Remember cake? Before the cupcake took over the world, before cake balls, cake pops, cake truffles, and cakesicles, there was just plain cake. Honest-to-goodness cake. A cake meant something. A cake was a celebration. A cake helped commemorate birthdays, weddings, baby arrivals, anniversaries, job promotions, and graduations—the cake has played a pivotal role in the important life events for billions of people. A cake is a labor of love, a commitment in its preparation, not something impulsively created and devoured for a midday sugar high.

I’ve been fortunate to come across some wonderful cooks and bakers through my explorations within the Arkansas foodscape. But often, some of the greatest food I’ve encountered did not come from a commercial kitchen, it did not come from a celebrity chef with three Michelin stars behind his name, it did not come from the hands of an alumnus of the The French Culinary Institute. It came from home kitchens, from neighbors, from friends with a passion and talent for cooking. Recently, I’ve been able to get to know one a young woman with a brilliant aptitude for baking. Currently, she bakes at home, but it would be unfair to dismiss her as your average home cook, as her cakes and other baked goods are anything but average. Zara Abbasi could easily find herself in any of the best bakeries in the country; instead life has taken her in other directions. But recently, she’s begun showcasing her talents publicly and making her wares available to any looking for a truly exceptional cake. I was able to catch up with Zara and learn a bit about what makes her tick, and of course, cake was had…one of the finest cakes I’ve eaten in quite a while, in fact.

Zara wrote her first cake recipe at six years old, and was making family dinners by the age of seven. But for Zara, baking was always something that came naturally. Later in her life, her family opened Masala Grill and Teahouse in Little Rock, a Pakistani fusion restaurant and gourmet tea house. Zara made all the desserts for the restaurant and they held many successful events putting her skills to use: dessert pancake night and a cookies and tea bar, just to name a couple. Family issues forced the restaurant to close in early 2011, but Zara continued to bake and sell cakes privately. The work was sporadic, but as patrons began to discover her talent, she developed a regular clientele. Simultaneously, she had her sights on a career in the legal field, and completed a formal education at Bowen Law School. Life—as it is for most talented, intelligent people—became rather demanding. But somewhere between studying for the bar exam and whipping lemon meringue, Zara found time to refine and expand on her skills as a baker. As word about the talented girl’s cakes began to spread, she found herself taking more jobs and producing more elaborate products. She was driven by her success to experiment with new flavors, techniques, and products, never feeling satisfied with the plain and ordinary. She describes some failed flavor combinations (one being the ginger and soy sauce cake, which incidentally only required on bite to buy itself a ticket in the trash can). But she also developed a number of popular, successful cakes, many of which remain favorites of her customers today; these include a dark chocolate mocha crunch cake (dark chocolate cake with coffee buttercream and crushed chocolate cookie, topped with dark chocolate ganache or coffee buttercream), a strawberry lemonade cake (lemon sponge cake with fresh strawberries and vanilla buttercream), marzipan cake (a marzipan cornmeal cake filled with almond buttercream, topped with dark chocolate ganache), and a lemon rosemary cake (lemon-infused marzipan cake with rosemary and olive oil, drizzled with lemon icing).

At the onset of 2013, I wrote a brief piece on some of the current food trends sweeping the nation. I’ll admit, it was partially a selfish endeavor as I hoped it would spark some interest in the community and we’d hopefully be able to see some (if not all) of these trends come to pass. Not simply to create a city that’s hopping on every food bandwagon that comes rolling by, but because I felt they were some things that would go over quite well in central Arkansas, and were developments that would definitely add some spice to our local foodscape. None of these trends are as near and dear to me as donuts. I’ve confessed my love for the greasy, fried dough rings before…many times. But there are some really spectacular things going on in the donut world—the breakfast pastry is no longer relegated only to the quick and easy boardroom breakfast, or the late night stakeout staple. Donuts are finally getting a touch of refinement and class. So where do we sit in Arkansas? We’ve got a ways to go, but here are a few places that only recently have decided to boast a more elegant selection of donuts:

