According the Numlock News (it's a substack that I read), sales of baking ingredients rose last year. Last year, interest in baking exploded on a level never seen before, with sales of baking mixes and ingredients surging 25 percent in the U.S. to $8.3 billion. This year, sales of baking ingredients are projected to decline 6 percent to $7.8 billion, but that'd still be 17 percent higher than the level notched in 2019 as novice bakers keep up with the newfound hobby. It's an enduring win for millers: King Arthur Baking Co. sold 156 million pounds of flour last year, but in the ..read more

 Easter is coming up soon. This year Easter will be April 4th.  I still get press releases relating to candy and desserts, so I had to share this one. For a LIMITED 40-piece run, the folks at Sugar Plum are finally able to offer something that has been requested so many times they’ve literally lost count; a complete set that includes both a Chocolate Zombie Easter Bunny and his bloodied and headless victim! Retails: $40.  Sugar Plum is based in Kingston, PA ..read more

Pro-Cupcake, Anti-Racist Merchandise Seattle’s Trophy Cupcakes is selling tote bags and t-shirts and proceeds will go to the NAACP in Seattle. Their new collaboration merch is available online NOW, while supplies last! Buy a T-shirt, hoodie, or tote in the month of February and 100% of proceeds will be donated directly to the Seattle King County chapter of the NAACP. Tote Bag T-Shirt ..read more

Today I spotted another job posting on a Facebook Group.  I had not heard of Red Velvet NYC, but they make baking kits. Red Velvet NYC is hiring! We make gourmet DIY Baking kits. If you like baking, having experience with food, or love details, we're the right place for you! We pre-measure 100+ ingredients, assemble them into kits, and ship beautiful boxes nationwide. We operate in BedStuy in a facility that allows for social distancing and safe practices, M-F from 9-5. If you're interested in joining our team, please email me with a resume: agathe AT redvelvetnyc.com. Thank you ..read more

  I am a member of a Women in Hospitality Facebook Group and I wanted to share this posting: Fany Gerson is seeking a pastry sous chef for my doughnut shop in Fan-fan doughnuts in Brooklyn. Must have experience in management and appreciate any leads ..read more

 On October 14, 2020, Patty’s Cakes & Desserts celebrates 35 years in business and ten years at its storefront in Fullerton, California. In addition to its regular menu of fresh-baked offerings, the award-winning bakery debuts a full lineup of gluten-free and vegan cupcakes available daily. They recently introduced new flavors like Very Berry Strawberry, Snickerdoodle, Blueberry Pancake, S’mores, and Chocolate Caramel Salty. With nearly 100 flavors of iced-to-order cupcakes available daily, Patty’s Cakes & Desserts offers one of the largest and most comprehensive cupcake menus in ..read more

 Sometimes I browse Reddit and today I spotted this photo. Unicorn cupcakes ? from r/cupcakes ..read more

Some people have so much disdain for cake mixes, but that is how I first learn to bake.  I had an Easy Bake Oven  when I was a little girl. Later, I would make cakes on the weekend just for fun when I was in high school.  It didn't make if it Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker.  On Epicurious.com, a mom does a review of Miss Jones Baking Co. organic cake mix.  Her daughter has taken the cake mix to new heights. Starting with cake mix doesn’t mean you’re bound to the standard recipe, though. There’s plenty of room to doctor up these mixes. And I’d argue that the results are ..read more

The blog, Cake Wrecks, is a pioneer in showcasing ugly cakes.  You can often see many cake fails on Reddit or the Netflix tv show, 'Nailed It'.   Bettina Makalintal writes for Vice about the ugly cakes on Instagram. This is the appeal of the Instagram cakes heaped with globs of garish frosting, photographed with a harsh shine—at times, unsettlingly zoomed in. Welcome to the lurid side of cake Instagram, where there are no blankets of fondant, no buttercream spackled into submission, and no faux marble surface for naturally lit flatlays. This is the part of Instagram whe ..read more

 A lot of people use yellow cake and white cake interchangebly, but they are not one and the same.  A recent post on Chowhound spells out the difference between yellow and white cake.  The two main differences are eggs and flour.  For yellow cakes,  most recipes call for whole eggs, and for white cakes only egg whites are used.  Another difference is flour.  For white cakes, a cake flour is often used whereas all purpose flour can be used for yellow cake ..read more