Butter Half Cakes is sweeping the Seattle foodie scene by storm with the tantilizing proposition of a "cake vending machine" that is far more than what you'd expect your first time hearing it.
The setup is much more impressive than a mere 'vending machine' as she's created an automated portable fridge of cake slices that is as simple as scanning a qr code, paying for your slices, and seeing the 'locked' sign lights turn off letting you know you can open the fridge and grab your slices.
As for the cakes themselves I tried the 3 offering that weekend: confetti with vanilla buttercream, almond spoonge with rhubarb orange zest compote and a chocolate cake. Make sure you let them warm up for at least 2 hours to room temperature to prevent the coarse dry texture you get with cake that is too cold.
The confetti cake was the driest but still had a good balance of flavor and sweetness for something that is usually a very sweetened cake flavor. The fancy almond sponge rhubarb orange cake was my favorite, maybe it being gluten free helped it stand out from the pack and have a moister flavor as gluten-free usually means an oilier flavor. All of them were good, not too sweet or heavy in the grand scheme of American cakes but a bit too dry. I'd probably give the cakes a 3 but had to add a star just for the sheer brilliance of the 'vending machine' and how it's hit the zeitgeist. Looking forward to coming back and seeing how things go round 2 sometime! read more