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November has flown by but don't forget that Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Please do both you and me a favor by placing your order in advance! We don't want to turn you away on Wednesday (or Thursday at our Santa Clara and Fremont stores, see our holiday hours at the end of this post) but we will definitely run out before days end! Reason being we simply don't know how much of which pies or cakes to make without you telling us what you want -- so please, pre-order no later than Tuesday, November 25.

Also don't forget that we were listed among the top-two bakeries for Pumpkin Pies last year. Baked fresh with 100% pumpkin puree and no added preservatives or artificial flavors, San Jose Mercury News gave us their stamp of approval.

But if Pumpkin Pie isn't your thing, we have tons of other options for you. We bake fresh Apple, Cherry, Pecan, Banana Cream and Chocolate Cream pies in the same manner (NO artificial colors, artificial flavors or preservatives).

We also have a couple Thanksgiving exclusive items like our Cranberry muffins and cake loaves. Baked with fresh cranberries, the muffins or loaf slices will make an excellent breakfast or snack while you're baking your turkey! Or, skip the whole turkey process and order our Turkey Package for pick up at our Santa Clara or Fremont stores (quantities limited, last day to order is Monday!).

Other great breakfast items for your family include Hot Cross Buns, Panettone, Walnut/Almond Sticky Buns or our Apple/Cherry Strudels.

Remember, place your orders by Tuesday. Hope to see you in our stores and Happy Thanksgiving!

THANKSGIVING HOURS 2014:

Palo Alto will be closing early at 6PM on Wednesday; closed on Thursday.

Santa Clara will have regular hours on Wednesday; serving brunch until 2pm and closing at 3pm on Thursday.

Fremont will have regular hours on Wednesday; serving brunch until 2pm and closing at 3pm on Thursday.

This particular Monday morning is a little bit rougher than usual, isn't it - with the 49ers being so close to winning the Superbowl yesterday. But they played one helluva game. We want to congratulate them on a great season and a great game yesterday. We're proud of you, San Francisco 49ers!

For those still mourning over the loss, we have some sweets to distract you. Plus, Valentine's Day is only 10 short days away so you'll want to read on if you haven't planned anything yet.

What I'm really excited about this year is our Chocolate Chip Cookie Hearts. We made a couple last year to test the waters but didn't really advertise it. We were so happy to learn how well received they were! And at only $6.95 each, they are easy on the wallets. We can decorate them or leave them undecorated - and we can put a custom message too. Just let us know when you place your order over the phone or in-stores.

Last year we also received a record-breaking number of orders for our Chocolate Hearts. It's our award-winning chocolate cake in a shape of a heart and drizzled with some raspberry icing. Please be sure to place an order for any of these items! We do make a handful of extras for last minute walks-in, but the only way to guarantee any of these products is to place an order at least two days in advance. And we did run out last year!

And we of course will be having our Sweetheart Cake available through out the month of February. We receive numerous requests to have this cake year-round but it's a Valentine's Day exclusive. Our chocolate cake is filled with raspberry jam in the middle, then frosted and decorated with Kirsch-Raspberry cream cheese. It's available in all sizes; more information can be found here. (Note: the cake pictured above has been pre-marked for slicing).

Looking for something even easier? Get a red box of our assorted heart-shaped cookies. These boxes are perfect for the office or your group of friends. Choose your own assortment, or we'll be sure to pre-pack some of them next Thursday so you can pop in and pop out without delay. Cookies that are available in heart-shape are: Raspberry Sandwiches, Half Dips and Gingerbread.

We have a few other heart-shaped options including our Strawberry Mousse, Tiramisu Cheesecake and Cream Puffs. There will be limited quantity on each item, especially the Mousse and the Cheesecake so be sure to place an order as soon as you can. 

Call the store nearest you today! Don't wait because Thursday, February 14th will be here before you know it. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

In addition to my last post on Holiday Gift Ideas, here are a few more ideas that are especially, although not exclusively, great for companies. Among the most popular are the Cookie Tins and Fruitcakes, but there are a few baked goods that can be ordered in large quantities that will work just as well, if not better.

1. Mini Dessert Platters

We make a variety of mini desserts including fruit tartlets, lemon tartlets, Eclairs, Cream Puffs, Napoleons and Grand Marnier Balls. Feel free to create an assortment with as little or as many desserts as you like. We can pack them in our standard bakery boxes or on party platters. We do offer special pricing for 25 pieces on a tray, limited to one kind of dessert per tray. 

2. Morning Pastry Boxes

With a large variety to choose from, there's something for every office! For your convenience, we have five preset boxes to choose from. Of course if non of these assortments are to your liking, we can also make custom boxes. Almost all of our morning pastries are also available in mini sizes.

4. Buche de Noels and Yule Logs

While we are already on the topic of gifting cakes, why not kick it up a notch? Our Buche de Noels and Yule Logs are exclusively made this time of year. They're a bit more extravagant, but can really brighten up an office party. Your clients will really be surprised and appreciate this one. Find more details on our Holiday Special Occasions page here.

5. Bags of Cake Bites

Since the launch of this product a few months ago, we have been getting tons of positive feedback! With these Cake Bites, there's no hassle of delivering a full-sized cake while having the same quality and taste and having enough to go around. They can be individually bagged per person or packed in a box (think box of donut holes!) or party platter (picture aboved). 

6. Box of Cupcakes

Each box holds six cupcakes, pick and choose the kinds you want: Chocolate with Chocolate icing, Chocolate with Mocha icing, Chocolate with Rum icing, Carrot, Orange Almond, White Cake with Chocolate icing and/or White Cake with Orange icing. Bow is complimentary :)

Or just send a whole bunch to the office!

Hope this helps. If ordering in large quantities, please place orders in advance. Please leave a comment or call our stores if you have any questions!

Happy Holidays :)

I'm a summer kind of girl but there's one thing that I love about fall that I undoubtly look forward to each year: PUMPKIN PIES. Well, Pumpkin-anything really. Pies, cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes, lattes... you get the picture.

The other day I was at my neighborhood supermarket when I noticed several piles of Pumpkin Pies (officially the start of the season, for me). What was even more shocking than the number of pies on the table was the price tag that was attached to it: $5.99 each. 

Although I love a great buy, I know I'll get what I pay for. Our Pumpkin Pie is, I'll admit, more expensive at $13.25 each but we use quality ingredients without artificial flavors, colors or enhancers. I can also promise there aren't any strange ingredients that you can't immediately recognize, let alone pronounce. In fact, I'll name them for you:

Ingredients in our Pumpkin Pie filling:
Pumpkin (100% pure)
Sugar
Eggs
Spices (salt, cinnamon, etc)
Dairy

Like all of our baked products, we don't add any artificial flavors or artificial colors. We don't add any preservatives or additives -- nothing but common ingredients that you'll find in your very own kitchen. We only take the mess of making it off your hands, that's it. Natural, pure and made from scratch.

In much the same manner, we bake many other pies: Apple, Cherry, Pecan (above), Banana Cream and Chocolate Cream (below). 

So while our pies are just a bit more in price, you'll have comfort in knowing you only served a natural and pure pie that was made by hand from scratch by our family for yours.

Please also see our last blog post regarding Thanksgiving Dinner! Other items that we specially bake for Thanksgiving include: Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Strudels, Sticky Buns, Bread Loaves, Panettone, Hot Cross Buns, Aged Fruit Cakes and more. Please place your orders in advance to guarantee items.

Happy Thanksgiving!