We have had quite a week here at Casa Del Tarts. We played with a few new recipes; a favourite being a sour cherry and apple layer cake, but we are still working on the frosting. We had meetings out the ying yang. We were featured in The Evening Standard. Now the weekend looms and OD is packing his bag for home. His father is celebrating his birthday this week. Otis, Mabel and I will hold down the fort while he is away. OD did make up another batch of pulled pork before he got on the plane. So we will have more pulled pork sandwiches this weekend. We also have caramel apple cheesecake and carrot whoopee pies at the shop.

This weekend at the markets we have:

Marble Bundts
Lemon Drizzle Bundts
Coffee Walnut Brownies
Orange Blossom Brownies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Malt Layer Cake
Caramel Apple Cheesecake

If the weather is dampening your weekend outing, you can always come see us at the shop.

Have a great weekend and we hope to see you out and about this weekend.

Since I was holed up for a day suffering from a cold, I was able to watch some overnight action of the Olympics. I watched the speed skating, the woman's downhill (why were they all falling?) and the men's figure skating...really it's just too easy I am not going to comment. Well maybe just one, who knew the sequined one glove look was back in style for men.

A day at home did allow me to work on some new savory ideas with OD. Our meat supplier got us a fantastic shoulder of pork, which we slow roasted to make pulled pork and caramelized onion mac and cheese. OD whipped up some of our barbeque sauce and on Saturday we will be doing pulled pork sandwiches at the shop. We will also have cheddar broccoli cornbread pie. Sweet wise you will just have to pop by to see.

At the markets this weekend we have a unique assortment of treats:

Green Tea Chocolate Cake
Espresso Layer Cake

Chocolate Whoopies
Vanilla Strawberry Whoopies

Oreo Brownies
Snickers Brownies

Praline Cheesecake

Nut Job cookies
Triple Chocolate Cookies

Enjoy the weekend and we hope to see you out and about.

p.s. Terri if you are reading this, we have the mo' better cheddar now, but come quick I have already eaten 3 bags myself...

Someone actually complained about the music playing in the shop today. The dulcet tones of Randy Travis were wafting around the shop at the time. I did turn the volume down, but I kept singing along.

We always disagree on what to play, down in the kitchen and up on the shop floor. In the kitchen there are 4 of us; each with their own taste. Of course the best is my country collection, I mean what could be better than baking southern biscuit muffins to Alabama's "song of the south"? Huda has a Michael Jackson Greatest Hits CD that she pops in every chance she gets. Ed enjoys trance/dance music, which is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. OD will listen to anything, but country. I mean he put Westlife on my ipod; I ask you, how on earth is that better than the Johnson Mountain Boys? Even with all the fights for control of the ipod, we manage to turn out product. This week (did you see that seamless segue) our markets have:

NY Crumb Cake
Lemon Drizzle Layer Cakes with lemon creamcheese frosting
Chocolate Fudge Cake

Oatmeal Whoopies
Red Velvet Whoopies
Pride of Iowa Cookies
White Chocolate macadamia and ginger Brownies
Mexican Chocolate Brownies
Peanutbutter Pie
Peanutbutter Candy (now this will only be available at Richmond Farmer's Market which I will be working this week. I know contain your excitement. It has been weeks since we have done a market ourselves and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.)

If you would like to pop by the shop instead, OD has whipped up a batch of his Chicken Salad and created some tasty Turkey Sausage Rolls. I made some strawberry chocolate cheesecake brownies and on Sunday will have a Strawberry Pudding layer cake.

Come on out and see us this weekend!

Well that time of the month is here again...some of you love it; others can't wait for it to be over. Well for those that hate cupcake day at the markets, you can come by the shop and sample some blueberry cheesecake, multiple whoopies including the salted caramel, mint brownies, coconut streusel. For those lacking a sweet tooth (is there such a creature?) we have mac and cheese with a spicy pork streusel or our cajun sausage rolls to name a couple. OYE! we are in the shop right now and OD is going on and on about the quiche he made today. How can anyone concentrate with that going on. It does look fantastic, but his head is big enough.

Cupcake Day menu for the markets

Red Velvet Whoopies (I know I know they are not technically cupcakes but they are oh so much better)
Salted Caramel Whoopies
Oatmeal Whoopies

Filled cupcakes
Triple Chocolate
Lemon Blueberry

Vanilla Vanilla
Lavendar Blueberry with white chocolate frosting
Orange Blossom

Hope everyone is having a good week. We are bobbing around like little dashboard dolls as usual. OD has been sharpening his savory skills with our new savory pies, quiches and all day breakfast muffins. I have been given the task of new sausage roll flavors. This week we introduced a veggie sausage roll, which was quite a challenge since I think vegetables are the work of the devil. (as an aside, a nun just walked past the shop and waved as I typed that last sentence...I am so going to hell). Speaking of heat, also worked on cajun sausage roll this week. OD doesn't like spicy so I was left to my own tastebuds for heat. I played around with Scotch Bonnet puree to give it a little extra kick. I think they are hot enough, as eating one made my eyes water. So pop on over this weekend for a taste and a visit.

This is what we have on offer this weekend at the markets:

Caramel Brownies
Blondies
Snickers Brownies
White Chocolate Coconut Cake
Ebony and Ivory Cake
Earl Grey Chocolate Cake
Orange Poppy Cake
Carrot Cake
Vanilla Whoopies

It's 1:51am on Saturday morning and I am just now sitting down to write the blog. I don't know where the day went! OD is down for the count with a cold, the shop team worked overtime this evening, and somehow I am still in the shop kitchen, so I decided to take a break and write the blog.

The markets will have
Graham Cracker Brownies
White Chocolate Brownies
Red Velvet Cake
Peanut Butter Cake
Orange Blossom Cheesecake
Alabama Fudge Cake
Caramel Whoopies
Chocolate and Vanilla Whoopies

I have to go finish a Tinkerbell Cake now. Check out our twitter feed to see a picture, if I manage to finish before collapsing on the floor in a heap.

My birthday is looming and I mean looming. I have been lying about my age for so long, I am not even sure which birthday shall transpire next week. With that in mind I am sure you can forgive us for failing to post the blog in a timely manner. As my mother says, "it fell into the black hole." That is the one good thing about getting older, as I have alway been absent minded, I now have a "black hole" which I can blame away any mistake. Don't remember a name, black hole; confuse David Cameron with James Cameron, black hole? On to the menu, which I have written down to keep from forgetting:

Lemon Cherry Bundt
Orange Poppy Cake
Macadamia White Chocolate Cake
Brown Sugar Spice Brownies
Congo Brownies (think chocolate chip cookie with walnuts in a bar)
Vanilla Whoopies
Oatmeal Whoopies

for those of you missing cheesecake, we have it at the shop along with peanutbutter fudge brownies.

Have a great weekend,

D&D

Happy New Year! Our first blog of 2010 how very exciting, we hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season. We were running around like chickens with their heads cut off for the second year in a row. Let me tell you, we had no idea that Christmas Eve was going to be as busy as it was in the shop, at 5pm people were prying nails out of the floor boards to give as gifts.

Our holidays were busy and exciting, The Observer decided that we were 'hip' (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/dec/27/the-hotlist-2010). Now, we are a lot of things, but those of you that know us can attest, hip? I mean we do have them; two each to be exact, and ever expanding, but trendsetting hip? Are you kidding me.

Moving right along, we are going to have our cupcake day at the markets this weekend. Even though a new year has rolled in, some things will not change. The first of the month is cupcake day.

Our flavors this weekend are:
Cranberry
Oatmeal cinnamon
Chocolate chip cookie
Apple raisin
Chocolate chocolate
Vanilla with millions and billions
Espresso walnut
Carrot

Holy crap, what were we thinking. Please brave the icy cold weather and eat some freaking cupcakes, otherwise, we will be nothing but hip after eating all the leftovers...

I tell you I am so down with the kids, it's scary. In our defence it feels like just a week or two since we last wrote. The shop is going well and it is keeping us on our toes. This evening we did a whiskey tasting at the shop with Compass Box Whiskey (www.compassboxwhisky.com) paired with the various cakes, pies and brownies we make with their whiskey. OD is now banging around the house trying to find our Black Santa painting to put up in the shop for Christmas. It is a Jimmy Lee Sudduth painting that we both enjoy during the holidays. The shop is ready for Christmas. You won't be bombarded with Christmas music, but I can promise you that the week before Christmas Mitch Miller's Christmas album will make an appearance.
Well this weekend, due to impeccable planning on my part, we are doing 4 markets on Saturday all over the place and all starting at the same time. Besides the shop, you can find us at Barnes Farmer's Market, Richmond Farmer's Market, the Devonshire Road Christmas Festival and The Park Club Christmas Market. While the shop will have a full selection of items, including pumpkin and pecan pie, whoopee pies, omelette muffins and cheesecake, at the markets it is CUPCAKE DAY.
For our Christmas cupcake day we will have:
Cranberry with orange frosting
Carrot
Chocolate Fudge
Coconut
Citrus

You'll be able to find OD at the Park Club Chirstmas Market and I will most likely be asleep under one of the ovens tomorrow as I still have a few hours of work to do.

Reports from far and wide indicate we were remiss with our blogging last week. Many apologies. If you're that in need of a read, might we suggest a newspaper? It's loaded with far more fun facts than we could ever supply plus some have pretty pictures (here's the part where you send an email to info@outsidertart.com demanding pictures appear on the blog...how hard could it be???).

In an effort to shut OD up, I caved this week. When last we wrote, we were headed into a cupcake week and it was to be a New York cupcake week at that. For quite some time now OD was dying to do nothing but cheesecakes when we got to NY. Not a huge cheesecake fan myself, I was a bit hesitant. Perhaps it was a bit of payback for all those times I want to do something coffee flavored and it gets vetoed but I'm a much bigger person than that so I highly doubt it. It would be beneath me. So here we are with a rare repeat of a state visit. Although we are parking our fat butts in The Big Apple and paying homage to a classic: New York City Cheesecake. Decadent and indulgent no matter how you slice it, OD was in charge of creating the following: White Chocolate Blueberry, Pumpkin (because there was a chill in the air this week and we'll use any excuse to break out the Libby's), Red Velvet since no Southerner can ever let this one go and Black and White. It would be greatly appreciated if you could keep any positive feedback to a minimum as it will inevitably end up making my life miserable having to listen to OD gloat incessantly. Since I know I'm not alone in my like of cheesecake as opposed to the sloppy love of it that most gush on about, there are a few other items from which to choose: strawberry chocolate cupcakes (a nod to Magnolia Bakery which we feel is the true epicenter of the current cupcake idiocy), Monster and Triple Chocolate Brownies (no reason really) and Chocolate Junk Cookies which is an attempt to recreate one of our favorite cookies from a now-closed bakery in the village: Mary's Off Jane. It was run by a Cuban woman and, get this, she and OD bonded a bit. She made two things well that we've never had before or since. My favorite was a thick and chewy lime shortbread of sorts and OD's favorite were her Chubby Hubbies, a thick, chewy dense cookie brownie hybrid. We haven't come close but we're trying our best. Especially OD who is in charge of CH quality control.

