Cakelove and Lovecafe Area chain undergoing rapid expansion
#1
Posted 10 August 2005 - 07:36 AM
#2
Posted 10 August 2005 - 07:50 AM
But the frosting is too heavy and sweet and I always feel like I've eaten a stick of butter when I'm done.
I will say the strawberry frosting does have a nice flavor if you can get past the butter intensity.
Jennifer
#3
Posted 10 August 2005 - 08:00 AM
Frankly, all three pastries we tried were drier than the Sahara dessert and appeared to be the day old (or 2 or 3) leavings from the bakery.
Sausage King of Chicago
#4
Posted 10 August 2005 - 08:15 AM
#5
Posted 10 August 2005 - 08:17 AM
#6
Posted 10 August 2005 - 08:28 AM
Only ate at Love Cafe once but my strawberry cake slice would have fed three. No problem with dryness that I recall.
#7
Posted 10 August 2005 - 09:19 AM
We were so full from dinner that we each had a few forkfulls and took the rest home. This morning I woke expecting to have half a giant slice of room-temperture german chocolate cake for breakfast, only to find that overnight the buttercream frosting had become a runny pool of goo and the 3 layers of cake had separated. Yummy as ever, but not nearly as pretty. There's a real rub here with the icing needing to be chilled to keep its form and needing to be room temperature to maximize its taste. It's as if you have to wait for and not exceed the 20-minute window of good cake-i-ness.
Talk about marketing success, though. Everyone I know shells out major cash to buy Cakelove cakes on special occasions.
I WANT MAGNOLIA BAKERY CUPCAKES IN DC!
#8
Posted 10 August 2005 - 09:21 AM
#9
Posted 10 August 2005 - 09:34 AM
As for the TV show -- isn't the CW that once you get your own show on Food TV, your food isn't much good anymore? Or is it that your cooking wasn't that great in the first place? Perhaps a topic for a new thread....
Chris Rock: 'Cause it's bad for you. Why does cocaine smell so good? 'Cause it's bad for you.
#10
Posted 10 August 2005 - 09:55 AM
#11
Posted 10 August 2005 - 10:56 AM
I would rather go to Whole Foods on P and get cupcakes from their bakery.
#12
Posted 10 August 2005 - 11:03 AM
#13
Posted 10 August 2005 - 11:08 AM
Except the actual product.
#14
Posted 10 August 2005 - 11:17 AM
DonRocks, on Aug 10 2005, 11:08 AM, said:
Except the actual product.
To elucidate (I think), cakelove, for some, runs on legend. Everyone I've ever heard from about cakelove has wondered at the fact that he used to be a lawyer and quit his soulless job to open up a succesful bakery. No one has wondered at his cakes.
Chris Rock: 'Cause it's bad for you. Why does cocaine smell so good? 'Cause it's bad for you.
#15
#16
Posted 10 August 2005 - 11:53 AM
LoganCircle, on Aug 10 2005, 10:19 AM, said:
That's funny, most of my NYC friends believe that Magnolia is WAY overrated and undeserving of hype in the same way that Cakelove is here. I've tried Magnolia cupcakes twice and have only been whelmed.
Never been to Cakelove, and judging from everyone's comments, probably never will.
#17
Posted 10 August 2005 - 12:07 PM
#18
Posted 10 August 2005 - 03:04 PM
I was lucky(?) enough to be at Love Cafe a few months ago when WB was walking around with a plate of his new energy-bar-like creation made of toasted oats, dried fruit, nuts, honey, and spices. He gave out small pieces for people to try and tell him what they thought of the bar. Albeight aromatic from generously added spices, my mouth went dessicating--the bar was too hard (not chewy) and rather harsh like the way small, hard pieces scrape your mouth. It was not meant to be a crunchy bar, I assure you.
I wonder if WB thinks his baked goods are dry... If he can't taste the dryness, how would he ever create moist cakes and bars?
On a different note, I think it is ironic that LoveCafe often smells so strongly of bacon (for their BLT), instead of baked goods. I understand that they are baked across the street, but looking at the neat rows of cupcakes while smelling bacon is an interesting experience.
#19
Posted 10 August 2005 - 03:16 PM
Yummm... and I think Cake Love is nothing but a marketing sucess... wouldn't wish any of their baked goods on my worst enemy. I tried to love Cake Love but come on, quality is key
#20
Posted 10 August 2005 - 03:26 PM
Capital Icebox, on Aug 10 2005, 11:17 AM, said:
Yes - seems like the place allows people to vicariously live out the fantasy of leaving the desk job and opening a food business!
#21
Posted 10 August 2005 - 03:37 PM
I'm sure I've had (and made) tastier cupcakes before, but it's the whole package: his personality, the presentation, the unusual flavors...I've just felt treated and comforted every time I've gotten Cake Love.
