The Sweet Spot

If Ever Oh Ever a Wiz There Was

2009-06-07T19:01:00.001-07:00

Cake decorating can mean a lot of different things. Take a Wizard of Oz cake. On the one end of the spectrum, you’ve got your airbrushed supermarket yellow cake with lots and lots of gooey frosting and a plastic Dorothy and Toto stuck on top. On the other end of the spectrum you’ve got the cake Sweet Tempered put together for Mia’s birthday:

This is one of my personal favorites, and I was able to catch up with Christy this week on some of the wizardry involved in making it happen.

If you’re going to have an emerald city, it might as well look like emeralds. So, Christy built this one out of stiff fondant, and set it glittering with edible gold dust in the background. The basket’s Fondant too, a little extra thrown in for fun. The yellow brick road was piped on with a basket weave tip, and field of poppies was applied in little frosting kisses, one bloom at a time. There’s a tornado out on the far side, and lollipops. But the real coup de grace, the detail that you will never, ever, ever find on a grocery store cake?

The shoes. In Ruby fondant.

Here's to Mom

2009-05-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Moms rock. They roll. Moms stand us up, hold us together, banish nightmares, mend skinned knees, and heal wounded egos. Moms bring wisdom, love, and understanding. Without moms, we would, quite simply, not exist.

This last Sunday was Mother’s Day – a tiny glimmer of recognition for hard work often under-appreciated. I like to think that moms the world over got to take a moment of rest, got some extra hugs, got a gift or two from their adoring fan base. I hope all moms got to partake in some really delicious treats. Christy and Jennifer did their part to make that happen, hard at work at Sweet Tempered Saturday putting the finishing touches on a mountain of Mother’s Day cake orders.

The way I see it, one Sunday, even one Sunday with chocolate-layer-cake-with-ganache-filling-and-cream-cheese-frosting, even one Sunday with a blue sky and birds singing, doesn’t really cover it. Here’s to a little Mother’s Day appreciation every day. Mom deserves it.

The First Annual Cupcake Invitational

2009-04-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

The cupcake renaissance has hit Austin with full force, and people all over the city have started to take notice. Cupcakes are showing up everywhere: topped with bows at Birthday Parties, stacked high in pastel buttercream at Baby Showers, grouped in eyebrow raising arrangements at Bachelorette Parties, and layered in elegant tiers for Weddings. And many a happy cupcake-loving Austinite has a favorite; a neighborhood joint, somewhere off the beaten path, and always fiercely defended as the Best There Is. Some of us go so far as to offer to blog for our favorites. But I digress.

So how to sort through all this subjective fandom? Leave it to the Austin office of Deloitte Consulting to take a more scientific approach.

On March 27th, on the heels of a corporate training, consultants from the office gathered in a conference room for an Austin Cupcake Invitational. Here’s how the competition went down, according to an anonymous source at the office:

We worked with 4 bakeries, Hey Cupcake, Sweet Tempered, Polkadots, and Delish. Each bakery provided us three types of cupcakes – Chocolate, Vanilla, and Baker’s Choice. Each cupcake was judged on three separate criteria – taste (10 pts), appearance (5 pts), and frosting (5 pts). To avoid predispositions to any one particular vendor, we put cupcakes from each bakery on a color coded napkin and kept the true identity a secret until the end. [ed. note: That's Sweet Tempered on the yellow, Polkadots on the blue, Hey Cupcake on the White and Delish on the Red]

So, how’d it turn out? Who’s cupcake reigned supreme?

With the highest scoring cupcake overall (peppermint with chocoloate ganache), the best Vanilla, and huge accolades through the afternoon, Sweet Tempered took a clear victory.
The final Tally:

Bakery	Chocolate	Vanilla	Baker's Choice	Average
Sweet Tempered	13.33	13.36	14.75	13.81
Polkadots	13.71	11.91	14.00	13.21
Delish	11.92	11.91	12.60	12.14
Hey Cupcake	09.43	10.29	13.25	10.99

Stumbling out of the room, each on the verge of a sugar coma, the judges declared the Cupcake Invitational Complete. They also renamed it:

The First Annual Cupcake Invitational.

