Learning Butter Lane's Cupcake Secrets

Moo. A sweet cure for the January blues.

Now I love Butter Lane even more. Arguably makers of the best cupcakes in the EV, possibly in the city, the bakery actually teaches you its trade secrets at cupcake class.

The teaching kitchen adjacent to the store

The wildly popular classes are now offered seven days a week. I took one on a recent Sunday afternoon with two friends. Head baker and pastry chef Sunshine Flagg (wd~50, Momofuku Noodle Bar) took 12 of us through two entertaining hours of hands-on instruction. Three teams, three kinds of cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, banana), six different frostings. Zero calorie counting.

High quality cakes start with fine ingredients. So the vanilla batter includes real vanilla bean. And thanks to Sunshine, we all now know the real origin of vanilla. It's not Tahiti or Madagascar. We also know to never overmix the batter, or undermix the frosting.

My final product - not perfect, but perfectly delicious

Ahh, the frosting. A basic buttercream, delicious in its simplicity, can easily be transformed by just one more ingredient. Will it be cinnamon, or peanut butter, or raspberry?

Once the cakes were cooled and creams whipped, we got a brief instruction on the Butter Lane method of frosting. The pat, twirl and whoosh technique is not as easy as it looks. There is a class prize for the best Butter Lane-esque cake, so channel that inner decorator. Regardless, everyone walked away with a box of personally decorated, perfectly scrumptious cupcakes.

Butter Lane clearly has fun with its classes. Look out for couples only classes on Fridays, frosting 101, and basic cake decorating. There are even private parties for birthdays, showers and other celebrations. On March 12th, it's launching a Cupcakes and Cocktails class. Sweet oblivion.

What else can we frost?

123 E. 7th Street (between 1st Ave + Ave A)
212 677 2880
Classes start at $40.

Puddin' is the New Cupcake

Pure indulgence

One of the most exciting - and nostalgic - new food destinations to hit the East Village has to be Puddin' by Clio, which opens on Friday. KikaEats got a sneak peek and sampled the goods. Yum.

The name alone conjures up the sweetest childhood memories. For me, it's coming home from school to the smell of warm chocolate pudding just barely set in five bowls on the counter. My mother would intentionally leave enough homemade custard in the pot for me to lick the spoon and scrape the sides clean.

Layers of flavors

Owner and pastry chef Clio Goodman (Cafe Boulud, Bar Boulud) takes the homemade concept to a whole new level. Over the past year, she has tested and perfected every recipe, from chocolate, and butterscotch (with real Scotch), to banana, lemon, and coffee. And every topping is made from scratch: 'Oreos,' marshmallows, sprinkles, graham crackers, etc. Pudding prices range from $5.50 for an individual bowl to $12.50 for a 20-oz party size.

"I found something New York doesn't have!"exclaims Goodman, who is serious about her craft. Her tiny 280 sq ft store on St. Marks Place has been designed so customers can watch the team  "tinker and work." If pudding's not your thing, no problem. Fresh cakes, pies and cookies washed down with thick hot chocolate will lure you in. And coming soon, look out for homemade pop tarts. Genius.

102 St Marks Place (between Ave A + First Ave)
212 477 3537

Magnum Ice Cream Bars' Cool US Debut

Looking for a sweet treat to temper the summer heat?

March straight into your local Walgreens for the debut of Magnum premium ice cream bars, an import from Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever. While living in London, these bars were my go-to when indulging in something especially naughty-but-worth-every-calorie. They're already available in 40 countries, so not sure why the US is the last to know. Probably because we don't need more fat laden products, but never mind. I'm in heaven now.

So far just six flavors including chocolate covered vanilla (classic), caramel (slightly too rich and sweet) and almond (my absolute favorite), are available at area retailers including Target. Til now, I've only been able to find the caramel in lower Manhattan.

Think of it as a Dove bar but better. The rich vanilla ice cream is flecked with visible vanilla bean. The Belgian chocolate coating is thick and snaps when you bite into it. Skip the calorie counting (around 330 per bar) and just surrender.

Magnum 3-pack bars/$5.49 and $2.39/single.

Note: I happily paid for my ice cream; this post is not based on a company freebie whatsoever.

Exotic Valentine

Be my Valentine

I recently went to my first henna tattoo party to celebrate my friend Christine's pregnancy. As artist Sandy Patangay deftly created an exquisite freehand design on Christine's 8-month old baby bump, she explained that she also takes her brush to an edible canvas designing specialty cakes and cupcakes.

