Cake Talk

Warren Brown of Cakelove. (James A. Parcell -- The Washington Post)

Warren Brown , a lawyer-turned-baker and owner of Cakelove and Love Cafe in Washington, D.C., is now the star of the Food Network's "Sugar Rush." Read more about Brown's new show . On the show, Brown meets with pastry chefs to uncover the secrets behind baking the best desserts.

Warren Brown was online Thursday, Dec. 8, at 11 am ET to discuss holiday sweets, life at Cake Love and his television show.

The transcript follows.

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Washington, D.C.: Warren, thanks for joining us. I'm wondering if you can explain why you serve your individual cakes cold, both in the cafe and in the bakery? I find it harder to taste the flavors in a cold cake, plus I think the texture seems "drier" if it's not at room temperature. Is there a benefit to the consumer to a cold cake? Or is it merely a storage issue? If it's the latter, I hope you'll consider serving cakes at room temperature, at least within the cafe. Have you tried cake both ways side-by-side?

Warren Brown: Thank you for asking about the temperature of the product and why we store it under refrigeration.

We store all of our perishable products under refrigeration to protect our customers from food borne illness. We have to do this. The health department mandates it. Were we to store our cakes with buttercream, eclairs and buzz balls with pastry cream, and cheesecakes at room temp they would be a health hazard.

We do keep one or two cakes in rotation at room temp at the cafe so our customers have the option of a cake at room temp. Otherwise we invite them to wait a few minutes for it to com up to room temp.

I agree that the flavors are more intense at room temp. But, we have to store them under refrigeration.

Someone asked if it's realistic for people to wait? I hope so. The products simply taste better that way.

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Maryland: What are the basics to making a good cake that people tend to overlook or forget or just don't know?

Warren Brown: Ah, what a great question!

The basics from my point of view come down to a few things:

1. Use butter as your shortening. Do not use liquid or hydrogenated oils.

2. Use a scale to measure your bulky dry goods, like flour, sugar, and coco powder.

3. Don't use fat free items. Someone once used a fat free sour cream for the Sassy recipe which has lots of good intentions but not good results. Taking out the fats leaves the recipe with too much water in the "wet" part of the batter.

4. Use really good quality ingredients.

5. Have fun and don't be afraid of triumphs and tragedies in the kitchen. They happen to all of us!

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Warren Brown: Thank you for the opportunity to chat with each of you on-line.

I'm very excited to be here and want to get to all of the questions.

I'm not a great typist so you will see some typos in the work as we're live and I'm moving quickly. Carpel Tunnel be damned!

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has expressed their support to me or to others in the world about their feelings about CakeLove, Love Cafe, Sugar Rush, and the whole career transformation I've experienced thus far. It's a fantastic experience and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Second, I am psyched to be on the brink of opening a new store in Downtown Silver Spring. We're weeks away from opening the doors to CakeLove #2 and everyone at the bakery and cafe couldn't be happier.

OK, I tend to be long winded so I'll stop there and move into more questions.

Thanks again!

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Shaw, Washington, D.C.: Warren, congratulations to your success, you're an inspiration to fellow lawyers looking to escape. Two years ago I bought one of your cakes for my goddaughter's christening (the pumpkin spice cake). It was a hit, her grandmothers both loved it. Unfortunately, I discovered you took it off your menu. Will you bring it back?

Warren Brown: I'm so glad that you liked the pumpkin cake. We continue to carry-it's cousin, the pumpkin Crunchy Feet. They're tiny compared to the cake but still the same batter. We make them seasonally and tis the season!

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Silver Spring, Md.: Hi Warren, when is that Cakelove bakery going to open in downtown SS? I can hardly wait to try the crunchy cake feet!!!!

Warren Brown: I'm so glad that people are excited about our new store in Downtown Silver Spring. We're certainly excited at CakeLove and working very hard to complete construction.

