Superfine Bakery

New Blog Location!

2012-01-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Our blog has moved! Click here to see the newest posts at http://www.superfinebakery.com/blog.

Thank you,

Andrea @ Superfine

Campanile Cakes

2011-09-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

Campanile, one of L.A.'s top restaurants, is housed in a historic building constructed in 1929 for the one and only Charlie Chaplin. Owned and operated by a Who's Who of chefs, it also happened to be the site of today's Superfine wedding.

Simple and clean was the order of the day. Our bride, Hillary, ordered a white stacked cake with flowing sugar ribbons, and asked for sugar sweet peas and sugar hydrangea to match the other flowers in the room. Hillary also wanted a straight-up chocolate cake for the kids (although a few adults came over during set up to request a piece!).

The cakes we design for children tend to be on the cleaner, more sophisticated side (sorry, no Elmo cakes here :). This one's no exception: We made a smooth chocolate ganache surface to cover the Black Onyx chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream inside, and popped a small cluster of sugar hydrangea on the top to coordinate it with the main cake.

The main white cake was a stack of Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, and Vanilla with Three-Berry icing (the bride's favorite). When I do sugar straps or ribbons like these on a cake, I don't like to leave the back plain: Two straight ends that simply meet at a seam. So I usually take the opportunity to add secret detail that somehow enhances and reflects the mood of the cake and the event.

This white cake had loose flowing ribbons around it, so I ended them with a slant cut and rippled them like loose ribbon ends. I added small sugar buttons as a closure and varied the heights of the ribbons to add some visual interest.

Congrats to Hillary and Manuello, and all the best!

Cakes Fit for a Queen (Mary)

2011-08-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

Imagine a large passenger ship something on the scale of the Titanic, but more Art Deco than victorian inside. "Waterfall" style built-in woodwork (rounded corners and edges), high ceilings, and copper and brass details to finish off the look.

click for larger view

This is the interior of the Royal Salon aboard the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach Harbor since 1967. It's also the setting for this week's wedding cake table designed for Margie and Morgen, two architects from New York.

The Royal Salon has a lovely built-in buffet with a copper back and half-moon shape across the front. It served as the perfect space for the six cake set up Margie requested: All in vintage style, made with buttercream but for one. The center cutting cake (pictured at left) would be decorated with fondant tiers and delicate ruffles.

Margie had little ribbon flags made with various ribbons in her colors, seafoam and coral, and sent them to me to insert in the tops of the cakes. For her central cake, she had a very special paper flag made: It's been calligraphed with "Margie & Morgen." (click the picture for a closer view).

The flavor for this one was a fresh almond cake layered with Pistachio icing. An upscale and beautiful choice for Margie and Morgen to feed eachother for pictures.

Alongside the main ruffle cake is a version of the currently popular Frill cake, seen just to the left and back a little. I first saw this design in Martha Stewart, and it's beautiful done in vintage pastels like yellow or pink, or white as in this photo (the dark room makes it look a tad yellow, but all cakes were white :)

This one was a carrot cake, a flavor popular with guests young and old.

Under a glass cloche, a round buttercream cake decorated with simple coral sugar buttons is elevated from just a cake to a precious object. Fun to make and sweet to look at, this cake was a sweet lemon cake (flavored only with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest), iced with vanilla bean icing.

Below you'll see that on the far right end of the buffet we placed a cake covered top to bottom with sweet buttercream rosettes, and situated it next to the cake that, around the bakery, came to be known as the "Tiki Hut." Vertical fluting on the sides and top angle of the Tiki Hut cake created a great structural statement among the softer cakes surrounding it, and placing it under a second cloche added balance to the larger one over the button cake. The rose cake was our Pink Velvet iced with Three-berry icing, and the Tiki Hut was a small carrot cake, the bride and groom's favorite flavor.

Last, but not least, is our sixth cake below, a sweet stack of lemon cake and vanilla bean icing featuring simple Swiss dots on the bottom tier. As any cake-maker will tell you, Swiss dots appear simple and easy, but in fact take a lot of measuring and a steady hand. The eye seeks order, and if one dot is even 1/4 inch off its mark, the pattern appears off and the effect is ruined. And this table is not about odd patterns: It's about order and grace. The beauty of math.

