Meet Doron Petersan at DC VegFest

Sticky Fingers' Cupcake-Eating Contest/
Photo courtesy of DC VegFest

Meet Doron Petersan, owner of Sticky Fingers Bakery, at the 2012 DC VegFest. The two-time Cupcake Wars Winner will be signing copies of her new cookbook: Sticky Fingers Sweets: 100 Super Secret Vegan Recipes. Stop by the Sticky Fingers booth for some treats and savories then sign up for their cupcake-eating contest. 

When: Saturday, September 22, 2012
Where: Yards Park, 10 Water Street SE, DC
Time: 11AM until 6PM
Cost: FREE

                                                      

Meet Doron Petersan at the Natural Product Expo East

Photo courtesy of Sticky Fingers Bakery

Meet Doron Petersan, owner of Sticky Fingers Bakery and 2-time Cupcake Wars Winner, at the Natural Product Expo East in Baltimore, MD on Friday September 21st, at 1PM. She will signing copies of her new book, Sticky Fingers Sweets: 100 Super Secret Vegan Recipes, at the Earth Balance booth. The Natural Product Expo East will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center. For more information visit their site here. 

                                                         

Sprinkles' Key Lime Cupcake Recipe

                           

On my first visit to Sprinkles in May 2011, I experienced their key-lime cupcakes. I say "experience" because, to quote myself, "It made me do the Dougie". Whenever a cupcake (or any food item) makes you want to dance spontaneously- that's an amazing cupcake. This morning on GMA, Cupcake Wars judge and Sprinkles owner, Candace Nelson, coughs up the recipe for Sprinkles' key-lime cupcakes and reveals a telling secret on how to make it pop. That started my morning off right! Thanks GMA!

                   

Introducing the MacTop! By The Sweet Lobby

The MacTop

The Original MacTop: The Madagascar

What's the hottest dessert in town doing with the second hottest dessert? Making friends- I hope! Using the tagline, "You don't have to choose!" Cupcake Wars winner and DC's own, The Sweet Lobby, has introduced an ingenious product called- The MacTop. It's a macaron on top of a cupcake! 


The original MacTop (pictured top-right) is a fried plantain cupcake filled with a tamarind mousse, topped with coffee buttercream and coffee-plantain macaron. It debuted last night on Cupcake Champions and is officially called, The Madagascar. 


The Sweet Lobby's owner and creator of the MacTop is Winnette MacIntosh Ambrose . Do you think she's bias towards Macs? Maybe, but I'm loving the concept and can't wait to try. Way to go Sweet Lobby!

Sprinkles Celebrity Cupcake Craze

           

Waking up at 6AM to a tweet that pop star Chris Brown made a 5AM  breakfast run to the 24-hour Sprinkles ATM is pretty cool stuff. Further to then get an email with the above clip confirming the celebrity stan-dom of Sprinkles, only confirms my motto: 'Cupcakes aren't a fad...they're a lifestyle'. The only other bit of news that I like waking up to is that Candace Nelson (queen of the Sprinkles cupcake empire and star of The Food Network's Cupcake Wars) confirmed that DC will have it's own cupcake ATM's soon!  Who knows, maybe I'll see DC's own Raheem Devaughn or Joe Biden in the (cupcake) ATM line like, "C'mon already...choose a flavor" If only Cupcake Lovers... ;-)

PS: Happy Raheem Devaughn Day!!

                                            

Doron Petersan at National Harbor Wine & Food Festival

A few months back, I had the chance to sit down and talk with Doron Petersan as well as review her bakery, Sticky Fingers Bakery, located in Columbia Heights. Since then she's been on a whirlwind PR tour for her new book, 'Sticky Fingers' Sweets: 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes'. This two-time Cupcake Wars champion (and Patron Saint of vegans worldwide) will be signing her new book on May 5, 20102 at the following locations...check it out! 

Cinco de Mayo celebration at Bandolero at Tackle Box
3407 Connecticut Avenue, NW
May 5, 5-7pm





National Harbor Wine and Food  Festival, Viking Stage
cupcake demo and sampling, with books for purchase and signing
May 5, 1:30pm

Books will be available for purchase and to have her sign. In the meantime, you can also order a copy from Amazon.com:

                                                                      

Food Network Launches Cupcake App

Photo Courtesy of The Food Network

Are you a Cupcake Wars fanatic? Do wish you had Bobby Flay's secret to his rum raisin cupcakes? Download Food Network's new app chocked full of decorating how-to-videos, 100's of recipes from the chefs you love and video clips from all of your favorite Food Network shows. Download the app for $2.99 here.