I just toured the site yesterday (all 1500 square feet) and it's almost finished. Painting happens this weekend and equipment is delivered next week! So, although we will probably miss Christmas b/c we want to be ready and fully trained up, we'll be open within weeks.

Thanks for all of your support and we look forward to selling whole cakes, slices, and all of our cupcakes and pastries. CakeLove Silver Spring will be all-carryout, just the like first CakeLove on U St (but bigger and with ample parking!).

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Falls Church, Va.: Do you have a chocolate cake recipe that kids like? I am a chocoholic, but my kids like vanilla. I am trying to convert them into chocoholics, but they don't like any of my chocolate recipes--they complain that they taste too rich!

Warren Brown: That's so funny how you're trying to persuade them to the dark side... of chocolate that is! I know that I didn't like dark chocolate when I was young. Now I have a totally different appreciation for it. Partly though b/c I feel that it makes me dream in color and the intense flavors are so gripping.

Maybe ease them into seeing the light with chocolate buttercream which is kinda like a milk chocolate lover's dream. Also you could try touring different places for different hot chocolates. There are a lot more options now at different restaurants and cafes and children like hot chocolate.

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Washington, D.C.: Warren - now that you're a star, when will we see you doing local cooking demonstrations? This is Charlie Adler with TasteDC - how's it goin? REALLY would love to have local legend now star come by and do some baking classes for us!

BTW, love the controversy over your cupcake icing, it sure makes for fun foodie reading!

Warren Brown: Hi Charlie! OK, you got me! I would love to do a demonstration and we're gonna make it happen before Spring! Best wishes for the holidays.

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Washington, D.C.: Will your U street location remain even after you achieve success in your new yet to open Silver Spring location?

Warren Brown: Oh yeah, we're not leaving U Street. That's our home!

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Washington, D.C.: Warren,

Any chance you'll share your recipe for ginger-molasses cookies? I used to buy them at the Shakespeare Theatre but now they don't carry them any more. Do you sell them at the bakery or Cafe Love? They are -to die- for.

Thanks!

Warren Brown: Those cookies will be back! We'll have recipes in my cookbook which will publish by 2007. I'll be sure to get them into rotation soon!

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Miami, Fl.: Warren, Warren, Warren... Wow. Thanks for inspiring me this morning. I'm branching out on my own (breaking from the corporate gig) soon and having stories like yours to keep in my mental library keeps me going when the fears of failure set in.

So, thanks for the cupcakes (lived in DC for years and was so excited when your sign first went up on the building - you never disappointed!), thanks for the inspiration, and thanks for the new show!

A quick question: Did you have moments in that first year of running the bakery that you wanted to throw in the towel or did your determination get you through any doubts you may have had? All the best to you, I hope your star keeps rising.

Warren Brown: Did I have moments or DO I have moments?

It's a totally valid question and the moments of frustration in running a business are part of running a business. Does it make me filled with excess energy that I need to blow sometimes? Yes. But I find creative ways to vent.... like creating new images for building awareness about our product. Or by gong to the gym.

I really do love the challenge of being in business but the challenge means I get faced with new problems that by their nature of being unique have to get the best of me at times. That's OK I tell myself. It's just part of the ride.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Warren,

I am happy to see that your business continues to thrive. I used to buy your cakes all the time when you sold them at Visions. Best of luck!

Warren Brown: Thank you! I loved Visions! They were one of my first clients when I started and were always great to me!

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Leesburg, Va.: Warren, I love your show! Do you plan on opening any shops in Northern VA?

Warren Brown: Yes, CakeLove plans on opening in the Clarendon area in 2006. We're excited about it and know that we have a lot of loyal customers in NoVA. We're with ya and want to be there quickly, too!

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Arlington, Va.: Great desserts btw! I especially love how you fuse cayenne pepper into some of them. Some questions from an aspiring business owner. How did you decide on your location to open Cake Love? How did you initially begin to advertise and How much capital (loan, venture capital etc) was required initially to set up your business?