How ingenious!

Exquisite freehand detailing

These cakes are beyond stunning. If only President Obama had presented one when he hosted the Prime Minister of India for dinner at the White House. Talk about show stopper.

Too pretty to eat

Self-taught Sandy grew up in Hyderabad, India, with a tradition of henna artistry in her home. She started her Manhattan henna design business in 2000 with an order from the Museum of Natural History. Two years ago, at the urging of clients who marveled at her design skills and surgeon's precision, she took her Soho-based Henna Studio to the next level, creating edible art. It took practice, practice, practice to get the consistency of the ink, a blend of edible dyes and powdered sugar, perfect.

Three-tiered cakes take about 4-5 hours to decorate and start at $200. And while her current market for henna 

designed cakes is South Asian weddings (wedding cakes are still a Western concept, but increasingly more common in modern Indian weddings), it's only a matter of time before these inspired, one-of-a-kind creations are all the rage. Not to mention the bejeweled cupcakes. Did you hear that, Magnolia Bakery?

Capture her heart with these gems

Henna Studio Inc
424 Broadway at Canal St, 2nd Fl.
917 587 2616
www.hennastudio.com

Images: Matt Cohen/Matte Design
Cupcakes: Parul Patel/The Cake Designer

Perfect Homemade Crumb Cake

Confession: I have a weakness for those boxed supermarket crumb cakes that have a shelf life of weeks. I don't buy them regularly but if one magically appeared before me, I would dive right in. I created an easy alternative to satisfy that sweet tooth and not make me feel guilty about putting loads of preservatives in my belly. And with a topping of chocolate chips, nuts, brown sugar and coconut, it tastes rich and amazing.

Topping:
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped nuts - walnuts or pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Cake:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup low fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Topping prep:

In a small bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and butter. Mix well with fingers or fork, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar. Add morsels, nuts and coconut and stir to blend well. Set aside.

Cake prep:

In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the flour mixture alternatively with the sour cream. Fold into a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter.

Bake 45-50 minutes and enjoy. Note cake freezes beautifully, wrapped tightly.

La Dolce Vita in the East Village

Veniero's Pastry Shop, an East Village institution

Despite the constant stream of great new eateries in the East Village, sometimes I don't want to try the latest flavor of the week. I want the comfort of old, tried and true. Especially with dessert, where classic trumps experimental any day.
You can't get more traditional or legendary than Veniero's on E. 11th St. The old-world, family-owned pasticceria and cafe dates back to 1894, and stepping foot inside is a magical walk back in time. Under the ornate stained glass ceilings, dozens of mouthwatering sweets greet you as they have for four generations. Your eyes widen, you can't help but smile. So many choices...so many glorious calories. Cheesecakes, cannoli, tiramisu, biscotti, fruit tarts, strawberry shortcake, Black Forest cake, Red Velvet cake, and pastries galore. Even gelato! The menu lists more than 60 desserts, made from scratch daily. There are even sugar, gluten and dairy-free items.

Veniero's decadent desserts

Their signature New York cheesecake (with strawberries, $4.50) is utterly scrumptious. Rich and decadently creamy. Just as good as Mom's, in fact. The Sicilian cheesecake ($4.50), made with ricotta rather than cream cheese, is lighter and hints of lemon. For coffee lovers, the enormous slice of mocha espresso cake ($4.50) definitely delivers.  And don't miss their famous pignoli cookies ($2.50 for 2) - chewy marzipan morsels studded with crunchy pine nuts. Ridiculously delicious.

A visit to Veniero's is like being transported to Venice's Piazza San Marco for a sweet hour or two. 342 E. 11th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues).

The Big O Comes to Chelsea as The Doughnut Plant Expands

If you've ever made a pilgrimage to The Doughnut Plant deep in the Lower East Side, the June opening of Mark Israel's second NYC outpost in the Chelsea Hotel will make satisfying your sweet tooth much more convenient. According to an insider, 'The Doughnut Bar' menu will feature some sweet treats unique to that location. And unlike the tiny original spot, the new bakery will have limited seating to savor every mouth-watering morsel. Some things won't change - like using grandfather Herman's original 1930's recipe to the inevitable lines snaking out the door. Summer can't come soon enough.