I ♥ NY!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you are probably aware that this past week, New York and much of the East Coast was pummeled by Hurricane Sandy. As a born and bred New Yorker, my heart aches to see the devastation left in Sandy's wake. I've been checking in with friends and family, many of whom are without the basic essentials like electricity and running water. If one thing is certain though, New York has the resilience and strength to get through this and move on.

Here at Sugar Daze, we'd like to do what we can to help New York get back on its feet. All this month, you'll find our Empire State of Mind (apple walnut with maple syrup buttercream) in store Thursday, Friday & Saturday. You can also purchase it by special order. We'll be giving 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this cupcake through November to the American Red Cross of Greater New York. Do you really need a better reason to stop in for a cupcake?! Hope to see you soon!

PS If you are not in Paris or can't make it to the store, here are a few ways you can help provide relief to those affected by Sandy.

Make Cake, Not War!

Kitty Trooper, a photo by Sugar Daze on Flickr.

30th birthday Red Velvet cake for a couple - she's a Kitty fan, his thing is Star Wars. One of my favorite cakes ever made!

Perfect Day

As they say in French, "jamais deux sans trois." Today we celebrate cupcakes at the biggest Bake Sale in the capital! Come join us for the 3rd edition of Cupcake Camp Paris. It's happening today from 3-5PM at Le Comptoir General on the Canal St Martin. As last year, all money collected will be given to Make A Wish France, an amazing charity that does such good for kids in need. Sugar Daze is proud to be a sponsor of this fun, all-family event.

I'll be bringing several of our best-selling cupcakes including Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (our classic red velvet), Cookie Monster (a speculos-Oreo creation you just gotta try!) and the much-requested Jumpin' Jack Flash (a pumpkin spice cupcake). Hope to see you there!!!!

Much thanks to Christina Smith who designed our cute poster, and my partner-in-crime, Bryan Pirolli, who has been the most awesome event co-organizer (for three years running) I could ever wish for!

Extra Extra Read All About It!

Exceptional Opening Sunday 14 october from 2-6PM! Come discover the universe of Les Biscottes chez Sugar Daze - we're having a private sale with stationery, home decor items, baby gifts and a whole lot of other fun stuff. And of course, there will be cupcakes! Hope to see you there!

My Angel is a Centerfold

Since opening the bake shop, I haven't had much time to take pictures of the cakes and cupcakes coming out of my kitchen. A lot of the snaps I have taken are with my iPhone -- the results being less than spectacular as evidenced by my flickr photostream.

A few years back, I bartered an agreement with a Paris based photographer. In exchange for making a bunch of dairy-free cupcakes for her daughter's birthday, she would take some nice pictures of my cupcakes. The months passed, we both got tied up in our respective careers and then she eventually returned to her native Australia! Fortunately for me (and her!), she is great at what she does and has the opportunity to visit Paris for work projects frequently. On her last visit, we finally got a chance to catch up and do that long ago discussed photo shoot.

I LOVE the pictures that came out of our session. You can see a few here. What do you think?

If you are looking for a photographer while in Paris, I cannot recommend Sarah more. She is fabulously talented, very easy-going and an all round joy to work with. While she focuses on family portraits shot around town, I think Sarah has a great future in food photography as well! :) You can check more of her work on her site: Sarah Gardan Photography. I'm hoping to work with her again soon as it's hard to go back to the iPhone once you've seen something like these!

What's New, Pussycat?

Kitty Rainbow Birthday Cake, a photo by Sugar Daze on Flickr.

White Wedding cake with Kitty in fondant. Inside waits a colorful surprise -- a vividly hued rainbow! Made for a birthday party; approved by the guests! All our cakes are available for custom order chez Sugar Daze.

Cherry Bomb

Cherry Bomb, a photo by Sugar Daze on Flickr.

Hello world I'm your wild girl
I'm your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb

Coconut cupcake with a cherry jam center and luscious chocolate buttercream...... It's da bomb! Cherry Bomb!