For those of you who have been following along, our Cake Walk through the 50 states has led us to New Mexico. Why, then, are we talking about freezing you ask? At the moment I'm thinking I hate Other David's laptop because the keys are so small my hands are cramping aiming for the right buttons but I digress. New Mexico and freezing. I'm on it. We have been asked to cater a dinner for 150 or so guests in Soho this week. It was a bit of a moving target going from 250 to 50 then back again and finally closing in on 150. We think. The person in charge of the event on the customer side didn't quite seem to grasp the notion that number of meals woud have to be engineered as opposed to simply prepared and served (an understatement if ever there was one). He thought 150 people could simultaneously order and receive their meals from a broad menu of choices. Not so. Be that as it may, we were strategizing all week in terms of how to pull this off along with the markets and shop this weekend. I must admit at one point (the 250 person point) we were contemplating cancelling the markets and focusing only on this dinner which is Sunday evening. As planning continued we were at the Hammersmith Farmer's Market on Thursday and saw Heidi, the veg woman from Barnes, who had the most beautiful selection of plums. That moments 250 request was for something fruity for dessert and it hit me we could do my mother's plum kuchen recipe which is the perfect thing for late summer baking. German in origin (like my mother), it's a rich, thick butter batter with plums shoved into it before it goes in the oven. No muss, no fuss but great flavor. And...ready for this...it freezes beautifully. So I figured even if the number of diners continues to fluctuate, we can accommodate plus have a contingency. Perfect. So for the markets we have a few of those kuchen floating around, red velvet cake, ginger crumb cake, triple chocolate brownies, maple muffins with pine nuts (an oddly a popular ingredient in New Mexico), lemon bars and mango bars. A bit abbreviated but with the bank holiday and the ever changing guest list we weren't exactly sure how best to prepare. Sunday night's menu consists of buttermilk marinated fried chicken with a creamed spinach and macque choux. That last item is a pan-fried corn and bell pepper side dish from New Orleans. Also at it's best in late summer when corn is at it's peak. For herbivores there is OD's famous mac and cheese with roasted cherry tomatoes. Everyone starts with Mississippi panzanella, our twist on the Italian bread salad but we toss it all together with a lime and buttermilk dressing and toasted corn bread croutons. Who knows, we may just have 150 portions of leftovers to share with you all come Monday. Enjoy the holiday weekend here in the UK and the run up to the holiday weekend back home. As for us, we're planning to sit on Monday. Just sit. Nothing else.

OD: OMG! It's like he threw up words all over the blog...so, so sorry....

Today we visit my home state of New Jersey. It just so happens I'm all nostalgic this week as my family is smack in the middle of a generational shift. My nephews Matthew and Max are, by now, settled into their college freshman dorm rooms doing what all new freshmen do I'd imagine. No doubt they are also doing what we can't imagine. That leaves my niece, Julie, as the sole recpient of the family's attention. Not that she needs the advantage as she is the baby of the family and the only girl of that generation. As she enters high school, I'm wondering if she'll be spoiled at all by her parents, her aunt and uncle (my sister and brother-in-law who live within spitting distance) and/or my parents (who live where you spit in the other direction). I'm envisioning a sassy teen lounging in a plush chair with six adults flitting around addressing her every whim whilst she's busy texting friends about the latest shipment at Abercrombie (really, does it look any different than the previous shipment???).

So since I'm waxing nostalgic, I thought about doing nothing but family recipes. It dawned on me that those are always in our repetoire as family recipes usually are and should be so we went, instead, with other classics that remind us of home. After doing the research, Other David put together the menu and I'm left to make sense of the mess so that last line was an attempt at bridging the gap. One of my favorite things is a good bundt or pound cake. Rather than being splashy and frosted and pretty and overdone with Southern ostentation, they are modest and perfectly balanced in their simplicity. They seemed to hit the right note as the summer winds down so we focused on those this week: 7-UP, Chocolate Chip and German Chocolate. We also have a recipe made popular during WWII when rations we in short suppy and home bakers got creative with what was on hand: chocolate mayonnaise cake. We have blueberry corn muffins (New Jersey sweet corn in August is some of the best corn you'll ever taste). And in a nod to the NJ cranberry harvest, we have white chocolate brownies studded with cranberries alongside Kahlua Brownies for no reason whatsoever other than we chose to do them. And for a little flourish we end with a Mocha Cheesecake. So that's it from the Garden State. We hope you enjoy.

Well well well. Seems the tall handsome blogger was busy last night washing his hair, as there is no blog this morning. Not to worry, short on wit, but full of...information, I am here to save the day. I won't even try to make my loose connections for the lovely state of New Hampshire. I will say that North Conway, New Hampshire was my live theater debut, Hugo in Bye, Bye Birdie. I was literally falling all over myself in one dance routine so badly that the director incorporated my inability to dance into the show (lucky we were in the middle of nowhere or I would have just been fired). Every night I would try my best to get the routine right and the four people in the audience would laugh at my comedic genius. Shockingly embarrassing story aside, here's what we got:

Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies
Rum Raisin Brownie Chunk Cookies
Almond Layer Cake
Chocolate Chocolate Layer Cake
Brown Sugar Brownies with Whiskey
Peanut Butter Cake with fudge frosting
Cheesecake!
Peanut Butter Pie with caramel top

Hope to see you at the market!

If only.

Hazy, yes. Lazy no.

It was demanded of me that I do the blog. Apparently a tall, handsome blog writer was sorely needed so here I am at your service. London, as many of you know, has been enjoying a little bit of summer this week. How apropos that we are in Nevada, the 36th and Silver State. While it is hot and dry with parts of it loaded with kitsch and amusement, here in Britain it's been semi-hot and humid and a little dull. On the plus side, we do have a Ferris wheel in the center of town.

OD has given me a rather complicated looking flow chart which I am supposed to decode into a Market Menu. I'll do my best but certain algorithms might not be transcribed accurately. According to OD we have Puff Muffins to mimic tumbleweeds (they don't), Walnut Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Coconut Crunch Cookies which are "a source of energy when stranded in the dry dessert (they're not), Red Velvet Cake to represent the red rocks of Nevadan terrain (a stretch at best), Green Apple and Apple Chocolate Cake since apples are the "sin fruit" from the Garden of Eden and this ties into Las Vegas the Sin City (holy crap that one is lame) and Peanut Butter Cake because it is sand colored like the desert. Of course if it were me, I'd have made a Sand Torte but I'm the good-looking one so what do I know.

So there you have it. Enjoy the weekend and seasonal weather. And hopefully something sweet. We'll be at the new shop on both Saturday and Sunday. We hope to see you soon.

We are in Nebraska this weekend and it is a cupcake day. Raspberries, corn and gingerbread are stand outs from Nebraska. I had made out a lovely menu for the markets this weekend to celebrate Nebraska in all its corn glory, but OD pointed out, on Wednesday, that this was a cupcake day weekend. Sadly, the rubber cookie we've been working on will have to make an appearance at the shop. With a little shuffling, huffing and puffing on my part (If I am being totally honest, an expletive or two might also have been involved) we came up with the following:

Raspberry Polenta with raspberry buttercream
Gingerbread with lemon cream cheese frosting
Maple pecan with maple glaze
Peanut butter chocolate chip with peanut butter frosting
Chocolate Polenta with mocha cream frosting
Blackout!
Banana Orange
Vanilla Vanilla for the ones that just want a simple cake frosting combo

The shop will have a selection of layer cakes, tarts and brownies along with selections from Market Cupcake Day. You will also find David and OD working together on Sunday. Please don't ask me to make a coffee, OD will be happy to help, but after creaming myself with steamed milk last Sunday, I am on coffee machine suspension.

We hope to see you out this weekend.

Enjoy.

Well we did it. We're barely alive to talk about it, but we opened our very first brick and mortar store on Chiswick High Road this past Monday at 8am. Of course it was more like 12 noon by the time we got things settled to the point of functioning(ish) but we thought we'd just jump off the deep end and see what happened. David and I wish to thank anyone and everyone whose encouragement and support has led us to this point. And to those who weren't there for the journey so far, might I suggest a lovely little place called Starbucks just down the road. Either that or get with the program.

Since I've been holed up in the Chiswick basement kitchen (now ready for baking) OD has been surviving the Soho front and he's also responsible for the menu this weekend. Gosh. He does so much and I so little. Just how does he do it? Isn't he amazing? I'm in awe. I'm in awe from the very moment I wake up and listen to his snoring for another 3 to 4 hours. Simple amazing that one is. So now let's give him a bell (as they say) and I will henceforth make my mother proud with my best Katherine Gibbs impersonation as a steno making sure to type every last syllable from the super duper Amazing OD. Here goes...dialing...ringing...waiting...answered...blah, blah, blah is all I'm hearing right now...he needs to call back. Something about a pot of boiling water being more important than me. Is it any wonder I don't "feel well" or I'm "too tired" to be in Soho to help? Who's the fool??? Somehow I don't think it's the one sitting at home typing. Okay, we're good to go:

Hepburn Brownies (OD: obviously will not make it as a steno as the very first entry is wrong!) Blondies with macadamia, coconut and chocolate chips. You can get the Hepburn's but only at the shop.

Oatmeal Raisin Fudge Brownies
Pride of Iowa Cookies (Montana is Big Sky Country, all sky, no cakes)
Nut Job Cookies
Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
Layer Cakes are:
Smores: graham cracker layers, dark chocolate ganache and marshmallow frosting
Chocolate Fudge with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
ODs Marshmallows
Granola
(OD: As my precious sleeps in Chiswick, at 1am this morning, as I leave the soho kitchens, I am stopped by a 6' 2" drag queen to discuss how we make our meatloaf, which she had for dinner...heading home to snore, it seems.)

Driving home from Soho this evening/morning I was thinking please let the blog be written. I even clicked my heels while saying, please let the blog be written. Well, that surely did not work. What a capper for an otherwise crapper of a day. Let me explain, we got to make the 10th anniversary cake for Big Brother which appeared on Big Brother's Little Brother last night. What makes this little ditty interesting is, that somehow driving up to the middle of nowhere to the big brother studios, we crushed the cake. (please note the 'we') I don't mean a little bump. I am talking whole top of the cake sideways in the box, squished to hell and back, crushed. Now, I am one to always have extra everything in my bag incase of emergency. Well on this particular day, I had nothing. Except for my two hands and a loo roll (don't ask, I don't know why either).
I don't know how we did it, but somehow, before the live show began, we fixed it, together. I was so happy at that moment to have OD at my side. Now, just a few short hours later, I am thinking, why could he not write the damn blog?
10 minutes have pass with me staring at the computer screen trying to remember what state comes after Mississippi. Shoot, I really can't remember. L - M - N, Nebraska? OK, I broke down and looked it up. Missouri!

