Cakespy bakes and makes art with tastiness in mind

There are not many things that cupcakes, narwhals, and Seattle have in common, but it turns out all three of them are paramount in the realm of Seattle's CakeSpy. Since 2007, freelance writer and illustrator Jessie Oleson has been dazzling followers with what she refers to as "the sweetest art." That art, it so happens, is full of cupcakes.

"We liked the idea that the novelty of finding such an unusual art object in an unexpected spot might give viewers pause," Oleson said. "The ultimate goal was a reprieve—a momentary escape from everyday worries, and a small reminder that yes, life can be strange—but sometimes sweet."

This cupcake art is out for all to see and on sale at Oleson's recently opened cuppie shop, located on Pine Street.

The downtown Seattle shop may be new but Oleson's cupcake enterprise has been on a roll for a while now.

The new shop focuses on selling a sweet assortment of Cuppie related art and accessories with the intention of spurring cupcake creativity amongst the general public. Her art includes pictures illustrating the importance of bacon in every kitchen scenario, scenes of cupcake cannibalism and even renderings of cupcake/narwhal relationships.

 "If you were foolish enough to think that a narwhal all on its own was the cutest thing ever, well, you've got another thing coming," Oleson said.

Oleson is what you'd refer to as a cupcake connoisseur, her love for the art of baking sweet treats runs deeper than simply creating delicious cupcakes that are quite possibly too cute to eat. Her self-titled Dessert Detective Agency assumes responsibility for hunting down and reviewing the best bakeries the greater Seattle area has to offer.

When not reviewing desserts, Oleson makes it her mission to conduct baking experiments on everything from black and white ice cream sandwich cookies to nutty Bavarian love biscuits.

Just recently, Oleson took it upon herself to investigate the pros and cons of two unique brownie recipes from 1923.

"Brownies are undoubtedly delicious, but when it comes to the story of their origins, things are less clear." Oleson asked customers at her shop to taste the two vintage brownies and as usual her experiment was well received.

Oleson is not in the messy business of baking for the fame—CakeSpy believes the world is uniquely delicious and Oleson wants to share her "batter chatter" with whomever will listen.

Coincidentally, plenty of people are listening.

Oleson has an enormous web presence courtesy of her baking inspired website that keeps a Seattle focus in mind.

This Seattle focus is evident in one of Oleson's most recent prints. The artwork depicts a curious cupcake admiring the infamous Lusty Lady, the flashy reader board in the background reading "cups of all sizes." The print and others like it can be found on CakeSpy's website: Cakespy.bigcartel.com, on Twitter, and in store at 415 East Pine Street Tuesday through Sunday.

CakeSpy‘s sweetness has come to aid a sour community by helping Seattle discover its hidden sugary exterior.

"CakeSpy's mission is to spread happiness and sweetness through the world through joyful little pastries. Why not add some sweetness to your life?" Oleson implores.

Ellie can be reached at ewhite@su-spectator.com