Brown Sugar Bakeshop: If you’re a sugar junkie, do yourself a favor and key an eye on Brown Sugar’s Facebook and Twitter feeds. They’re constantly experimenting in the kitchen with new baked goods and innovative flavor combinations…often managing to produce products I’ve never seen or heard of anywhere before. Recently, Brown Sugar decided to try their hands at donuts. However, operating without a fryer was a bit of a problem. They decided to create a series of “baked donuts,” and dressed them with traditional or unexpected toppings. Before you cry “blasphemy” at the thought of baked donuts, it’s actually not an entirely new concept. Several West Coast bakeries (I assume in an attempt to help their clients maintain their bikini-season figures) have been serving baked donuts (or “faux-nuts”) for some time. Brown Sugar’s version is reminiscent of cinnamon roll dough—a bit chewy but light and sweet. They are made better after a short stint in the microwave, the added heat working to soften the pastry a bit. I sampled a luscious, bright red velvet donut with cream cheese icing and pecans, a sugar and cinnamon crusted donut, and a “turtle” donut with chocolate, caramel, and pecans…just to name a few. The bakeshop would eventually like to install a fryer, but they’re working up a new recipe to roll out a fresh batch of donuts in the near future. They’ve tentatively promised a maple-bacon donut and a strawberry-Meyer lemon—keep an eye out for these in the upcoming weeks.

White Water Tavern: If you’ve even gotten a sniff of this blog or The Times recently, you probably know all about the wonderful kitchen wizardry going on at White Water Tavern. Currently, they are offering brunch on the last Sunday of every month…and guess who’s showing up to this party? Yep, donuts. Fancy, fantastic donuts. One brunch saw a decadent duo of donuts on the table: a lovely maple bacon donut and a lemon curd-stuffed donut. Most recently, brunch featured “Mexican hot chocolate” donuts, fried cake donuts dusted with cinnamon, cayenne, and Abuleita (a Mexican powdered chocolate), topped with dried chilies. May want to have a glass of milk on standby with that one.

The Southern Gourmasian: And lastly, a truck that never ceases to amaze, The Southern Gourmasian continues to offer their uniquely Asian spin on classic Southern American treats. In this case, the ever-popular apple fritter gets tweaked just a bit on the food truck's breakfast menu. Justin and the boys are taking bits of doughnut batter and spiking them with sweetened, chopped apple and just a touch of spicy ginger. This is dipped in the hot fryer until the dough puffs up and crisps to a golden brown—the hot fried dough is finished with a drizzle on caramel infused with slightly salty Japanese miso. They may only be doing one doughnut at Gourmasian, but when its sole offering is this good, one is all you need.

Will we be seeing more upscale donuts in the near future? I sure hope so. I know there are some who are generally against the fancification of the traditionally simple, inexpensive foods we are used to. But I’m a proponent of the modern donut revolution—it’s a movement that I hope continues to swell within central Arkansas.

Sugar is one of the most reliable and foolproof paths to your significant other’s heart. This Valentine’s Day, leave the roses in the ground, forget about those awkward couples massages (I mean, who wants to be naked on Valentine’s Day anyways?), and don’t squander your money on gaudy jewelry. Get your sweetheart what he/she really wants…a sugar buzz. This year, several central Arkansas bakeries and candy makers have got you covered. Here’s where to find the best in edible Valentine’s Day gifting:

Mylo Coffee Co is making two introductions to their weekly menu for Valentine’s Day. First, dark chocolate and rosemary truffles will see their way on the table with hand-tempered chocolate and local rosemary from Little Rock Urban Farming. Secondly, they’ll be rolling out a peanut butter and jelly macaron “for two,” in other words, designed for sharing. Both will be available for purchase at the Hillcrest Farmers Market on Saturday the 9th & 16th from 8 am - noon (show up early for the best selection). They’re also available by special ordering throughout the week (orders must be placed 48 hrs in advance). Call them at (501) 580-3324 or email at info@mylocoffee.com.