Adorable calligraphy and intricate letterpress of the main flag by Betsy Dunlap and Blackbird Letterpress, respectively. The flowers were done by Rebecca of Holly Flora who had beautiful dahlias, roses and more to dress the bases of the cake stands as well as the whole room. Thanks Rebecca, for the gorgeous finishing touches to the cake table, and to Margie and Morgen: Congratulations!!

La Dolce Vita

2011-07-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Greg and I took a little vacation from our lives early this month, and got to know Rome, Florence and eachother again. Hot days were spent walking cobblestone streets, seeking out the best food and most interesting people we could find. Above is a shot of cocco (coconut) and limone (lemon) gelato, taken outside the reputed best gelato place in Rome, Giolitti.

Streets in Italy criss cross, meet at odd angles, and there's something beautiful and interesting around every corner. Avoid anyplace selling pizza. It's good, but it's the mark of an overpriced tourist restaurant that likely also serves packaged pasta. That's not what we were looking for.

I'm a fan of gnocchi, so I ordered it in two different places there on the first two nights. Both were packaged. :| I was expecting something fresh, made that morning. I've been spoiled by the restaurants here in LA like Mario Batali's Osteria Mozza and Fabio Viviani's Osteria Firenze, both of whom specialize in fresh, homemade amazingness straight from the heart of Italy. Greg and I are fast learners though, so we spent Night #3 hunting the real deal.

At home one of our favorite ways to eat is tapas style. Grazing. Meats, cheeses, cornichons, olives, apples, dried apricots, cashews, marcona almonds -- whatever is in the cabinet and fridge. So one night in Florence we were delighted to spy a small brick cellar-like shop down thre stairs, below a large building. The door was open, the lights were on, and I could see the edge of a well-lit glass case that looked like it had some goodies in it. Two older Italian men in suits were having an animated conversation over aperatifs with the owner behind the counter, and I was a little shy to intrude on what was clearly a local, private evening ritual. But I wanted some of that cheese. And some slices off the salami up high on a shelf behind the counter. So I walked in, and began a conversation in my broken Italian, to ask for some goodies.

The owner spoke little English, but as soon as I said the word "picnic," he knew exactly what I was doing. He never asked for amounts, just cut off enough cheese, salami, and buttery prosciutto for two, held up two breads for me to choose from, and let me point at the dishes of roasted peppers, olives, pickled anchovy (Greg loves the stuff -- me, not so much), and packed it up for us. While I spoke to the owner Greg browsed the floor-to-ceiling wine racks behind us and picked out a nice bottle of something for us to share. We paid, took the goodies back to our room, and had our first great, authentic meal of the trip.

After our dinner we wandered out for sweets. There's no lack of goodies in Italy, and the people are so kind and helpful, you can make your vacation what ever you like.

No trip to Italy is complete without a visit to the Holy Land: Parma. Home of the best prosciutto in the world, we paid homage with a trip to the Prosciutto Museum there where we could learn about the happy piggies, the tradition of prosciutto making, and see some of the old tools and racks used since 1920. We were the only ones in there. I'd like to think it's because we're big LA celebs and they cleared the place out for us, but ah, I think it's just 'cause no one else was interested. Ahem. Moving on...

We had the best meal of the trip on top of our last hotel, the Raphael in Rome. The rooftop restaurant serves four-star cuisine in an idyllic setting overlooking the rooftops and churches throughout Rome. With a light warm breeze and a big waxing moon hanging in the darkening sky, it was a great place to finish the trip.

If you're planning a trip there anytime soon, here are a few resources to get you started. If you're heading back next August, we'll see you there ;) :

Recommendations in Rome (Roma):

Gelato: Giolitti
Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40
Open daily 7:00 - 2:00 a.m.
Advice: Pay at the cashier booth in the front FIRST, then get in line to order your gelato.

Hotel: Raphael
Largo Febo 2, Piazza Navona
Make reservations to eat on the rooftop. Ask for Clive who has been managing the restaurant for 12 years.

Restaurant: See Hotel Raphael's Restaurant.

