakfast or accompaniment to a cuppa tea, or you can just eat an entire loaf whole to help stave off alcohol poisoning. After all, that's what carbs are for.   

And finally- today's cupcakes! You've got to venture out of the house to grab these, because we don't ship them. But I just checked the Weather Channel and there's no sort of snow/rain/fog/pollenpocolypse scheduled for today, so you should all be safe.

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

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

Liddabit: Chocolate cake, salted caramel nougat buttercream, roasted peanuts

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

Yesterday I found out I'm going to be an auntie, the NHL is coming back, AND I got to go to the Big Apple Circus- it was the most AMAZING day of my year so far! Totally better than Saturday when I sat in my pajamas and worked on the book all day. Or Friday when I did pretty much the same damn thing, but with chips and dip.

You have absolutely NO IDEA how happy I was here, and not just because I had 2 bags of cotton candy. You also cannot possibly understand how amazing this circus was. Go. Go now. It closes on Saturday, and you don't even need kids to have an excuse to go. Hell- I really think it's far better as an adult. My kids are looking at these guys spinning through the air without a net and saying "That's AWESOME! I could TOTALLY do that!". Matt and I are looking at these guys and going "SWEET JESUS! THE HUMAN BODY SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT!"

Seriously- watch this video. Go to the 1:40 mark.

How do you even figure out your body can do that?!?!?!

We are extremely proud to be able to support the circus through our company- not just because it was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life (there may have been a lot of crying), but also because the Big Apple Circus is a non-profit organization (who knew?). The circus itself supports all their other work, such as performing in pediatric hospitals and nursing homes, teaching performance skills to at-risk youth both in American inner cities as well as in third world countries, free specially-designed shows for children with vision and hearing impairments, free shows for disabled children, and more.

For all those worried about their animals- you should know the circus treats their animals extremely well, and all their dogs are rescues. This isn't just from a press release- they took me back to stables to see for myself, and they were the cleanest, most odorless stables I've ever seen. And I got to pet and kiss all the horseys and tell them how much I loved them! And then I started hysterically crying in front of all the performers and I'm pretty sure they were laughing at me. They're just jaded because they get to pet horseys all the time and don't realize how magical they are.

And they freaking curtsy!!!

If you decide to give a charitable donation to the Big Apple Circus this year to help support all their incredible work, you will get some amazing perks like interactions with the other non-horsey performers, gala receptions, invitations to rehearsals, AND it's tax deductible. It's like getting one of the most incredible moments of your entire life for almost-free. 

Now go make yourself super giddy and eat some cupcakes! They always make you happy, don't they? And really- try to get to the circus this week. They're also coming back around to NJ in a couple of months, so you'll get a second chance if you're just too dang popular this week.

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

Southern Belle: Banana bourbon cake, vanilla buttercream, brown butter bourbon glazed pecans

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