THANK YOU!
Speaking of cupcakes... special thanks to CRUMBS Bake Shop in Los Angeles for donating
1,000 cupcakes for our Twiistup Conference booth. We were the most
popular booth at the event, thanks to your tasty cupcakes!
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Visit Crumbs Today!
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Dear BakeSpace Member,
 It's hard to believe that three years have passed since BakeSpace was launched as the Web's first food social network and recipe swap. My goal at the time was to create a friendly place where home cooks could hang out and share their passion. It has been a wild ride and an incredibly rewarding experience filled with tasty recipes and new friendships. Thank you for helping build our grassroots site and making BakeSpace such a vibrant community. It's time to celebrate... and here's to an even more delicious future! BakeSpace Birthday Cake by DDPie |
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Get Involved & Build New Friendships
One of my favorite things about BakeSpace is watching how members interact and get to know one another. I'm constantly amazed at the generosity of our community when it comes to sharing recipes and tips, and I especially enjoy how friendships forged on BakeSpace can extend to the offline world.
 Over the past three years, members have hosted in-person cookovers and meetups, as well as countless online get-togethers such as our Virtual Wine Tasting Tour (this month's wine is Soave) and The Culinary Book Club. Members are also connecting across other social networks via Facebook and Twitter.
I love how everyone works together to shape our community and make it their own. I'm excited to see what the next year will bring, and what members will come up with to help us all stay connected and well fed.
Join the Conversation
View all the PA Cookover Photos!
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How BakeSpace Got Started
A Brief History
 People often ask me how I came up with the idea for BakeSpace... So here's a quick summary:
In 2006, I was working as a reality TV director and producer. While I was successful and enjoyed my job, I couldn't help but feel that something was missing.
So in between shows, I decided to take a cake decorating class at a small mom and pop baking supply store. I absolutely loved it. I loved the process, the food and most of all the people.
After the class was over, I decided to look online to see how I could continue my education and connect with other home cooks. Back in 2006, there wasn't a true food-themed social network. Sure there were recipe sites, but it was very difficult to connect one-on-one in real time with other foodies. My inability to find the type of online community I was looking for became the inspiration behind BakeSpace.
 So BakeSpace.com was born on August 22, 2006. Since then, the site has grown like a chocolate soufflé in the oven, and exceeded nearly all my expectations. It has been an honor and absolute pleasure to work with you to build the site and create a community that has not only the tastiest recipes around, but also some of the nicest, most generous people on the planet.
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Babette's Feast - My Favorite Recipe
Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Centers and Filling
These cupcakes are amazing! In fact, they've been known to make grown men cry... they're that good. I could eat them every day, if it weren't for all the calories.
The key to success is making the chocolate ganache first. You need half of the frosting for the filling, which needs to be set so you can turn it into little balls before preparing the batter.
You'll need:
GANACHE:
13 ounces heavy cream
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I use a bag of chocolate chips)
DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKE BATTER:
1/3 c
cocoa, preferably Valrhona or Cocoa Barry Extract (Supermarket cheap
stuff works ok too, as I have tried all kinds in moments of desperation)
1 c boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 c mayonnaise (I use fat-free and it works fine)
2 c sifted cake flour (I rarely ever sift as I find that cake flour seems to always measure right. I know... I should)
1 c sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
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Why do you BakeSpace?
Here's the answer from a few fellow BakeSpacers:
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Indianapolis, IN
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"I quickly realized that BakeSpace was different from other recipe sites; It's more than just a database of recipes, it's a whole wide world of cultures, cuisines, traditions, cooking/baking methods and ideas. Friendly people are always around to answer questions and offer suggestions, as well as swap ideas and just have loads of fun! It truly is like having a "living cookbook" at your fingertips, and so much more."
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Monkeybusiness
Vienna, WV |
"My BakeSpace friends have encouraged me to "Think Outside the BOX" and give a NEW Recipe a try."
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Love2cookmb
Morris Plains, NJ
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"Imagine living on a street where all the neighbors are friends who like to laugh, eat and chat together all the time. The BakeSpace community is amazing. These people are my friends, my family. We relate to each other on so many levels. It's like one huge pot luck, every day!"
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Fanmajie
Netherlands
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"I think food is about people and people are about food. So if you learn about food, you will learn about people. With an instrument like BakeSpace, you can make it a global learning experience."
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Cwiech
Mound, MN | "Great people! And they are all as food obsessed as I am. Seriously, where else can you chat about what to make for dinner, how to make it and what kind of plate it should be served on? HeeHee. Need to decorate a cake? Someone is there to help. Want to make mayonnaise? Someone has the recipe and the know how. Do you garden? Drink wine? Take food pics? It's all here."
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PattiT
Central PA |
"I have everything I ever could want or need in a food site right here on BakeSpace. I have found so many great recipes, probably more than I will be ever able to make in a lifetime. But best of all, I have made so many friends here. There are so many interesting topics, questions, answers and LOADS of fun and outright laughter."
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Matt74
Banning, CA
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"I love how I can bounce ideas off of every one BakeSpace! I truly love it here. To connect with everyone coast-to-coast and beyond (members Fanmajie and Danja) just to name a few. You all inspire me to keep my culinary mind moving. Ya know? I read all of your blogs & posts daily and love them and want to thank all of you for the time and effort that goes into them. It's much appreciated! It's about PASSION! And we all surely have it!"
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Gigi421
Pennsylvania |
"BakeSpace is a website with funny, good-hearted and talented people who are willing to share their lives and their obsession with food. Someone is always here to listen to your stories and help you with whatever is going on in your life or in your kitchen. I have met some BakeSpace members in person, and I can truly call them all my friend. I have been to other food sites and forums, but there is no other place out there like BakeSpace." |
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Thanks to our community for making these last three years truly awesome!
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New to BakeSpace?
BakeSpace is a
grassroots online community created by and for people who love cooking,
baking and hanging out in the kitchen.
Interested in sponsoring a newsletter or advertising on BakeSpace? Contact Us |
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