The Cake Diaries

So here is the cake I picked up earlier. We are having a big...

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:13:21 -0700

So here is the cake I picked up earlier. We are having a big show tonight for New Short Fiction where we feature several new authors at once. I, of course, had to snag a piece. You know, for a cake from Ralph’s it wasn’t that bad. It was a chocolate cake with like cherry pie filling in between the layers and a whipped cream frosting. Its a little dry and a lite bland but you know what, it works. I know its not great cake, but it still gives me that satisfied feeling that only cake can give me. It was a fantastic show tonight too. Now I have to go downstairs to eat more dessert!

I’m out in Pasadena right now running an errand for my...

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:02:30 -0700

I’m out in Pasadena right now running an errand for my monthly job. I’m suppose to be picking up a cake but I’ve got a little time to spare so I decided to wander a little. I decided to try this cupcake place that I tried last summer and wasn’t super thrilled with. The place used to be called Wonderland but now its Confexion. But the same people are still running it and they are two time winners of Cupcake Wars. This time I’m trying their Cali Almond which is suppose to be an almond over dose. Honestly I’m still not overly impressed with them, I expect more from winners. Their flavor is good, their cake has a noticeable but light almond flavor and has a cream center that is like liquid marzipan. Their chocolate frosting is actually quite delicious, light and creamy with no grainy quality and a strong chocolate flavor. I guess the only thing I don’t like is how dense their cake is. Everything else is light but the cake is so dense it weighs on me. I guess I shouldn’t be so harsh, it was actually a very tasty, almond packed cupcake.

Oh my goodness this is delicious. This is their Browny cookie...

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:33:13 -0700

Oh my goodness this is delicious. This is their Browny cookie and it is so rich and delicious. Super thick, bittersweet, rich chocolate dough positively studded with chocolate chips and nut bits. That combined with the fact that its still warm and gooey has made this my favorite cookie by them so far. If you’re looking for a brownie cookie this is the one. I am so happy right now.

Another night of Cookie Zombie cookies! I was working with...

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:18:32 -0700

Another night of Cookie Zombie cookies! I was working with Cynthia on this photography job and we came back to her place for dinner and of course we had to order Cookie Zombie! They had quite a few new flavors that I had to try. I started with their Peanut M&M. It was soft and chewy and had a light peanut flavor. I loved the peanut M&Ms embedded in them. I was expecting normal ones so it was a nice change up. I just wish there was a little more chocolate in it.

I decided to end my night with a little Collon party. I’ve...

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:52:25 -0700

I decided to end my night with a little Collon party. I’ve never had this candy before but I was drawn in by the chestnut and peach flavors. I’m not sure how I feel about these treats. I love the outside, its a super thin crisp, crunchy cookie. Its light and delicate and sweet and makes me happy. The cream inside, not so much. They both had a slightly off putting texture. Very light texture, almost like whipped cream but it was grainy at the same time. The flavors themselves were a little weird tasting at first. Like with the chestnut one, it didn’t actually taste like chestnut really. There was some nuttiness to it but something else I can’t really describe. The peach one did taste like peach but more like those gummy rings than actual peaches. In both cases the texture of the cream was really distracting. It made my night end on kind of a sad note.

Another day of folding stars and washing dishes. That’s...

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:04:58 -0700

Another day of folding stars and washing dishes. That’s kind of what my days off have been reduced to. I did have a little homework from Cynthia but that didn’t take too long. Right now I’m relaxing with Matt watching this kind of weird, kind of bad funny scary movie called Bad Kids Go To Hell. I can’t decide if I love it or I’m just highly entertained by it but either way I’m happy. I decides to try this other Puccho chew that I have, their Ramune flavor. I was hesitant because the last time I tried them I was not impressed. This one was actually pretty decent. The ramune flavor was strong, although if you’ve never had the Japanese soda Ramune (it comes with a marble in the bottle) its hard to describe. Its kind of like Sprite but not as fruity. What I loved was the fact that this candy was not only chewy but kind of fizzed like soda, it was pretty cool. I’m a pretty happy camper right now.

I haven’t really done much today, just some cleaning and...

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:26:08 -0700

I haven’t really done much today, just some cleaning and worked on my mom’s birthday/mother’s day present, oh and folded stars of course. I’m getting close to being done folding stars, probably just a couple more weeks. Anyhoo, I was needed a little chocolate fix so I decides to try these new Fran sticks. They were pretty delicious and totally cured my chocolate craving. Super thick rich chocolate layer with a macadamia nutty after taste. I loved the cocoa biscuit they used, I like it better than the Pocky one. Its crumbly and sweet and delicious. It so made my night…I might have to eat the whole box..