We’re expecting others to wage a fierce battle for next year. And I fully expect another Sweet Tempered victory. You know why? ‘Cause they’re the Best There Is.

Liquid Assets

2009-04-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

A really good espresso will drip out of the filter in slow, delicious drops like warm honey. It’ll be a little nutty, with a nice crema and rich carmelly texture. Mix it with milk and it’ll take on other dimensions – maybe a hint of chocolate or citrus. And the whole fantastic process that results in the latte you’re sipping out of that vintage porcelain cup at Sweet Tempered gets roasted over at Austin’s own Owl Tree Roasting.

Here’s how it goes down. A few select farmers in a few select spots on the globe grow really good coffee. And a few select roasters get a crack at making it great. Travis, over at Owl Tree has been doing this for years, though only recently on his own. The beans are blended, roasted, cooled and zipped over to lucky homes, to Progress Coffee, and, of course, to Sweet Tempered.

A spin round the flat burr grinder, a solid tamp in the portafilter, a little rotary pump action and voila what started as a little red berry on the Brazilian hill side is now a luscious espresso.

What comes next is up to you – how about a latte and a square of Sweet Tempered blondie? Or maybe a cappuccino and a chocolate-covered marshmallow? Or my personal all time fave: an espresso macchiato and a ganache filled peppermint cupcake. And there you have it: the sure fire cure for interminable afternoons.

A Mariachi Welcome for Milo

2009-04-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Some things just go together:

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Bluebonnets and Springtime

The 4th of July and Fireworks

Babies and Mariachi Bands

OK, maybe that last one is just an Austin thing.

For Brooke the choice was an easy one. What better way to celebrate the imminent arrival of baby Milo than with an extra-big dollop of festivity. And what’s more festive than a Mariachi band on a breezy day in the lovely trees of Garrison Park with 5 levels of Mariachi cupcakes, complete with Sombreros, Maracas, and Buttercream. Brooke's good pal Colleen gave Jennifer a call, and the rest is cupcake history.

Want to put your own unique spin on a baby shower? Check out the gallery at Sweet Tempered for inspiration, come up with your dream cake vision, and give Jennifer and Christy a shout to work out all the details. I’ve got it on good authority that, for a limited time, custom cakes over $60 get an extra 10% discount. Ole!

Red Velvet Revival

2009-03-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

It’s 1956. Ties are skinny. Thelonious Monk records Brilliant Corners. Charles and Ray release the Eames Lounge Chair. And, somewhere in the South, Red Velvet Cake is reaching the peak of its popularity.

While we’re still waiting for a revival of 1956 cool, we can at least comfort ourselves with one very revived Red Velvet cupcake. Maybe two. We’re hungry.

The inspiration for the Sweet Tempered Red Velvet cupcake comes from Jennifer and Christy’s childhood fave, The Red Oven bakery at Bowen and Park Row in Arlington, TX. The Red Oven is one of those places that doesn’t do trendy. They do what they do, and trendy occasionally comes around to meet them.

So, Jennifer and Christy both had a pretty good idea of what this cake was going to be about. Balance. Restraint. Deliciousness. There was to be no goopy frosting, no neon red, no overpowering chocolate. They worked for weeks. For months. And finally, they found it, topped with a special hybrid of buttercream and cream cheese frosting, the Red Velvet Cupcake was reborn in its former glory, right here in Austin. Available to all you hep cats out there every day but Sunday at our swingin’ South Austin pad.

Putting the Sweet in SXSW Film's Sweet 16

2009-03-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

16 years ago, on the heels of Austin indie film classics like Slacker, SXSW went from the most insane music-everywhere-you-go-week in Austin, to the most insane music-and-film-everywhere-you-go-week in Austin. This year: 33 films. On the first day.

We’re loving it, and so is A&E Indie Films, the folks who sponsored this year’s kick-off party at Buffalo Billiards.