Warren Brown: The spices are some of the best parts of it all!

I got started with the help of City First Bank of DC. They were very helpful in working with me, with the assistance of a SBA guaranteed loan, to finance my business growth thus far. Community banks are great b/c they work with their customers and can appreciate unusual vision/dreams.

I also did alot of research on-line, talking with people in the field, traveling to view bakeries, and reading. Oh yeah, and baking. I worked hard at it at home for about 2 years before I opened the bakery.

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U St., NW Washington, D.C.: Hello. Have you ever considered keeping some of the desserts you serve at LoveCafe room temperature? I've purchased cakes - Cakelove that we really good but I've been disappointed by the cafe offerings. Surely it's occurred to you that when people buy things in single servings they want to eat them immediately and not have to wait 10-15 min. This seems to be a simple solution for an issue that has caused alot of local backlash and uproar. Overall I support you and good luck with your continued endeavors!

Warren Brown: Thank you for coming to the cafe. The slices of cake will take a few minutes to come to room temp if you haven't purchased the one or two that we have rotating and held at room temp. We refrigerate the perishable products to protect against food borne illness, per health code regulations. We know that people don't want to wait, but the cakes will taste a lot better with a little time.

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Woodbridge, Va.: Do you have a web site in which to order your cakes for delivery

Warren Brown: All of our orders are via phone. We're working toward having an on-line order capacity and hope to integrate it in early 2006.

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Clinton, Md.: I love your new show. I haven't had a chance to taste any of your deserts from the local places, but I will one day.

Do you have any good pound cake recipes?

Also, I am looking to make fruit empanadas, and I don't have any recipes, do you have any by chance?

Warren Brown: Sorry, no fruit empanada experience here. The recipes I work with will be published (in part) in my upcoming book, expected date of publication is 2007.

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Cupcake Question: Warren, I'm having trouble making cupcakes/They rise unevenly, have golf balls rising from the center, etc. They taste fine, but I usually don't want to serve them to anyone but me. Also, I'm not sure how to know how much batter to put in a standard cupcake pan. Can you advise on my best course of action?

Many thanks!

Warren Brown: Sorry to hear your trouble.

I'd pour about 2-3 ounces of batter in each standard cupcake paper/mold.

There could be a lot of things leading to your cupcakes woes. Maybe too much baking powder/soda? or too much creaming of the butter and sugar? Sounds like too much aeration is the main thing so I'd cut back on the creaming stage if they don't end up tasting salty (too much b. powder) or soapy (too much soda).

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Washington, D.C.: When and what station will Sugar Rush air?

Warren Brown: Catch Sugar Rush on Food Network on Wednesday at 9:30 pm weekly.

AND, tonight (Thursday at 9 pm) you can catch me on Food Network hosting a a Holiday Cookie Special where we take a tour of some of the most unusual holiday cookie bakers in the country. Plus, we cover the six basic kinds of cookies used for the holidays. Tonight at 9 pm on Food Network!

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Adams Morgan, D.C.: Between the show and all your other obligations, how much baking do you do at this point? Are you baking for the store at all anymore?

Warren Brown: My role in the business continues to be closely involved with operations. I'm constantly developing new recipes and jumping in to help out where needed. The crew scheduled at CakeLove and Love Cafe are very capable and turn out excellent product day-in, day-out. I'm very proud and happy with their consistent work.

Since the beginning I've trained bakers and assembly persons at CakeLove to follow the methods and processes that I feel are essential to turn out quality cakes. Whenever there is a glitch, we find it and examine what happened.

In the meantime, I'm traveling for Sugar Rush, developing new products (candy for 2006 Summer) and developing new storefronts. Yikes, it's a lot!

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Alexandria, Va.: I'm looking forward to visiting your store for the first time. Do you have any recommendations?

Warren Brown: I'm hot for the chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream these days. I used to overlook it as something boring. What a fool I've been! Something about it is just right for me now.

