gusto, paddington

Let's get one thing straight, DDS readers. The eastern suburbs and I are not natural bedfellows. I'm an Inner West girl (by way of Ye Olde Windsor Town) and I just cannot handle the eastern suburbs. This makes me something of an outsider in the publishing industry (I'm constantly asked things like, "How many hours should I allow to get to Glebe?" and "Parramatta Rd is in Parramatta, right?") and now that I am a fledgling food blogger, I realise that I'll probably have to get over the phobia. As my friend Bec says, you've got to hold the spiders to get over your fear of them. Last week, I held the spiders. The fear remains.

I met my friends Miss B and Megan at Gusto, at the Five Ways in Paddington for brunch last Sunday. I decided (unwisely, as it turns out) to drive...and it took an hour and a half to get from Ashfield to Paddington. Truly! Unfortunately, there was some sort of marathon on, which caused all manner of traffic mayhem. Luckily, I had my recently downloaded Beyonce/Destiny's Child playlist to play over and over and over again for the ride...but now, I never, ever want to hear "Jumpin', Jumpin'" again.

But I digress. Gusto is a cute corner cafe filled with well-dressed locals. It's a great place to hang out for hours - which we ended up doing. The breakfast menu isn't extensive - it's full of standard favourites like eggs benedict, bircher muesli, fruit salad and yoghurt, and the ubiquitous big breakfast. Miss B, who eats more than anyone I've ever met (that's a compliment, by the way) ordered the big breakfast (eggs, toast, tomatoes, hash browns and sausages) with an assortment of sides - avocado, spinach and mushrooms. Miss B is all about sides - I've even seen her order an entire meal of sides before. She's mad for sides. Megan, who is very healthy, went for bircher muesli topped with grated apple. I ordered a large soy latte and one of the mixed berry and ricotta muffins, with some ricotta and honey on the side. Later, I had a pineapple, lime and apple juice. Miss B declared the big breakfast "satisfying" (with that much food, satisfying is the least of the adjectives one could use, surely?) and Megan loved the fresh, filling bircher muesli. I wasn't impressed with the muffin - it was advertised as fresh, but had a hard, dry crust and the cake wasn't much of an improvement. Pass.

The juice and coffee were great, and I love a cafe that lets you sit and people-watch for as long as you like. Miss B even devoured half of her birthday present from Megan (a box of cupcakes from nearby Cupcake Bakery) without so much as a raised eyebrow from the waiter. But coffee and juice do not maketh the brunch...I won't be heading back to Gusto.

Gusto
corner Broughton and Heeley Sts, Five Ways at Paddington
(02) 9361 5640

Cupcake Bakery
www.thecupcakebakery.com.au
438 Oxford St, Paddington
(02) 9332 3700

Sparkle Cupcakery

Have I mentioned that I loved cupcakes? Because I love cupcakes. I really, really love them.

Caliban and I held our engagement party on Saturday night (big thanks to Sam and Mauricio at Bar 202) and as well as yummy canapes and some much-needed alcohol-absorbent wedges later in the night, we served cupcakes from Sparkle Cupcakery, in Surry Hills.

As I said on Saturday, there's really no shortage of cupcakes in Sydney. Someone should open a coffee-cupcake hybrid store called Starcups - because that's how ubiquitous they're becoming. But - as always - there's a difference between grown-up cupcakes that remind you of childhood, and cupcakes that look like they've been made by a three-year-old. With sight problems.

Sparkle Cupcakery's offerings fit into the former category. The cake is densely moist and most taste like they have cream cheese mixed into the batter (cream cheese is fab in cakes - like sour cream and even beetroot, it offers more moisture). There are a bazillion fab flavours to try, too. I'm a sucker for traditionalism and I pretty much always choose vanilla-on-vanilla, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that this was Sparkle's signature flavour, Pure Sparkle. Ka-ching! We also ordered Lemon Squeeze, Oriental Flower (a gorgeous lychee and rose cake with rose petal topping), White Chocolate and Strawberry (with real strawberries in the cake!) and Milk Chocolate. I did hear some reports that the Milk Chocolate was a little dry, but I didn't taste it myself, unfortunately.
One of the best things about Sparkle is the shop itself. When I went to pick up my cupcakes, there were two groups of women scoffing cupcakes and champagne like it was the world's ultimate girly hen's party/baby shower. And funnily enough, it was. Highly recommended, cheesy veils and all.

Sparkle Cupcakery
132 Foveaux St, Surry Hills
www.sparklecupcakery.com.au
9361 0690

Magnolia Bakery

Tis a truth universally acknowledged that young women of a certain age and disposition know exactly what Magnolia Bakery is - what it is famous for, where it is located, and why they might like to go there.
This is because Magnolia Bakery - along with Jimmy Choo slingbacks, Manolo Blahnik platforms, nameplate necklaces, flower brooches and Marlboro lights - was given instant cult status when it was featured in an episode of a little show called Sex and the City. Perhaps you've heard of it?

I visited Magnolia Bakery for the first time in late 2006. It was winter - perfect cupcake-scoffing weather - and I indulged in a cupcake (or two) every day of my ten-day New York visit. Needless to say, I returned looking rather like a cupcake myself. Charged with the mission of introducing Caliban to all things sweet and cholesterol-raising, I had to take him to Magnolia on our New York visit. Twice.

Magnolia really began the "cupcake revolution" of which we are still in the throes. Sydneysiders can choose from any number of cupcake offerings - Cupcakes on Pitt (popular with ACP girls), Cupcake Bakery (one of my favourites, for its fab red velvet cake), The Cupcake Factory, My Little Cupcake, Babycakes (the Summer Hill shop is great), and my personal favourite, Sparkle Cupcakery in Surry Hills. Magnolia was where it all began, though, in 1996, when childhood friends Allysa Torey and Jennifer Appel decided to open their own bakery in New York's West Village. Like most co-owners, they eventually began to tire of each other and the partnership broke down. Appel launched her own, rival bakery, The Buttercup Bake Shop, and sparked a "cupcake war." Buttercup Bake Shop begat Little Cupcake Bakeshop, and a foodie revolution was born. Now, the best cupcakes of the year are reviewed annually by New York magazine, along with other city staples like pizza, burgers, sandwiches and cocktails.

But I digress. Magnolia is famed for its super-sweet, super-creamy buttercream frosting, and its moist, light cake. (Pictured here is the red velvet cake with whipped cream cheese frosting). The bakery also serves icebox cake (a Depression-era cake made of layered biscuit and cream) and banana pudding - but I haven't tasted these, so I'll stick to cupcakes. The frosting is thick, creamy, buttery and sweet - basically, if you're not a diabetic by the time you leave the bakery, you probably haven't eaten enough. They're still the best cupcakes I've ever tasted - and I make it my mission to try a lot!

I bought the bakery's cookbook for my Mum and stepmother when I visited the first time, and cribbed the cupcake recipe for myself. I've made it about a thousand times in the last three years, and it never fails to impress. I've revised the original recipe to my own taste - I add more vanilla extract and less icing sugar to the frosting, and baking powder to the cake (so it's even lighter, and rises more easily). Here is the recipe. Enjoy. In moderation.

CUPCAKES:
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups caster sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (C).
2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flours and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat (this will make cakes tough). Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
5. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

ICING:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (not melted!)
4 to 6 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

Magnolia Bakery
corner W11th and Bleecker Sts, New York
www.magnoliacupcakes.com

Below: me and my cupcake-softened core. Thank God for Diet Coke.