My Treat, Little Rock’s only dedicated producer of fine, handmade chocolate truffles, produce a product that would be ideal for any romantic, star-crossed lover. They’re packaging their individually wrapped truffles in red and pink boxes which may include a personalized message on the inside (the boxes I’m getting for my wife will read “Save me a bite, Honey”). Truffles come in chocolate-mint and chocolate-peanut butter and are sold by the dozen at $30 a box. Free delivery is available in the Little Rock/NLR area. To order call (501) 786-0295 or email libby_lee@comcast.net.

Cupcakes on Kavanaugh, the Little Rock legend among baking and buttercream, will be dishing out all their regular Valentine’s colored favorites such as red velvet, pink cloud, and strawberry which may be decorated with sweet candy messages. Additionally they’ll be taking orders for half-dozen and full dozen rose cupcakes, as well as the mammoth-sized ‘rose bouquet.’ They’ll also have cake balls, cake pops, and mini cakes for the cupcake-averse.

At Brown Sugar Bakeshop they’ll be offering chocolate dipped strawberries in traditional dark or white. They’ll also be serving up their “deluxe-dipped” versions, wherein they’ll be coating the chocolate in toppings such as toasted coconut, salted caramel, and chocolate chips. They’ll also be doing 8 inch round red velvet “LOVE” cakes, heart shaped brownies.

Sweet Love, who recently celebrated its first birthday, will be doing chocolate dipped strawberries, larger “sweet heart” cakes designed for two (key word: “designed”…this, by no means, prevents you from wolfing the entire thing yourself), cookie dough truffles, iced sugar cookies, and cake truffles.

(For the address and contact information of each bakery, please see the links posted above)

I've strayed outside of Pulaski County merely three times since arriving in Little Rock. Two of the three times has been for donuts. I'm a certified donut-aholic. It's probably clear to anyone also similarly enamored by fried rings of dough that when it comes to donuts, Shipley's owns this town. I imagine this makes it somewhat difficult for smaller, individually owned donut shops to thrive in such a donut monopoly. I've had mixed experiences with Shipley's. At times, when their merchandise is sold at the peak of freshness, Shipley's perfectly fills that hole in my soul that yearns for deep-fried delights. At other times, Shipley's is overwhelmingly sweet, and if left to rest for too long, the potato flour-based pastries become unappetizingly stale. So, I continue to hunt down the mom-and-pop donut shops that seem to be altogether too rare in central Arkansas, even if that means delving into the uncharted waters of Saline County.

Strawn's Donuts is a family-owned business that has been in operation for 17 years. Owners, Danny and Freida Strawn, have a deep love for the subtle art of donut making and are incredibly fond of the customers they serve in Bryant. A number of years ago, they sold the donut shop (which was subsequently renamed to Morning Glory Donuts) and entered retirement. But retirement was not all it's cracked up to be (at least for the Strawn family) and they bought back the donut shop, determined to rekindle their passion for all things glazed. Now, the couple have thrown themselves back into the donut world, waking up before many people go to bed, to dole out their donuts hot for their customers before the coming of the morning light.

Strawn's well-lit display cases are filled with the usual suspects. Plain glazed, plain cake, blueberry cake, strawberry glazed, chocolate iced, apple fritters, and sour cream. (Still no maple-bacon donut ). They also offer a handful of sausage rolls in an array of flavors, including smoked, jalapeño, and sausage and cheese. I seized a half-dozen donuts and a pair of sausage rolls and took a seat with a glass of cold milk...I was in my happy place.

I'll just say this: the principal reason you should make a trip to Strawn's is to get your hands on their fritters and cinnamon rolls. While the other donuts were pleasant, they were not particularly exceptional. But the aforementioned fritters were a stunning rendition of this donut shop classic. The warm, soft interior was laced with ribbons of sweet apple filling and cinnamon. The exterior was crisped to a deep reddish-brown, enveloped by a thin sheet of sweet glaze. After a well-made fritter in the morning, there is practically no way to have a disappointing day, and Strawn's is doing a gorgeous job with them.