I have a friend who works at nearby Arena Stage, and she says he's very active in the community and gives freely of his time and resources.
#22
Posted 10 August 2005 - 09:37 PM
At least I got to drive by some of the Ethiopian restaurants folks have raved about nearby.
#23
Posted 10 August 2005 - 10:36 PM
AlliK, on Aug 10 2005, 04:26 PM, said:
I think that's exactly it. I went into Cakelove some time ago, just to see what all the fuss was about. I walked out emptyhanded. Nothing struck my fancy. I LUV, LUV, LUV Warren Brown's story and so wanted to find Nirvana, but no dice. I wish him well and am very happy he chose U Street; but . . . you HAVE to deliver the goods.
#24
Posted 24 August 2005 - 11:05 AM
#25
Posted 24 August 2005 - 11:18 AM
Hooters of America, May 2002
#26
Posted 25 August 2005 - 12:04 PM
NCPinDC, on Aug 10 2005, 04:16 PM, said:
My daughter just spent a few days in NYC and brought home some cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine on Rivington Street. They were fabulous, and cost less than CakeLove's, where I went once out of curiosity and was seriously underwhelmed.
#27
Posted 25 August 2005 - 12:58 PM
lizzie, on Aug 24 2005, 11:18 AM, said:
Yes to Pastries by Randolph! I think that they are the best place from which to order cakes in the area- reasonably priced and decorators who know how to write on cakes (as much as I love Reeve's from time to time- they do a poor job with cake decorations). I've never been disappointed by them.
#28
Posted 25 August 2005 - 02:42 PM
lizzie, on Aug 24 2005, 12:18 PM, said:
Yes! Yes! They are Sooooooo awesome...the yellow cake with chocolate frosting are the best...every couple of months, I need to drive down to Arlington to pick up a couple, just 'cause I miss 'em so...
Rob
#29
Posted 31 August 2005 - 07:20 AM
This post has been edited by giant shrimp: 31 August 2005 - 09:28 AM
#30
Posted 27 September 2005 - 03:16 PM
#31
Posted 19 October 2005 - 07:39 PM
#32
Posted 19 October 2005 - 08:11 PM
#33
Posted 19 October 2005 - 08:39 PM
laniloa, on Oct 19 2005, 09:11 PM, said:
"Let me pose a question: just how many people do you know that enter a pastry shop, or any food establishment short of a restaurant where you are ordering an entreé and are willing to sit for 15 minutes waiting for their cupcake to reach room temperature. Good luck. It ain't gonna happen. Do you need to issue a caveat with each cake slice? "You will need to wait to achieve maximum eating pleasure." Please. Hello Dunkin' Donuts."
#34
Posted 19 October 2005 - 09:55 PM
crackers, on Oct 19 2005, 09:39 PM, said:
"Let me pose a question: just how many people do you know that enter a pastry shop, or any food establishment short of a restaurant where you are ordering an entreé and are willing to sit for 15 minutes waiting for their cupcake to reach room temperature. Good luck. It ain't gonna happen. Do you need to issue a caveat with each cake slice? "You will need to wait to achieve maximum eating pleasure." Please. Hello Dunkin' Donuts."
I'll play devil's(-food cake) advocate.
I walked into Cheesetique a couple of weeks ago and Jill gave me a cheese to taste. I think it was a sheep's-milk Brinata (Brie de Faux?), but the point is: she said that it was too cold, and that it wouldn't show well. The quality in the cheese was there, but she was right: that cheese (and really, all her cheeses) need to come up from chill-temperature before they strut their stuff.
Okay, so Cheesetique is a take-home place as opposed to a then-and-there cupcakery, but the same general principle applies to many quality dairy products.
This does not preclude the potential suckality coefficient of Cakelove, although it may grant them a reprieve until more rigorous testing is performed.
Cheers,
Rocks.
#35
Posted 19 October 2005 - 10:29 PM
Allowing a cakelove product to get to room temp before eating does not take away the texture that is oddly similar to cake that has been frozen. Oh, wait they don't freeze their products, only keep them very very cold.
JMHO
#36
Posted 19 October 2005 - 10:33 PM
I remain unimpressed.
#37
Posted 19 October 2005 - 10:54 PM
DonRocks, on Oct 19 2005, 10:55 PM, said:
the same general principle applies to many quality dairy products.
Cheers,
Rocks.
#38
Posted 20 October 2005 - 12:40 AM
Ray's the Steaks Group of Restaurants
Available for private consulting and retail wine sales.
RaysRetailWine@verizon.net
#39
Posted 20 October 2005 - 10:35 AM
Sorry I've been so absent. (Have a look at the "2005 Oklahoma Sugar Art Show" thread on the eGullet Pastry and Baking forum to see what I've kept busy with for the last couple months).
mktye asked me to chime in with a comment or two.