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Washington, D.C.: Don't you miss working at HHS?

Warren Brown: You must work there!

I miss the people at HHS tons and wish that I had time to run in and scare them with cake if that were possible!

OCIG will forever be in my heart b/c EVERYONE there was like "go for it, Warren!"

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Silver Spring, Md.: WHERE in Downtown Silver Spring?!?!?!?

Warren Brown: 935 Ellsworth Drive, just off the square with the fountain in the Summer.

And if you haven't been up to Silver Spring and seen this fountain, you have to see it. Kids, toddlers, youths of all ages actually play gleefully in it. Parents sit around and talk and watch while the kids laugh and scream and play. It's fantastic and a real treasure for the DC area.

Besides that, they have oodles of parking. Smart growth. I applaud it.

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Washington, D.C.: Hey Warren!

Did you ever imagine that you would wind up with an amazing job on the Food Network after leaving the legal world after just a few years? You will be putting Cakelove on the map more than ever before.

And just what goes into the filling of the buzz balls? They are amazing!

Thanks!

Warren Brown: Buzz Balls are a really treat.

The first ones had coffee pastry cream (hence the buzz) and the eclair dough casing was piped into a ball shape.

Now we put different flavors in them: chocolate or lemon or mango or pumpkin/walnut (seasonal).

Enjoy at room temp or...

Take a few home, pop them in the oven on 350F for about 5-7 minutes. Fork 'em and enjoy. The casing gets nice and crispy, the pastry cream in the center gets warmed and loose. They're delicious, devilishly messy, and fun.

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Washington, D.C.: Love the show and the cakes!!!

Question: how did your love of baking develop when you were a lawyer? I'm a businesswoman who loves to bake and can't (and whose waistline doesn't want to!) eat everything I make myself, but I think my officemates feel I'm too domestic when I keep bringing in cookies. Any other ideas on how I can satisfy my baking cravings?

Warren Brown: Well always enjoy it and don't worry about what others are thinking. We all have to get away form that.

You know, before I baked I was way into cooking. I did it all of the time and turned to baking as a new interest and learning opportunity. If you don't cook, maybe try that or dive deeper into it?

But don't stop baking the cookies!

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Hyattsville, Md.: Warren,

When did you know that you wanted to bake cakes and do that as a profession? Were you baking as a child or have a parent who loved to bake?

Warren Brown: On the lawyer turned baker issue...

I really enjoy having the background as a lawyer in business. It gives me a lot of confidence to execute the daily tasks and strategic planning that goes into growing the business. Most of my daily work involves abstract planning that's over the horizon. I had to do some of the that as an attorney but one of the real skills that I developed in law was listening.

to facts as people recall them is a really interesting thing. I don't know why I like listening to other people talk and tell me things but it's really fun to do. I suppose I enjoy it so much b/c I also get to know others that way.

Before I went to law school I was a health educator and much of that work involved listening to questions that youth had. Lots of subjects came up but the repeating thing I found was the importance of hearing what each person is saying to me.

In running a business I have ample opportunities to take in feedback from customers, staff members, supporters and business colleagues. Longwinded and somewhat off topic, but I find the legal degree has helped a lot in this way.

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Mt Pleasant, D.C.: Hi Warren.

I have a passion for baking, and really enjoy reading about the hows and the whys of baking. I usually start with dessert recipes and alter them, but now I am itching to create my own recipes from the ground up. Do you have any suggestions that give clear ratios and guides for creating baked goods, in particular cakes and cookies?

Thanks for your time and help!

MtP Baker

Warren Brown: Check out Art of the Cake by Bruce Healy, Morrow publishing.

And Harold McGee, On Food and Cooking. Two essentials in my bakery.

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Arlington, Va.: Warren,

I think what you are doing is great, however I think it's a bit much to ask your customers to wait until the cakes are room temp, to really enjoy them. There has be be something that can be done to make these cake ready to eat when they are purchased.

