Cake History
Cakes were called “plakous” by the Greeks. These cakes were usually combinations of nuts and honey.
During the Roman period cakes were called “placenta.”
Holiday Party time, celebrate with cakes!
It’s that time…everyone is in the holiday spirit and we’re busy helping everyone celebrate. i love this time of year…besides all of the excitement in the air, it’s finally cold in Phoenix. or cooler…raining and i get to pretend it’s snowing. i get out my coats and scarf…lol But i also get to be creative and start baking fun flavors…gingerbread, fruitcakes…cookies…
And designing big cakes with fun themes. This year we got to help the Arizona Department of Administration celebrate the holidays. Candee from the human resources called me and told me that their centerpiece (an ice sulpture) had to cancel and they were in the need of a new fabulous centerpiece. With the theme “Holiday-Christmas” i already had an idea. so in 3 days myself and my new intern, Margie, created a cake…or cakes.
gingerbread with vanilla bean buttercream, orange/almond cake with dulce de leche, vanilla with passion fruit ganache, chocolate peanut butter marble, mocha praline and chocolate/candycane….yum. to serve 500.
the center standing tall on an Arizona inspired platform was Santa with his bag of toys.
cakes wrapped in fondant like presents with bows, balls and teddy in textured buttercream.
who wouldn’t like a puppy for Christmas, a cute buttercream puppy tearing through a fondant present and small cake ornament.
a great detail of santa…we snapped this picture during delivery, the sun just hit his face and had to capture it…
and Santa with all his gifts.
One of my favorite things to do with all of my cakes is to add a little something fun, interesting or personal…here Santa had 6 Arizona items…can you find them? (may be a little unfair…a couple can’t be seen from the photo)
state mineral…copper, state gemstone…turquoise, state flag, state bird…cactus wren, state butterfly, state flower…saguaro flower. there was also a saguaro standing behind Santa.
Happy Holidays Everyone!!!
KAK
Cutting the Cake
Cutting cakes
Whether a single tier or multi tier the principles of cutting a cake are the same. When
stacked each “tier” is an individual cake, with card board under it. There are
two options to start…slide a knife or serving spatula under the card board and
lift (this will lift some of the frosting off of the cake) there may be a
support in the center or start at the top, and cut the top cake. The construction (see construction below)
will allow you to cut without crushing the lower cakes. When the top cake is cut and served remove
the card board round and cut the next tier. I recommend cut until the knife hits something…i.e. support, base, etc.
There is much discussion on the number of servings each cake
will provide, as many bakeries use a pricing structure based on servings. Because many factors are involved an industry standard cake portion has been established. 1”x2”x4”
This is based on the idea that a cake is 4”tall, if not, the portion-size adjust
accordingly. i.e. if 2”
tall then the cut would be 2”x2”x2”….or…3” tall cake cut 1 ½”x 2”x3” etc.
Other factors will be the knife and the person cutting. (**keeping
the knife clean will aid in cutting neat servings) Most people can guess at 2” or 1”
but will vary as they cut. So due to these issues the chart shows how many servings can be achieved in perfect
conditions. KAK underestimates the servings thus allowing room for error, plus some people like a bigger slice of cake!
Except for 4”or 6” rounds, KAK recommends looking at any shape as a square.
Make cuts across the cake creating a square, the cuts should be2” apart. Then cut the servings 1” apart.
the red number are KAK servings calculations…the number below each cake is actual
Construction of a tiered cake…this also applies to
large/tall sculpted cakes, the structure is the same just the shape is
different.
Each tier is an individual cake with a cardboard under
it. Each of the lower cakes will have
interior risers to support the upper cakes, thus keeping the weight of the
cakes from crushing the lower cakes.
Also, note the one long skewer that helps keep the cakes in place. The picture below illustrates a 3 tier cake,
the card board (yellow), the interior risers (blue) and the skewer (red).