I'm often hesitant to order cinnamon rolls at donut shops as they typically represent nothing more than a glazed donut worked into spiral form. However, Strawn's cinnamon rolls are a cut above the rest. They proof until they rise tall and proud, towering over their standard donut cohorts. Their interior is generously rubbed with a cinnamon-sugar mixture; the outer layers are draped in the same velvety frosting. I'll admit, it's sweetness almost reached the point of excess, even pushing the limits of my massive sweet tooth, but when paired with the cold milk, everything went down smoothly and delightfully. The jalapeño sausage rolls are also worth sampling and made for a nice detour onto the savory side. The spicy, tender sausage managed to maintain a snappy casing when bitten into. The buttery, soft yellow dough wrapping each link soaked up the gentle seep of sausage grease.

Strawn's is worth a visit for any donut lover aching for reprieve from the stranglehold Shipley's maintains on this town. It's conveniently located off I-40 in Bryant, so travelers can easily pop in for a hot, speedy breakfast; they've even got a drive-thru window. The Strawn family will be sure to greet you with bright smiles and delicious donuts…they simply want you to fall in love with their donuts as much as they have.

Strawn’s Donuts
4430 Hwy 5 Ste. 8
Bryant
501-653-2829

There are trendsetters in the food world, similar to any other fashionista promoting mini-skirts on the runways of Paris or Milan. In the pastry arena, when Dominique Ansel (former pastry chef of Daniel in NYC) speaks, people pay attention. Ansel recently opened the doors to his eponymous bakery in SoHo, and surprisingly, he's not building a fan base on cupcakes...instead they have perfected one of the pastry world's latest rising stars, the kouign amann.

While the palm-sized pastry is a somewhat difficult to read (pronounced koo-WEEN a-Mon), it's certainly easy on the taste buds. Luckily, you don't need to book a flight to New York City to sample these tasty treats. While they aren't exactly commonplace at bakeries nationwide, their sweet and sticky fingers have already infiltrated central Arkansas through the skilled hands of Stephanos Mylonas, head baker at Mylo Coffee Company. When I heard that Mylo was introducing kouign amann to their regular line-up of superb cakes, cookies, croissants, and breads, I was camped out in front of their curbside farmers market table as soon as my little legs could take me there.

Making a respectable kouign amann is no amateur effort. This pastry is closely related to the croissant and other puff pastries, and begins with the creation of a "laminated dough." At Mylo, they start by taking a thin slab of butter, encasing it in a dough envelope, then folding it upon itself and hand-rolling it numerous times, until it creates several thin layers. Along the way, these layers are lightly dusted in sugar. After the process is finished, the unbaked kouign amann represents a stratified pastry of alternating butter, sugar, and dough. These are rolled and as they bake, the thin layers of butter puff up the pastry and the internal sugars caramelize. The kouign are complete.

And the taste is nothing short of bakery bliss. With dozens of thin, flaky sheets of butter and sugar, compacted into a small, muffin-like morsel, the kouign is rich and dense. The outer edges bake to a golden brown, creating a crispy shell that houses a soft, moist, slightly chewy interior. I know many people who don't consider themselves "sweets people." Aside from being raving lunatics, they are apparently turned off by an excess of sugar and sweetness. The kouign amann is an ideal dessert option for these folks. It's just saccharine enough to push it out of the savory realm, but it won't slap you across the face with sweetness, showing a great deal of restraint in its use of sugar while remaining generously endowed with butter. It's refined, elegant, and entirely addicting.

You can catch Mylo Coffee Co. at the Hillcrest Farmers Market on Saturdays; they also take special orders throughout the week. They are in the process of nailing down a brick-and-mortar location in order to sell their wares throughout the week as well. They plan to continue attending the farmers market on weekends even after their store is operational. Mylo is committed to small-batch, hand-crafted baking. They locally source their organic, unbleached, freshly-milled flours from War Eagle Mill. Their produce and meats are provided by Little Rock Urban Farming, North Pulaski Farms, and Freckle Face Farms, all of which can also be found at the Hillcrest Farmers Market on Saturdays. I'll warn you, though. If you intend to lay your hands on some kouign amann this weekend, plan on getting there early...they sell out quickly.