Warren Brown: Thanks for writing in Please see the comments about why the products are stored under refrigeration.

I hope it's not too much to ask for our customers to wait. I look at it like chilling wine (white) before drinking it. Even where store have those instant chillers there is time involved.

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McLean, Va.: Good Morning Warren,

I've a 15-year-old son who, up until this year, was a die-hard basketball player, and now has started to focus on cooking. He's always loved to cook and talked about owning a restaurant but seem to truly be interested of late. Can you offer some advice on how I may be able find some cooking classes for teens, or a summer program of sorts? He'll be looking for colleges in the very near future and if he serious, I'd like him to explore the culinary field now. I appreciate all your advice.

Warren Brown: There are lots of choices for culinary school today, here and abroad. I encourage him to cook as much as he can at home and take his time researching and talking to schools and chefs/cooks when possible about their background. I'm self taught and many people are, but I'm also super niched oriented: American style butter cakes.

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Washington, D.C.: What are some staples you would never be without in your pantry?

Warren Brown: All-purpose flour

extra brut coco powder

unsalted butter

extra fine granulated can sugar

fresh berries

equipment (just as imp)

a scale

large mixing bowls

rubber spatulas

the radio

Thanks!

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Warren. Congratulations on all success. Do you bake wedding cakes?

Warren Brown: Yes we bake wedding cakes and have some info about it at our web site, cakelove.com

Our style is very similar to the cakes we make for birthdays, etc. We do not use fondant or pipe on lots of decorative border work, like flowers or basket weave.

Thank you!

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Anonymous: Love CakeLove! Reminds me of Citizen Cake in San Francisco.

Do you have any suggestions for baked goods that can hold up to shipping well? My boyfriend is stationed in Afghanistan and I'd like to send him some homemade goodies. Thanks!

Warren Brown: yes, thanks for writing in again. I love Citizen cake, too.

From our bakery, the Box of Love should do well. Perhaps the brownies won't be the best after 3 weeks but the nuts and poundcake actually should be ok.

Any butter based poundcake should make it alright. I wouldn't send anything with vegetable or hydrogenated oils in it b/c they won't naturally preserve the product.

Our Box of Love is $30 You would have to pick it up and ship it on your own b/c we're just domestic.

Thank you!

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Staten Island, N.Y.: Warren - I love the show. Real people doing real things. I haven't been to taste but you bet I will.

My question -- I am watching what I eat around the holidays, but of course, don't want to feel left out. Any suggestions on baked sweets to make during the holidays that won't cause my pants to go up another size???

Warren Brown: Maybe bake those that taste rich and are truly satisfying in just a few bites?

I'm eating a lot of trail mix these days to try and watch my own waist line. I hear ya!

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Silver Spring, Md.: When is the new Cake Love going to open in Silver Spring? I'm really excited to see it.

Warren Brown: Silver Spring CakeLove will open in just a few weeks. We'll post the official day on our web site once we're in the clear with construction and permits. Thanks!

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Washington, D.C.: How do you stay trim when you are around sugar all day? I love to bake, and also prefer the real, full-fat ingredients like butter, etc., but the more I bake, the more I gain. How much of your products do you actually eat on a daily basis? Do you work out to keep it off?

Warren Brown: Oh totally! I work out, just not as much as I'd like. I do eat CakeLove but not all day. So many people say they would eat everything. Well, I do, but not in one day. Stretching it out allows me to enjoy everything more. (I hope this doesn't sound like a line, it's actually true!)

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Silver Spring, Md.: What are some of your favorite foods besides sweets?

Warren Brown: Butternut squash.

Peeled, blanched, shocked, sauteed with butter, dried cranberries and bosc pears, and a dusting of nutmeg (fresh). As a side dish to a rib eye medium rare -I'm happy!