So, you’re planning a kick-off to something big and spectacularly cool. We figure you’re going to want a cake. A big cake. A spectacularly cool cake. And that’s what A&E Indie Films thought too. The result: Christy’s 4 tiers of rock and roll goodness for the festivities.

Happy Sweet Sixteen, SXSW film!

Spring Is In The Air

2009-03-03T09:50:00.001-08:00

13 degrees in Boston. Flights into Atlanta canceled due to blizzard conditions. You'd barely know it was spring if it weren't for the current crop of Sweet Tempered cake creations. That's right folks, 'tis the season for butterflies and flowers.

Take Ella's birthday cake for example. A few weeks back, looking out at the budding trees and feeling the warm breeze, Ella decided what she wanted most of all was a butterfly birthday. And what better for a butterfly birthday than a Sweet Tempered butterfly birthday cake.

Invitations were mailed, the date was set, and Ella gave us her specs: Very Chocolate. Very Pink. And just like the butterflies on her invitation.

Needless to say, it was one happy just-turned-eight-year-old that came into the store that Saturday. And, judging from the pictures, one happy crowd of Ella's friends and their grown-ups once the candles were blown out and the slices of fudge-layered devils food cake were handed out.

Ella's already put her order in for next February: An Astronomy Party. In chocolate.

A Note to Our Cherished Customers

2008-11-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

I used to love Mr. Bill. I always, always mute commercials because 99.9% of them are so annoying. But I love the Visa commercial with Mr. Bill. Mr. Bill is the kind of person who cannot have a bad day. He sees the positive in everything. When coffee is spilt all over him, he "always wanted brown shoes." When he gets thrown, literally, onto a bus, he's relieved to find it's running right on schedule.

If there's is anything I know about myself, it's that I am no Mr. Bill.

I have expectations. I like for good things to happen. I like to be pleased. So, if you find that you are a person more like me and less like Mr. Bill, then you can delight in knowing that our goal is to please you. We don't want to spill coffee on your shoes and tell you they look better brown. We don't want to spill coffee on your shoes at all! We just want you to be happy!

Yes We Can!

2008-11-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

First things first: I must, once again, apologize for the delay in communication. Just know that, although I, ahem, We, have been very busy, we have been thinking of you. Some of you may have already popped into the new storefront to say Hi. Oh how we love you! For the rest of you, don't fret, you can redeem yourselves any Monday thru Saturday from 9am to 8pm. ;)

So, like I said, we've been super busy. Doing What? Well, tis the season to get married in Texas. Ah, 80 plus degree November days...you can't beat 'em. Anystreusel, check out some of the delightful and tasty cakes our brides and grooms have had the pleasure to serve their treasured guests recently:

First up, my personal favorite. What's not to love about Dia De Los Muertos cake toppers?

This one's pretty cool, too. The bride and groom came in with an awesome image done in the traditional style of Mehndi hand painting. Hard to tell in the pic, but the three dimensional cake topper Christy made was impressive, too.

PDT = Pretty Darn Tasty!

Sqigglicious!

And even a couple for the groom:

Luckiest man, huh? Well, you'll get no argument from my boyfriend! (Womp, Womp)

Apparently there are some San Francisco 49ers fans living in Austin. Must've seen the last four
Cowboys games. (Womp, Womp)

I think those are pretty noteworthy! To be sure, other important events have passed in the recent weeks besides weddings.
Like, birthdays!

Cheaper insurance and better gas milage makes this Ferrari affordable even in this economy!

NINETY YEARS OLD! And still fixing stuff. That dad rules!

Hmm. It seems like something else MONUMENTAL happened recently. Let's see... it wasn't a wedding, or birthday. I remember it was something that affected the ENTIRE WORLD. Well, I can't think of it right now. Must be all the sugar.

The Wait Is Over!

2008-09-29T12:10:00.001-07:00

WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS WEDNESDAY 10/1!!