(Follow Mylo Coffee Co. on Facebook to keep up to snuff with their latest menu offerings. The Hillcrest Farmers Market is open on Saturdays from 8 AM to noon, located at 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd, Little Rock)

Little Rock is certainly fortunate to have a pastry chef like Kelli Marks in our midst. From macarons to creme brulee, Marks can do it all with ease. She is one of the most forward-thinking bakers in the city, constantly searching for new pastry creations to help brighten her customers' days. Marks' bakery, Sweet Love, will be celebrating its first birthday this month and they are planning a celebration to commemorate the day. She'd like to invite you all to share in this momentous occasion. Here's the details:

On January 12th, Sweet Love Bakery, located at 8210 Cantrell Rd, will be hosting this "1st Birthday Bash" from 6-8:30 PM. But this is no casual affair, glitz and glamour are sure to abound, and in fact, formal attire is encouraged as you help Kelli and her crew celebrate in style. Sweet Love will be busting out the bubbly for guests, pouring up champagne, cider, and other drinks. Of course, sweet treats will be a-plenty, as Sweet Love will be baking up cake truffles, macarons, mini cupcakes, and more. They'll also be giving away "swag bags" on a first come/first served basis (i.e. you'll want to get there early or else you'll probably miss out). Kelli hasn't given me any details on the swag bag's contents but states, "Just know that you'll want to grab one." There will also be T-shirt giveaways and punch cards for discounts on cupcakes, and there will even be prizes awarded for "best dressed."

Note, there is a "cover charge." Sweet Love will be collecting gently used jackets and blankets, as well as new socks to be donated to The Van, a non-profit orginization servicing the homeless in central Arkansas. (A monetary donation may also be made.) This is your ticket in the door.

If you're a sugar junkie, like me, this is one event you won't want to miss. Show some love to Sweet Love next Saturday and join them as they celebrate their first fantastic year in business.

I realize that Halloween has not even hit us yet, but (and you’ll have to forgive me) I’m already thinking about the holidays. I am absolutely infatuated with November and December. The food, the spices, the smells, the family…OMG! The egg nog! I love it all. Pardon me if I’m rushing through the end of October, but I’m thinking ahead to the superhuman amounts of food I plan on devouring over the next few months and it’s nearly enough to bring a tear of joy to my eye.

In all seriousness, the holidays are a particularly wonderful time to reflect on how fortunate you and yours have been throughout this year. While most of us will be ruminating for weeks on how many side dishes we’ll need to serve alongside our 25 pound turkey, there are many people in less fortunate circumstances in our community who worry if they’ll be able to put food on their plate at all.

The Memphis-based company, Tender Loving Cake, is hoping to provide customers in the Little Rock area with an opportunity to enjoy something sweet for themselves as well as donate to those in need within the Little Rock community.

Operating primarily through their website tenderlovingcake.com, the small company sells two varieties of coffee cake: cinnamon pecan and sour cream blueberry. The customer is able to select and ship the coffee cakes to themselves or as gifts with a personal message included. Additionally, they operate under this premise: for every cake sold online, the bakery will donate a 35 oz pound cake to a food bank selected by the customer. When Tender Loving Cake launched last December they were only able to provide donations to the Mid South Food Bank of Memphis, but this year they have expanded to serve the Arkansas Food Bank, North Mississippi Food Network of Jackson, and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Buy one, give one…it’s like the TOMS shoes of cake.

I sampled the cinnamon-pecan coffee cake recently and I’m happy to report that these guys put out a respectable product. I was skeptical that a cake delivered in the mail would reach my home intact and fresh, but I was pleased with the results and my fears were banished as soon as I took my first bite. The cake was endowed with a crusting of cinnamon and sugar, undoubtedly blended with butter, creating a dark, crumbling crown over the surface of the cake. The cinnamon-sugar mixture was also found streaming through the inside of the dense and surprisingly moist butter cake.

If you are looking for a way to give a little something to those in need this season, Tender Loving Cake is a fantastic opportunity, and the fact that you simultaneously get a delicious cake out if this makes the deal even sweeter. Check them out at tenderlovingcake.com for details.

