As many of you already know, I spent most of this week in New York City attending Kelly’s Cake Off for a Cause – a great event sponsored by Electrolux to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. So, instead of my usual Friday Favorites post, I thought I’d use this post to tell you a little bit about my trip! I’ll be sharing lots of pictures, a few of my favorite links related to the event, and even giving you the opportunity to win some goodies from ME… Keep reading!
All About My Trip…
I headed to NYC on the train on Monday morning… When I arrived, I had coffee with two of my favorite cookie decorators- Bridget from Bake at 350 (who also happens to be one of my Cake Off teammates) and Gail of One Tough Cookie (be sure to see the picture her cookies of Rachael Ray’s doggy that were recently the Snack of hte Day!). We sipped cappuccinos at Pastis and chatted about everything from cookies and cakes to blogging! It was a fabulous time, and I am so thrilled that I got to meet them both. It was a great way to kick-off the trip!
On Monday evening, I had the privilege of going to The Spotted Pig where I got to mix and mingle with all of the other bloggers who were participating in the Cake Off. Not only were we served some great food, but we got to watch a cooking demonstration by Chef April Bloomfield. It was somewhat comical to watch all of the bloggers whip out cameras at the sight of food, too!
On Tuesday, we got up bright and early to go to the taping of Live with Regis and Kelly. After that, we had a few hours of free time, so I headed down to Magnolia Bakery with a few of my fellow bloggers (Sandy of Iron Cupcake fame, Laura of The Cooking Photographer, and Josie of Daydreamer Desserts).
In no time, it was time to head over to Chelsea Market for the big Cake Off event! We arrived a few minutes early and had lunch and hung out in a beautiful space on the 6th floor of Chelsea market. We all chatted and marveled at all of the people buzzing in and out getting ready for the event!
Then, in no time, we were whisked into the room where the event was being held to watch the photo shoot with Kelly Ripa and Buddy Valastro (the Cake Boss!). There were cameras everywhere, and we all marveled at the great lighting (again, with a group of food bloggers, we couldn’t stop thinking about taking pictures!). Pretty soon, the event was beginning, and we got to watch Kelly and Buddy do some cake decorating and make some delicious chocolate covered strawberries (they were good, I had one!).
After the demo was over, it was time for us to get started! The 15 bloggers were divided up into groups of three, and each group got to decorate a themed cake designed by Buddy! I was paired up with Diana of A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa and Bridget of Bake at 350…
We covered a two-tier cake with pink fondant and decorated it with chocolate fondant polka-dots and a chocolate fondant bow! We had a fun time decorating and got some great tips from Buddy and the guys from Carlo’s Bakery. They were a great help and were so much fun to meet!
After the event, I had a lovely dinner at Mesa Grill (ah-mazing… let me just say!) with Sandy from No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner! The food was fantastic, and we had a great time. Unfortunately, my pictures didn’t turn out real well, so I don’t have pictures to share with you from dinner.
I was supposed to leave on Wednesday, but it was snowing in NYC (and *really* snowing at home), so I ended up staying an extra day. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of my extra time in the city going back and forth between the hotel and Penn Station, trying to figure out how I was going to get home. I ended up pulling an all-nighter on Wednesday night, on the phone with Amtrak and getting ready to check out of the hotel at 4:45am. It was worth it, though, because I managed to get home on the one-and-only train yesterday. After that, I slept for about 16 hours!
Cake Off Friday Favorites…
For my Friday Favorites this week, I thought I’d highlight some sites relevant to Kelly’s Cake Off for a Cause. Here are a few of the blog posts and sites that I have found with information about the Cake Off!
- Ovarian Cancer Research Fund – As you know, Electrolux is donating money to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for each vote in the Cake Off. Check out their site to find out all about the fight against Ovarian Cancer.
- Video Interview with Kelly Ripa on PopEater.com – In this video you can get some info about the Cake Off and also hear all about Kelly’s plans for Valentine’s Day!
- Video Interview with Kelly Ripa on Extra – Here’s another interview with Kelly about the event.
- Cake Off at Savor the Thyme – Even though she wasn’t at the event, Jennifer over at Savor the Thyme is helping to spread the word! How cool is that?
Cake Off Giveaway!
Here is the most important information about the Cake Off… Each time you visit Kelly-Confidential.com to vote for one of the cakes in the Cake Off or create a virtual cake of your own, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund!
So, to encourage you to keep voting (which you can do once a day), my teammates and I decided that we would each do a small giveaway on our site! I will be giving away one dozen of my cookies (that will be decorated in pink and brown to match our cake in the Cake Off!) to one of my lucky readers!