Recommendations in Florence (Firenze):

Hotel: Palazzo Vecchietti
Via degli Strozzi 4
Only 12 rooms, this place provides the ultimate in service, peace, and lovely communal morning breakfasts.

Restaurants: Osteria Belle Donne
Via delle Belle Donne 16
Casual atmosphere with outstanding food, have Jacinto (Ja-shinto) recommend your wines.

For Grazers, hit up our little cellar find:
No idea what the name is, but it's on Via Parione, across the street and up the same block a little from the restaurant Trattoria I' Parione.

Happy Anniversary, Babe

2011-06-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

Four years ago I married the coolest, hottest, kindest, smartest, and tallest guy I could find. Greg, my 6'6" church camp counselor, pre-law student, Japanese speaker, scuba instructor, Ivy League digital product guru, I love you. Thank you for this amazing life we have together. You're the Captain of my heart. :)

Carondelet House is Superfine

2011-06-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

"Andrea, do you realize how long it's been since you've done a post? I've been looking at these last two on flowers for about a month now. Show me the cake!"

Yes, I know. I've been neglectful! But I do have something pretty to show you (albeit, not a cake this time around):

Carondelet House entrance and its amazing painted, vaulted ceilings.

It's Carondelet House. For those of you from Los Angeles, you have likely heard of the in-demand venue spaces called the Smog Shoppe and Marvimon. These locations specialize in featuring recyclable materials and eco-friendly plantings to enhance the open plans at both locations for maximum beauty, modernity, and hip factor. The latest addition to this family of locations is The Carondelet, so named for the street address, 627 Carondelet St.

Main room, set for dining.

When I first saw the property, it was for delivery of a large wedding cake for a photoshoot styled by Amber Gustafson of Amber Events. A few weeks prior I'd met the catering manager of Tres LA Catering who happens to manage the company out of the second floor of The Carondelet and was happy to reconnect with her at the shoot.

Cozy alcove complete with fireplace and club chairs.

We set up time to do a tasting and spent an afternoon tasting cake and talking about the importance of fresh ingredients, responsive client service, and a ~~hot pair of high heels~~ er, beautiful visual design. Ahem. Yes. Anyway, that meeting went well and I am very pleased to announce that Superfine is now a Preferred Vendor at the Carondelet House. It's a very exciting honor for us, and we look forward to a long and happy relationship with Melissa, Steven, and the rest of the impeccable crew at Tres LA and The Carondelet.

Sugar Flower Research: Descanso, Day 2

2011-05-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Continuing our last post on sugar flower research, here are some lovely shots of the flowers in bloom up at Descanso Gardens. Enjoy!

Stunning roses are in bloom at Descanso Gardens making it the perfect place to snap pictures of exotic models for sugar flower-making. Check out what we captured on our trip there last week!

Descanso is divided into several gardens, all with one genus of flower in it: Lilacs, roses, irises and so on. Here is a shot of a bearded iris, and a rarely-seen-in-these-parts blooming dogwood:

Sugar Flower Research: Descanso Garden Lilacs

2011-04-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

An unusual variety of bright purple lilac with white-edged blooms.

I didn't grow up with lilacs. My childhood sense-memory of these beauties was trained by cheap lilac soaps from the local grocery store and perfumes from Avon. So on my visit to Descanso Gardens in Montrose yesterday, I was overwhelmed by the beauty and variations on the looks and scents of these April/May stunners.

Click for a larger image of this blue-purple beauty.

Looking up through a deep purple lilac tree.

I think these deep purple lilacs mixed with the pale lavender ones at the end of this post are my favorite look. Contrast of two or more colors, even if they're close to each other, seems to energize the whole look of an arrangement or cake for me. That also applies to flavors -- I wouldn't do a chocolate cake with chocolate icing: Your palate will numb to the flavor too fast. Instead, contrast it with mint, coffee, orange, raspberry, or something light like vanilla.

There were so many varieties of lilacs that I wanted to capture some of the most striking and unusual. This lilac is bright pink, and features uncharacteristically tiny flowers (usually each bloom is about the size of a nickel -- these are the size of a pencil eraser).

