Birthday Cakes for Dogs 101

I've finally figured it out. Baking a simple cake is not so simple when it is your own recipe. I've whittled this cake recipe down to the bare necessities and still it is a perfect cake. I love it. The peanut butter was just screaming out to me and I had to take every inch of my being NOT to eat any peanut butter and put it all into the cake. Blah. I mean, YAY for the cake! Haha...no, seriously I am very happy about how the cake came out and I decorated it with bones this time, the Granny's Apple Pie Mini Bones went around the edge of the cake and it looked really good. I haven't done this design so yet so this is a premier cake unveiling for me. I'm waiting for the digital photos to develop because my digital camera is currently MIA. I haven't the foggiest notion where it went. I had to borrow dad's.

I made a major purchase today, cake boxes again. There is a huge selection of cake boxes available and the world wide web makes it easier yet so much harder to choose. I finally went with my old box company. They've been awesome with all my shopping bags and treat bags. I love the fact that they deliver practically in the next day too. There is nothing like great customer service.

More cake PLEASE!!

Yes, the cake orders are rolling in again. It was the summer when I had all those cake orders last year and so again, the warm weather means...bring on da cake! Everybody and their neighbor wants one for their special furry buddies. Katie's owner is no different. Katie has a bag of mini cakes frozen for her on demand basically. She loves her mini PB & C (peanut butter and carrot) cakes. I do too...but shhh, that's between us. Also, the frosting I have concocted is unbelieveably good, but why would I brag? Because it is AWESOME! It's a Cinnamon, honey, vanilla frosting made with cream cheese and yogurt. It's also lowfat and so your dog can consume his cake and enjoy the benefits of a lowfat lifestyle. Hahaha...ahem, but I am serious about that healthy cake thing. I like the idea of indulging once in a while but if you can eat something yummy and healthy too, why not?! I'm doin' it for the dogs. Yup.

The Baker needs a break...

Coffee break that is...I have decided to cut down on my caffeine consumption in the afternoons. I am now down to a nice healthy dose of decaf past 3PM. Alright...it's not that big of a deal but for me, it's a lifestyle change. I love my coffee! So today, I am drinking French Caramel Creme Brulee something or other but DECAF. It's alright. No, it's better than alright but I miss my little jolt of lightening to keep me productive for another 6 hours before bed. Oh well...such is life.

Treat of the Month for April (No foolin'...)

Ooh. It's time to think of the next treat of the month. Wow, April already? Sheesh. It seems like time really does fly. Ok, I shall say that in honor of the beautiful Springtime weather, April's Treat of the Month will be...Peanut Butterflies! Yes, they are so cute and adorable and Katie just loves peanut butter. Watch the drooling begin when you break these little treats out!

One pound for $10.00 and get a free variety bag bonus!

Spring time means party time at The Honeybark Bakery!

Yes! Spring has finally arrived and it's time for all the great birthday parties to be had. Yes, dog owners all over Long Island will be celebrating special occasions and I'm happily going to oblige by providing cake. Cake is definitely one of my favorite offerings at the bakery. I just love the creation of it. It's a chemical reaction making cake and then the actual icing and decorating to me allows me to bring out a little creativity in design for these fun and special occasions. I put a lot of love into these cakes. I just really am happy to provide a yummy and healthy cake that looks nice too.

So I have some new photos of the recent cake I did for Abbey, a little Yorkie on Long Island. It was a single layer birthday cake, decorated with treats and as you can see, it is cute. I really enjoyed the decorating part and I'm getting better with my writing though, I think I need to create a template of all my letters. My handwriting is nice but I change styles and with a cake, you have to have some semblance of consistency with the writing.



The icing is made with cream cheese, yogurt, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. The writing is a carob icing. The treats are minty kisses and mini chicken snaps.

Check out my website for more birthday options. I did do some treats for a dog out in California recently. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to ship a cake safely from Long Island to anywhere else in the country without having it become a horrible gunky mess. I may try sending a cake out to CA to my friend and her new puppy but I haven't even got the beginning of a notion about how to do that. More to come when my brain figures it out. If you have any ideas or suggestions, send them to me at geri@honeybark.com

Thanks and have a great day!

Ode to Peanut butter

Alright, I have a special place in my heart for this sticky substance. Baking cake with it is just a fun and fabulous treat for me. Got up early this morning to do a cake for a special dog, grated carrots, mixed up the magic goop that comprises The Honeybark Happy Barkday Cake and voila! It's done.
I wish everything in life could be so easy. For me, baking a cake is much akin to making music. I remember back in the day when I played the violin in the school orchestra. The combination of the cellos and the violins, the violas, the brass altogether was just quite beautiful when everyone knew their place in the music. It was magical to be in the midst of something that came together in such a way to evoke that flutter of happiness inside. I always felt so satisfied after a concert or a good rehearsal. I walked away feeling elated. Now, I mix the cake, bake it, walk away to do some other tasks and 'ding!' Upon opening the door to the oven, my cake is presented to me like a performer taking a bow after the curtains have been pulled aside. I applaud you little cakes. I applaud your aroma, texture, beauty and health benefits. You, little cake, are made from those wonderful ingredients that make you so powerful and yummy. But my reverie is disturbed only momentarily because my little taste tester is here. Uh oh...here comes Katie...and she's sniffing for cake...

