Holidays-a-coming

Take the Cake is taking orders for the holidays!


Cupcakes and
Mini Cupcakes

Vanilla Cake with Vanilla or Chocolate Buttercream
Vegan Vanilla
Vanilla Coconut
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla or Chocolate Buttercream
Vegan Chocolate
Triple Chocolate (dark chocolate ganache-filled chocolate cake)
Mexican Chocolate (cinnamon, almond and a dash of cayenne)
S’Mores (marshmallow Buttercream, graham cracker and chocolate)
Hummingbird (sour cream cake with pineapple, bananas and pecans)
Pumpkin-Ginger with Maple Buttercream
Vegan Chai Spice with Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Gingerbread Lemon

Breads
Brioche Braid Loaf
Sourdough Rolls

Cakes
Pumpkin Roll (cream cheese filling)
Carrot spice (3 layers of cake with cream cheese frosting)
Chocolate (3 layers of cake with chocolate frosting)
Tiramisu (Italy’s famous dessert in cake form)
Gingerbread Roll (lemon curd filling)
Apple Spice (3 layers of cake with caramel frosting)

Cookies
Large tray with an assortment of Take the Cake’s best cookies like Chocolate Chip Cranberry, Gingerbread Ladies and Gents, and Millionaire’s Shortbread. Gluten-Free options available on request.

Tarts
Your holiday favorites in tart form:
Apple or Pear Almond
Sweet Potato
Cranberry Pecan

Brunch and Breakfast Pastries
Scone and Muffin Tray
Biscuits
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Sticky Buns
Deluxe Breakfast Basket ( a little of everything and something for everyone!)

Pick up an order form at the City Market on Saturdays or call or email your order..
828.712.3157/ info@takethecakeasheville.com

Looking back at our first year

Last Saturday was the one year anniversary of Take the Cake being in business. I'm very excited to be in business for myself and absolutely love what I do. Baking can be a little monotonous at times, but there is always something different going on. Wondering what my meringue will do sitting out in 90% humidity for 3 hours(I can have a pretty good guess at that one), trying to get the perfect proof on my brioche, always keeps me engaged and interested. Since so much of baking is science, it appeals to my analytical side, and making multi-coloured fondant cutouts and piping the perfect "Happy Birthday" fulfills my creative drive. So I'm proud to say that I've made it this far and thanks to the help and support of my wonderful family and friends, the business just keeps growing. The first week we were at the Market last year we came home with many, many unsold cupcakes and not much money. Now I've got a following of loyal customers that I see each week at the City Market and it makes me feel great to know that the food I create makes people happy.
I'm still learning alot-like "guerilla marketing" using Facebook, Twitter and other free resources (hello Blogging!) Although the thought of having a retail space is really appealling at times, I've also learned that, for me, spending time with my daughter is more important than running a cupcake shop and selling to the public once or twice a week is plenty for me right now. So, thanks to everyone who has supported Take the Cake and hopefully we'll be here for many years to come!

Time for Best of Asheville Survey!

...and , ahem, while I wouldn't expect to win, it would be nice to get an honorable mention as best bakery in Asheville. So...if you've tried a cupcake, a sticky bun or tart and loved it or just really liked it, please consider voting for Take the Cake as your favorite Bakery! And if you ever got a bouquet of flowers from our wonderful friends at Spotted Dog Farm that brightened your day, please vote for them as your favorite farm. Here's the link to the survey. It's a chance to let your voice be heard on what you love and what you hate about our fair city.

I've been scrambling to put together a new menu for the summer (better late than never) between toddler naps, toddler illnesses, laundry and baking and I think I'm happy with it. Summer is the absolute most exciting season for us culinary people. The sheer abundance and variety of fresh fruits, veggies and herbs is such an inspiration. I've been putting basil in everything it seems, from salads to ice cream and had to do a basil cupcake. I've also included peaches, lavender and zucchini in the new menu. Here it is....

Take the Cake Summer Menu


Cupcakes A-Go-Go
$2.50 each/ $24.00 a dozen

Vanilla Cake Vanilla Buttercream or Dark Chocolate Buttercream*
Vegan Vanilla Cake Vegan Chocolate Frosting*
Vanilla Coconut*

Chocolate Cake Vanilla Buttercream*
Vegan Chocolate with Vegan Chocolate Frosting*
Triple Chocolate*
Mexican Chocolate

Vegan Cinnamon French Toast
Almond Green Tea
S’Mores
Hummingbird
Tiramisu

Seasonal Specials
Carrot-Zucchini Ginger with Cream Cheese Icing
Vanilla Peach*
Lemon Basil
Margarita (lime/orange with lime Buttercream)
Honey Lavender blueberry