I’ve never quite understood the expression “easy as pie.” I’d never claim to be a professional pastry chef, but I do occasionally enjoy baking at home. Pie, in all its glorious variety, is often something I make attempts at. Now, I’m not proposing that baking pie is an overly complicated process, but baking an exceptional pie is anything but easy. Most decent diners and classic American eateries have offered pies for decades, filling countless rotating display cases across the country. But I’ve definitely had my fair share of sub-par pies, even at establishments that make them day in and day out. Decent pie may be common, but a superb pie, a pie that makes you wonder why you ever attempt to bake this stuff yourself, is truly a rare delight. There is no shortage of good pie in Arkansas, but if there is one woman who deservedly owns the title “Queen of Pie,” it’s Leah Greenfield, owner and operator of Pie in the Sky.

I caught up with Leah recently to ask her about life in the pie business and hopefully squeeze a few baking secrets out of her at the same time. At the time, she was in the midst of creating a “wedding pie,” for a dinner at the Terry House (why didn’t I think of this when I got married?) but she was kind enough to share her thoughts on what makes her Pie in the Sky such a slice of joy.

“As corny as it sounds,” (as she puts it) Leah inherited most of her recipes from her grandmother, a home cook from Benton, AR. “People my generation do not do a lot of home baking and pie crust seems to be a particular mystery.” In a day where one can just as easily defrost a frozen, pre-packaged pie crust and fill it with slop out of a can, it’s no wonder that genuinely fine pie is a dying art. Leah is keeping family traditions and cherished generational recipes alive and we should all be grateful that she does.

“When I started baking pies, my friends and co-workers were bowled over by a homemade pie crust.” No wonder…Leah’s crust is where the magic truly happens. Obviously, fillings cannot be entirely overlooked, but crust is undoubtedly the soul of a good pie. Many a pie has suffered from a crummy crust, often too flimsy, bland, or stale, too thick or thin, overcooked and dry…I’ve probably tasted them all. Luckily, Pie in the Sky is none of these. Leah prefers a slightly salty crust, without the addition of any sugar. This creates a balanced yet contrasting flavor with the sweetness of her fillings. “I use only five ingredients: flour, salt, shortening, butter, and water. No egg, vinegar, or vodka in my crusts.” The end result is nothing short of perfection. Her crusts are firm and thick enough to support their fillings, but manage to remain flaky and tender. The unsweetened pastry pairs perfectly with their sugary internal counterparts.

Pies in the Sky’s fillings are no slouches either. Leah creates around 30 flavors of pie. She offers many of the traditional favorites such as chocolate, cherry, apple, coconut cream and pecan, but also delves into some of the less commonly seen options such as banana-toffee, butterscotch, peanut butter-chocolate, strawberry-rhubarb, chocolate meringue, chocolate-bourbon pecan, and spicy peach. No matter what your selection, you can rest assured knowing that each pie will be handmade, rustic, and stunningly beautiful. Even Leah’s most basic pies, plain pumpkin for example, will likely be one of the best representations of that flavor you have ever sampled.

In a perfect world I would be able to subsist entirely on a diet of cheeseburgers, tacos, and donuts every day of my life. Unfortunately, this would be in direct opposition with my plans to, you know, continue living past 45 years old. With that in mind, I try to remain fairly health conscious whenever possible. Old Mill Bakery has been a staple in our home for some time now due to their ability to provide exceptional whole-grain breads and rolls. Sure, you expect to pay more for a loaf of stone-ground honey whole wheat from Old Mill than you would for a bag of Wonder Bread from Wal-Mart, but the quality and nutritional benefits in the former always outweigh the price of the latter. I am fond of Old Mill bread for its density, earthy-whole grain flavor, and soft, chewy texture. The whole grain breads come in a variety of tantalizing flavors including raisin, cinnamon and walnut, sesame and sunflower seed, or cranberry with orange zest. If you are not in the mood for a hearty whole grain bread, Old Mill is churning out a large variety of savory and sweet breads to fit any palette. Many breads are on a rotating list of daily specials. I won’t bore you with a lengthy discussion of each, but one you will not want to miss is the tomato, Italian herb, and mozzarella cheese available on Thursdays. It’s a purchase that will likely last less than two days in your breadbox, I promise.