Cupcakes Aren't A Fad...It's A Lifestyle!

Courtesy of: Chef2Chef.net

The Sweet Lobby

Location: The Sweet Lobby  (404 8th Street SE)
Flavors: Red Velvet,Chocolate Salted Caramel, Champagne Strawberry
Price: $2.75
Guest Reviewer: Universal Em


The Sweet Lobby, located in Eastern Market, is in plain sight from the metro and literally less than a block away. WMATA is my life so the proximity earned this place extra kudos. A cute little walk-in, The Sweet Lobby is clearly a get- in and get-out type of operation. When I arrived the spot was popping and I soon found out that the constant traffic was due to the recent success the store received by winning The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. 

The broadcast which premiered on Super Bowl Sunday ensured that when I arrived there were no personal menus to peruse and no macarons available for sale. Besides the cupcakes, The Sweet Lobby is known for their take on the French confection. This information was made readily available by the employees, who were not only friendly, but very knowledgeable on the store and the 19 different flavors on hand that day.

At $2.75 a cupcake, I decided on three flavors: the Chocolate Salted Caramel, the Red Velvet (those two being their most popular) and the Champagne Strawberry. The Champagne Strawberry was a no-brainer, simply because my love for alcohol is well documented and knows no bounds. Out of all three selections, this was my least favorite. 

Described on the menu as more of a cake, the champagne left the white chocolate filling feeling spongy and hearty, while the champagne butter cream icing tasted more like some sort of orange whip. It didn’t help that even though fresh strawberry chunks were used, I could barely taste them. The Red Velvet, I thought, was an appropriate second option since it’s like the Holy Grail flavor for aficionados.  The particular icing used is a tangy cream cheese frosting, which I am sorry to report overshadows everything. I’m talking like the city of Philadelphia was harmed while making it.

Thank god for the Chocolate Salted Caramel. Hindsight is 20/20 and in retrospect I would have gotten this three times over. Everything from the rich Callebaut chocolate, the gooey salted caramel core, and the milk chocolate butter cream topping with the salted caramel swirl was just divine. The thing literally crumbles softly, melts in your mouth while all the flavors complement each other well. 

Although the shop opened a little under a year ago, word of mouth and recent success have allowed it to keep that fresh relevancy. With that lone cupcake, it’s not hard to see why. Also offering shortbread cookies, madeleines, and their own brand of teas and hot chocolate, this Barracks Row shop is sure to lobby their way into your mouths and hearts….see what I did there?

Universal Em is a freelance writer and all around Joe who calls Cardozo home. A Sagittarius with a love of all things hip-hop and sports he can be found trolling on twitter (@universalem). If left to his own devices, he would steal someone else's words to describe himself, "commonplace & different, intimate & distant, fresher than an infant." 

The Sweet Lobby Contest (Contest Closed)

Hey Cupcake Lovers! The Sweet Lobby,Winners of Cupcake Wars and recent addition to Barracks Row, are giving one of my readers a gift certificate for one dozen free cupcakes!! 

Rules to enter:

Subscribe to my blog in the upper right-hand corner and leave a comment on one of my reviews. One lucky member will be chosen at random and awarded a gift certificate for one dozen cupcakes. The winners will be announced on Monday 5, 2012!

Cupcake Project #7: Rolling Stones Brown Sugar Cupcake with Coconut Custard Filling & Spiced Rum Frosting

I'm sure when two-time Cupcake Wars champs Sticky Fingers Bakery, came up with this recipe they were channeling Mick Jagger- cause these cupcakes are rock stars! Now it's your turn! Turn on your favorite 'Stones tune (mine will be 'Jumpin Jack Flash') and crank the oven up to 350 degrees! Happy Eating Cupcake Lovers!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 9 ounces brown sugar
• 4 ounces non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance
• 1 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer, such as Ener-G
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 standard cupcake liners. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the brown sugar and margarine with the whisk attachment, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

In a small bowl or cup, combine 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water and the egg replacer and stir to dissolve the egg replacer. Add the egg replacer to the sugar and mix until combined. In a small bowl, combine the soymilk and vinegar and set aside.
Turn the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients and the soymilk, alternating between the two, ending with the soymilk.
Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter and bake or until a toothpick inserted into each cupcake comes out clean, about 19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.