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Washington, D.C.: I tried the Buzz balls because the description sounded spectacular, but I think they might have still been a little cold. Your suggestion to put them in the oven makes them sound even more appealing, do you offer that option at LoveCafe?

Warren Brown: Ask for them to be microwaved. It's just as good. Sorry, I should have said that too for the at home instructions. I'm so old school at my place that I use a bamboo steamer instead of a microwave. Maybe nuke it for 20 seconds.

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Austin, Tex.: What kind of hours do you put in running a bakery? And what experience do you require bakers you hire to have? Can baking be a family-friendly job?

Warren Brown: Totally family friendly. That's the reality of our culture and I think we should start embracing what's reality.

Baking keeps me busy all of the time. But we also push really hard to be very good and responsive, and to grow.

Bakers need not have experience. A passion for excellence and food is really what matters the most at CakeLove.

Thanks

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi Warren,

You probably don't remember me, but we went to Law School together.

Had I known that you were an expert baker, I would have asked you if you knew a good trick to keep a cheesecake from cracking. Nothing I've tried has worked!

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Rick Green

GW '99

Warren Brown: Hi Rick! Great to hear from you!

Bake low and slow and try a water bath.

Somewhere around 300-320F and place your pan inside of another, larger one filled 2/3 with steaming water. Place both in a preheated oven.

We don't use a spring form pan anymore. We use a 9"x3" regular cake pan sprayed with pan release and lined with parchment. It works great and the pans don't cost as much. And no fussing with the foil!

Enjoy and hope this helps!

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Sterling, Va.: Warren, I absolutely love watching Sugar Rush and venturing with you to all of those wonderful places, and am glad that you'll be having a cookbook published in 2007. My question is this, how do you manage to juggle so many different hats and keep your sanity at the same time?

Warren Brown: I'm glad I'm maintaining the illusion of sanity! It must be everyone I work with who helps that come off so well!

Really, who knows how it works but somehow each day I still find myself marveling at how awesome cake can be!

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Washington, D.C.: Hey. Love the cakes, got one for my mom's birthday back when you were still baking out of Laval's Food to Go.

What's your response to naysayers (such as certain WashPost food critics) who complain that your cake is too dry? I think people just like to complain every chance they get. How do you float on top of that kind of negativity?

Warren Brown: Great question.

I welcome feedback of all kinds. I'm just glad that people express their views to me because it gives me a window into what the chatter is about our products and how I can help to improve them or tweak our message so people understand how to best enjoy our products.

Layered cakes should be served and eaten at room temperature. Whether or not they're butter based or made with vegetable oil/shortening, they should be eaten at room temp. We in the midst of a campaign to drive that point home - check out our "Road Sign" palm cards! CakeLove products are made with butter as the shortening and that means they'll have a distinctly different texture and flavor when cold vs. at room temperature.

When people indicate that the buttercream and cakes are hard and tasted like pure butter, we can predict with some certainty that the product was served cold. Some people have a greater sensitivity to flavors and are overwhelmed by the butter content of our products (which is unfortunate), but we think baking with butter is a good thing.

Again, I'm always glad to receive feedback and I encourage critics and customers to share their comments with me and my staff. It will help us grow the business which, I hope, is what everyone is after.

Thank you!

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Washington D.C.: Hi, Warren! I just wanted to tell you that you truly are an inspiration for those who may be considering a career change. CakeLove is an awesome establishment and the show is great. Keep up the good work!

Warren Brown: Thank you very much!

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NW Washington, D.C.: How much cake do you actually eat? How much gym penance does it require?

Warren Brown: Ah, the gym unfortunately gets very angry at me and each time I show up delivers copious amounts of pain and sweat upon me. For some reason I keep going back for me but it ain't easy!

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Manaus (Brazil): I used to live in MtP and followed the delicious aroma into CakeLove during opening week. Was a regular until I left town. Man, I miss those crunchy feet! So glad to hear about all your new success!! Do you buy free trade chocolate? Have you ever experimented baking with cacau nibs? What's your most popular confection?

p.s. i'm eating that butternut squash recipe tonight!

