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Icing fight

german_chocolate_cake.jpgEveryone has a childhood favorite.  Cake, that is.  Mine’s German Chocolate.

When I went home this weekend to celebrate my mom’s birthday, I wanted to present her with one.  Trouble is, her recipe is so fabulous, I was a bit hesitant to bring someone else’s to the table for fear that it might not measure up to the memories.  But when a friend tipped me off to Jean-Jacques Bakery, and I discovered they do a German Chocolate, I rolled the dice.  Good roll.  We literally fought over the extra dabs of icing.

The bakery’s on a fabulous strip of Richmond’s Cary Street, a stylish swathof one-off shops known as Carytown.  I picked up a reverse-painted Robert M. Weiss Shih Tzu coaster at Janet Brown, oogled a Rebecca Minkoff bag at Que Bella, and lunched at Can Can Brasserie. — Hats off Skirts up to their Parsnip Soup with Apple Butter, Hazelnut, and Rosemary Oil.

Take the cake

zebra-cake.jpg Every party deserves a fabulous bag. Here’s one that’s sure to claim center stage at your next soiree. Once you open up the handles of this delicious little number, everyone will be digging in to see what all the fuss is about.Lipstick and liner pale in comparison to the contents of this zebra-striped beauty. Layers of chocolate decadence, caramel toffee buttercream, and silky chocolate buttercream come together to create an accessory that will be the talk of the town long after the party platters have been whisked away.