Design your perfect wedding cake
Design your perfect wedding cake
How to design your perfect wedding cake…
Don’t settle for a cake that was designed for someone else, use them for inspiration. So,
Where to start?
Magazines, online search, books and look for styles you like
don’t look for an exact cake to cake to copy, that may never happen. And don’t just look at wedding cakes…
find inspiration in many things:
Colors, flowers, invitations, china patterns, your dress,
themes, hobbies, locations/places, architecture, fashion
Get creative and have fun.
Styles:
Traditional, contemporary, vintage, whimsical, ethnic
Tips for ordering your cake…
When comparing bakeries: look for variety in flavors,
quality ingredients and dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free, allergies). Also
inquire if the cake will be torted, (this is a cake that has been cut
horizontally) this will allow for additional filling layers. A cake should look nice when it’s cut and
plated. Vary the filling layers within the cake, complimenting flavors, beware too many flavors may cause the “big mac” effect…too many flavors and they all get lost…a big mac started as a hamburger. Also, ask if different tier flavors are additional cost or different fillings are additional cost.
Comparing pricing: most bakeries price cakes based on servings (1”x2”x4” is a standard serving size). When comparing price also compare actual cake size. One bakery may calculate an 8” round cake (4” tall) with
16 servings and another bakery may calculate 24 servings. With factoring in the person cutting and the
knife it may be difficult to get 24.
Look beyond the “per serving” price… $4 per vs. $3 per. The $4 per uses the 8”round serves 16 ($64) and the $3 per
uses the 8” round
serves 24 ($72) just because the per servings price is less does not make it
the bargain. If the caterer does not cut
the cake perfectly you may be short servings.
Additional costs? Special flavors or fillings, extensive
decoration, fondant, flowers etc
Display details: all cakes must be on a sturdy base board. Inquire what the base will be and how it will be decorated. Your beautifully decorated cake should not be sitting on a pre-made purchased foil base, quality bakeries will incorporate the design of the cake into the base by covering in matching fondant and ribbon
on the edge. These details will make the overall look complete.
Deliveries: when for delivery of your cake make sure the delivery person is qualified to
correct any mishaps that may occur during transport. Finish set-up should also be included.
When the big day comes you don’t want to worry about any thing, especially the cake
Don’t forget the GROOM!!! grooms cakes are a great way to add a fun whimsical cake to the event while still having your dream wedding cake!
Cup cakes are not dead
well if you thought the cupcake crazy was over…no yet. getting a rush of cupcake orders. they are easy for events, self contained not serving required…just helf yourself.
great gift idea…for a favorite teacher.
cupcakes are also a good addition to a cake as a compliment. treasure chest with cupcake flags and loot. little “sand” around the edges. all loot and flags edible.
for extra special birthday party…have a cake, cupcakes, cookies and all your favorite sweets. this party for a clients little girl was amazing. they set up stations around the house and outside of all their favorite.
and this is just a priceless photo…every kids dream…
KAK featured on ASU student website
http://letphoenixeatcake.weebly.com/kick-ass-kakes.html
this is a link to a website created by ASU students as a project. it highlights several cake shops in Phoenix. i’m very honored to be part of the group. take a look…
Ironman Cake
Recently I had an order for a Ironman cake for a 5 year olds birthday party. He,the birthday boy, knew exactly what he wanted, life-sized ironman. Well as you may know I love a challenge, but the party wasn’t for several hundred people so life-sized was not an option…tho he was large and served close to 70. Starting with a few sketches and much research, online, the plan was mid-chest to top of head and one hand reaching out, Ironman “pose”. First, the hard structure…
cakes torted, filled and stacked. basic shaping. crumb coat and chill.
final coating to get smooth and start adding fondant. some airbrushing details and metalic luster. Final touch the lights…I found perfect small lights designed for balloons that would stay lite for 8 hours and very bright. **just becarefull they are small and possible choking hazard**
the light one in his chest and one in his hand. final Ironman close to life-size, an all edible…except the lights…
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