In the interest of full disclosure:
1: I know and like Warren Brown. He's a nice guy and I wish him all the best with his business and his new TV gig.
2: Despite that, believe it or not, I've never tasted a single one of CakeLove's products. I've been invited to tasting events, but they always conflict with other events my schedule. And I only ever seem to make it to U Street after business hours. So I'm commenting based on what I know in general, not what I know about these particular products.
Given that, here's my take on cake, buttercream, and temperature.
Cold cake tastes and feels like stale cake. That's just the nature of the beast. But a cake that has been refrigerated or frozen for a time ought to (not necessarily will, but ought to) rejuvenate to taste/feel like fresh cake with no problem. The variables are temp and time. Refrigeration accelerates the staling process in all baked goods ("staling" referring to a starch conversion and water migration leading to a product that's not necessarily any drier but tasting and feeling old, dry, and worn out. See Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" for a full discussion of what happens in the staling process).
Freezing, on the other hand, retards staling and actually makes a cake taste and feel moister when you eat it. Consumers don't like hearing this, but it's true. Provided it's wrapped correctly, frozen in the right type of freezer (not frost-free), and retrieved in a timely manner, freezing actually improves the quality of baked goods. Unfortunately, the word "frozen" has the implication of "not fresh", so it gets a bum rap. (Same for many fruits and veggies -- the frozen ones are often of a better quality than the fresh ones in the produce section because they can be picked ripe, frozen, and shipped, rather than shipped green and "ripened" artificially in a warehouse somewhere).
So, long story short (too late). Freezing isn't necessarily bad if it's done right. Refrigeration, though, can be a killer. FWIW, i refrigerate all my cakes due to the fillings, icings, and ease of transport. When the buttercream (or mousse or ganache or curd or what have you) is at room temp, it's also softer, squishier, and more prone to move, especially in the back of the car on DC streets (plus, with all the eggs, cream, etc. in that stuff, I just feel better about it not sitting out). So give it all a chill to hold it together, and let it warm up while it's sitting still. But I'm in a different business than CakeLove. My stuff has the opportunity to sit at room temp for a few hours at the reception site so by the time it's eaten, the chill is off. I know that everyone's going to eat my cake at around the same time, so I can plan for that. CakeLove has to have stuff ready to eat all day long. Also FWIW, to combat the damage that the fridge does, I use soaking syrups on all my cakes. They add flavor and extra moisture, so the sit overnight in the fridge doesn't take such a toll. I have no idea whether CakeLove uses such a strategy or not.
Cold icing tastes like not much at all. Again, nature of the beast. From the comments and descriptions, I'm guessing CakeLove uses some sort of cooked icing (eggs, yolks, or whites whipped, cooked with a hot sugar syrup added to the bowl, beaten until cool, then butter and flavor whipped in). But it doesn't much matter. Most icings that we encounter are largely fat. Whether it's an unctuous French buttercream or that Crisco/powdered sugar mix that so many decorators use, the icing on our cakes is often at least 30%-35% fat by weight. While it's true that fat carries flavor, fat is also pretty good at concealing flavor if it doesn't have a chance to melt. And any product containing a large quantity of fat (buttercream, chocolate, croissants, leftover bacon, what-have-you) isn't going to have nearly as much flavor right out of the fridge as it will if left to come to room temp. Plus, the texture of cold fat isn't terribly pleasant in the mouth.
As for the icing separating/sliding off/whatever at room temp. If that's really happening, then I'd suggest that Warren should re-evaluate his recipes. Buttercream ought to hold together at room temp under normal conditions. If not, it's unbalanced. But again, I haven't experienced the product or the problems documented here. So I'm speculating.
"Well duh, Keith. We know all that. We've been saying that the stuff at CakeLove is dry and the buttercream is flavorless. What's the solution?"
Heck, I don't know. There's a reason I never wanted to get into the business of selling individual portions of baked goods.
If they're baking daily for that day's sales, the product could easily sit at room temp (or in a case that can hold them slightly below room temp -- surely such a thing exists) all day. A true cooked buttercream is shelf stable and safe at room temp for a few days (believe it or not). Though of course the DC Dept of Health may disagree, and they're going to have final say in such a matter. If I ran the zoo, that's the way I'd want to store the goods. Anything left at the end of the day would be frozen, wrapped up in a container or similar items, and sold at 1/2 - 2/3 price as take-home combo packs. Sliced cakes could easily hang around a couple days (stick them in the freezer overnight and thaw in the morning). After a couple days, just pitch and write off I should think. Or freeze individual slices and make combo packs of them too.
