Rethink Sweet With Cake Boss & Whole Earth Sweetener Co.

If you’ve been following along with me on Instagram (@felicia.czo and @theclassycookbook), then you saw that a few weeks ago I was at the Cake Boss Factory in Jersey City, decorating cookies with Buddy Valastro!

It has been SO hard to not spill the beans (or sprinkles) about what that was all about until now, but Buddy has just started a brand new partnership moving his brand and his bakery in a healthier direction!

I was invited to an event where I learned all about his partnership with Whole Earth Sweetener, Co., and had the chance to tour his cake factory. Before I get into the details of what exactly this means for his brand and for us as lovers of homemade pastries and sweets, I have to describe how cool the afternoon was.

The Cake Boss Factory is where all of Buddy’s cakes and pastries are created. Everything from wedding cakes to cannoli shells are made in the factory and then shipped out to the bakeries and events throughout the country. Often times the products will arrive to the bakeries in need of fillings, and that is made fresh each day.

Each room of the factory is incredibly intimate and chefs work closely together to fill their quota of delicious goods. Think long wooden tables and lots and lots of dough… and it smelled AMAZING! I went into the decoration room and saw an employee spray painting gorgeous sugar flowers and another creating an adorable fondant sports car. It is truly a home to edible art.

After the tour, I went back into the main “conference room” which had been transformed from an Italian dessert-lover’s brunch to a mini decorating room. It wasn’t long before Buddy came in and started to share his tips for decorating ginger bread cookies (I know I know, it is WAY too soon for this! Which is why I’ll be sharing this yummy recipe with you guys later on next month! x)

But the surprise was that they had been baked with Whole Earth Sweetener, Co. Baking Blend – a natural sweetener made from monk fruit and stevia, which has half the calories of regular sugar. Yes, actually half of the calories!

Buddy is partnering with the brand to promote awareness that helps bakers “rethink sweet.” He explained that as the “father of four, I’m always looking for ways to reduce the amount of added sugar that my family consumes, since there’s no way to cut out dessert!” Doing this with the help of Whole Earth Sweetener Co.’s range of super low calorie sweeteners is an awesome way to start, because you can still get your sugar fix with less consequences on your health.

This partnership comes in perfect timing, as the FDA is actually establishing a Daily Recommended Value of added sugars to 50 grams. Consumers are starting to look at the ingredients in their food and how to eat well (with flavor) without unnecessary added sugars. The Whole Earth Sweetener Co. range is low in calories, gluten-free, non-GMO and sourced from nature.

As far as the delicious (and cute) ginger bread cookie recipe goes, it is indeed baked with the Whole Earth Sweetner Co.’s Baking Blend. Stay tuned for the full recipe as it gets closer to the holiday season! x

Stay Classy! xx