Warren Brown: You know I like the nibs a lot and we tried them. Their was an industry push to popularize them but I think they're too "crunchy" for people, meaning they're too close to the Earth. The flavor is one in which I think you have to appreciate "raw" foods a lot.

By the way, to the squash, I hope I said peel and cut into slices or cubes. And watch out! it's an unwieldy beast that likes to run away from the knife blade. Cut off the bott bulb and work with the neck and bulb separately.

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The temperature thing...: Thanks for -not- doing things to cakes to make them preserved at room temperature - I'd rather wait and eat a real butter cake, personally.

Warren Brown: Thank you!

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Los Angeles, Calif.: Hey, warren!!! Just got into work and saw that you were doing this chat! We miss you and hope to see you out here (with a cakelove outpost) soon.

Warren Brown: Thanks! I can't wait for it either! Thanks for checking in!

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Alexandria, Va.: Warren, I love your show on Food Network. I went to your store in June on my birthday to buy a slice of cake, it was so good that I went back for another!I had the strawberry shortcake and the Strawberries & Cream .I love to bake but I want to add more flavor to the cake itself, any suggestions?

Thanks!

Warren Brown: on adding flavor...

be sure to use whole, natural ingredients.

try a little brandy (in a cake batter), and use good stuff you'd want to drink.

avoid water in any recipe. Just like a gravy, you'd avoid using water so do the same with baking. Water mixed with coco powder (as called for in many, many recipes) is, to me, a no-no.

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Fairfax, Va.: I'm sorry a lot of people talk smack about your cakes. Since you're an expert baker, perhaps you can help me out with a recurring cake problem.

Every time I make a bundt cake, a lot of the cake sticks to the pan and separates from the cake when I try and take it out. I've tried greasing the heck out of the pan. Any tips? Thank you!

Warren Brown: Baker's Joy. It's a combo of oil and starch in one spray. Works like magic. No more greasing then rapping on the sink and making a total mess.

Pam has a similar product on the market that I haven't tried.

Best of luck!

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Kensington, Md.: My daughter is allergic to eggs and dairy. Is there any way to allow her to enjoy the joy of baking (and eating) holiday cookies (including gingerbread) without giving severely compromising taste and texture? Your help would be greatly appreciated.

- desperate mom

Warren Brown: Try Sticky Fingers bakery on 18th St between T and U in NW, DC. They're all vegan.

In the future CakeLove will spin-off a bakery concept that bakes for special dietary considerations: vegan, gluten allergies, sugar free, and organic. I DON'T HAVE A TIME LINE FOR THIS YET, BUT REST ASSURED IT WILL HAPPEN. My mother has special dietary considerations so, believe me, this will happen.

Thank you,

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Laurel, Md.: Cake Love is such a treat. I have caught your show as well. I love how natural you are. I work with young girls and children in the weekend's. I like to take them on tours learning about future careers. How possible could it be to have a small group (10)tour the facility and or get a peak at how the operation is ran...The Goal: Get a view of a successful business, see your creation and learn how its done...maybe about 45 min-1 hour strong...how possible is that and who would I contact???? of course we will all buy a slice of cake...smile

Warren Brown: Please contact the GM at the bakery you would be interested in touring. Best to wait until Jan to make contact -by calling the store or visiting in person. Thank you!

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Washington, D.C.: Any plans to open up in other parts of the city, such as Brookland? We could use a really good bakery.

Warren Brown: Thanks for writing and we love the support that comes to us from other parts of DC. We're looking into other rparts of the area for expansion in 2006-2007. Thanks!

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Coconut cake: I am the cook but not the baker in my family - that's my husband. He is always telling me that is because you can't wing it with baking. You have to actually follow the recipe.....