So today is my day off! I’ve been a little sleep deprived...

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:55:11 -0700

So today is my day off! I’ve been a little sleep deprived lately so I was looking forward to sleeping in today. Unfortunately, Mondo was releasing a cool Evil Dead player that I wanted so I woke up early to try to get it. I love Mondo posters but its such a pain trying to get one when its released. They sell out in like four seconds so you pretty much have to be on the site hit refresh until they release. Needless to say I didn’t get it. I actually feel asleep in front of my computer. It was so disappointing. Anyhoo, so I’m trying to get through my giant stockpile of candy. I have a ton of Japanese sweets, stuff from the dollar store, Argentinian treats and Trader Joes treats. Its gotten a little out of hand. Back to the candy! I’m starting the night out with this new Hi-Chew flavor, Strawberry Shortcake. Its okay, I’m not loving these new flavors as much as their simple ones like strawberry or orange. It has a nice light strawberry flavor with hints of cream and cake to it. Everything was very light, it wasn’t bad but I like other flavors better.

Another day working with Cynthia. Today we’re out at a...

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:44:51 -0700

Another day working with Cynthia. Today we’re out at a warehouse sorting through costumes. There are lots of fun things to play with here. We’re taking a little lunch break and of course I brought treats! I started with these new Toppo sticks. They were so delicious. The coffee flavor was strong but sweet. I love Toppo so much, probably more than Pocky. I just think that there is a better ratio of cream to biscuit plus you never end up eating just biscuit. Its a lovely afternoon pick me up.

My last cookie from Cookie Zombie! This is their Salted Caramel...

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:02:05 -0700

My last cookie from Cookie Zombie! This is their Salted Caramel cookie. So now I’m eating my last cookie just as Han Solo is about to be frozen in Carbonite. I have to admit this wasn’t my favorite of their cookies but it was still pretty good. The caramel flavoring is light but present in the dough and the cookie is sprinkled with salt. Its light and sweet and caramelly and tasty. The chocoholic in me kind of wished there were chocolate chips in it. Overall I have been very happy with their cookies. I love the texture and I think they are the perfect size too. I think this is an awesome company. I just wished I lived in the area so I could order from them more often. If you live in the are you should check them out, they’re called Cookie Zombie. Now back to Star Wars!

I’ve almost tried all the cookies now. I only have a...

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:54:36 -0700

I’ve almost tried all the cookies now. I only have a couple left. This is their Cranberry Raisin Oatmeal cookie. I have to admit I don’t love this one. The oatmeal is really strong, it doesn’t even quite taste like a cookie. I kind of wish it had a little more sweetness and crunch to it. I do like the cranberry raisins better than normal raisins. I was kind of sad, they had a good streak of delicious cookies, I was really hoping I’d love all of them. Oh well, 7 out of 8 isn’t bad.

Next is their Strawberry and Kahlua cookie. I have to admit that...

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:28:51 -0700

Next is their Strawberry and Kahlua cookie. I have to admit that despite the mention of chocolate in the description I didn’t expect it to be a dark chocolate cookie. This one was quite tasty. The chocolate dough was rich, soft and chewy and had a faint Kahlua taste. It was nice because the flavor was present but not over powering it, it blended well with the chocolate dough. The strawberry bits were delicious, mushy and tart. There were more chocolate chips than strawberry bits but I’m not going to complain about that. I love watching R2D2, especially when he hums to himself, he’s so cute!

Star Wars entertains me so much, its equal parts silly and...

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:05:29 -0700

Star Wars entertains me so much, its equal parts silly and awesome. I mean there are snow storm troops who kind of look like the KKK. My next cookie is their Hazelberry. Its a very light cookie, its suppose to have fresh berries, hazelnuts and white and chocolate chips. I really liked the fresh berries, it seemed like they uses raspberries and strawberries. There was a nice tartness to them that went well with all the chocolate chips. I couldn’t quite taste the hazelnut but I was still very happy with this cookie.

Time for more cookies! I wasn’t able to finish all of them...