Here’s how you can enter the giveaway…
- Visit Kelly-Confidential.com and VOTE for our Take a Bow cake! You can vote once a day from now until February 19th, and each vote will count!
- Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you voted… You will get one entry into the giveaway for each vote, so make sure to leave a comment each time you vote!
Since I really want you all to go out there and spread the word about the Cake Off to your friends and family, I will also be giving you two additional ways to enter the giveaway!
- Spread the word on Twitter – Tweet the following message and the leave me a comment with your Twitter name so I can verify your tweets:
Vote for the Take a Bow cake in Kelly’s #CakeOff for a Cause – Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF! http://bit.ly/cis5Rd (RT, please)
- Spread the word on your blog – If you mention the #CakeOff and encourage your readers to vote for their favorite cake or send a virtual cake, include a link back to this post! Simply leave a comment with a link to your post so I can check it out and give you credit for the giveaway!
Good Luck! I will be announcing the winner of the giveaway in next week’s Friday Favorites post. Keep on voting!!
My Kitchen Addiction Disclosure – My participation in Kelly’s Cake Off for a Cause was sponsored by Electrolux and Foodbuzz who provided me with travel arrangements and accommodations in New York to participate.
Note – The comments have been closed on this post because the giveaway is over!
I loved reading your post and seeing all the pictures. It looks like it was an amazing time and one you’ll never forget. Good luck on your cake. I hope you win.
Jen! I love your post….great pictures!!! (I may have to borrow your April pics!) ;)
What a fabulous time and I’m SO glad I met you and we were on the same team!!!
Go Take a Bow!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE your cake!! I have voted for it each day since it has been open for voting!!!
I also love your blog!! Thanks for sharing.
Oh yes, and I twittered for you!
name: delightsbydani.
And, I blogged!! :) Such a great cause! I sent my husband an email telling him he needed to vote too! :)
Wow, what a fantastic experience and a great cause! The cake is so gorgeous!
What a fun time and great opportunity for you! I can’t wait to see even more pictures! Glad you were able to make it home and get some much-needed rest :)
Lovely cake. Thanks for sharing about your trip with us. It sounds like a fun time.
Congrats! What a beautiful post (& cake ; ) I’ve been voting!
Sounds like you had a great time in NYC :) BTW the cake you made looked great!
Hiya! I voted for your cake before I even knew it was yours, haha.
Gorgeous cake! It was so fun to read about your experiences, and I love all the pictures!
Hi Jen, love your post! I’m so glad we got to hang out in NYC, it was a pleasure meeting you. =)
It pays to read the posts, in addition to just looking at the pretty pictures. Thanks for the shoutout! I’ve voted for the bow cake, and have told friends to vote, too! Cake and a good cause.
Doesn’t get better than that
I tweeted this http://twitter.com/singerinkitchen/status/9119147029 and voted @kelly-confidential! Looks like y’all had a blast!
You all look great, and I LOVE your cake!! Great work!
Jen, what a great recap! So glad to have been on your team :D
What a great trip! LOVE your cake!
I voted for your cake today! It looks so pretty!
I loved your cake. It really pops out at you and it was the first cake I wanted to vote for.
What a fun experience Jen! Your cake is so pretty! You all did an amazing job on it.
Great cause! Looks like a lot of fun too! I’ve voted!
Voted, again!
I voted and just tweeted the message. melmcd99
Great job! Looked like you all had fun. What a great experience.
Thanks for such great posts about your trip Jen for those of us who weren’t there. LOVE your cake!!!
Loved the cake! Tweeted about voting and would love to win the cookies! (My twitter name is JDenouden)
Your post was so interesting and we can never get enough photos. Great photos. That IT business really kicks in doesn’t it? hehe You really do a great job with your blog, interesting, clear and concise. BTW I would love to win your pink and brown cookies. That would be a treat. Okie dokie
Take care and hope you’ve recovered from your trip to the really big city!
Gosh isn’t Kelly just a miniature? hehe
AmyRuth
I love your cake. I think it is the cutest and most fun! Good luck! I hope you win!
What an awesome trip! I must say I am jealous and can’t wait to do something like that. Would love to win your cookies :) I voted on the Cake Off site, and tweeted too!
I’m spreading the word on twitter!
– merrymed
Another vote from me!
Howdy from Missouri,
Just wanted to let you know (again) I voted, tweeted and shucks, here I am again talking about your wonderful cookies that I would love to win and post about on my blog. Wow, now that would be fun!!! I’ve sent a few virtual cakes to friends and amazingly they have no calories. woohoo Thanks again.
AmyRuth
I voted again :) I keep forgetting to comment everytime I vote…haha.
Such a wonderful experience for you… and you are just about the cutest thing ever! Can I have your hair please? ;)
Blessings-
Amanda