Anyway, pressure is on for me to produce a real coconut cake for Christmas since it was a childhood favorite of my mother's, back when coconuts were exotic and rare.

I have done my research on recipes, but what icing do you suggest? How do I get that shiny, fluffy icing to work. Any secrets to share?

Warren Brown: 7 minute frosting for the coconut cake.

Take egg whites and sugar, equal volume by weight. I use a scale and encourage (!!!!!) anyone who bakes to do the same. That way you can get to the point of deviating from the recipe with assurance and bake on the fly -and you can then defy your husband ;-) This is the fun quotient to baking.

Anyway, combine the whites and sugar in a standing mixer bowl, place over a pot of steaming/boiling water and gently whisk until it's just above body temp. (about 7 minutes) Once it's at temp, put on the mixer and whip at high speed with the wire whip attachment.

Result: totally billowy, velvety soft in texture, pure white. Delicious!

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Suitland, Md.: HI! I am such a fan of yours! I watch your show on the Food Network. I'm looking to make a tiered cake using cutouts. What type of flat pan should I use to bake the cake so the layers aren't too high and how should I modify the baking time so it doesn't burn (I did that already on my experimental round!). Thanks!

Warren Brown: Use a medium to heavy gauge pan, bake at a lower temp than the last time (aim for 335) and don't bake in a pan so large where the edges will bake and burn before the center is even close to baking. We avoid going larger than a 12"x2" round for that reason.

best of luck!

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Chickasha, Okla.: Warren great work. I've watched you on t.v. and hope to meet one day when I visit the District.

I'm wondering...could Cakelove provide cupcakes or a left-over cake periodically to schools in D.C.? There are so many children who never get to enjoy birthday cakes.

Does Cakelove provide outreach to residents of the District or surrounding areas as part of your philosophy (which I totally admire)?

All the best to you!

Warren Brown: I thank you for writing.

While we don't have the capacity for that type of support, we do offer charitable support in the form of gift certificates. Please contact our GM at the storefront with a request in writing via US mail for any donation requests. Thank you.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi, Warren. I'm getting married next October in DC and plan to do a tasting at CakeLove soon. What kind of flavors do you recommend for a fall wedding? I'm looking for some unusual flavors -- thanks!

Warren Brown: Never hurts to have a variety of Fall themed products -which don have to be cakes. Pumpkin Crunchy Feet or pumpkin walnut Buzz Balls can be a great change of pace for your wedding!

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Rockville, Md.: I'm excited to see you on-line. I learned about Cake Love from my 14-year old daughter who saw you on the Food Channel last summer. She insisted we go to the store so we could taste the great cakes that the mayor buys. We found our way to the cafe one afternoon last summer and lingered over the delicious cake. When I tell her about the Silver Spring store, she will demand an immediate visit. Keep up the great work and thank you for such a fun, eclectic, and SWEET experience!

Warren Brown: Thank you!

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Silver Spring, Md.: I agree about the smart growth, I live in SS and love the new downtown. I just wish there were more local stores like yours in downtown SS. Did we really need another Red Lobster?

On a related topic, I'm curious about why you won't have any cafe space in the SS store?

Warren Brown: Seating is limited mostly due to size of the leased space and provisions within the lease. Plus, our core concept will be to continue with the carry-out bakery (that is, unless people just won't have it!)

Thanks for your support!

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Warren Brown: Thank you to everyone who wrote in! I've had a great time today and look forward to chatting with you again on-line, right here. Thank you also to the washingtonpost.com team for making this happen.

CakeLove Silver Spring (935 Ellsworth Drive) will be open in weeks. Looks too our web site for more info!

Don't forget the cookie special tonight on Food Network at 9 pm!

Don't forget to order your holiday cakes soon because this is a super busy time of year for us.

I recommend the chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, or the hazelnut crunch. I'm just a sucker for them everytime.

And, of course, serve cake @ room temp!

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year,

Warren Brown

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