A cascade of pale lavender lilacs.

Today the focus was lilacs. In my next post we'll have the rest of the flowers: Poppies (the opium variety with extraordinary blossoms), tulips, bearded irises in impossible colors, and more. There is just too much beauty to post it all here. I need to give you a breather.

Have a great weekend!

Kat and Oliver at the Smog Shoppe

2011-04-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

It looks so simple, doesn't it? It's white, no sugar decor, no fancy shapes, just squares. Slam dunk, right? Wrong.

Any caker will tell you that an all-white cake with no decor is likely the hardest cake to make. All flaws show. Especially on a square cake like this, if something is just 91* instead of a perfectly straight 90*, it will be obvious. The eye loves order, organization, straight lines. So when Kat and Oliver asked me to do a 'simple' buttercream stack of squares, the technical challenge got me.

Added to all the challenges of the mathematics and the steady hands needed to achieve them (no caffeine or alcohol 24 hours before final coating), this cake's interior was chocolate cake. Not just any chocolate -- our *black onyx* chocolate cake. That means not a single black crumb could exit the interior during buttercreaming. One small speck in this clean exterior and the effect would be ruined.

How did I do it? A strong crumb coat, and 20 minutes spent cleaning the board and surrounding area of any crumbs before final coat. Yes, I kept a needle pinned to my jacket pocket to pick out the one or two stray crumbs that escaped into the buttercream, so their 15 minutes of fame turned to five seconds as soon as they were discovered.

I do two kinds of exteriors on buttercreamed cakes: Rustic and Glass. Just like the names indicate, one is a little rougher (as on this cake) and looks more like food. Rustic-style is my favorite, and it worked for Kat because, being a chef herself, her top priority was the flavor and food-like nature of the cake. It had to smell, look, and taste right. Like food. Not a dress, not a showpiece -- food. I share her passion for her love of the ingredient, so I did the rustic style for her and Oliver. Sometimes the formality of a design demands the more smoothe Glass finish. I'll show you that one in a later post.

Many cakers are leary of florists. After an experience or two with florists that literally molest the cake with flowers, ruining the finish with nicks and dents and occasionally holes, I get it. But on this cake I worked with the fabulously talented Gilly and team at Gilly Flowers in Los Feliz (Sunset Junction). Not only is he gracious and kind, but he is careful and has exactly the same design sensibilty driven by shapes and the deep, subtle drama found in form that I have. He's the only florist I feel I can set up the cake, tell him it's ready, then just walk away -- I trust him that much.

I've got more cakes on the horizon: One 40s style with a sugar brooch, a lovely cake featuring a sugar creeping fig growing up the side, and a lovely coral-and-lace number in May. More to come...

Superfine at Unveiled, Beverly Hills

2011-04-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we were honored to be asked to be a part of Unveiled: The Bridal Event held in Canon Gardens, just next to the Montage Beverly Hills. This outdoor couture event was a fantastic way to see the best of what Southern California vendors have to offer discerning brides.

Superfine contributed the above Mocha cake trio, featuring three shades and flavors of fondant -- right to left, we have a chocolate fondant, white chocolate, followed by mocha fondant on the far right. Each cake features a variety of styles of sugar "fabric" flowers, gold buttons, and a couple of ribbons featuring secret love notes taken directly from the actual notes of the bride and groom that inspired this trio.

The note on the smallest cake (above) says "I'll love you forever." If you look closely at the chocolate cake, you'll see a little ribbon on the ledge. That one says "You're the bomb, babe." Secret notes like this help personalize a cake the way nothing else can.

Presented along with our cake was a tasting-cake version of our Opera cake. Each slice was made with almond cake stacked with French mocha buttercream, then iced with chocolate ganache and topped with a thin sheet of 23-karat gold.

I wound the show down with friends and champagne on the adjacent Bouchon patio where we could watch the crowd mill about as the sun set. Some high points of the day included seeing friends at 100 Layer Cake, Green Wedding Shoes, Bouchon Bakery, the Montage (met and chatted with Richard Ruskell, current contestant and all-around upstanding chef at the Montage currently competing on Last Cake Standing for Food Network), and Margaret Rowe Couture Vintage Jewelry.