The official grand opening will take place Saturday October 11 (details to follow), but no need to wait because the doors will be open, the coffee will be pouring, and the pastries will be baking tomorrow.
I don't know about you, wait, yes I do, if your reading this blog then you care--you really care (!) and are likely as excited as I am! OK, wait, you may not be as excited as I am, but, you will be when you see the place. And guess what? I, you're humble blogger, will be working behind the counter on Saturday mornings. So if you're one of the, oh, I don't know, three to seven people who read this blog then come say hi! I wish I could say something like "mention you read the blog and receive a free cookie" or something like that, but as things are what with a small business and apparently there's some kind of crisis on Wall Street and such, I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge you. But I can say that all of you who read this blog do not have to tip me! How's that for enticement?

So, to sum up, we will be ready for your most cherished patronage starting tomorrow at nine am and continuing until those whacky scientists in Sweden create a giant black hole that sucks us all in. Life is uncertain, come have a cupcake with us!

Knock, Knock!

2008-09-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Yes? Who's there?

OH! It's YOU!

Have You Missed Us?

2008-09-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Dearest Cupcakes,

We are very sorry it's been so long since you've heard from us. We've been very busy, and we are doing it all for you--yes, you! Things are really coming along with the new store, and we're excited for you to see it and experience the sweetness within. In the meantime, we've been busy doing that other thing we do, you know...bake. Summer, as you well know, is the season of birthdays. In August we celebrated Lily's (the First Daughter of Sweet Tempered) first birthday and Shelly's (Sweet Tempered's official taster) thirtysomethingorother. And although Texas in the middle of summer might not be the most traditional or practical time and place for a wedding, knots were tied nonetheless.

What the?! God that cake looks good! OK, OK, I'll suffer the heat of your outdoor wedding if you promise I'll get a slice. Two slices? Please let it be Red Velvet.
Huh? What do you mean there's more? A week after the wedding there was a birthday party for a little tike with a cake in the shape of a giant jet-ski? Why wasn't I aware of this?

Cheese and Rice! Look how big that thing is. Okay, so you didn't want to invite me...I understand. But for the love of sugar couldn't you just have cut me a piece off and taken it home in some tupperware? Hmph!

It's About Time!

2008-07-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

Good news everyone: Sweet Tempered is going retail! The new storefront is located in South Austin at The Shops @ Arbor Trails at William Cannon and Mopac. We hope to have the doors open somewhere between mid-September and early October. We'll provide the goods (specialty cakes, cupcakes, cookies, coffee and other assorted delectable edibles), all you have to do is stop in.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

2008-07-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Oh Princess of Moon, Earth and Sea

Each wish in Thy Name must come to be.

Flour, butter, eggs and sugar do take

Now summon your powers to bake me a cake.

Frost it and slice it most evenly

And disperse to good friends for prosperity.

Then back to Thy Castle do go and wait

While cakes in full bellies

Assure your sweet fate.

Her Name Ain't Rio

2008-06-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

…and she doesn’t dance on the sand, but occasionally she does prance around on the concrete in a bathing suit from the 1930s shielding her face from the Texas Sun under a paper umbrella. And really, who doesn’t? (Okay I don’t, but that’s another story.)

But here’s the real question: where oh where is Chef Christy marching to? Well, you can’t see it in the photo, but way off in the distance is a pastry lover’s paradise, a confectionary lover’s cloud nine, a sweet tooth’s Shangri-La—alright, alright, you get it already.

You want to go there don’t you? I don’t blame you, I do too. Well, I hate to be a Tease but the truth of the matter is you’ll just have to wait. Do stay tuned…

Roll the Dice!

2008-06-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Folks, when it comes to jaw-dropping, head-turning specialty cakes, the key ingredient is your imagination. Why be conventional? Ok, ok, so you're savvy enough to go beyond the old sheet cake. You're with it enough to raise the stakes with flavor. Now it's time to double down on the design. What's the occasion? Who's it for? Go all in with personalization. Show up with a cake that defies expectation and you'll guarantee your status as V.I.P at all future gatherings. Trust me here, the odds you'll walk away a winner are in your favor.
And while I've got you at the table, let me remind you that you needn't wait for a special occasion to treat yourself to a tempting Sweet Tempered dessert. So go ahead and make the call...you can't lose!