Layer Cakes
Cream layers with peanut butter filling and chocolate frosting
Pistachio layer cake
Chocolate marshmallow

Coffee Cakes
Pecan Caramel
Lemon Prune

Brownies
Peanut Butter Chocolate (these are deadly)
Hepburn's

Strawberry Cheesecake

As always Granola and Marshmallows - this week strawberry rhubarb

This week we are revisiting Mississippi. Other David whined about it getting short shrift last week for cupcake day.
Joking? I kid you not.
The Mississippi educational system comes in at number 50 when ranking American schools. For those of you from Mississippi, there are only 50 states to rank.
Joking? Nope.
I have chosen to spend the rest of my life with someone from Mississippi.
Joking? What's the use.
Opening two food-related venues simultaneously without a lick of experience isn't easy.
Joking? No siree.
Less than 24-hours before the preview party in our Soho "joint" the menu was change (by others) to accommodate 250 people for canapes.
Joking? That's a negative.
The counter for Chiswick still isn't ready and now the supplier refuses to commit to a date.
Joking? Would I kid?
We had a sink delivered to Chiswick. Supposedly. The supplier couldn't provide proof of delivery yet suggested I go door to door on a scavenger hunt to locate it. Never apologizing for the inconvenience, let's call it.
Joking? Oh no.
As I write this, I am emailing my brother who works for NBC News in NYC. He is telling me about the fire raging in Soho and the coverage it's getting in the states. Other David parked the car in front of said building.
Joking? Nope.
While Other David is in Soho attempting to serve this evening, he is unable to use the exhaust fan since the intake duct sucks in the smoke from the fire which, ostensibly, is across the street.
Joking? Non. Je ne suis pas amuse.
Whilst walking home from scraping gunk off the Chiswick shop windows all day, I passed a Mariachi band on the side of the road (the A4).
Joking? Why bother?
I've no bloody idea what the menu is this week. Said Cry Baby mentioned something about Carrot Cake, Mississippi Mud Cake, Lemon Cloud with lemon curd baked right in, Milk Chocolate Caramel, Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue and a few other odd items. Maybe Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Brownies and Pecan Meringue Bars. I'm too tired at this point to care.
Joking? Absolutely not.
OD: OMG! This is what I get for asking for help with the blog!

Mississippi, the only word I know how to spell forwards and backwards. Sitting in the classroom learning this is one of my first memories from school. This nugget of life changing knowledge was quickly followed by 3 months of learning the names of all the indigenous wildflowers. I mean not a day goes by that I don't think, Bracted Plantain (Plantago Aristata). How lucky am I that I can identify a weed, not just any weed a flowering weed, which likes to grow in garbage dumps. Who needs reading writing and arithmetic when armed with that kind of knowledge?

This weekend we will be visiting Mississippi on a Cupcake Day no less. There is a good chance we shall repeat Mississippi next week so we can really flex our country baking. This week we have:

Unfilled Cupcakes
Red Velvet
Coconut Lemon

Filled
Chocolate Blackout Pudding
Creamsicle

Whoopie Pies
Mississippi Mud - dark chocolate whoopie with a marshmallow pecan filling
Strawberry and Rhubarb - vanilla whoopie with a strawberry and rhubarb filling
Oatmeal Crunch - oatmeal coconut and puffed rice whoppie with a cream cheese filling
Lemon Clouds - lemon whoopie with a lemon filling

See you at the markets!

So shameful that our Michigan menu fell into a black hole, will not let Minnesota suffer the same fate. It will however suffer from a humor free recitation of the menu. Before we commence with said menu a small observation, Minnesota does not have the greatest selection baking ideas, so we jazzed it up a bit.

Layer Cakes
Chocolate Blackout
White Chocolate Lavendar with Lavendar buttercream
Oh this is a good one, Strawberry Layers with a rhubarb strawberry filling and strawberry buttercream

Lemon Cheesecake with a corn flake crust

Lemon Bars
Walnut Cinnamon Brownies

Cranberry Crunch Cake
Carrot Cake

And for those who ask there are black jelly bean marshmallows
for those that don't ask you get Cherry!

See you at the markets!

How funny is this? My marching orders from a few minutes ago were to make this funny. At all costs. OD is a bit sullen since, it seems, no one is appreciative of his brand of blog humor. Clearly this is a job for the big guns so here I am. In Massachusetts. Being funny. So funny, in fact, that one day soon I will be honored by the Hasty Pudding Club. Believe it or not folks, there actually is a recipe for Hasty Pudding which is sometimes eaten for breakfast. Sort of like Indian Pudding for those in the know. Think Pilgrims, first settlers, Thanksgiving by the campfire with people wearing feathers, corn this, that and the other thing. Oh. My. God. That was so funny.

Now then, MA. What to say. Lovely place. Beaches, cities, mountains and countryside. It has it all. Even lovely little bridges that one can barely keep a car on. Baked beans. Tea parties. Cape Cod. Blinking lights and copper kettles. So quaint. Liberal in that patrician sort of way. And that nutty Big Dig of theirs. Who said burying an interstate in the middle of a busy metropolis couldn't be done? Gotta love it. The Bay State also gave rise to the Toll House cookie (chocolate chip for those not in the know), fig newtons (so named for the town of Newton, MA) and Nabisco in general, aka the National Biscuit Company. Lots of cute little B&Bs which might be thought of as hell on earth by some. Not me though, I'm just being funny. They are often a good source for baked inspiration. All that said, herein is that damned list everyone must have. Warning...lists are never funny.

Cranberry Corn muffins w/ lemon glaze
Multi-grain muffins w/ prunes (patricians are very regular folk)

Currant scones
Fresh strawberry scones

White chocolate cranberry brownies
Chewy Smores brownies w/ chocolate glaze

For Layer Cakes we have:
Toll House
Orange, date and pecan
Chocolate Tea Party
Boston Cream Pie (ish)

Carrot Pound Cake

Apricot Ginger Cheesecake

For those into niggling parsing of the aforementioned, I can't be bothered to proof-read let alone spell-check. Think of it as me being funny.

Enjoy your weekend all!

Pardon the blatant rip off from the Charlie Sheen oeuvre. As a last minute request and addition to the cupcake day menu we have added Lavender Cream Cupcakes.

If that isn't enough to drive you out of the house to a Sunday Market, perhaps you should rent Hot Shots! Part Deux. This will surely send you straight for the door...possibly screaming.

See you in the morning.

Another month and another cupcake day.

A slight variation this month, instead of filled cupcakes we have 4 new flavors of whoopee pies to try.

Cupcakes
Raspberry Blackberry - raspberry cake with blackberry frosting
Lemon Poppy - lemon poppy cake with a lemon buttercream
Vanilla fudge - vanilla cake with a chewy chocolate fudge frosting
Carrot - finally these guys make another market appearance

Whoopee Pies
Lady Baltimore - citrus cake sandwiching a walnut and rum soaked fruit filling
Peanut Butter - vanilla cake with a peanutbutter creamcheese filling
Chocolate - chocolate cake with a fluff filling
Oatmeal - oatmeal cake with a cream cheese filling

Hope to see you at the markets -

* for those of you coming to Richmond Market, triple choc brownies on request only.

Those of you following us on Twitter know that today was energy sapping. We participated in the Cupcake Throw down from 'The Londonist'. Bea's, Lola's, Buttercup and others forced us to open up a can of whoop-ass, while effective, said can of whoop-ass really left us drained. So I will keep it short this week.

After a week hiatus from the states we return to Maine. Blueberries! and the original whoopee pie.

Layer Cakes
Blueberry
Peanut Butter

Coffee Cakes
Chocolate Pecan
Blueberry

Cheesecake
Raspberry Blueberry

Brownies
Blondies
Date and Nut brownie

Whoopee Pies - Chocolate Chocolate and Vanilla Chocolate

Marshmallows
Blueberry
Chocolate Vanilla

We did a fantastic baking class this past Sunday, great group of people and lots of fun. The only draw back was my clumsiness prior to the attendee's arrival. I managed to slip down one step* and twist my ankle.
(*it has yet to be confirmed where OD was when I lost my balance and fell. However, my last memory, prior to the incident, was OD talking about his class and how he was going to teach...I tell you it was a scene out of "whatever happened to baby jane")

As we (David and OD) will be hosting our stall at the Hampton Court Palace Foodie Festival, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, Susann will be working our stalls at Barnes and Chiswick this weekend. So stop over and say, Hi, she won't bite (we know this as it is part of our rigorous recruitment process). We will be back in Richmond and Putney next week.

So let's talk brownie and cupcakes. We have suspended the state tour this week (it was to be Maine) and Maine will be on next week.

Brownies
Guinness brownie - a dark chocolate brownie with a Guinness kick
Walnut Meringue - a cookie crust with a chocolate walnut filling and a brown sugar meringue baked on top
Monster Brownie - peanutbutter chocolate rice krispies with peanuts and a chocolate glaze on top

Cupcakes
Triple chocolate - really it's all in the name
Pistachio Cardamom - pistachio cake with a cardamom buttercream
Maple Pecan - a maple pecan cake with maple buttercream

Have a great weekend and we hope to see you out!

Louisiana! Home to the most corrupt local government, no really, we (as this is a southern state, I am staking claim where I can) take pride in the moral twist and turns of our Louisiana politicians, Huey P. Long, anyone? So a few MP's, OK, most MP's went a little happy with their reimbursements. Have a look at Mr. Long or even Sheriff Harry Lee and you will see real trouble.

Louisiana brings to mind the great Mississippi River which curls around the city of New Orleans, a summer heat that wraps around you leaving every inch of you slick with sweat, Hansen's Snowballs, Bud's Broiler (my mouth waters at the thought of a Number 4 sauce with onions and a peach pie), Cajuns asking, "where y'at?"

We have a super sweet collection of treats with caramel, pecans, fudge and peanut butter.

Layer Cakes
Coconut Orange Meringue
Vanilla Chocolate
Daisy Mae
Butterscotch
Mississippi Mud

Brownies
Triple Chocolate
Peanut Butter fudge

Cheesecake
Pecan Praline

Marshmallows
Green Apple
Chocolate Chip
Black Jelly Bean

Kentucky, finally back in the south! Kentucky is home to horse racing, bluegrass music and bourbon, at least as far as we are concerned. Kentucky was also the home of Daniel Boone and his adventures along the Wilderness Trail through the Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains. Given that great southern education, I mostly remember this bit of history from the 1960's TV show with Fess Parker. 'Daniel Boone was a man, yes, a b-i-g man! With an eye like an eagle and as tall as a mountain was he'...Sing-a-long anyone? Considering I usually can not remember what I did yesterday, that memory recall kind of shocked me.

So what is in store for us this weekend?

Layer Cakes
Butterscotch Pecan Coffee Cake
Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake
Apple Stack
Coke Cake

Bourbon Cheesecake

Bourbon Brownies
Chocolate Brownies

Lemon-dipped Blue Muffins
Cinnamon Muffins

Cherry Marshmallows
Signature Granola

Hope the weather holds and we get to see all of you out this weekend.

I was really concerned about cupcake day and Kansas as a combination, but this center of the American Heartland is the home to the largest wheat growing market in the US. So low and behold any and all things made with flour are fair game.

So this week we have the following flavors

Honey cupcake with an apple honey frosting
Orange Poppy cupcake with orange frosting
Italian cream cupcake with cream cheese frosting
Chocolate caramel - chocolate cake with caramel ganache filling and chocolate frosting
Lemon Drop - lemon cake, lemon curd and lemon frosting
Peanutbutter cupcake with dark chocolate ganache and chocolate frosting
White chocolate cupcake with vanilla custard and vanilla frosting

We will also have coconut chocolate marshmallows, which have no flour.

It's supposed to be a great weekend weather-wise so come on out and enjoy!

"You have got to give Iowa a try!" the last line in the first number of, Music Man. Picture it, very upstate Vermont, practically the middle of nowhere, Mount Valley Washington. A young David singing his little heart out in Music Man, 8 shows a week. And what does he have to show for it? a life time of 'Shipoopi' nightmares (ask I still remember the choreography).

Those Iowan's might be gullible, I mean really, was Howard Hill that persuasive? But to our surprise they can make corn into a good cake.

