FOR EVERY OCCASION
UNCOMMON CAKE FLAVORS by Kristin Devoto
I’ve thought it myself when planning an event, “What kind of cake will everyone like?” The answer: None. Not even good old vanilla or chocolate will satisfy all of your guests. You can’t please everyone, as the song goes, so you might as well please yourself. And if you’re going for self-satisfaction, why not go with delicious?
THINK OUTSIDE THE [CAKE] BOX
These days you can go to bakeries like CRICkETTE’S CAkES and get a more unusual creation like Maple Walnut Cream Cake or Sour Pound Cake. Or, you can go waaay out of the ordinary and order flavors like Red Bull and Vodka or Baked Cinnamon Apple with White Chocolate Dipped Bacon. Sara Williams, owner of Crickette’s Cakes, says, “I always tell my clients, especially with the groom’s cake, if his favorite thing is apples, don’t settle on one thing. Do caramel apple pies and then a carrot and cheddar cupcake with baked cinnamon apples on top. Or do candied apples and sprinkle them with fresh ginger.” Williams suggests that if someone likes chocolate and spicy food, they add habanero to a chocolate cake. Or that they do a blackberry guacamole if guac is a food favorite.
STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF
Tara Tomlinson, owner of SUGAR kNEADS CAkERY, says, “We encourage our clients to choose something that reflects who they are, something that inspires them and that they as an individual or a couple will enjoy. Like a Chocolate Stout Cake or a Long Island Iced Tea Cake. We’ve done one that even looked like a glass of Long Island Iced Tea.” Tomlinson says she gets a lot of unusual requests. She recommends clients come in for a consultation. Before clients arrive, she and her staff will go into the kitchen and play with flavors, liquor and non-alcoholic mixes and prepare a sample that’s a good representation of what a client has requested.
KEEp IT IN THE FAMILY
SHOWN ABOVE Large, right: Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake, Small left: Salted Caramel Mini Cakes. Both confections by Sift! Dessert Boutique
28 | THE MAGAZINE FOR CELEBRATING IN STYLE
The benefit of going to a specialty shop is that they like to do new and different things. But remember that if you want to have a cake rooted in family history or a particular culture, you may want to provide a recipe so the bakery will have a point of reference to come up with a taste that is reminiscent of what you expect.
HAVE FUN!
No matter what the confection, Williams says, “It’s got to be pretty. It’s got to be pleasing to the eye with a wow factor and it’s got to taste good in the end or you’ve blown it altogether. But it doesn’t have to be sweet to be fabulous.” Crickette’s Cakes has even done Turkey and Dressing Cupcakes with a ham cream cheese rosette on top! Self-satisfaction never sounded so good.