Lake Merritt Farmers Market and The Case of the Red Velvet Cake

The second encounter I had with the city that I have begun courting was at the Saturday morning Lake Merritt Farmers Market. It is the best that I have been to thus far in the Bay and has everything from fresh produce and delicious food to a petting zoo and horsey rides.

We began by working our way through all the fruit vendors, taking full advantage of the thoughtful little samples they set out. The peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums and pluots were all ripe and sweet. Marin got her favorite fresh orange juice from the guy who makes its fresh squeezed every morning and we both bought bottles of scrumptious dipping oils and vinegars from a couple who concocts and bottles them in their own home. The fresh strawberry and fig vinaigrette is killer - as is the sweet and spicy cherry-strawberry chipotle.

However, we found Bliss in cake form at the Charlie Frank's Pie booth whose motto - aptly enough - is " It tastes so good it makes you selfish." This San Leandro bakery is best known for two things: sweet potato peach pie and red velvet cake. Both of which are pretty fan-fricken-tastic. However, since red velvet cake is pretty much my favorite cake in the whole wide world (and Marin kinda likes it too) we decided to buy it and split a piece. Or rather we did until we saw the red velvet CUPcakes and pounced on those. One was as big as a piece of cake and so richly filling that not even the two of us could finish it. We had to call in reinforcements in the form of our coworker Karen who showed up at precisely the right time.

Now, I was formerly a big fan of the red velvet cupcakes from the shi-shi Beverly Hills cupcakery called Sprinkles which my roommate and I haunted nearly every weekend when I was living down there. But blessedly I have now found not only a replacement but an upgrade in Charlie Frank's. Sprinkles has nothing on this! The cake is so light and moist it melts in your mouth. And the frosting! The frosting is ooey, gooey, cream-cheesy, good. It gets everywhere and makes the cupcake's consumption a bit unsightly, but is so worth licking every last bit up!

Lesson to be learned - if you live in the East Bay and haven't been to the Lake Merritt Farmers Market GO. If you go, get a cupcake from Charlie Frank's. You shan't regret it.