It was a great day and finishing it off with Kristeen LaBrot and Krista Mason was the perfect ending. Can't wait for the next one!

Black and White Ruffles

2011-04-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Black and white ruffles were the order of the day when I got together with a group of amazing professionals in an 11th floor downtown Los Angeles loft in early March. We came together to do a really fun photoshoot inspired by the latest trends in ruffles, and accordingly I made the ombre ruffle cake above.

The decision whether or not to use a black or white sugar peony on this cake was a tough one. We were looking to show a little edginess in this shoot, the contrast between light and dark, and I decided to make the flower a little darker to contrast with the soft ruffle effect on the exterior.

Hanging above the cake is a set of paper poms from Prost to the Host, and our very cool linens came from Wildflower Linen. Kristeen LaBrot of Kristeen LaBrot Events designed the shoot, and the artful photos were shot by fellow Studio City resident, Krista Mason.

We are honored to see this shoot featured on Grey Likes Weddings! Take a look and see more of the great work done by all the professionals. Our models' hair and makeup was done by Susie Chhuor for Sunny LA., and the dramatic white floral designs were put together by Enchanted Garden Designs.

Sugar Flower Bootcamp with Ron Ben-Israel

2011-03-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

Ron and his Jade Rose

Several years ago I saw a chef on the Martha Stewart show. He was confident, in command of the segment, and had a clear vision of right and wrong when it came to cakes and their decor, including sugar flowers. I read posts about him, watched his videos on YouTube, and as Facebook and Twitter became part of our daily lives, followed him on both.

I learned a lot via observation and practice in my own flower-making. At culinary school I was lucky enough to study sugar flowers and cakes under one of his good friends, Alicia Boada, who taught us his methods. I came close to being able to replicate every fold and shading technique, but couldn't quite capture the art I saw in his work.

That chef is Ron Ben-Israel, arguably the best sugar-flower expert in the US, and this past weekend I had the opportunity to spend three intensive days under his tutelage learning the intricate steps to produce flowers like he does.

I arrived around midnight the night before our first 9:00 a.m. class began. When I walked out of the hotel in the morning, I saw my first awe-inspiring Live Oaks each hanging with long, light tresses of Spanish Moss. Beautiful. I walked the two blocks under these trees to the class, hosted at Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah, GA. There were 20 of us RBI groupies, each excited to be there and get started. I had been circling his Facebook page like a shark...waiting for the next class to be offered. It turns out, so was Clay from New York, Laura from Italy via Montana, and Tina -- she flew about 23 hours from Australia just to study.

An orange grouping of peonies and callas.

We learned how to make several complicated flowers, most petal-by-petal: The peony, rose, and tulip. The sweet pea, calla lily, hydrangea and filler leaves. Enough learning was packed into three days to be able to apply the techniques to just about any flower, so even though we may not have done the dahlia or snap dragon, I think I could safely reproduce them without embarassing myself.

Superfine Sweet Peas

I was really compelled to push myself by Ron's perfectionism. My sense of order and pattern drives me to have everything level, square, and clean, but Ron's keen eye for detail could see nature in every fold. He has a natural muscle and sense-memory for exactly how a sweet pea's outer petal should move. An innate feel for for the curl and color of the aging edge of a rose petal. Does nature introduce cracks into a petal? Strange paper-like folds at the base of a lily? No. So fix it. Do it better. Try.

Sure it came at a cost. Studying with the best in the nation means you'll be shelling out for the class, hotel, air fare and maybe some tools. Dealing with jet lag, sore hands, and the occasional admonition from the Sensei. But learning to see the fine details through his eyes was worth it. And the friends I made created a nice tight community of flower makers, any of which I feel like I could call on for input. Big hugs and shout outs to all of you and above all, many thanks to Minette and Ron!

Now, for your viewing pleasure, a cute shot of Ron dancing with Minette, all in the name of teaching, of course... :)


Ron and Minette demonstrating the way the spiral on a rosebud is made.

...Off to See the Wizard...

