Blue Note Bakery

Blue Note Bakery
4201 S. Congress Ste. 101
Austin, Tx 78745
512-797-7367

http://www.bluenotebakery.com/

A few weeks ago, I went to the Hill Country Food and Wine Festival. It was a great day - food, wine, sun, mud - how can you go wrong? We even decided to up the ante and rented a limo to drive us safely (and stylishly) home. We spent a wonderfully drunk afternoon walking from booth to booth sampling the wine and food fares. That, however, is a post for another day.

One of the fine food vendors I happened to meet that day, were the lovely folks at Blue Note Bakery. They had provided delicious samples of their homemade smores and heavenly bourbon balls to all us hungry and drunk fair go-ers. As I stuffed my face with bourbon balls, I talked to the ladies that run Blue Note, and we hatched a deviously delicious plan. I would supply a few food bloggers and local business people and they would give us a tour of their bakery. Dastardly!

I was able to talk a few of the local food bloggers into taking a tour with me. There was Addie of Austin360 Relish, Teddy of Fun with Your Food, Rachel of The Friendly Kitchen, and Kristina of Girl Gone Grits as well as a few of my friends and more faithful readers (just a reminder to check my Facebook Page, I post fun activities there from time to time). We all met up a few weeks ago at the Blue Note Bakery's office and kitchen on Ben White and South Congress. We were immediately barraged with beautifully decorated sample cakes and a case full of delectable to-go desserts.

We met the head "The Cake Artist" and "Confection Composer”, Angela Jiles. She's been a pastry chef all over town (like Vespaio and an instructor at The Culinary Academy of Austin). After the meet and greet we were shown into the kitchen where the magic happens.


We were introduced to, what I will refer to affectionately as, the line of cakes. Angela had arranged for us to have a slice of their seven favorite cakes. There was the tie-dyed vanilla (featured in Rachael Ray Magazine), a gluten-free chocolate hazelnut, a carrot cake, a pistachio cake with an espresso butter cream and a honey rum fondant, a chocolate cake, a red velvet cake, and a chipotle chocolate cake with a salted caramel butter cream.


The "line of cakes". Have you ever seen anything more beautiful? It brought a tear to my eye.

I tried each cake individually. They were all excellent. The tie-dyed vanilla was so innovative and Austin-y. Have you ever seen a tie-dyed cake? The gluten-free chocolate hazelnut was nice with a wonderful crumb. Totally unlike any gluten free cake I've had before. The carrot cake was tasty and the pistachio cake was so different. Who would have thought pistachio and espresso would go so well together? The red velvet was amazing, one of the better I've had. The chocolate was moist and delicious. However, the real star of the show was the chocolate chipotle cake with the salted caramel butter cream.

I have a confession. I love salted caramels. Its been a bit of an obsession of mine for a few years. So when I tried their chocolate chipotle cake with the salted caramel butter cream, the world started spinning, fireworks went off, and my chi became officially aligned. It was amazing.

But it didn't just stop at the cakes. Blue Note also let us sample their butter creams. There weren't just a few butter creams, there was a line of over 10. Everything from American Vanilla to Orange Dreamsicle.

There were also those delicious chocolate bourbon balls. I stuffed 2 in my mouth when no one was looking. Shh.. Don't tell anyone.

We set about doing a purely scientific cake tasting - I am an engineer, you know. I tried to dot each of the cakes with as many flavors as I could muster. My cakes ended up looking less like slices of cake and more like cake dominos.

Most of you would only ever encounter Blue Note Bakery if you were ordering a custom cake from them. If you do, this would be the sample plate they'd let normally put together for you to try. Makes you want to order a cake from them, right?


When it was all said and done, I had eaten eight slices of cake with every combination of icing imaginable. So what combinations went well together? The tie-dyed vanilla went well with every flavored butter cream. The gluten free chocolate hazelnut went well with the Bailey's Irish Cream butter cream. The carrot cake and red velvet went best with the creamed cheese butter cream, big surprise there. The chocolate went best with the raspberry or the fresh strawberries. And the pistachio didn't go well with really any of the butter creams, but that was ok, it was tasty all by itself. And what was my favorite? Still just the plain old chocolate chipotle with salted caramel butter cream. It was and still is the mark of cake perfection. But I totally took one for the team and tested all those combinations just so you'd know which ones were the best.

The cake carnage.....

~Mariah

Galaxy Cupcakes

1501 Park Lane #105
Georgetown, Texas 78628
512-868-0996

http://www.galaxycupcakes.com/index.html

Hi. My name is Lee....and... I'm addicted to cupcakes. There. I said it. Seeing Laura's post about SugarMama's really opened my eyes. Rather that nonchalantly realize that I'm all the way up in Round Rock and I wouldn't be able to fight rush hour traffic to make it to to SugarMama's in time for the free cupcakes, I began to plot. Which coworkers live in South Austin? Which South Austin coworkers owe me a favor? Which South Austin coworker could I bribe into stopping there in exchange for a future favor? That's when it really hit me. I'm addicted. It might be a mild addiction, but still an addiction nonetheless.