Somehow, I had never made it to Old Mill for breakfast until recently. But after hearing they made honorable breakfast sandwiches and other tasty breakfast morsels, I could not resist the call o’ the carbohydrate for long. As I walked through their doors soon shortly after opening, I was immediately greeted by the wafting aroma of freshly baked bread. A couple young bakers stood in full view, kneading and cutting dough for the days loaves, and a worker behind the counter toted large trays carrying many of the day’s goods for the display case. There are few better ways to begin a morning.

As I walked out of the theater at Breckenridge Village, after sitting through the longest 110 minutes of my life watching “Magic Mike” do cartwheels around a stage in his underwear, I thought to myself, “How did my life come to this? I need a pick-me-up.” As I raised my head, my eye beheld the key to my recovery…cupcakes. Oh sweet sugar, you save me once again. Eat your heart out, Channing Tatum. Who needs a six-pack anyways?

Tracy Cakes, a family-owned bakery, hidden away in the Breckenridge plaza, is difficult to see from any major roads in the area, but it may just be the first thing you see as you exit the theater. Tracy Cakes (alleged sister of Patty Cakes, mother of Baby Cakes) specializes in the omnipresent cupcake. The bakery offers around 10-12 different varieties daily. Some are the expected standards, chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, but some are a bit more unique without being ridiculous (i.e. no fried chicken, wasabi, or black-eyed peas).

It’s fairly easy, in my opinion, to evaluate cupcakes. It basically comes down to two things, the cake and the frosting. Too often I’ve sampled new cupcake shops and found one part to be excellent and the other to be weak. While I found Tracy Cakes tasty overall, the frosting definitely outshines the cake in this case. This is not to say the cake was awful, but it was a little too dense and dry for my tastes. The frostings, however, rescued the whole dessert, adding the right balance of richness and sweetness, without any hint of that terrible sugar graininess bad frosting can take on.

Among my favorites was the puckerrific lemon-curd cupcake. A dense lemon buttercream frosting sits atop a vanilla cake filled with a dollop of lemon curd. So much better than plain old chocolate without being too gaudy or flashy, just refreshing and tangy. The banana cake with whipped peanut butter frosting and chocolate drizzle was another honorable mention, but perhaps my favorite was a white wedding cake style cupcake with vanilla frosting and a thick layer of white chocolate shavings. It was simple in design but it’s the first time I’ve had this particular flavor. I’d definitely recommend picking up a couple of these little crowd-pleasers.

I’ll certainly stop by Tracy Cakes next time I am in the area, perhaps after my next visit to the nearby theater, only this time, I’m hoping its after exiting a movie with a bit more to offer than regret and shame…perhaps that excellent looking Katy Perry flick?

Tracy Cakes
Breckenridge Village
10301 Rodney Parham Ste E3
Little Rock

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cupcake just as much as the next sugar junkie. But in the last few years, it seems that nearly every bakery in the country has jumped on the cupcake craze so fiercely, that some of the great American classics have taken a back seat. I would gladly trade in a few cupcake shops for a truly exceptional pie shop, perhaps a specialty cookie shop, a crème brulee food truck. Luckily, there are still many talented confectioners who can just as easily whip up a pecan pie as toss some buttercream on a cupcake, and Sweet Love Bakery is just such a place.

Sure, Sweet Love makes some tempting cupcakes, and I’m not too proud to refuse a beautiful bananas foster, spiced rum, or lemon/blueberry cupcake. But Sweet Love is doing so much more than cakes and frosting, and each time I’ve ventured outside the cupcake mold, I have been richly rewarded.

Like cookies? Of course you do. Do not miss the brown butter chocolate chip. Brown butter is simply butter cooked down to a lovely caramel color which acquires a slightly nutty, savory flavor. The rich butter plays nicely with the sweet chocolate and chewy cookie. The peanut butter cookies are among the best I’ve ever eaten, soft, buttery, full of peanutty goodness. I’m sure if the Cookie Monster were to make a visit, he would be crying big blue tears of joy.