*Gluten-Free available. Add .25



Breakfast and More…

Brioche aTete $2.50 each
Brioche Sticky Buns $3.00
Scones $2.00
Sour Cream Coffee Cake $2.25
Blueberry Almond Muffins $1.75
Cheese Herb Biscuits $1.50


Espresso Brownies $2.00
Lavender-Rosemary Sugar Cookies (GF)$1.50
White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookie $1.50

Peach Berry Tart
Chocolate Raspberry Tart
Lemon Meringue Tart

For Celebrating

6 or 9 inch cakes
Carrot Cake
GF Carrot Cake
Vegan Chocolate Cake
GF Chocolate Cake
Lemon Cake
Orange Cream Cake
Vanilla Cake
Apple Spice Cake

Fillings
Strawberry
Praline
Chocolate Ganache
Lemon Curd
Pastry Cream
Buttercream

Cakes start at $16.00

Taking a Break from Cupcakes? Or, How I spent my Vacation at the Vet

Well we had big plans for a fun family vacation at the beach this week. Soundfront house with a pool, maybe some kayaking, definitely some lounging and frolicking in the surf. I was looking forward to some free babysitting from B's aunt, grandparents and cousins and perhaps (gasp!) a date with my husband! But as the time to pack it up and go approached, I completely talked myself out of it. Driving to the Outer Banks on July 4th weekend?? How crazy is that? And with a toddler whose moods change from sunny to Defcon 5 in a mere moment! We promised we'd plan an off-season beach adventure and take this week to relax, clean..or so we thought. It started Monday morning when my cat started twitching uncontrollably and acting generally bizarre. We brought him into our Vet who diagnosed him with poisoning from the dogs' flea treatment. Who knew that Advantix is extremeley toxic to felines? So while Sebastian was recuperating at the hospital, our beagle was not eating, losing weight, depressed. It had actually been going on since the weekend, but I was hoping he'd shake it off in a couple of days. We brought him in and the Vet took some blood tests which came back not good. So we're waiting to see what exactly is wrong and Skeeter is now at the hospital and Sebastian is home. I'm so grateful we decided against going away or the poor petsitter would have had a horrible time and we'd be 10 hours away.

I have found time this week to work on a new menu. It's using some of the wonderful produce of the summer season and I hope to introduce some new flavors at the City Market in the next few weeks.

Tribute to Vanilla

Seeing as how the 4th of July is almost upon us and that means pie with vanilla ice cream, vanilla frosting on cakes with blueberry and strawberry American flags and, ummm, creme brulee? Well maybe save that for Bastille Day. Anyway I thought I'd write a little about the most popular flavor out there and also the second most expensive spice next to saffron-vanilla!

Reading up on the process of growing and commercially producing vanilla beans I was extremely humbled. "They have to do all that for one little vanilla pod?" I thought with a twinge of guilt, though I like to think I treat each vanilla bean I use with an appropriate amount of reverance. Apparently the only natural pollinator of the orchids that produce the aromatic beans are a specific breed of bee only living in Mexico, which means all other locations producing vanilla (mainly areas in Africa, French Polynesia and other tropical locales) need to hand pollinate each delicate flower within 12 hours of it opening. Though a vine may have 20 flowers, only 5-6 are pollinated to maintain quality. The ripe pods are harvested daily to ensure that each individual one is at the peak of perfection. They then go through several procedures for curing, taking weeks before showing up in your Ben and Jerry's. For a real treat, vanilla lovers can partake of the Golden Opulence Sundae at Serendipity 3 in New York. A Tahitian vanilla ice cream covered in the world's most expensive chocolate and gold leaf will cost $1000. But you do get to keep the crystal sundae dish!

Gluten-Free Cupcakes:You win some, you lose some

Some Gluten-Free desserts are decadent treats so rich and satisfying, you never miss the wheat (I'm thinking mainly of flourless chocolate torte, oh yes) Then there are the desserts like the cupcakes I made today. Heavy, misshapen little blobs that actually have a pretty good flavor if you can get past the aesthetics of them. But they're not fluffy and perfectly domed on top like my Gluten-Full cupcakes. I put strawberry puree in the batter, hoping to get a lovely pink color, but ended up with a pinkish grey-ehh! They may still make it to market if I can manage to "pimp" them out with some fluffy frosting and strawberry syrup. In the meantime, I'll keep experimenting with different flours-I prefer the kind I can make myself, like nut flours, to the pricey Bob's Red Mill fancy flours, but a blend of different flours seem to yield the best results

This weekend is Father's Day and I'll have some whole cakes available for celebrating with Dad on Sunday. The Mountain Artisan Festival is taking place at the market as well and we're looking forward to meeting some new people and hopefully making a few fans.

Philly Cupcakes and Summer's Coming...

