Tag Archive for: cupcakes

My Bakery Wish List

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Since I started writing this blog, I have been making a wish list of bakeries I want to visit.  Red Truck Bakery (www.redtruckbakery.com) in Old Town Warrenton, VA is definitely at the top of the list.  First off, I really love that they turned an old Esso Station into a bakery.  Second, I really love the truck- an old 1954 red  Ford farm truck- while I would not have the first clue how to drive it and would surely kill the transmission, clutch and any thing else in the engine, is really my dream truck.  Third, and most importantly, I am obsessed with their menu- I look at it every day and wish that I could be there right when the bakery opens and smells so amazing.  Today’s soup for example is potato with apple wood smoked bacon- heaven.  If you live in the neighborhood or have the chance to be near the area, please check it out for me as it doesn’t seem that I will make it there any time in the near future.  Fortunately- they ship nationwide (http://www.redtruckbakery.com/store)!! Here is some of the press from my favorite magazine- Garden & Gun:

“Leave it to a baker in moonshine country to create a dessert that rivals the Kentucky bourbon ball. The Double Chocolate Moonshine Cake from Red Truck Bakery in Virginia is made with legal hooch and enough rich chocolate to give you a food buzz. ”
  ~ Garden & Gun Magazine

When in doubt, bake some Cuttaloosa Carrot Cupcakes

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“A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen” is a sweet, homegrown blog filled with amazing recipes that are easy to follow and produce ridiculously fine results. Let’s hear it for this one:

 

Cuttaloosa Carrot Cupcakes!

1 3/4 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup crushed, drained pineapple (save liquid)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts or pecans- optional
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup corn oil
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Mix above ingredients together till well mixed.
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix above ingredients together till well mixed, then add to carrot mixture mixing well. Divide into 3-8″ cake rounds that have been well greased or 18-24 well greased muffin tins.

Bake cake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or till knife comes out clean. 20 minutes for cupcakes.  Cool on rack for 10 minutes then remove from pan.

For the entire post and the butter cream icing for these beauties, click here to go to “A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen”

Cafe Campesino turns out fresh muffins, scones, cookies daily…

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Today, our hungry eye is on a coffee shop in Atlanta owned by our friend Maria Moore-Riggs, an extraordinary southern baker!

Coffee and treats sweeten Sweet Auburn market

Cafe Campesino turns out fresh muffins, scones, cookies daily

By C.W. Cameron (For the AJC)

The popularity of a neighborhood coffee shop often has as much to do with its sweet treats as the quality of the coffee. Standing next to the pastry case while you’re waiting to order, it’s hard not to be tempted by something you see on display. How about a muffin with that cappuccino? A scone with your chai latte? A cupcake with your hot chocolate?…

Cocoa Mocha Love Cakes are a vegan creation by Cafe Campesino owner Maria Moore-Riggs.

(Cocoa Mocha Love Cakes are a vegan creation by Cafe Campesino owner Maria Moore-Riggs.)

Hummingbird bran muffins, which play off hummingbird cake, are flavored with coconut, banana and pineapple.

(Hummingbird bran muffins, which play off hummingbird cake, are flavored with coconut, banana and pineapple.)

Chai spice scones deliver spicy chai flavors in a baked treat.

(Chai spice scones deliver spicy chai flavors in a baked treat.)

Cafe Campesino is one of the newest coffee shops in town, open since November at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market in downtown Atlanta. Owner Maria Moore-Riggs has a background in professional baking and massage therapy and a master’s degree in psychotherapy. She says running a coffee shop calls on all her professional skills because it’s all about building relationships and nurturing people.

One of the ways she nurtures her customers is by freshly baking scones, cookies, biscotti and more each day. She turns out a surprising number of treats from a 2-by-3-foot counter and a microwave-size convection oven in a tiny corner of the shop.

Cafe Campesino is a partnership with the Americus-based coffee roaster of the same name. The 100-percent organic and fair trade coffee comes from a green coffee importing cooperative. The folks in Americus roast coffee every day, and once a week Moore-Riggs gets a delivery of freshly roasted beans…

For the complete article from Access Atlanta, click here.

Maria’s original recipes for the delectable treats you see above can be found by clicking here, or by clicking “Continue Reading” below…

(Photo credit: Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com)

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