Perhaps you’ve seen cakes with a doll wearing a gorgeous, puffy gown made of frosting before, but one Sacramento bakery’s twist on that familiar creation — using a Ken doll instead of Barbie — has prompted an avalanche of orders. [More]
bakeries
Starbucks Closing All Standalone La Boulange Bakery Cafés By Fall
By 6.17.15
Back in 2012, Starbucks bought a San Francisco-based bakery chain, La Boulange, to help class up its offerings in the pastry case. While Starbucks will keep the brand for the pastries served in Starbucks cafés, the company has decided to close the 23 standalone La Boulange locactions that have stayed in business since the acquisition. [More]
Creator Of The Cronut Says He Eats One Every Day Because Come On, Of Course He Does
By 4.17.15
Perhaps you’ve experienced that cycle familiar to many home cooks: You come up with a recipe, it turns out reeeally well and so you end up making it a lot… until eventually, you get sick of it and move on, dusting that favorite off now and again. But Dominique Ansel, the creator of the cronut, has to eat one of his pastries every single day as part of his job. Poor guy. [More]
Why Do Girl Scouts Sell A “Caramel deLite” In Milwaukee And A “Samoa” In Seattle?
By 3.5.15
When I first the nest to live among strangers in a strange land/another state, I was surprised to hear people talking about eating “Samoas” and “Tagalongs” during Girl Scout cookie season. Once I realized they meant “Caramel deLites” and “Peanut Butter Patties,” I figured these weirdos just used different names for the same cookies. But the thing is — they aren’t the same cookies. [More]
Lab Results Are In: Holiday Breads Were Laced With Synthetic Marijuana
By 2.2.15
The celebration of Three Kings Day is supposed to be fun, not terrifying. Marking the holiday with a cake or sweet bread should not cause dizziness, heart palpitations, and hallucinations among people who are celebrating. Yet that’s what happened to around 40 people who purchased Rosca de Reyes sweet breads from a southern California bakery last month. [More]
Bakery Says It Will Finally Get Around To Cleaning Neighbor’s Flour-Covered House
By 5.28.14
Last week, we told you about the New Jersey homeowner whose house had been dusted with a flour and cornmeal mixture ever since a pipe burst at a neighboring bakery back in January — and how the bakery refused to make good on its initial promise to take care of the mess. After her problem caught on with the media, the bakery is suddenly waking up and swearing it will tidy up after itself. [More]
Burst Bakery Pipe Covers Home In Flour; Bun-Bakers Won’t Fork Over Dough To Clean Mess Up
By 5.19.14
For years, an elderly New Jersey woman lived in peace next door to a bun-baking factory. But that’s all changed in the past year, following two incidents that have left her property covered in flour and cornmeal and stuck her with the cleanup bill. [More]
Sprinkles Finally Expands 24-Hour Cupcake ATM To New York City
By 3.26.14
Back in 2012, we covered the opening of the very first cupcake-filled ATM (Automated Tastiness Machine) at Sprinkles in Los Angeles. It took two years, but the cakeomat has finally made its way across the country, and Sprinkles has installed a cupcake ATM at their Manhattan bakery. [More]
Bakery That Refused To Make Wedding Cake For Gay Couple Closes Its Doors
By 9.4.13 — Updated: 2.3.15
The Oregon bakery that made headlines back in February for refusing to make a cake for a gay couple’s wedding is once again in the news, this time for shuttering its doors. The owners had cited their faith when reportedly telling the couple, “We don’t do same-sex marriages.” [More]
Do Not Market Your $8 Cupcakes By Insulting Fat People
By 6.3.10
There are a lot of things to keep in mind when launching a small business. One of them: try not to build your marketing around an insult a substantial portion of the American population. A small bakery in North Carolina forgot this important truth, and launched with the tagline “So Good It Makes Fat People Cry.” The slogan didn’t make anyone cry–it just pissed people off. [More]
Prepare Yourself: The Cupcake Bubble Is About To Burst
By 9.9.09
One industry that has grown in the recession is set for a fall. No, not vehicle repossessions or shoe repair. I’m talking about the mid-decade cupcake boom. According to Slate, the industry is due for a bust.
Loaf Of Bread Comes With Baked-In Rodent Goodness
By 6.11.09 — Updated: 2.24.14
Back in 2007, a man in Northern Ireland opened up a loaf of bread and found a whole, mercifully dead, rat. (The BBC is reporting that it’s a mouse, but it’s either a giant mutant mouse or a rat.) A judge heard the case this week, and fined the bakery ÔøΩ1,000 ($1,653) “plus costs.”
Mother's Cookies Goes Out Of Business, Kills Off Circus Animals
By 10.9.08
If you’re a fan of those pink and white frosted Circus Animal cookies from Mother’s, either stock up or start priming your nostalgia, because this week the company closed its doors abruptly. They’ve cited the expected reasons—the rising cost of raw materials, and an inability to borrow in the frozen credit market.