This week you will find:

Layer Cakes
Rhubarb and Strawberry
Vanilla Honey Meringue
Macadamia White Chocolate

Brownies
Oatmeal M&M brownie
Snickers Brownie

Cookies
Best of Iowa Cookie
Cashew Cookies

Coffee Cakes
Carrot cake
Corn cake

Cheescake
Cashew with a caramel glaze

Scones
granola crunch

and Mango Marshmallows because Iowa is just so tropical...

Better late than never!

So OD has gone to bed and left y'all in the dark as to what the weekend holds. Well we are visiting Indiana this weekend. Home to Raisin, Grains and Chocolate (really, where exactly is chocolate not welcome?). It is late and my spelling goes to hell in a handbasket at the best of times, so I will jump right into the menu:

Barnes, Richmond and Chiswick

Layer Cakes
Coffee and cream
Lemon Meringue
Red Velvet

Coffee Cakes
Raisin cake with a cream cheese frosting
Anadama cake

Brownies
Dark chocolate with pecans
chocolate pecan marshmallow with a baked meringue top

Muffins
Corn and Blueberry
Cinnamon Sugar

Marshmallows
Peach

and our signature granola

those of you coming to Richmond, just ask for the secret stash of cupcakes we have 4 flavors....

Now go get some rest, it is far to late to be up reading.

See you at the Markets.

Seeing that I've already mowed the lawn twice, it should come as no surprise Spring has most definitely sprung and Easter is upon us. Maternal follow-up to my story last week about getting caught in a snowstorm one Easter...my dad was none too happy. Apparently he swore which he never does. In my advanced middle age I can count the number of times he has on one hand with digits to spare so that must have been one helluva snow storm. You'll note this apple fell a bit asunder.

Now then, Easter has always been one of my favorite holiday meals. I've very little idea of what goes on in church, but I can tell you what goes on the table. We always had Easter lunch as opposed to dinner. I remember everything being served at room temperature or cold. Delicate flavors and very springy. Except for hot pierogi served with sour cream. If something doesn't stick to your ribs, it can't possibly be a holiday, right? Typically we had ham, sometimes veal as well, asparagus, pineapple carrot mold, pickled eggs with horseradish cream and some sliced kielbasa to stick to any rib not already laden with pierogi. My brother-in-law is Jewish so for the past 20 odd years we've also had bagels and lox as sort of an appetizer. One of my all time favorite treats is poppy seed roll which my grandmother used to make along with her walnut roll, both yeasty treats. One of our first cooking experiences together was when David and I made babka with my mother who gets her Polish mojo going to make it. She's of German, English and Irish heritage so really, what's a nice girl like that know from babka? Legend has it that my mother and I are similar in the kitchen. Something about bossing people about. Apparently this left David a bit shell-shocked. Of course his sister screaming at me "you don't know him" is still the winner for family, how shall we say, eccentricities.

Oh yeah, Illinois, the 21st state, "A Million Miles from Monday" when really it should be noted as being a million miles from nowhere. Barack Obama territory. Let's just gloss over its reputation for political scandal and corruption and get to the menu which centers on Illinois recipes with a slight leaning toward Easter favorites. No babka though. We might make that to savor ourselves. Sorry.

PUTNEY is for CUPCAKES
Berry Cheese
Apple Caramel
Lemon Coconut
Chocolate Fudge

RICHMOND AND BARNES
Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Banana Streusel Coffee Cake

Spring White Chocolate Brownies
Toffee Walnut Bars

Blueberry Cheesecake - not the glop on top, but fresh blueberries within

Lemon Poppy Poundcake

And for layer cakes...
Blueberry Orange
Blackout
Graham Cracker Caramel
Mango Citrus - Richmond only

Difficult though it is to believe, we are officially in April. Glorious day today but I hear we're in for some cold Easter weather. As a kid I can remember getting caught in a snow storm on the way to my grandparents house for Easter lunch. Northern New Jersey, hill, snow. You do the math.

This week we are in Idaho. But not for long. No amount of research turned up anything of interest with the exception of potato-based recipes. Novel? Yes. Yummy? Not so sure. In the mood to experiment? Oh no. We didn't think it wise to offer those up. We thought we'd be accused of perpetrating some cruel hoax so we went with a more traditional Cupcake Day menu instead.

We're also a bit distracted playing a game of phone tag attempting to coordinate the exchange of lease or whatever the hell its called here on (hold your breath) a new shop! This time in Chiswick, on the High Road and Chiswick Lane. We're extremely excited and look forward to hanging the shingle, as they say.

Instead of Putney on Friday, we've been invited to participate in The Chocolate Festival at Royal Festival Hall from 10am to 7pm. OD will be there with an assortment of brownies and cookies all with, you guessed it, some sort of chocolate or that fake white chocolate stuff. The set up is in front of the Hall with an assortment of other chocolate vendors. To our knowledge we are the only bakery in the midst of ingredients suppliers. Otherwise, in Barnes, Richmond and Chiswick we'll be doing both filled and unfilled cupcakes. There is but one remnant of Idaho, and that is a Berry Cream Cheese Tea Cake recipe. So read on for details. I'm off to round up a plumber.

CHOCOALTE FESTIVAL TREATS
Monster "Brownies" - the ooeyist, gooeyist Rice Krispy Treat imaginable
Oatmeal Crumble Bars
OD's Fudge Brownies with White Chocolate Frosting
Guiness Brownies (I kid you not)
Apricot White Chocolate Cookies
Rocky Road Cookies

CUPCAKES
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Chocolate Fudge
Berry Cream Cheese with Cherry Icing
Banana Split

FILLED CUPCAKES
Creamsicle
German Chocolate
Pineapple
Cappuccino

Need I say more?

It's time for the Aloha Blogoha! While we can't guarantee sunshine and lava, we can guarantee a taste of the tropics this weekend courtesy of the last in the group, number 50, Hawaii. I, myself, have never been there but OD has. He's under the impression that we've been there together and often says things like "remember that amazing restaurant in Oahu" or something to that effect. When I have to point out that it wasn't I who was with him, I tend to add "but then again, given the multitude of men before me, who really could keep track." This weekend we're not in Putney due to another event going on there, but we will be in Barnes, Richmond and Chiswick with bells on. Or perhaps leis. Naturally.

I'm sure you're all relieved to know I'm back from NYC and in charge of the blog once more. Rumor had it OD's blog was well received but, if I had to guess, you were all just being polite in my absence. How sweet. I must take a moment to thank you all for your patience last weekend given our new coffee feature. Our friend, Adeline, who does the coffee in Barnes and Chiswick is away skiing so we thought we'd have a go at it. Clearly we need to work out some kinks if we're planning on continuing with coffee so we'll see how things progress once Snow Bunny returns. She'll probably want her equipment back. Of course possession is 9 tenths of the law so only time will tell how that pans out.

Now on to more important things...we just didn't know where to begin. For such a tiny little state we sure had lots of inspiration. I'm hoping we'll tempt you with our edits since we simply couldn't bake all that we wanted to. Not this week, anyway. We might slip one in there when we hit a dull state (think Ohio) or need a bit of sunshine. We went with lots of pineapple, mango, coconut and a hint of coffee. My preferred Kona Kahlua Kake morphed into a Moka Kahlua Kokonut Kake to appease OD's taste buds so take up any issues with him regarding that change. He always vetoes anything with coffee since he doesn't like it. Koke, yes. Koffee, no. Please note in Barnes we will have a slightly limited menu. I'm attempting to do both coffee and cake all by myself so in order to survive I vetoed layer cakes and slicing.

So here is the bloody list, always the list:

KOFFEE KAKES:
Kokonut Streusel (possibly with pineapple, we have to check stock)
Makadamia Brown Sugar

BROWNIES-ISH:
Pineapple Cheesekake
Karamel Krumble
Proper Blondies with kokonut, butterskotch chips and makadamia nuts

LAYER KAKES:
Moka Kokonut Kahlua - graham kracker krumbs and moka whipped kream
Pineapple with homemade pineapple filling
Hummingbird (it's back!) with bananas, pekans and pineapple
Kokonut Amalgamation - this via Atlanta but who could resist the name plus it fit the bill
Mango with mango kurd and mango frosting

CHEESEKAKE:
White Chokolate Makadamia

SKONES:
Lemon Lavender

Georgia our 4th state and last of the original 13 colonies, the first things that come to mind are Peanuts, Coca Cola and Peaches. Peanuts remind me of Jimmy Carter, which in turn makes me think of urinating in public. Hmm, that train of thought did not really end as well as I would have liked. Quickly moving on, Atlanta, Georgia is the home of Coca Cola and the Coca Cola Museum, which is really worth a trip. A small aside on Coke drinking, most southerners, myself included, like a coke with almost any meal, including breakfast, while that might seem odd enough, some serious drinkers have their favorite bottling location as they swear by the taste. It's true some plants still use real cane sugar in manufacturing instead of high fructose corn syrup so the taste is different depending on location. Being a product of the fantastic, Mississippi public school system, I can also tell you that in the 1890's a Mississippian was the first person to bottle Coca Cola at his soda shop. This I know, but I can not spell.

There are plenty more southern states to wow you with my knowledge, so on with the menu.

Layer Cake selection
Red Velvet - chocolate layers with cream cheese frosting
Black and White - coke cake layers with vanilla buttercream
Coconut Cake - coconut layers with lemon curd and 7 minute frosting
Peach Cake - golden layers with peach curd filling and peach buttercream

Brownie selection
Blondies with butterscotch chips, coconut and salted peanuts
Triple chocolate brownies for those not into nuts

Muffin selection
Biscuit muffins

Coffee Cake selection
Crumb Cake

Other
Butter Pecan Cheesecake
Cinnamon Marshmallows
Granola

Scones
Cheddar Dill
Mini breakfast muffin

Hope to see ya'll at the markets!

Oy vey!

Where to begin for Number 27, Florida, the Sunshine State? It has long had a reputation (right or wrong) of being a retirement mecca particularly for Jewish folks. Perhaps I should say it's more the butt of many jokes in that department. But mah jonghh, canasta, shuffleboard, sun. Who could complain? Sure, it could be dryer with a little less hurricane, but the sun sure is nice. It also has been a safe haven for Cuban folks who have fled their motherland for better opportunity. OD's mother is precisely one of those people. He also lived in Miami for several years and loves (and I mean loves) to talk about it so feel free to get him going on one of his favorite cities. So you have plenty of grandmothers with the urge to feed you combined with a little muy caliente passion plus good old southern ingenuity and you end up with a plethora of sweet treats from which to choose. We hardly knew where to begin.