It's a tough call. Trying to maintain a balance among high-quality patisserie with melt-in-your-mouth icings and fillings, unscheduled walk-in customers who want something ready to eat right now, and compliance with local health regulations is a high-wire act to say the least. Sounds like CakeLove hasn't quite found its balance there. Or maybe had it but lost it due to the fairly rapid growth they underwent? I can't judge. But for their sake, I hope they can make it work.
Sorry for the long, geeky screed. Hope it's of some value to someone.
This post has been edited by bkeith: 20 October 2005 - 11:00 AM
BCakes by BKeith
#40
Posted 20 October 2005 - 10:59 AM
bkeith, on Oct 20 2005, 11:35 AM, said:
And congratulations to bkeith for taking 6th Prize at the show.
(But we already knew you were good.)
#41
Posted 20 October 2005 - 11:33 AM
#42
Posted 20 October 2005 - 11:51 AM
#43
Posted 20 October 2005 - 12:25 PM
Roger Troutman, on Oct 20 2005, 12:51 PM, said:

"You may be using too much sugar in your gas tank. Try adding some honey instead." - Warren Brown
"She knew shortbread fingers like the back of her hand and upside-down cakes back to front."
BFITL!
#44
Posted 20 October 2005 - 12:32 PM
CrescentFresh, on Oct 20 2005, 01:25 PM, said:
Nope, different guy altogher. But I do remember doing a double-take the first time I saw Mr. columnist Brown's byline in the Post not long after meeting Mr. lawyer-baker Brown.
BCakes by BKeith
#45
Posted 27 October 2005 - 08:18 AM
how does he do it? to find out, you have to go to the food network, i guess, although there were some helpful hints: stop mixing the cream before it turns to butter, finish it off by whisking by hand and touch the surface of your pudding with cellophane. personally, i have never minded a skin on my puddings, even a thick one, but i can see where that would be a problem in this recipe. and finish it off by piping on ganache.
i was happy there were live raspberries on the show, but the red layers looked almost unnatural on our set, raising the quintessential question about television -- is it real enough to eat?
This post has been edited by giant shrimp: 27 October 2005 - 12:00 PM
#46
Posted 09 November 2005 - 12:11 PM
Capital Icebox, on Nov 9 2005, 11:59 AM, said:
"Under this renewed initiative to serve no cake before its time, we made palm cards in the spirit of a cautionary road sign. It features a person with a cake, a thermometer at 72 degrees, and the phrase "serve cake @ room temp". I hope people find it cute as well as informative.
Best Regards,
Warren Brown
CakeLove/Love Cafe
I went to CakeLove on Sunday and purchased a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing for $3.00. (The palm cards were out on the counter.)
I tried a couple bites immediately, and the icing had the consistency of a cold stick of butter, and the cake seemed grainy and dry. I put it back in the bag, and went out to do some errands.
Almost ninety minutes later, I reopened the bag and retried the cupcake. The icing had turned from refrigerated-butter consistency to a thin, creamy, semi-liquid state. I have to say: I really like the icing. Unfortunately, the cake itself remained grainy and dry. If you have the cake with the icing in the same bite, it works well enough, but the cake on its own was not executed well. One anecdote, one data point, one cupcake.
Cheers,
Rocks.
#47
Posted 09 November 2005 - 01:10 PM
Quote
Suburbian Idiot
#48
Posted 09 November 2005 - 01:34 PM
DonRocks, on Nov 9 2005, 12:11 PM, said:
Rocks.
You're the only dude I know that runs errands while his cupcakes get warm. Maybe hit the tailor and the dry cleaners, pick up more coffee beans...
#49
Posted 09 November 2005 - 04:39 PM
DonRocks, on Nov 9 2005, 12:11 PM, said:
I tried a couple bites immediately, and the icing had the consistency of a cold stick of butter, and the cake seemed grainy and dry. I put it back in the bag, and went out to do some errands.
Almost ninety minutes later, I reopened the bag and retried the cupcake. The icing had turned from refrigerated-butter consistency to a thin, creamy, semi-liquid state. I have to say: I really like the icing. Unfortunately, the cake itself remained grainy and dry. If you have the cake with the icing in the same bite, it works well enough, but the cake on its own was not executed well. One anecdote, one data point, one cupcake.
Cheers,
Rocks.
I'm really confused by this whole refrigeration thing. I believe it's a red herring. Or maybe I don't know anything about health codes (more likely). But I bake a lot , and I make a lot of buttercream icings. They can be held at cool room temperature for a day at least (my cakes seldom last longer than that). Cool room temp, not warm, but not refrigerator cold, either. Can't CakeLove/LoveCafe get some proper storage for items likely to be consumed soon after purchase?
#50
Posted 09 November 2005 - 04:57 PM


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