What in the Quill?

2008-05-27T18:20:00.001-07:00

At first glance, this little guy appears to be a porcupine. At least that’s what I thought. Perhaps—no, probably—you’re cleverer than I am and recognized it for the monotreme it is: an Echidna. For those of you who did not recognize it as such, or for that matter have any clue as to what in the world an Echidna is, welcome to my world! Luckily for both of us, Google is around. Now prepare yourself for some minor enlightenment, and major cuteness.
The Echidna (pronounced ih-KID-na) is, as I mentioned earlier, a monotreme. Remember way back when in Biology class when you learned that the Duckbilled Platypus is an egg-laying mammal? Well that’s a monotreme! And then remember how your professor told you that there was one other such mammal, but you could never remember what the other one was? Well that’s the Echidna!
There are two types of echidnas: long-beaked and short-beaked. These little critters, much like the spiny anteater, love to munch on termites and ants. They have no teeth, and pick up their grub with their long, sticky tongues. How cute is that?
Now check this out: apparently the Greeks didn’t recognize the echidnas for the adorable little buggers they are. In fact, the echidna gets its name from the Greek for “Mother of All Monsters”. Apparently Hesiod started this ugly rumor that the echidna was spawned in a cave and then mated with every possible horrible monster there was, thus making her the mother of all monsters. How rude!
Fortunately today we know all about the Echidna, and how harmless and awesome they truly are. Still, I doubt there’s any argument the chocolate cake echidna is preferable to the spiny, sticky-tongued one.

Recap:

Good to eat:

Not good to eat:

It Ain't Easy Being Dad

2008-05-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

I won't lie to you, fatherhood isn't easy like motherhood.
-Homer Simpson

Well folks, the one day a year we set aside to give Dads everywhere an official shout out is just around the corner. As familiar as we all are with this national holiday, what most of us tend to remember when we think of Father's Day (especially fathers), are the less than desirable gifts given in his honor. If your dad is anything like mine, he is nearly impossible to shop for. Sure, he'll pretend to be excited about getting golf balls (again), or the gift card from Home Depot that he'll use for something or other that he doesn't really need. And let's not get started on the shirts he'll never wear, the ties he has no room or need for, the socks, the Old Spice. The years pass by, the gifts stay the same. This year, however, can be different. You know the old saying: the way to a man's heart is through his sweet tooth? Or is it his stomach? Well, no matter, the point is, it's true.
This year, set aside routine. Abandon the standard fare. Forget about the run-of-the-mill. This year, be sweet to Dad. Tell him how much you appreciate him, how important he is, how you recognize the sacrifices he's made for you. Then, before it gets too mushy--too sentimental, bust out the cake! Serve your Dad first, it's his day. Then hurry up and serve yourself; the cake won't last long and it was your awesome idea to begin with.

FYI: This decadent and delectable dads cake consist of devil's food chocolate with a chocolate mint filling and is covered with chocolate ganache icing. Priced to sell at $45 plus tax, this 6" cake serves 12 people and waters up to 67 mouths.

For She's The Jolly Good Fellow!

2008-05-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today is Chef Christy's Birthday. (Hooray!)
Christy will be taking today off to clean the chocolate out from under her fingernails and the fondant out from her hair. Then maybe even relax a little. A small celebration in honor of the anniversary of Christy's birth took place a few nights ago. Fortunately for all involved, except maybe the birthday girl herself, she brought her own cupcakes! (mmmm... strawberry)
So congrats Christy! Here's to many more years of wedding cakes, cupcakes, panna cottas, macaroons, tarts and the like. And, of course, to Sweet Success!