Since citrus grows aplenty in that neck of the woods (its home to the Orange Bowl), we were inundated with options for orange, lemon and lime goodies. We thought that would be a ray of sunshine on these shores and a refreshing change to usher in some spring weather. And to honor the journey of many Cuban Americans we bring you a little taste of Havana as well. Some even rendered by a white Yankee so imagine how good that'll be. So go on, have a nosh. Just a little one. You might want to try one of these:

Russian Grandmother Cake - Think apple pie cake with a little of this, a little of that and a whole lotta love
Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake - Perfect for a klatch

Lemon Lime Coconut Bars
Mango Bars - This via 3 Guys from Havana...personally I can't stand mango but I must admit I couldn't stop licking the bowl

Orange Scrolls - kind of a rolled up scone
Cheese Scones - because Chiswickians kept yelling at us that we haven't done them in a while

Blueberry Orange Sunshine Cake - this is shaping up to be the largest stack of blueberry pancakes you've ever seen, with orange curd and orange buttercream
Chocolate Sunshine Cake - chocolate cake layered with orange cream, how very British
Natilla Cake - a lime, cinnamon and coconut custard with a little bit of sponge to hold it all together. Whipped cream, too. Another Cuban inspired treat.
Tres Leches Cake - OD's mother's favorite drenched in a 3-milk custard sauce of sorts (and, at long last OD found evaporated milk to make it)
Double Chocolate Striped Cheesecake - enough said, I think

Cinnamon Marshmallows

What's this you say? Why a 3-day market menu? Have the boys gone mad??? Yes might be the answer. As of Friday the 6th we will now be doing the market in Putney which is just over the Putney bridge (unless you don't need to cross it) in the courtyard of the church. Physically it's still a church but I'm not entirely sure it's still consecrated. For some reason I think it's now more of an arts venue. Feel free to shed some light on that one preferably from above. As things get underway we will be focusing on cupcakes, brownies and the like as opposed to cake slices. Of course things will evolve as we get to know the routine, but for now we're keeping it simple for the lunch time crowd. You know how they can be. OD will be there from 10am on. No word yet on closing time. Otherwise, the 1st state of Delaware has given rise to a variety of new combinations. Who would've guessed? This from the smallest state in the Union. Crazy. This little gem of a place, when not producing delicious crab, has given us the likes of Valerie Bertinelli. Oh, and the current VP, Joe Biden. Gaffes and all. But back to Valerie. She's done so much since her days on One Day at a Time. So much so that now she's undoing with Jenny Craig. Too bad the same can't be said for her co-stars unless we're talking doing lines of things other than scripts. No word yet on their waist lines. But I digress (as usual). This week we'll be offering the following at Richmond, Barnes and Chiswick for all to enjoy:

Apricot White Chocolate Cookies
Triple X Chocolate Cookies

Almond Cherry Pound Cake

Peanut Chocolate Crunch Coffee Cake
Buttermilk Spice Crumb Cake

Banana Layers with Orange Frosting - In honor of my dad who loves this cake and who just turned a very spry 74.
Ebony Layers with White Chocolate Frosting - we're still debating on adding a thin layer of raspberry jam. Maybe. Maybe not.
(OD as usual, I must clarify! Barnes you get the raspberry filling that is a little gift from me since I am not there. Richmond and Chiswick you get me and ebony layers with white chocolate frosting! I know such a let down...)
Cannoli Cake - It seems Delaware has some very creative Italians who thought this was a good idea. We agreed and devised our own with a touch of rum. (OD - I can't help it, I don't drink but I love adding a little rum to everything)

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust Minus One Slice for the Chefs - A secret recipe (OD - I love that he used the plural. It was one Chef that ate the slice, the other was sent out to Putney Market for the day)

Cinnamon Rolls
Maple Corn Biscuits (if the weather prevails)

Given the UK tendency to abbreviate anything, I pondered writing this with nothing but hip hop, uber-happening UK blogspeak. I thought better of it once I realized it would result in nothing more than a bout of carpal tunnel attempting to contort my fingers to hit keys in unnatural sequences. I will say this though, the whole British abbreviation thing still gives me a run for the money when deciphering local lingo. It looks like English, occasionally sounds like it but I've come to think it simply isn't. Along those lines, it has come to my attention that Other David (aka OD) is the source of some confusion. Welcome to my world. Of late, tall, lean, exceptionally good looking David has been writing the blog. Then there's Other David. Does this clear things up? I thought it might.

As we move on along in our sweet tour of the USofA, we land in the 5th state of Connecticut, The Constitution and/or Nutmeg State. The latter is derived from peddlers who traveled the state long ago selling "wooden nutmegs" to those who were unaware it could be grated to season baked goods. Essentially it sounds like a scam since nutmeg is useless if left ungrated. As one of the northeastern and original 13 states, it has developed into more of an industrial center not really known for agriculture. Nuclear submarines yes, quality ingredients no. Research this week turned up lots of chowder recipes, though, since (and I just learned this) CT is the official beginning of New England. I always thought it was further north. The bad news is it gave us GW Bush, the recently retired president. The good news is it gave us Katherine Hepburn whose brownie recipe we just so happen to have. Not that she gave it to us personally but recipes attributed to her all have the same method: in a pot, on the stove with cocoa powder. No fuss, just a direct route to the most intense chocolate. Sounds just like her, no? This week we'll toss in a little nutmeg in tribute to a classy, sassy lady from an otherwise boring state. Pretty though it is.

It's also Cupcake Week. So along with some Saucy Hepburn's we will have an assortment of filled and unfilled cupcakes at all three markets. Only two items were borne out of Connecticut-based flavor combos as you will see below. We hope you enjoy what's in store. If not, we have some lovely nutmegs we could sell you...

UNFILLED CUPCAKES
Milk Chocolate - a new sweeter, creamier variation
Apple Honey Cream Cheese - this one by way of Stamford CT, sort of
Carrot - our classic cake recipe now in an easier to use size
Strawberries and Cream

FILLED CUPCAKES
Triple Chocolate - dark cake, white center, milk frosting
Orange Poppy - filled with orange curd, also derived from a CT recipe
Almond Joy - coconut cake, almond custard center, chocolate glaze
Vanilla Cheesecake - known to some as our Ugly Cake, doesn't look like much but people rave about the flavor

So we're sky high this weekend in the 38th state of Colorado. Or at least a mile high, I should say. At that the 13th step of the capitol building in Denver is precisely one mile above sea level. I've actually been there and stood on that very step. With the right weather you can see the Rocky Mountains from there which is quite extraordinary. One of my fondest memories is from Colorado when my grandmother's half-sister (I think I have that right) was good enough to take me to lunch with her second husband. Both elderly. I was in the back seat as we drove to the Buffalo Bill Museum when he began coughing. Quite a bit. When he was done hacking up a lung he turned to his lovely wife, Helen I think it was, and asked her if she knew how to spell "phlegm." Of course this led to a bit of a debate to which I couldn't contribute simply because I was biting my tongue attempting not to laugh aloud. That plus the first day of work as a summer intern at a fancy schmancy architectural firm I arrived soaking wet. It was pouring down rain, I walked to work but didn't think to bring an umbrella and I was determined to be on time as any good intern should. No where does it state you need to be dry. Not the best segue into what we hope to be a tempting menu, but fond memories should be enjoyed from time to time, no?

Thoughts and musings from OD: I am thinking no, if they don't relate to the food. A story in which phlegm appears prominently is not so appetizing, is it? I have a lovely Colorado story about a one armed man, but I exercised a little self editing.

So our research was a little skimpy this week but not from lack of trying. We took some liberties here and there and re-invented some favorite items to fill in a few gaps. Since corn in Colorado is harvested in abundance and I will jump on any excuse for doing something corny, we have one pound cake like that. The only other item directly related to our prodigious efforts is a type of brownie. At that it was interpreted from a cookie recipe but we were in the mood for something denser and chewier. Plus pheromones from a little extra chocolate never hurt anyone. Otherwise they're very outdoorsy in that neck of the woods with all that fresh (yet thin) air, so we have some Earth Momma granola-y and bran-y things as well. So read on fellow tarts, herein is what's on offer from The Golden State:

In Richmond and Chiswick:

Mile High Brownies - Oatmeal, peanut butter, bran and chocolate filling. A new twist on our famous Oatmeal Raisin brownies.
Smores Brownies - Two men dithering around in the Rockies (sort of), Brokeback Mountain, campfire, need I say more? Trout not included.

Polenta Currant Pound Cake
Toffee Banana Pound Cake (these smelled amazing in the oven: OD)

Rocky Road Layer Cake - Chocolate, coconut, marshmallow and pecans.
Colorado Velvet - This is our red velvet with a new name since Colorado means "reddish" in Spanish or so some sources say
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake - Our popular cupcake now in grown up form. Dense and chewy and utterly delicious.

Carrot Muffins
Peach Crunch Muffins - instead of nuts, we're using our granola for added texure.

Scones - Still under consideration at this time.

Oh for Pete's sake, you forgot the mashmallows again. This week they are chocolate crunch marshmallows. Chocolate flavored marshmallow with dark chocolate dipped puffed rice for the crunch. (note: OD)

In Barnes:
Cowboy Brownies - Similar to the Mile Highs but instead of the filling it has chocolate chips. Truer to the original cookie, these will be in Barnes only
XXXXX-rated Brownie - Five types of chocolate in every bite. To some it's five essential food groups.
Banana Streusel Coffee Cake
Colorado Velvet
Rocky Road Layer Cake

Let me be perfectly clear, you will see no hearts or red this weekend. Sorry. Not gonna happen. Since we're visiting California this weekend, California is visiting us (our friend Michael is in from LA which is purely coincidental), California is huge and there is only so much two men can do...we're focusing on cakes, not commercial idiocy. As it happens, the chocolate cake is based on a recipe from a Mendicino restaurant Michael and I went to years ago in a pre-OD chapter. Remember folks, OD = Other David. Thankfully recipes live on while chapters close. Now then...the 31st or Golden State is bountiful with produce due to that California Sun. Delicious chocolate is plentiful as well given two suppliers are based in San Francisco: Scharffen Berger and Ghirardelli. The former was born from a visit to Lyon (that's in France everyone) and it so happens our chocolate supplier is just south of Lyon. Valrhona for you curious types. A quick glance around the kitchen and I learned much of our dried fruit comes from, where else, California. But of course. And good ol' Michael is hand-importing some dessert wine for one of the recipes. So even though the pound is shit, we can help improve your pounds by bringing a little bit of the West Coast to you if, perhaps, you can't bring yourself to it. So dudes and dudettes, here is how we will tempt your taste buds this weekend:

Granola is back! Now in two sizes even. It's California, we were obliged to have it for the health-conscious among us.

OD's Marshmallows - Honey Lavender and Almond Coconut

Chocolate Fudge Cake w/ Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Burnt Almond Cake - We knew the way to San Jose and found this delicious treat

Dried Plum Cake with Lemon Buttercream - I lied. It's prune cake. But if I told you that first you would have skipped this one. Don't. Hearty and light. Let's face it, it's got to be good for you. If not now then in about 1/2 hour or so.

Late Harvest Wine Pound Cake - Made with whatever dessert wine Michael smuggles in, most likely a Riesling or Sauterne

Vineyard Pound Cake - Enormous golden raisins, chocolate chips and almond streusel. They get a lot of grapes in CA so some make there way into cakes not just glasses.

Ginger Crumb Coffee Cake - Inspired by individual ginger cakes from an LA Bakery. Blame Michael since we couldn't be bothered to do the single serving ones.

Walnut Raisin Sour Cream Coffee Cake - More of those damn raisins, only this time dark.

Apricot Bars - Shortbread like crust (I think) with apricot batter baked on top

Congo Bars - Another favorite from Mendicino, chocolate and walnut bar cookies. Maybe with coconut, haven't decided yet.

Scones this week are between rosemary corn and chocolate walnut. Too many to choose from, so that might change.