Caution!

This is the update on dangerous dog food. Check your shelves and please avoid feeding your dog any of the contaminated food listed in this article.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2961402&page=1

TREAT OF THE MONTH!

March 2007

Ruffy Road O's
(Buy 2 dozen and get a free bag of mini treats)

In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, O'So Delicious and O'So good and a bonus too!

Check it out http://www.honeybark.com

Where have you gone?

My father has betrayed me. He stole my baking partner, my Kitchenaid mixer. He said it was only for a short time. He needed it to make his special meatballs. "It'll be right back," he said. He lied. It's really not very nice at all. Unfortunately, I cannot say ANYTHING to him because A. He gave me that mixer, and #2. It's his mixer to start out with and he technically loaned me the mixer and C. I love my dad, and I'm glad he has a hobby, cooking, which he does every once in a while, and OH yeah, his special meatballs are really, really good. Oh, but I digress. I'm mad at him because he gave me his industrial Kitchenaid, which is an "industrial mixer" that he had used when he had our store, long long ago. So this old jobby is an antique. It's still functional but it makes a really funky happy kind of humming when it mixes, unlike the newer one. This one definitely has a style of it's own but I like the WHITE one (now I'm getting whiney so I'll stop...).

This goes back to a long playful animosity I have for my father. Is that an oxymoron? My dad and I both like to cook. I think I acquired that gene from him. My mother, not so much a cook at all. She is more along the concept of "...and EVERYTHING tastes better if you didn't have to cook it!" So my father and I scold each other for stealing equipment from each other. "Where did the wisk go!" or "Did anyone see the BIG BOWL?!" We both know that it's either in one kitchen or the other so it's really just a matter of asking the other person but it's become a formal announcement of "inconsiderate behavior," to the rest of the household. Which consists of my mother, and Katie. Katie doesn't care but she pretends to listen to my father, he's the alpha and also a terrible spoiler of Katie as well.

Let's talk about loyalty now...

I have come to realize that being the O.P. (original purchaser) of Katie, I still have absolutely no allegiance from her except the fact that I also have the title of being the official T.M. (Treat Maker) or G.G (Goodie Giver) to her. My father is the A.D. (Alpha Dog) as well as P.F.G.G. (People Food Goodie Giver), which of course takes all precidence over the mere G.G., which is me. I hate saying it but, "What-ever..."

Bakery Hand

I've got to do something about my hand. As you may not already know, each and every one of The Honeybark Bakery treats are rolled and hand cut by me. My beloved Kitchenaid mixer and I made a lot of treats today, three huge batches and then it happened again. My hand looks like it has been pummeled by a mallet or run over by a car. Yeah, it's bad. It is sore too. It's only my right hand. The left is fine. But that does me no good because I can't really do much with my left hand. I've tried to cut treats with my left hand but it takes longer, less coordinated, I don't know why. So my father wants to invent some device to help avoid "bakery hand" and increase my productivity. He has yet to produce this incredible device but I know it's on his "To Do" list that is a zillion miles long, like mine.

Bite me

Check this out. In Bangalore, the people are suffering from a serious crisis of dog bites. Apparently, they have a special dog catching team specifically to address this problem. Stray dogs are biting people and they don't have the rabies vaccine to give although they do have tetanus vaccines. According to Dr. Devaki, a member of the expert dog catching team, "We have overcome the crisis period now and the number of complaints have come down from 600 a day to 60 a day." Yowch...

Here's the article if you want to see it:
http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/10/stories/2007031024050500.htm

The Ultimate Poop Scoop?

England says that they are nowhere near the dog fanatics that Americans are however, they are quite fastidious in their ability to clean up after their pooches. Having a device called the ultimate poop scoop, the K92 (Get it? K9=dog and #2=poop, cute catchy name), among other things available at this event makes them really look like they are catching up with us. The testimonials page is something you should check out. It's really amazing how happy dog owners get when a device like this comes out. Truly, the only disgusting thing about having a dog is the poop. It's a natural bodily function but still...it's poop and really, nobody likes to deal with, nor think about it for very long. If anyone knows what a Dogue de Bordeaux is, you would definitely understand that comment about how that owner would be "lost" in poop without the ultimate pooper scooper. But wait, why will Lock Keepers, Bank Staff and Customer Service Operatives find this especially useful? That part needs some explaining to me.

Just take a look. It's hysterical.
http://www.thek92.com/testimonials.php

Here's the article about the event at Crufts:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2030784,00.html#article_continue