Friday, June 09, 2006

Red Velvet Cake

Whew! Finding someplace in Los Angeles to buy a red velvet cake can be hard work! I'm saying that, but really, it took about 20 minutes of phone calls, so I guess I can't complain toooo much!

*Backstory: Erin & I just decided today that she needs to have a birthday party. Therefore, I am in charge of the important stuff... the cake. Her birthday cake requests (in order of preference) were: red velvet cake, carrot cake and chocolate cake.

First things first! I posted a message on the Food Forum on Craigslist.

Ryan suggested trying Porto's to see if they have red velvet cake. Being that they are a Puerto Rican bakery and red velvet is a deeply traditional Southern cake, they do not make it!

Next, I tried Martino's Bakery in Burbank. They make all kinds of delicious tea cakes and cupcakes, so I thought they might make them. Nope! She said that they get lots of calls requesting that cake, but they do not make it. Hmmm... next!

Then I remembered having breakfast at Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock and seeing that they sold red velvet cupcakes. So I called to find out if they bake them in cake form. And the answer was YES!! That was the good news! The bad news was that they were totally booked and could not bake me a cake! Darn! Probably a good thing though, because it would've been out of my way to go pick it up and the prices were $35 for an 8-inch cake and $45 for a 10-inch cake.

Hmmmm... then I check to see if anyone had responded to my post on Craigslist. Yes! There was a reply suggesting that I try Jerry's Deli in Studio City because they sell the red velvet cupcakes. So I called Jerry's just to check and she gave me the name and phone number for their bakery and I ordered one through them. It's actually a restaurant, bar AND bakery called Solleys. It's in Sherman Oaks and it's going to be about $22 for an 8-inch cake, $13 less than Auntie Em's and closer to boot!

Solley's Restaurant & Deli
4578 Van Nuys Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(818) 905-5774

The alternate choice would've been:
Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 255-0800

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heh... I used to drive by Solley's all the time and think "eh... I'll probably never go there."

Anonymous said...

thank you for tracking a cake down! thank you for having the party! thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't wait! :)

Stephanie said...

I'm looking forward to playing the party games! It's been a while!! And of course, the cake. I'm always happy to eat cake!

Regina said...

Thank you!!!