The journey continues this week into Arkansas: home of Hope, home of W.J.C. A while ago we started collecting community cookbooks, those little self-published ones with the annoying black plastic ring binders. For reasons that remain a mystery, we have two from Arkansas. Clearly we're obsessed collectors. Of course I thought I hit pay dirt but many of the recipes begin with a box of cake mix, shortening or (my favorite) a No. 3 can of something. How ironic, it seems, Arkansas is "The Natural State." The good news is the 25th member of the Union grows a lot of sorghum which, as many of you know, is one of our favorite ingredients. So, of course, we trotted out a lot of it this week. Rice is another abundant crop but Other David wouldn't let me try batters which incorporate cooked rice for texture included in many Southern recipes. Not to worry, we will be back in the Deep South soon enough so I may sneak one in there yet. That neck of the woods is also deep in the heart of the Bible Belt. Depending on your beliefs, that's either a good thing or hell on earth. It makes for interesting sight-seeing, if nothing else, as you often come across roadside crosses that rival Big Ben in height. No joke. That's one reason why we included Scripture Cake. We've come across similar recipes before but luckily this one was within reach: it didn't require a secret decoding ring to decipher Bible passages when determining the type and amount of ingredients (I kid you not). So journey on, my fellow cake disciples, we're entering Arkansas...

Sorghum Brownies - Filled with our Spiced Baked Pecans

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies - Enough said

Scripture Cake - Made with cottage cheese, almonds and raisins finished with "hard sauce" laced with booze. Scripture and booze. Perfect together.

Apricot Macadamia Pound Cake - Studded with dates

Pumpkin Layer Cake - pumpkin roll is quite popular in those parts so we re-organized it a bit

Apple Chocolate Cake - not our popular layer, but similar. Seems sheet cakes are big in Arkansas, so we're trying our best to fit in. When in Rome...

Banana Streusel Cake - layered with cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips, also a sheet cake

Ginger Muffins - like gingerbread, loaded with sorghum

Breakfast Puffs - essentially a cinnamon muffin but rolled in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar. Sounded good to us.

Licorice Marhsmallows - nothing to do with Arkansas but OD made them

Scones - if and when I feel like it

Many of you ask what we do when a weekend straddles two months. The answer is cupcakes. Always. It seems to keep the peace and the folks in Richmond and Barnes don't seem to think they're being rushed into something prematurely even though, technically, they are. We are keeping with our state by state theme so this week we are in Arizona. Not so easy, that. It seems the agriculture down there produces cotton, lettuce, nursery stock and hay along with cattle and dairy. None of which spell good cake. Other David turned up a tidbit about lemon groves so that helped tremendously. (OD: I am amazing, no?) Fortunately, the 48th state was admitted to the Union on Valentine's Day 1912 so along with being oh so apropos to have Arizona Cupcake Day in February, it gave us artistic license to do some chocolate. The Grand Canyon State also gave us Linda Carter but we'll refrain from doing anything with red, white and blue tights and/or bustiers ravishing though they were. Because of it's Indian heritage and proximity to Mexico, we also whipped up a few corny options (polenta for you fancy folks). So herewith, forthwith and following is this week's cupcake menu by way of Arizona-ish:

Our unfilled options:

Lemon Seed - believe it or not, based on a Victorian recipe with coriander, caraway and currants.

Arizona - an oatmeal cake recipe with coconut, pecan caramel drizzle

Lemon Raspberry Corn

Chocolate Polenta - a test run had us addicted

Our filled options:

Mexican Chocolate - a hint of cinnamon with pecan fudge glaze

Lemon Meringue

Indian Pudding - a corn and molasses baked pudding inside cream cupcakes

Coffee Hayzelnut - because we just had to use hay one way or another - a coffee flavored cake with a hazelnut filling

We hope this will tempt you to come out regardless of what the weather may be. I'll be in Barnes this weekend with our buddy Adeline and Other David will be in Richmond. Both of us will be in Chiswick.

(OD) Barnes will have Coffee Hazelnut, Chocolate Polenta and Lemon Seed available.

Enjoy!

I'm right! that is all I have to say this week...I am right...right...right...right.

And I'm terribly sorry to you all for having to read that. Welcome to the hell that is my life.

On the bright side, it was a delightful week for America even despite that flubbed oath. Fact is, by the time the new President and fuddy duddy Chief Justice did the honors, Obama was already President. What good the oath does is beyond me since it's the clock striking noon that matters. As for the speech...at first I was disappointed it wasn't more rousing but after having read it several times I've come to decide it was dead on given the circumstances we inherit from the previous administration along with those of current situations globally.

That said, this weekend we take a sharp north westerly turn and continue our culinary journey with a stop in Alaska, the 49th State. We thought alphabetic was the way to go until a smart aleck customer suggested progressing in the order each state was admitted to the union. It made infinite sense but I refuse to re-visit Alabama so alphabetic it is. Research this week didn't turn up too many famous folks other than Joe Juneau, a prospector for whom the capitol is named. As for all things baked, we have some interesting new takes on familiar favorites. I guess with all those dark hours up there they get creative in the kitchen so we should be thankful for that. Seems during the summer hours, however, Alaskans grow uber produce given the ample, prolonged sunlight. We read stories of enormous vegetables so because of that we bring you Carrot Cake. The one. The only. It's back. With frosting even. Otherwise, perhaps you'll be tempted by these:

Neopolitan Baked Alaska - Sorry folks, logistics prevail and there is no ice cream in this, but we do have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry layers with meringue frosting

Yeti Cake - Cream layers with coconut cream frosting covered in American shredded coconut for a special treat

Tongass Trail Cookies - There is a national park in the southern panhandle (do they call it that up there???) of the state. What these have to do with that is anyone's guess but we changed them around to include oatmeal, Rice Crispies, coconut and butterscotch chips.

Date and Walnut Cookies - a bar cookie with cinnamon frosting

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Bipartisan Coffee Cake - this evolved into a little bit Alaska and a little bit Inauguration Dessert so in the new spirit of cooperation it has been dubbed thus. It is a caramel apple coffee cake for those who want to know.

Pecan Cardamom Coffee Cake - drizzled with a coffee glaze

Chocolate Chip Streusel Coffee Cake - does this really need explanation?

Scones yet to be determined, sorry.

FYI, both coffee cakes will be available at Barnes.

We hope this tempts your taste buds and we look forward to seeing you this weekend!

WARNING: This blog may contain overly patriotic sentiment that some may find unbearable.

To that we say tough. It's been a woefully long time coming. On the eve of one of America's proudest moments, we await with great anticipation the journey ahead. Obivously we're all in for a bumpy ride at first, but things will settle down and opportunities will, once again, abound.

So what the hell does all that have to do with cake? Good question. Clearly with next Tuesday's events upon us it called for a celebration. Since we have no in at the White House we're a little out of the loop as to what's being served on Inauguration Day (clearly votes don't earn you menus). We toyed with doing a thematic red, white and blue type thing but decided it might get misinterpreted as British fealty. So we thought journey...celebration...America...cakes...sweets...AHA...a state by state menu to honor some of the best confections the US of A has to offer. This week we start our trip in Alabama since doing things alphabetically seemed the most logical route. We have taken some liberties but wherever possible we've found recipes with roots in the 22nd State. Despite it being a red state we may be able to forgive it's transgressions with the following and hopefully unforgettable (state motto, Nat King Cole lived there) choices. We hope you enjoy!

Cappuccino Brownies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Marble Brownies

Lane Cake - bourbon, raisins, pecans and coconut in a rich egg custard which is used as a filling

Alabama Fudge Cake - gooey, chewy chocolate cake, wlanuts and marshmallows (they like things sweet in the south, so beware)

Sand Torte - not a torte, not sure why it's called that, might have German roots as well, but a simple, lush pound cake

Cranberry Crunch Cake - a sour cream enriched batter with our home-made cranberry compote swirled throughout

Praline Cheesecake - In the south pralines are a candy made with butter and brown suagr. That's what sits atop a brownsugar cheesecake.

Alabama Biscuit Muffins

Carrot Muffins - loaded with our Spiced Pecans only, no fruit in these for a change.

And because we are, afterall, on this island...
Ham and Cheddar Scones - March House Farms ham, a fellow vendor in Chiswick and Westcombe Cheddar (how very British, no?)
Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Next stop, Alaska. Everyone try to behave, no Palin jokes please.

DM: SO! I was sent out this evening, to work an event for Emma Bell, our mighty mini cupcakes were on offer, which David L forgot to mention will also be avaliable at Barnes Market this Saturday. Clearly, I was bamboozled into doing the event so David L. could commandeer the blog. Even without my input, I couldn't have said it better. Well, maybe a bit more concise, but not better.

Hope to see you all at the market! I'll be the one with the big circles under my eyes...I really am getting far too old to stay up until 2am.

David M and a well rested David L

Happy New Year everyone! Well our first market of 2009 will be the Chiswick Farmer's Market. I know we are stuffed to thegills with all that we indulged over the holidays so we have a back to basics Cupcake Day menu this week.

Unfilled
Vanilla with Vanilla frosting
Vanilla with Chocolate frosting
Brownie Chunk with Chocolate frosting
Chocolate with Chocolate buttercream
Chocolate with Vanilla buttercream
Chocolate with peanutbutter frosting

Filled cupcakes
Vanilla with cranberry filling and chocoalte glaze
Chocolate with chocolate ganache and chocolate frosting

We hope to see everyone out on Sunday.

David and David

OMG! So I was minding my own business making my last batch of coffee buttercream and David L asks, "did you do the blog?" I took this hint as a clue that he was not doing the blog this week.

Well, I have been up since the crack of dawn so I will get right to the nitty gritty. I will start with our package gifts we will have on offer this weekend.

Brownie Gift Packs containing orange, peppermint and white chocolate brownies

Two sizes of our homemade cranberry compote and mincemeat

Our handmade truffles
White Chocolate Rum
Orange
Raspberry
Scotch
Mocha

Our wrapped loafs
Carrot
Lemon
Fruit and Nut
BAM with chocolate chips

Avaliable to snack on while you decide:

Bundts
Orange Date Coconut
Mincemeat
White Fruit
Grand-Man-Yeah (spelled phonetically because I can't spell! Can't add very well either....Mississippi education anyone?)

Brownies
Orange
White Chocolate with cranberry and pistachio
Chocolate fudge brownie with white chocolate glaze

Scones
Orange
and something else but we will see what strikes our fancy in the morning

For those of you wondering what became of the coffee buttercream I was making at the start of the blog, pop on over to Barnes Market at the Weenie Beans coffee stall and try our Coffee Walnut Cupcakes.

The weather is going to be good tomorrow so we hope to see you.

Enjoy the weekend,

David and David

Hi All,

David L. is back at the blogging....I hope everyone will understand the menu. Good luck to you all! [David M]

It has come to my attention that some of you prefer a list. And while that's all well and good and I will be happy to oblige, I will do so in my own sweet time.