It all started innocently enough. About three weeks ago, I was at work and got a little hungry. It was after lunch and I still had a ways to go before the end of the day. I needed a snack, and the office kitchen was out of good stuff. So, perhaps something could be delivered. Tiff's Treats? Nah. They're good...they're awesome, in fact...but I wasn't feeling "cookie" right then. So, I got hit with the inspiration for cupcakes. I Googled. Oh, I Googled my heart out and for quite a while and was pretty disappointed. I found a few cupcake delivery services, but none to my area (I mean come on, I live in Round Rock, who REALLY wants to go there, no one)...until I hit on the link for Galaxy Cupcakes. Ooooh. Gourmet Cupcakes...in Georgetown? I was intrigued. The plotting began. Yes, they delivered, but required a day's notice.

I left the office early that day, picked up Austin, my son, and bravely fought the traffic - I was going to get my cupcakes. Well, Galaxy wasn't the easiest place to find. It's kind of tucked away in an old and small strip center in North Georgetown, but Austin and I had made it. The shop is quaint, with only a modest selection of cupcakes on display. I chose the Chai Tea Latte cupcake and Austin immediately insisted on the Strawberry. They were excellent!

While Austin and I sat there eating, I got a chance to talk to the owner. She was such a sweetheart. She explained that she chose the out of the way location because of rental costs. To go downtown, she'd have to charge $6 for a cupcake, and that wasn't happening. She also enlightened me to all of the various cupcake places around town. (Austin and I ordered 2 more cupcakes...Bailey's and Cream for me; White Chocolate Cherry for Austin). Through the discussion with the owner, I realized that she really put alot of thought into the business...researched her competition before she got started. I liked her take on what she wanted Galaxy to be...a place with unique cakes that will stick out in the mind of a foodie. I can't say that I disagreed with her. Before Austin and I left, I ordered a chocolate one for Austin and tried the red velvet cupcake for myself.

Here's how Galaxy Cupcakes works. Every day, they offer 5 standard flavors. These are for the most part your typical garden variety cupcakes, albeit done very well. Then, each day they are opened (Tuesday through Saturday), they offer 2 specialty cupcakes such as the Chai Tea Latte on Thursdays or the Jack and Coke cupcake on Saturday. They also offer up a specialty cupcake of the month, which for February was the White Chocolate Cherry.

Again, they are tucked up pretty well in Georgetown, but they do deliver. I think the owner told me that delivery to the Round Rock area is $5 with a minimum order of a dozen. Only $5, for hand delivered cupcakes? I'll be utilizing this service in the future. But to be honest, I like making the drive up there. I've even calculated precisely the logistics of getting cupcakes during my lunch hour(..what.. I AM an addict remember).

Now, for Laura and my fellow Round Rock foodies and cupcake aficionados, here is what I've managed to come up with. From 35 and Louis Henna (near Dell), it takes about 10 or 11 minutes to get to Georgetown. Double that for a round trip. You still have 40ish minutes left on your lunch hour. Near Galaxy cupcakes, there is a Whataburger, Mickey D's, slightly below average BBQ place, and an above average Greek food place. Now, it didn't occur to me to check out the vegetarian menu at the Greek place, Laura, but I'd imagine they have something that fits your tastes. Anyhow, if you can keep lunch to 30 minutes or so, that leaves 10 minutes for a stop at Galaxy, and tasty cupcakes can be enjoyed in the office during the afternoon. I have verified this outing as completely viable during a lunch hour...three times....in three weeks.

Barring a 12 step program for cupcake addiction, I have and will certainly be back to Galaxy numerous times as I continue to sample and re-sample cupcakes around town.

Lee - 8.5 (9.5 if you take location out of the equation)
Austin - 150000 million

Sugar Mama's - FREE CUPCAKES TODAY!

1905 S. 1st St Suite A
Austin, TX 78704
512.448.3727
http://www.sugarmamasbakeshop.com/


Sugar Mama's on South 1st is giving out free cupcakes to the first 183 people to arrive today.

What about the rest of us who can't make our way down to south Austin for a treat quite this early in the day? Well don't worry, they are having half priced baked goods until 8 pm.

This price translates to $1.12 for a dessert bar and 62 cents for a cookie. Notice that they rounded down. They tell us that they are letting you keep that haypenny because they love you and we don't live in the 1800's.

Aw shucks.

Why would they do this? Well because it's their half birthday - which translates to being open for 183 days.

Mariah and I like free stuff but can't make it down there, so do us a favor and have one in our honor? And if you do make it there, please let us know which one you tried and how it was.

mmmmmm.... cupcakes.