Tuesday, September 29, 2009

BabyCakes: Just Good Enough?

Good enough? Just good enough? Wait a minute now, what about my manic trek from the West Village to their location at 248 Broome Street? What about the six visits I made in the last three weeks? Or how about that time I dropped by and one of the lovely bakers recounted each item I had purchased on my previous visit (I would have stopped her had my mouth not been full of scrumptious GF savory scone). And dear reader, what about the line item I added recently to my budget just for BabyCakes?

The "good enough" superlative is not simply a cheap hook for this blog entry, its a primary component of my personal food safety philosophy.

My roommate kindly introduced me to the bakery, and a quick glance at their website left me hopeful, but confused;

Although we are 100% vegan and offer numerous gluten free products, a few of our baked goods contain spelt flour. (Separate pans, trays, utensils, sinks and sponges are used for the spelt ingredient).

We do not bake with nuts; however, some of our vendors store nuts in the same facility as our chocolate products. Additionally, all of our gluten free flours are processed on equipment that packages hazelnut and almond flours.


Also, now that the FDA has certified coconuts as a tree nut (see my investigative reporting on that topic) BabyCakes cannot claim to bake without tree nuts.

Fabulous that Erin McKenna, the mastermind behind the deliciosity -and a fellow food allergy sufferer- has instilled such consistent, clear, and safe practices in her kitchen (and has so generously shared her recipes in her latest book). However, the mention of potential cross contamination between GF flour and tree nuts left me scratching my head.

The first time I dropped by, I verified that their Bob's Red Mill gluten free (GF) flours are processed on equipment that also processes nuts. Uncertain about this risk of cross contamination, I contacted Bob's Red Mill directly and received the following brilliant response from a representative:

[W]e do thoroughly clean in between each line of products we run, first with air pressure and then by running 25lbs of product through, discarding it and running the rest of the product through.

Well that's good enough for me. I gathered all the information I could, and felt comfortable that the practices at Bob's Red Mill and at BabyCakes would be consistent enough for my nut allergy-sensitive self. I'm going to take a stand and just urge everyone who is uncertain about a packaged or processed food item to contact as many parts of the supply chain as possible when assessing a product. Companies are surprisingly responsive- and the expanded options are well worth it!

And the baked goods that inspired my drooling, rabid pilgrimage?

Well, this establishment's menu is extensive and constantly reimagines baking Gluten Free, Soy Free, Casein Free, Egg Free, Vegan, Kosher, and Refined Sugar Free.

Everything I tasted: lemon, red velvet and boston creme cupcakes, savory and sweet biscuits, and donuts exceeded their mere-mortal counterparts.* McKenna's use of coconut oil, and agave, not to mention rice flour and a garbanzo/fava bean mix adds a complex, layered flavor to each winning goodie.

Did I say donuts? Yes, GF donuts. Every other day the brilliant bakers churn out lemon coconut, chocolate frosted, chocolate coconut, cinnamon sugar and raspberry filled. All I can say? Exquisite.

Sadly, my hands were much too sticky from cramming the goodies into my mouth to bother with a digital camera (see Kathy's review at Lunchbox Bunch for drool-worthy shots). You'll just have to try them yourself. Oh and they deliver. Did I mention they have gift cards?




*Well except for the iced pumpkin loaf I had today. Honestly though, it was perfectly moist with gobs of frosting. It really just needed more spice- and McKenna professes to be a reluctant seasonal baker. It's okay, I understand, I'm from the Middle East and I didn't know seasons existed until I moved to the states.


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