Things here are heaitng up for the season and imminent arrival of the David M clan from New Orleans on the 20th who will be here until the 3rd. Once they depart, we do as well for a visit to my family in New Jersey and a few odds and ends in NYC. (did you really need to know this? [David M])
Since it's that time of year for family and tradition we divised a menu of some favorite recipes from either side of our tree. As we thought about it we opted for things that would be perfect to have on hand for those pesky last minute interlopers who can't be bothered to carol at your doorstep but will insist on a nibble just the same. Pound cakes or slicing cakes...call them what you will, they are great for a seaonal nosh with a cuppa something laced or otherwise. This week we did nothing but fruit cakes and I'm sure if we thought about it, two guys doing fruit cakes is sure to yield some sort of sarcastic comment but, frankly, we're just too tired. Now then, we took some liberty as the soon to appear list will reveal, but all the recipes are fruity and some are downright fruit cakes. Our diabolical plan is to convert all you fruit cake haters one slice at a time. We have several different formats, but all are fruit. Except for the one recipe from David M's sister-in-law which is sinful enough as it is. So here it is all you Type A list addicts:

POUND/SLICING CAKES
Trisha's 2 Cents - A secret family recipe from David's sister-in-law
Mom's Grand Marnier Cake - A little something delectable from my side
Orange, Date, Pecan & Coconut - The recipe called for orange jellies (Chuckles to some of you) but we dressed it up a bit with candied orange peel
Mince Meat - I kid you not, we made our own but with just fruit, no suet
Cranberry Compote - Same as above but no mince meat, obvioulsy
White Fuit Cake - a lighter version than what some of you dread

LOAF CAKES
Dark Fruit Cake - The one, the only but we detest candied cherries, etc. so we kept it to delicious dried fruits instead
Lemon Loaf - Pure, simple and a fantastic base for a quick dessert if it should last that long
Carrot Loaf - Our famous carrot recipe but now in loaf form

LAYER CAKE
Japanese Fruit Cake - I've no idea why it's called this...I don't think anyone does, but it's a confection from the Deep South made at holiday time. Coconut, lemon and spices in alternating layers, some dark, some light (I know! [David M])

SCONES
To be determined quite possibly moments before the market

BROWNIES
Candy Cane and white chocolate topped pecan brownies
(David L forgot this, thank goodness I am here [David M])

Also on hand will be our homemade mince meat, cranberry conserve and assorted truffles to tempt you. (don't forget our signature granola and holiday spiced pecans [David M])

Now isn't that a happy list?

See you this weekend if you dare face the elements predicted.

Happy Holidays to one and all. Oh, and should David M weigh in with anything henceforth, just ignore it. (HA! I littered my comments throughout! [David M])

Now I am not one to gossip, but David L. was in charge of the blog this week...what blog you ask? Exactly my point.... Sorry for the late posting, but those of you at our markets today, Saturday, already know the skinny and we hope you enjoyed your purchase.

For those of you coming out to Chiswick on Sunday the menu is:

Filled cupcakes:

Mincemeat we make our own mincemeat filling which is also available jarred up for the holidays
Ginger Lemon Ginger cake with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream
Triple Choc chocolate cake with our own raspberry truffle in the center and chocolate frosting (Note: our homemade truffles are also available for the holidays for the remainder of our holiday markets)

Unfilled cupcakes:

Holiday Red Velvet chocolate mint cupcakes
Carrot
Cranberry with orange glaze (you guessed it our cranberry compote is available jarred for the holidays in two sizes)

Yes, it is cupcake day, but we have thrown in some brownies as well. Fudge no nut brownies, White Chocolate with pistachio and cranberries and Blondies!

For our blog readers, our secret stash this week is our Orange Brownies. Just ask!

Hope to see you at the market,

David and David

So here I am, again, writing the blog. I am sure that David L. will chip in his two cents as well. Thanksgiving has come and gone and I am sure you guys are all stuffed to the gills, but we have the following menu for you this weekend.

Layer Cakes
Lemon
Strawberry and Cream
Chocolate Coconut and Marshmallow
Chocolate Chip Caramel

Cookies
Peanut Butter made with our own candied peanuts
Chocolate Raisin Brownie chunk

Bundts
Oatmeal Raisin
Lemon Drizzle

Breads
Pumpkin Raisin
Cinnamon

And our special is a Cranberry Ricotta Tart.

Barnes Market will only have the two cookies on offer this week.

Looking forward to seeing everyone out at the market this weekend.

Enjoy,
David and David

Okay, here goes...this is my first attempt at blogging since Other David (David M per those previous dull blogs) can't seem to lift a finger around here which led to my mother sending an e-mail from the states (NJ to be exact) complaining that the blog wasn't posted yet with this week's menu. All this after a week of boot camp even! Yes, we decided to put our money where our pie holes are since we always tell people portioning and discipline are key to balancing out a lovely slab of cake. Talk about a crock of s@*t. Be that as it may, it's now our turn to burn off a few extra calories each morning at 6:30am. If we should see you all at the markets this weekend and we're still hobbling around, now you know the reason. Thankfully we have one more week of it to go before tucking into all the Thanksgiving left overs. Along those lines (FYI OD is over my shoulder moaning that I'm not doing this right) here is what's happening at the markets this weekend. If you're headed to Barnes, please may we ask that you stop in at Weanie Beans to enjoy some of Adeline's delicious coffee and some mint brownie chunk cookies and granola. If you're so inclined, stop by the fish monger there and ask for Jamie. Then say something like "why the hell won't you let Outsider Tart into the Barnes market?!?" Of course if you want to be more polite about it that's okay, too. We've been trying for quite some time to get in there and we have many, many people ask us about it and now you know the reason we're not there in full force. At Richmond and Chiswick we will have a preview of holiday cakes on offer. White fruit cake which can be made with or without spirits and would make a lovely hostess gift for people to have on hand and slice off a bit when visitors pop by. Crumb cake but not the NY Style crumb we've done before. This is another slicing cake made with digestive (mom, that's graham crackers to you) and ginger snap crumbs, coconut and chocolate chips. OD is doing two fabulous pies: pumpkin ginger with a pecan crust and his utterly amazing pecan pie (had to say that he's standing over my shoulder again complaining). We also will have lemon poppy muffins and date and walnut muffins, cranberry and pistachio brownies and pecan brownies with white chocolate chips, lemon meringue cake, apple stack cake with homemade apple butter, black out cake, chocolate/orange cheesecake for our friend Sharon in Chiswick who gets to indulge again this week after several weeks of behaving herself and some scones. One will be cherry and almond and the other most likely cheese with some delicious Red Leicester from Norbiton Fine Cheese at the Chiswick market. And there we have it. This blog thing isn't all that difficult so I don't know what the problem was this week with OD. Welcome to my world is all I can say. Hope to see you out on what is supposed to be a rather seasonal chilly weekend. Enjoy!

Note from OD/David M/the person in the kitchen doing all the work!:
I don't think David L has done either my pies or my brownies justice in the description, but there you go. The pecan pie will be made with our spiced pecans and a little whiskey to keep your toes warm.

Hope to see you at the market,

David and David

Hello All -

Another busy baking bonanza. For those of you that get 'The Richmond' magazine we have included a recipe for alternative Christmas Pudding in the December issue. Also a note that David L. has asked this week to learn how to post on the blog! I am happy about this as he made better grades in English.

Now, let's get to the good stuff.

Richmond and Chiswick Markets

Layer Cakes
Chocolate Earl Grey
Coconut Drizzle
Lemon Poppy
Pumpkin

Bundts
Hazelnut Praline
Choco Chip Cream Cheese

Brownies
Butterscotch Blondies
Orange Chocolate

Specials
Our Signature Granola
Pumpkin Pie

Barnes Market

Bundt
Carrot

Special
Berry Granola

See you at the market!

David and David

So we are happy The Daily Mail thought our cupcakes had the best flavour out of the 10 places they tried. Of course, we don't have any cupcakes on the menu this weekend! What we do have on off is:

Layer Cakes
Guiness
Spiced Pecan
BananaCoconut
Red, White and Blue (A red velvet with a twist in honor of the election)

Cookies
Brownie Chunk
Nut Jobs

Pies
Apple Cranberry

Breads
Pumpkin
Election Cake

Bundts
Bourbon (with Compass Box Whiskey made locally in Chiswick)
Carrot

We hope to see you guys out this weekend

Hi All -

We are really excited about Halloween this year. On Friday we will be selling our Halloween Cupcakes at Mortimer and Bennett on Turnham Green Terrace from 12 noon till 5pm. Since Halloween is on Friday, we did not want to do a Halloween decorated cupcake bonanza on the Saturday and Sunday...so what to do?

We have decided to do a candy themed Cupcake Day and to include 4 candy inspired brownies as well.

The menu is as follows:

Brownies
Heavenly Hash - Coconut and marshmallow brownie
Raisinets - chocolate and raisin brownie
After 8 - mint brownie
Snickers - candy coated peanuts and caramel brownie

Cupcakes

Pumpkin - ok not a candy but perfect for the season!
Licorice - Licorice cake and frosting
Peanut Butter Cup - peanut butter cake with chocolate frosting
M&M - vanilla cake with M&M frosting
Whopper - malted milk cupcake with a malted milk frosting
Parma Violet - vanilla cake with a parma violet frosting

Our menu for this weekend

Layer Cakes
Orange Spice
Caramel
Carrot
Chocolate Chocolate
Red Velvet

Bundt Cakes
Fig and Honey
Cherry Jam Cake

Brownies
Apple Ginger Blondies
Cappuccino Brownies

Muffins
Chocolate Chunk
Oatmeal Raisin

Coffe Cake
Anadan - corn meal makes this coffee crumble special

Cheese Cake
Caramelized Banana Cheesecake

We will also have our Signature Granola and Spiced Pecans

Hope to see you all out this weekend.

David and David

OK the leaves are falling and apples are in abundance so why not an Apple Day?

We are doing everything apple

Layer Cakes
Apple Stack Cake
Apple Rosemary with Currants
Chocolate and apple layer cake

Bundt Cakes
Pumpkin Apple Cranberry
Apple Walnut

Brownies
Apple jack bars
Apple Brownies

Breads
Apple Sausage Corn Bread
Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

Cheesecake
Apple cheescake

Pies
Apple marriage pie with cranberries
Our down home appe pie

So pop on down and have little taste of fall with us. We will be the ones with claw hands from peeling all the apples!

See you soon,

David and David

After a water logged Cupcake Day, we are happy to be back to a full menu this week and some dry weather.

Bundt Cakes
Carrot
Orange Poppy

Layer Cakes
Oatmeal - a must have for fall
Lane - come check out this southern extraviganza
Blackout
Chocolate Cherry Bon Bon

Muffins
Pumpkin
Great Grain

Scones
Ginger
Cheese

Brownies
Peanut Blondies
Spiced Pecan

Hope to see you out and enjoy your week!

David and David

Just wanted to let you know that the two Davids will feature in Rachel Allen's new Bake! series next week on UKTV Food at 9pm.You can catch the episode on Wednesday 15th October - and we are told by the producers that the show will also be shown later in the year on BBC1.

Coming shortly - our new Christmas Holiday menu.

Susann

It's Cupcake Day! We have several new flavors this weekend that we are excited to share.

UNFILLED
Red Velvet
Pumpkin with pumpkin cream cheese frosting
Apple – Cinnamon frosting
chocolate cherry cheesecake cupcake
Brownie Chunk
Carrot

FILLED
Lane Cake
Espresso
Peach
Triple chocolate
Oatmeal with a butterscotch filling
Lime

Looking forward to seeing all our fellow cupcake lovers out this weekend.

Have a great week,
David and David

Hi All -

Fall is here. The temperatures are dropping and the sun is out (not really a signal of the fall, but you have to mention the sun after that long grey summer). So some of our favorite seasonal flavors are back on the menu.

Brownies
Spiced Pecan - dark chocolate brownie with tones of cinnamon and nutmeg
White Chocolate Brownie - with blueberries and macadamia
Chipster - walnut brownie with a chocolate chip cookie baked on top

Cupcakes
Chocolate Chocolate
Banana Coconut
Strawberry

Scones
Chestnut
Oatmeal Raisin

at the Barnes Market on Saturday the selection will be:

White Chocolate Brownies
Coffee Walnut Brownies

This week is the Chiswick Dog Show at Chiswick House from 10:30am till 3pm. We will be selling a selection of goodies so if you are in the area come by and see us. Mabel and Otis will also be joining us for the festivities.