Every Wednesday and Sunday, Boulevard Bread Co.'s cheesemaker Blair Graves preps a new batch of quark — a creamy yogurt-like pan cheese. Boulevard sells the stuff in its fridge cases at all its locations, alongside the house-made yogurt, for $4.95 for six-ounces, and for an additional $2 you can have it outfitted for breakfasting with cinnamon apple chunks and some homemade granola.

Graves said quark was a cafe staple during her time on the west coast, and she decided to provide it to the Little Rock community as a unique yogurt substitute. But, despite the chemical similarities, as she explains, quark is actually more versatile than your average yogurt cup.

First of all, quark is rich and opaque. If you're a consumer of the whole-milk varieties of organic yogurt (especially Stonyfield Farms and Brown Cow brands), then you might be familiar with the concept of the "cream top": an inches-thick layer of extra-dense smooth curd that is so rich having more than two spoonfuls feels decadent. Quark has a consistency identical to this, except a sourish taste more reminiscent of creme fraiche or sour cream. For this reason, it can be flavored with honey or maple syrup and served as a sweet snack, or used in a savory capacity as a sour cream or even a cream cheese substitute. Graves said she recently used a dollop of quark to complement a potato soup. She also says that it's been a popular item among Boulevard's Eastern European customers who often use it as cream cheese replacement in cheesecake recipes.

Don't be intimidated by the tartness — after all, plain, unsweetened yogurt itself is pretty tangy. Because the $4.95 portion is a bit large for one sitting, I used the remaining quark in a smoothie (just like I would yogurt) and it provided a thicker, smoother consistency — more like a hearty milkshake — definitely a delicious change of pace from the way yogurt too easily thins out and liquefies.

I was talking to Leah Greenfield about her new baking business, Pie in the Sky, when she told me about the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Community Kitchen. Greenfield makes her tarts and pies in the church's commercial kitchen, which keeps her legal and her output higher, and sells them at Terry's Finer Foods. See the half-eaten chocolate ganache tart above — I devoured part before realizing I should take a picture of the densely chocolate yum for you. The ganache is as profound as fudge, the pastry flaky and light. But back to Trinity:

The church is offering, for a small fee, access to the kitchen for small start-ups that can't yet afford their own. Their other "partners" in the enterprise include Kent Walker, maker of artisanal cheeses; Sally Mengle and Rachel Boswell's Loblolly Creamery (on Facebook), which makes ice cream and syrups for the Green Corner Store downtown; Sharea Wheeler's Sharea Soup, which delivers soups and salads for delivery. The kitchen is also a distribution point for Farm 2 Work, which sells produce from local farmers.

Now back to Greenfield. Using, yes, her grandmother's recipes, she bakes dutch brownie pie, raspberry peach cobbler, bittersweet chocolate tarts, and more. Her cranberry walnut sold like hotcakes over the holidays, and you'll see why on her website. Greenfield bakes and sells her pies ($30) in glass pie plates; return the plate to be entered in a drawing for a free pie. She does home deliveries as well as distribute at Terry's.

Kelli Marks got her start baking in the cake section of Barnes and Noble, where she read up on how to make her first creation: A four-tier buttercream cake from scratch for her grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. After that, she said, “I was kind of hooked.” Now, on Jan. 13, a Friday — a day she chose purposely because she said it kind of fit the trouble she’s gone to to get the business open — her bakery, Sweet Love, will open at the Cantrell Heights Shopping Center, next door to Cantrell Gallery. Marks, 31, says her motto is “Pretty things taste better” and some of the pretty things she’s made — including a three-tier gold vintage button cake, featured in the magazine Weddings in Arkansas — can be seen on her website, sweetlovebakes.com, and facebook page, facebook.com/sweetlovebakes. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. On the day of the grand opening, she’ll offer a buy-one-get-one-free deal on cupcakes. The phone number 501-613-7780 and store address is 8210 Cantrell Road.

By the way — the gold buttons on the cake are edible.