 

Coconut Custard Filling:

• 2 cups full-fat canned coconut milk
• 4 ounces sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepot, stir together 1 3/4 cups of the coconut milk and the sugar. Heat on medium-high until the mixture begins to bubble around the edges.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk and the cornstarch into a slurry. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the hot sugar mixture while whisking. Cook for 2 more minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Put the cooled Coconut Custard into a piping bag and cut 1/4-inch off the tip. Yield: 2 cups.

Spiced Rum Frosting:

• 8 ounces non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance
• 8 ounces non hydrogenated vegetable shortening, such as Earth Balance
• 1 pound 8 ounces 10x powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup dark rum

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the margarine and shortening until completely combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. On low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Add the cinnamon, allspice and cloves, and mix. Scrape the bottom of the bowl. Add the rum and mix to combine. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and mix on medium-high speed until all the ingredients are combined and the frosting is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Put the frosting into a pastry bag and cut 1/2-inch off the tip. Yield: 2 quarts.

Cracked Brown Sugar Brittle:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, boil the sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Place a candy thermometer into the pan and cook on medium heat until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda and margarine. Pour the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and quickly spread the hot mixture thinly on the sheet. Let the candy cool completely and break it into small pieces with your fingers.

To assemble:
With a plastic drinking straw or a small paring knife, make holes in the center of each cupcake. Squeeze the Coconut Custard Filling in the center of each cupcake until filled but not overflowing, about 1 tablespoon per cupcake. Pipe a dollop of Spiced Rum Frosting onto each cupcake and garnish with a few pieces of the Cracked Brown Sugar Brittle.

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Food Network. Click here

The Cupcake Weekly #2

February 12, 2012: Treat Yo Self!

The good folks over at One Love Massive and Crunkcakes are teaming up for a day of mimosas and fine leather goods…ok, not really but they are pulling together some of the coolest artisans, craftsmans and treat-makers in the city. Join them and special guest DJ Keenan Orr for a

Valentine’s Day pop-up shop at Mellow Mushroom in Adams Morgan. For more info, click here

Location: Mellow Mushroom

(2436 18th St NW)

Time: 12:00pm until 4:00pm

   Cupcake Wars Season 5 is STILL CASTING!!

Don't miss your chance to showcase your culinary skills on Season 5 of Cupcake Wars, airing Sunday nights at 8PM on the Food Network. To enter, send an email to cupcakewars5@gmail.com and include photos of you, your cupcakes and a brief bio. Good Luck!

February 15 & 17

Sticky Fingers Debut Cookbook! 

Sticky Fingers, DC’s favorite vegan bakery and two-time ‘Cupcake Wars’ winner, will be debuting their  new cookbook, 'Sweets: 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes'. (*Psst* They are the first vegan bakery in Cupcake Wars history to win!) Written by shop co-owner Doron Petersan, the book features 100 recipes and the secrets to their vegan delights.  Anticipate the book on February 17. If you can’t wait that long Petersan will be hosting a live webinar from her alma mater, The University of Maryland to discuss the book. To register, click here

Order Sticky Fingers' New Book!

Do you have a cupcake event or news? E-mail me at DCCupcakeCritic@gmail.com to be included in the weekly round-up!

Cupcake Wars Season 5 is Casting!

Cupcake Wars has been picked up for another season! They are now casting for Season 5! If you are interested in being considered, please send an email to cupcakewars5@gmail.com. Please include photos of you and your cupcakes and a brief bio.

Sticky Fingers Bakery: 'Cupcake Wars' Viewing Party

January 15th 8pm on Food Network. Will they pull rank and win this war OR eat and retreat in defeat?

Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats won Food Network’s Cupcake Wars in March 2011. This Sunday, the vegan baking duo from Columbia Heights will defend their title in Cupcake Wars All-Stars. Watch the episode with founder Doron Petersan and head baker Jenny Webb to find out if they’ll win this war or eat and retreat in defeat.

Viewing Party 7-10pm at Bourbon (2nd Floor) 2321 18th St NW, Washington DC. Cupcakes aplenty, no cover, and heckling encouraged!