Have a great weekend,

David and David

Let's all get out and make hay whilst the September still sunshines - and here's this weekend's menu to keep your energy levels up.

Layer cakes

Coconut

Lemon lavender

Chocolate caramel

Spiced Pecan

Bundt Cakes

Banana chocolate

Mama’s Apple

Breads

Cinnamon Swirl

Banana Macadamia

Brownies

Blondies

Dark Chocolate

Scones

A savory and a sweet option – we will decided the morning of the exact flavors

And

Our Signature Granola

Layer Cakes

Pecan Caramel with caramel frosting
Orange Blossom
Banana
Tiramisu

Bundt Cakes
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Apple spice

Brownies
Rum Raisin
Oatmeal Raisin

Muffins
Cranberry Corn
Apricot Bran

Hello All -

Well the weather looks like total crap this weekend, but we are trying to brighten things up with Cupcake Day!

Our flavors this month are:

Unfilled Cupcakes

Caramel Pecan Brownie Chunk with Caramel frosting
Apricot cake with apricot buttercream
Chocolate Chip Cookie cupcake with chocolate frosting
Peanut Butter cake with peanut frosting
Vanilla Vanilla cupcake

Filled Cupcakes

Triple Chocolate
Banana Pudding
Key Lime
Red Velvet (this is a twist on a classic)
Strawberry White Chocolate

so come on by and let us walk you through the flavors this weekend.

David and David

And now for the menu for this the last real summer weekend.

Cakes
Humming Bird
Vanilla - might sound simple but the flavor is anything but
Coconut Caramel

Bundt Cakes
Blueberry Lemon
Oatmeal Raisin

Brownies
Cherry Cheesecake
Pecan Chews

Scones
Ham and Cheese
Blueberry

And last but not least, Orange Chocolate Cheesecake

Whatever your plans this weekend enjoy!

David and David

Cakes
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Coconut Caramel Layer
Carrot Cake
Lemon Merangue

Muffins
Banana Bran
Chocolate Chunk

Cookies
Monster Brownies
Rocky Roads

Scones
We will have a savoury and a sweet option this week!

Well summer is almost over and we have a simple menu for you this week, perfect for picnics or a nice lazy day at home.

Brownies
White Chocolate (white chocolate brownie with pecans and white chocolate chips)
Rocky Road (marshmallow, dark chocolate chips, pecans in a fudge brownie)

Cupcakes
Chocolate Chocolate
Vanilla Vanilla

This same selection is on offer at Barnes Market on Weenie Beans stall.

Whatever your plans this weekend have a great one.

David and David

Well summer is winding down but we are still turning summer fair for the markets this weekend.

Layer Cakes
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Lemon Merangue Cake
Coconut Lime
Banana Orange

Bundt Cakes
Banana Chocolate

Brownies
Chocolate Orange
Chipsters

Loaf Cakes
Coffee Drizzles
Cinnamon Loaf

Scones
Peach
Ham and Cheese

Barnes Market on Saturday will have a selection of Brownies - Chipsters and Chocolate Orange

Market Menu for 2nd and 3rd of August

Unfilled Cupcakes

Raspberry White Chocolate
Brownie Chunk
Pistachio Cardamom
Black Forest
Spiced Pecan

Filled Cupcakes

Coconut Lime - coconut cake with a lime curd filling
Ambrosia - orange coconut filling in a citrus cupcake
Butterfinger - chocolate and butterscotch
Lemon Poppy - lemon poppy cake with a lemon curd filling
Strawberry Vanilla - strawberry cake with a vanilla filling

We can not wait! Hope to see ya'll this weekend.

David and David

What a week! Our first full week at our new Soho outpost situated in Profile Bar 56 Frith Street W1D 3JG. We are still finishing the kitchens which will be up and running end of next week, but we did not let that stop us from selling our wares! If you work in the area come out and see us soon.

This week we have the following heat busting or is that trouser busting options:

Richmond and Chiswick
Layer Cakes
Ambrosia
Chocolate Orange
Blackout
Carrot

Bundt Cakes
Lemon Cherry
Chocolate Chip

Brownies
Hepburns
Oatmeal Raisin

Muffins
Orange Blueberry
Orange Cherry
Crumb Cake

Scones
Blueberry
Dill and Cheese

Barnes Market on the Coffee Stand we have:
Oatmeal Brownies
Walnut Fudge Brownies

Whatever you are doing this weekend - have a good one.

The David's

Hello All -

Is it Monday yet?!? yes, this Monday we will be open for business. We are not letting little things like the kitchens not being completely finished and our entrance not open stop us! So try and come down to see us next week on Frith Street. 56 Frith to be exact, inside Profile, London W1D 3JG

Now between now and then we have our markets so here is what's on offer this week.

Well without further delay our menu for this week!

Muffins
Carrot
Banana Bran

Brownies
Siganature Chocolate (no nuts)
Rocky Road (coconut, pecans and marshmellows)

Scones
something savory
Strawberry

Layer Cakes
Lemon
Lime
Coconut
Chocolate Strawberry

Bundt Cakes
Oatmeal Raisin
Praline

Specials - I don't know if any of you noticed but this was missing last week!
Pecan Mascarpone Cheesecake

And as always our Signature Granola!

Found on the coffee stand at Barnes Farmer's Market our
Muffins - Banana Bran and Carrot

Also, don't forget THE HOPE in Richmond - they will have a selection of our items for tea throughout the week.

Hello All -

We are really excited to be back with a full menu this week at the markets. This week we have two new additions to our 'find us' section. The Hope in Richmond now carries an exclusive range of items for tea and dessert, Tuesday through Sunday. Also, the coffee stand at Barnes Farmer's Market will now carry our items.

Well without further delay our menu for this week!

Cookies
Cookie Monsters
Nut Jobs

Scones
Quince and Pecorino
Strawberry

Layer Cakes
Cappuccino
Lemon Coconut
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Bundt Cakes
Carrot
White Chocolate Orange

Specials
Pecan Mascarpone Cheesecake

And as always our Signature Granola!

Found on the coffee stand at Barnes Farmer's Market our
Cookie Monsters
White Chocolate Brownies

The Hope in Richmond

We are very excited about The Hope in Richmond. The Hope is located at 115 Kew Road and celebrates its 6th week open by turning over the dessert menu to Outsider Tart. From today you will be able to finish or start your meal with one of our weekly dessert specials. Our menu for this week includes Strawberry Layer Cake, Lime cupcakes and our Outrageous fudge brownies.

In addition to our desserts the main menu will also be evolving over the next few weeks so go over and give The Hope a try.

The Hope
115 Kew Road
TW9 2PN
020 8940 5486

It's cupcake day at last. The flavors for the day are:

Filled Cupcakes:
Chocolate Mint
Lemon Poppy
Boston Cream Pie
Lime

Unfilled cupcakes:
Brownie Chunk
Blueberry Lavender
Vanilla Strawberry
Red Velvet

So it is not cupcake day yet, but we have a cupcake and brownie assortment for you this week.

Cupcakes
Coffee and walnut
Carrot
Lemon Merangue
Rhubarb with strawberry buttercream
Chocolate - chocolate

Brownies
Banana with chocolate and white chocolate
Fudge brownie with walnuts
Chocolate cheesecake brownies (these are something special!)
and last but not least
Peanut butter chocolate brownies

Looks like another sunny weekend so we look forward to seeing everyone!

The David's

Well here we go with another week under our belt. The weather has been fantastic and the weekend is looking good.

This weekend's menu is a new one for us. We are only doing our layer cakes, 8 types to be exact with some new flavors.

White chocolate lavender
Banana coconut
Red velvet
Orange creamsicle
Chocolate mint
Butterscotch
Peanut butter chocolate
Coconut lemon

So stop eating now and save your appetite for this weekend.

The David's

The shop is moving along and taking up a great deal of time, but we are pulling out some new menu items for you this week. Our options are:

Bundt cakes
Moma's apple cake
Chocolate Cherry

Layer Cakes
Rhubarb layer cake
Blueberry layer cake
Lemon Meringue
Blackout
Coffee Mocha

Scones
Lemon lavender
A mystery savoury option

Muffins
Banana bran
Some other surprise!

Brownies
Nut jobs
Chocolate chip

Let's hope the lovely weather from the beginning of the week comes back!

Happy eating - The David's

Hi All,

Another week has blown past! We are back to a full menu this week and our options are:

Brownies
Oatmeal brownies
White Chocolate brownies
Hepburns

Breads
Banana Bourbon Bread
Apricot Cardamom Pistachio bread

Layer Cakes
Strawberry layer cake
Whiteout - think our blackout cake but all vanilla instead of chocolate
Southern Chocolate layer cake - Southern means sweet!
Carrot layer cake

Scones
Oatmeal Maple
Cheese
I am having a hankering for chocolate scones so you might see a substitution here!

Bundt Cakes
Ginger Macadamia pound
Orange Date pound

It’s that time of the month again…CUPCAKE DAY! This weekend we have the following flavours to tempt you.

Unfilled:
Mango
Banana split
Chocolate chip
Spiced Pecan

Filled:
Lavender White Chocolate
Triple Chocolate
Tiramisu
Ambrosia

Hope to see you there.

Hello All -

With the bank holiday weekend weather looking kind of iffy we thought to brighten the mood with our menu. We are doing cakes, muffins, brownies and scones at our Markets this weekend.

Scones - lavender scone or ham and cheese

Muffins – orange or coffee

Cake Slices – Banana or Macadamia Ginger or Chocolate Chip or Ambrosia or Coconut

Brownies – chocolate fudge or white chocolate orange or pecan caramel chews

As always we will have our eco friendly Outsider Tart bags and our award winning Granola for sale too.

Hope to see you in the wind and rain this weekend!

David and David

We have been lucky enough to have been featured on Market Kitchen on UKTV Food Network a few times. Below is a compilation of those appearances. I have left out the Pumpkin Pie episode since the host kept going on about not liking Pumpkin Pie. She really does not know what she is missing...

Last night David and I had the pleasure of doing a baking demonstration for the Petersham and Ham chapter of the WI. We had a fantastic time and hope that everyone enjoyed the evening. We talked about the versatility of the brownie and demonstrated our Hepburn brownies. For those of you interested in trying this at home the recipe is below. This recipe is sized for our Outsider Tart 9x9x1 inch pan which is available in our online shop.

HEPBURNS

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (75 grams)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (3 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt (2 grams)
1 cup semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate chips (6 ounces)
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts (175 grams)
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened (175 grams)
¾ cup cocoa powder (100 grams)
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (7 grams)
3 large eggs at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Butter a 9-x-9-x-1 inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the nuts and chocolate chips and stir everything until evenly distributed. Set aside.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. As the butter starts to melt, add the cocoa and instant coffee stirring constantly until the butter is melted and cocoa and coffee are blended in. Small lumps of butter are fine since they will continue to melt while the mixture cools. Less heat is better overall. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool about 5 minutes.

With a rubber spatula, add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar and vanilla. Be careful not to over beat so you limit the amount of air incorporated into the batter. Stir in the flour-chip-nut mixture only until just combined. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a small knife emerges clean. The brownies will have a papery dry top crust and appear gooey. Cool in the pan completely. We refrigerate them in the pan overnight before frosting and/or cutting into squares.