Some Like It Hot

2008-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

This week Sweet Tempered had the privilege of being part of NACE’s (National Association of Catering Executives) annual Iron Chef Event. Chef Christy was given the challenge of creating a tasty and imaginative dessert with a special secret ingredient: chili peppers. Inspired by her love of Thai food, Christy set out to create a dessert a la Tom kha gai, her favorite spicy soup. The dish started with a Panna cotta (can’t you just hear Giada now? “pan-nah coat-ah”), a traditional Italian dessert which literally translates to “cooked cream” (think custard).

Where generally Panna cottas are made simply with cream, milk, sugar and gelatin, Christy mixed it up a bit with some coconut milk, cilantro, and serrano and habanero peppers. The dessert was bedded on an orange ginger sauce, topped off with a spicy papaya and mango slaw, whipped cream, and a tuile.

Ok, now for those of you who are thinking “sounds weird,” open your minds a little. Believe me, I’m as adventurous as a six year old when it comes to my diet—but I tried it and loved it. In fact, we loved it so much we ate the leftovers before remembering to take photos. Oops.

So how’d it go you ask? Well, much like Caesar, We Came, We Saw, and We Conquered. Yes Friends, Romans, and Countrymen, our dear Christy went up against the reigning champ, a formidable opponent, and came out on top. Not that we ever had any doubts (ahem. Oh, sorry there. There was something stuck in my throat). All kidding aside, it was a true challenge and both Christy and her competitor, Sous Chef Ashley, rose to the challenge. Unfortunately though, there can only be one winner. And fortunately for us, it was Christy. Okay, fortune had nothing to do with it; it all comes down to talent. And where Christy’s concerned, the proof is in the Panna cotta.

Let them eat…Enchiladas?

2008-04-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ladies, bad news: Gone are the days when the wedding was all about the Bride. Okay, hold on, before you get too upset the Groom wants you to know something—you can still deal with the flowers, and the invitations, and the photographer, and the table settings…all those time-consuming, stress-inducing tasks are still in your control. Feel better? After all, it’s his day too! Here’s the deal: he wants his own cake. Is that too much to ask? C’mon…be cool about it. Today’s grooms have a message. And that message is... (wait for it)…Let Them Eat Cake!

Did you know that the groom’s cake is a Southern Tradition? Originally, the groom’s cake wasn’t meant for him but rather it was a gesture to all the single ladies at the wedding. “Hey ladies, sorry you’re still spinsters. Maybe someday some guy will wanna marry you? Until then, have some cake won’t you?” The story goes that the hopeless and apparently desperate maiden would take a slice of the cake home, place it under her pillow, dream about that special guy, and then…magic! (Sounds kinda messy, sure glad those days are over)

In any event, today’s groom’s cake is all about him. His hobbies, toys, favorite things—anything he can imagine. In today’s weddings the groom’s cake is muey importante; A real focal point. Recent Groom Alfonso Angelone’s original and unique idea to recreate Chuy’s ever popular Enchilada Plate was a welcome challenge for our beloved pastry chef Christy. Her talent is just waiting for your creative ideas! So bring it on Grooms. If you can dish it, we can bake it!

Finally, I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but the Chuy’s Enchilada Plate/Groom’s Cake was a real hit. Don’t believe me? Then take it from the bride:

I was so excited! I had visions of giving Christy a big ol' hug as soon as I saw the cakes in the reception! They were both well beyond my expectations. The bride's cake was classy, the sugared fruit and flowers looked gorgeous! An d the Chuy's cake...wow! People were falling all over it! Everything on it looked so realistic from the beans and rice to the all-to-well-known silverware packaging! Above all, though, the cakes themselves were delicious. The bride's ginger and lemon cake was exactly what I wanted, and the groom's cake was moist and decadently chocolate!You were both so easy to work with and people were asking who made the cakes and how could they find out about you.Speaking of, I think Chuy's may have sent you both dinners for two!! They have posted pictures up of the cake in the Chuy's HQ!

Thank you again!

Morgan Dishman

PS: Congrats to newlyweds Morgan & Alfonso! That love is all there is, is all we know of love—Emily Dickinson