I took a couple of weeks off from baking to visit my mom in Philadelphia. Being back in a big city with my toddler was so much fun. We found a great playground complete with an old fashioned carousel that Bea fell in love with. Since I couldn't bake I figured I would taste what the city had to offer in cupcakes. I went to a bakery in the suburbs called Red Velvet Bakery and tried 4 different flavors (not all at once.) Your basic chocolate vanilla variations and a Boston Cream (my favorite dessert) I wasn't blown away, but the chocolate frosting was quite satisfying. I tried a vanilla cupcake with fluffy coconut and vanilla frosting at a cafe simply called Cake in the Chesnut Hill area of Philly. Mmmmmm. The cake was just sweet enough and light in texture. The frosting was wonderful. I wish my visit could have been extended by a day or two so I could've tried some more cake from Cake.

Well summer is right around the corner and I'm getting ready to create my summer menu. Basil, lavender, carrots, zucchini and peaches will be featured for sure. Having the pick of fresh local produce from the tailgate markets comes in really handy when trying to bake with seasonal flavors. So keep on the look out-and you just might see those bacon cupcakes too!

Market Photos and Mother's Day

The City Market has been a great time so far. Love the music, the people and the huge selection of local produce, cheese, meats, flowers and of course, baked goods. And Cupcakes a-go-go are a hit! We're really thankful to all the folks that have come by and tried a cupcake or 2, 0r 3!
As Mother's Day approaches, we want to remind everyone that locally made yummy treats make moms happy! Along with cupcakes and other baked goods this Saturday we will also offer 6 inch layer cakes for the mom in your life. Reserve one by special order this week or just come by and pick one up. Carrot, Red Velvet and Grasshopper (chocolate-mint) will be on offer at market.

What a Great Day for an Outdoor Market!

Well it's officially Spring in Asheville. The tailgate markets have begun and we couldn't have asked for a better day to be out, seeing our friends from last year and introducing many new folks to Cupcakes A-Go-Go. The minis were a hit with kids and adults alike. Looks like the Sticky Buns and Scones are going to be fast sellers, so we'll try to make more for the later crowd. Many people weren't familiar with the Hummingbird cake, but as soon as we described it to them (sour cream vanilla cake with bananas, pineapple and pecans) they snatched one or two up for themselves or a friend. It was a wonderful day. Thanks to all the market patrons!

Countdown to Market Opening Day!

We are really excited around here about market starting back up in 5 days. Maybe a little apprehensive about how we're going to handle a very mobile, very independent little person this year. I almost pine for the times when we could set her, car seat and all on the ground and set up around her. We were very blessed last year to have as market neighbors an adopted grandma and grandpa for Bea. They sold goat milk soap and were always there to hold her when I needed a hand. It will be interesting to see what happens now that she can take off in a blink of an eye.

We will have mini cupcakes on hand for those with a petite sweet tooth and those who want to try us out without making a big commitment. Our Cheese Biscuits, Parisian Brioche and Brioche Sticky Buns are back and we've added Cream Cheese Brownies, a classic. I've done so much online research on cupcake flavors the past few months, trying to keep up with the trends but stay true to my vision. One trend that definitely piqued my interest was bacon in cupcakes. So stay tuned for a "breakfast" cupcake of some kind. I hope to see our regular customers again this Saturday and meet many many new ones.

New Season New Flavors!

I've been doing a ton of administrative type work for Take the Cake since we are in the "off-season" and I was kind of winging it last year. I seemed to be spending every Friday night before market typing up signs, laminating, washing tablecloths. I want this year to run a little more smoothly. But I have also found time to create a new menu for the spring. I am really excited about trying some new flavors to reflect the warmer months. I held on to the year-round favorites like Tiramisu and Mexican Chocolate of course! I'm also excited about starting 6" cakes for the market. Many times, people came by our booth looking for something special for a dinner or party. Now they can take 1 or 2 yummy cakes that feed about 6-8 people each (flavors follow below.)

Cupcake flavors:
Vegan Chocolate-Strawberry with Strawberry Frosting

Cappuccino with Dark Chocolate Ganache Topping

Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Vegan Dulce de Leche with Caramel Topping

Cherry-vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Lemon Buttermilk with Vanilla Buttercream

Vegan Banana with Mocha “cream cheese” Frosting

Gluten-free vanilla with peanut butter frosting

Vegan Spelt Carrot with “Cream Cheese” Frosting

Vegan Vanilla

Tiramisu (Espresso-Kahlua soaked vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting and filling)

Chocolate Cookie

Cake Flavors:
Flourless Chocolate

Flourless Apple Cake

Seasonal Cheesecake

Red Velvet Cake

Carrot Cake

Orange Cream Cake

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Chocolate-Mint Grasshopper Cake