Sat, 04 May 2013 15:29:57 -0700

Time for more cookies! I wasn’t able to finish all of them last night, I started to feel a little sick, so I’m going to finish them now! Right now Matt and I are celebrating Star Wars day (May the 4th be with you) by watching The Empire Strikes Back! And nothing goes better with movie than cookies. I’m starting with Cookie Zombie’s MJ, half chocolate chip, half double chocolate. Even a day old they are still really soft and chewy. I can understand why their chocolate chip is such a big hit, they taste like home. They were exactly what I want from a chocolate chip cookie, sweet and vanilla-y studded with lots of chocolate chips. The double chocolate chip cookie was wonderful. Rich chocolate dough with tons of chocolate chips. It was so wonderful, I am a happy geek right now.

Another! I want to try to eat all the cookies tonight but there...

Fri, 03 May 2013 23:17:47 -0700

Another! I want to try to eat all the cookies tonight but there are so many! And I don’t want to make myself sick. This is their Lemon Drizzle cookie. Its their all lemon cookie. This cookie is more soft than chewy and has a light lemon flavor. The lemon glaze on top is my favorite part though. Its sweet but has a real tart lemon flavor to it that balances out the sweetness of the cookie. It was quite tasty.

So I have to admit, I’m totally watching the new My Little...

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:30:16 -0700

So I have to admit, I’m totally watching the new My Little Pony while eating my cookies. I couldn’t think of a better show to watch while eating tons of cookies. I decided I needed some chocolate so I chose their Double Choc Chip Nut & Caramel. How could I resist this rich looking cookie. It was as rich as it looked. It had a rich chocolatey dough, a little bittersweet but it was a little salty, not bad but noticeable. It was studded with lots of little nut bits, I didn’t get very many chocolate chips in mine but they were there. It was suppose to have a caramel topper but it kind of got lost in all of the chocolatey nutty goodness. I was quite happy and my chocolate craving was satisfied… for now….

I’ve been so excited for these cookies all day. When the...

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:18:04 -0700

I’ve been so excited for these cookies all day. When the delivery person finally came to the door I just kept shouting “cookies! Cookies! Cookies!” I was so surprised that the cookies came nice and warm! Of course they cooled a little bit from when I got them at Cynthia’s till eating them now. This cookie is their Porto cookies. I’m not quite sure if I understand the name but it was quite delicious! I love the texture of their cookies, chewy and soft with crispy edges. It was filled with little coconut flakes and white chocolate chips. As you know, I’m not a big fan of white chocolate but for some reason its awesome in cookies. The combination of white chocolate and coconut and cookie was so delicious, it made me so happy. Plus there seemed to be a hint of lemon to the cookie as well. So far I haven’t been disappointed yet.

OK so prepare for a shit ton of posts because I finally got...

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:04:56 -0700

OK so prepare for a shit ton of posts because I finally got Cookie Zombie! I stayed later at Cynthia’s just so I could order cookies. They only deliver from Thursday till Sunday, from 8pm to 2am and only in that El Segundo, Hermosa Beach area. I saw one of their flyers awhile ago while out at a bar with Cynthia and was so bummed that they weren’t available where I live. So I’ve kind of been obsessing over them ever since then. I could have taken a picture of all the cookies at once but one at a time is easier to post. I started with their Yogi Bear, which is their peanut butter cookie with graham cracker bits in it. I started with this one for the sole reason that it was on top but it was definitely a good beginning. Soft and chewy with a strong peanut butter flavor to it and a hint of graham cracker to it. I haven’t had too many peanut butter cookies but I quite enjoyed this one.

More treats! Apparently this is a Bulgarian treat. Originally...

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:23:10 -0700

More treats! Apparently this is a Bulgarian treat. Originally she bought this to share with her husband but apparently he didn’t have any interest so I got to eat the other half. It was quite delicious. I could tell that is was a little stale but despite that it was so tasty, it was like a fancy Nutty Bar. Thin crisp layers with a thin layer of chocolate I’m between and topped with peanuts before being dipped in chocolate. Its sweet and chocolatey and nutty and crispy. It was a really tasty light afternoon treat.

Cynthia and I are taking a quick break, watching some Anthony...

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:44:59 -0700

Cynthia and I are taking a quick break, watching some Anthony Bourdain and eating some snacks. After polishing off a bowl of salsa I busted out these little guys. We found them at the Korean market a couple of days ago and both of us had to try the blueberry marshmallows. They were a disappointment. The marshmallow part was good, soft, fluffy but not overly sweet or sticky. The blueberry filling was a little weird, it was tart and didn’t quite taste like blueberries and had a weird aftertaste. It was quite disappointing. It makes me kind of wish for the strawberry marshmallows.