2011-03-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

This Thursday I'll be flying to Savannah, GA to meet a man I've wanted to meet for some time now: Ron Ben-Israel. He is known in the cake world and NYC event scene as a premiere cake maker and sugar flower sculptor, and backs up that reputation with a constant stream of amazing cakes, appearances in fashion magazines, and on the arm of Martha Stewart at so many industry shindigs.

Ron trained as a ballet dancer early in his life, but soon realized that it's not a career you can easily continue into your mid- and later-life. He's a natural artist, and decided to hone his sculpting and baking skills by training with the best teachers he could find. After educating himself, he spent years innovating his own style of flower making and building his cake atelier business in SoHo, NYC.

We'll spend three days together at Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes location in Savannah while he teaches us the intricacies of making sweet peas, gardenias, roses, peonies, and more. I'm thrilled to be going, and can't wait to start adding these flowers to future cakes!

If you'd like to see Ron in action, take a look at this great interview I found of him on YouTube:

Can't wait to see you, Ron and Minette!

Cake Table Love

2011-02-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

I love doing cake tables. Most brides come to me with ideas for lovely, modern stacked cakes which make up about 80% of my work, but then there are the brides who prefer something more deconstructed and playful, like a table full of cakes in related but different styles. This set was created for an NYC bride getting married in Los Angeles in August (click for a more detailed picture):

She sent me a couple of inspiration photos, her save-the-dates and invitations, a link to her wedding website, and more. All that collateral material around the event helped me visualize the sense she was going for, and I came up with many cakes in different styles for her to choose from. She chose seven of the 10 above -- can you guess which ones?

I have another bride coming up in April who wanted a slightly more formal set of five, coordinated by color and shape:

My love of architecture frequently fuels at least one design element in my sketches, and the gold sugar bands in the set above were directly inspired by my photographs of the gold crown moulding taken during a walk-through of the venue, Castle Green in Pasadena. The sugar moulding will be replicated with various tools and molds then painted with 24K gold to get just the right look.

Thought the mouldings vary from room to room, these can be seen in the room that will actually hold the cake set, so the cake will look right at home.

I've also got a few trios on the books, but will save those for another post (maybe with the finished product?)

Oh, one last thing: A big shout out and thank you to Joy Cho of the Oh Joy! design blog for featuring us last week! She and her blog have appeared in Lucky, Forbes, Time and more for her design expertise. Known as the hipper Martha Stewart, Joy reigns supreme in the design blogosphere. Thanks so much, Joy!

Have a great week everyone!

To Freeze or Not To Freeze?

2011-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Frozen one-year old cake? On your anniversary? What are you celebrating -- the cold, hard, stale journey of your first year of wedded bliss?! Nooo.... Freezing the top tier of a wedding cake is a tradition that started over 200 years ago, at the beginning of the 19th century. Back then, weddings and childbirth were closely tied events, each expected to happen within 12 months.

Wedding cake top-tiers were originally preserved to eat at the impending christening. Since then the two events have become unlinked, but the question still comes up during tastings with brides: Do we save the top tier? We vote No.

Any baked good begins staling the second it cools. Left exposed at room temperature, the staling is fastest. In the fridge, wrapped up, it's a little slower, and yes, in the freezer it stales at its slowest rate. However, it still dehydrates -- cake left in a freezer for a month or two is dry and tough. After a year, well, it's better used as a weapon than a celebratory centerpiece for your anniversary.

We encourage brides *not* to save the top tier, but instead offer a 6" fresh-baked replica of their top tier for their one-year anniversary. Life's too short to eat frozen year-old cake! Do yourself a favor, don't freeze the top tier, always eat fresh cake, have more room in your freezer over the coming year, and get something delicious and beautiful on your one-year anniversary.

Friends don't let friends freeze cake. Keep it fresh and sweet -- like your marriage!

Tell us your thoughts: Did you freeze your cake? What was your experience?

Superfine in Brides Southern California Magazine!

2011-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

We are so pleased to have been featured in the current issue of Brides Southern California magazine alongside such a pantheon of great cakers. Thanks so much, Brides SoCal, for the honor!

2010: A Superfine Year

2010-12-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

I firmly believe in eating life with both hands. It looks like some wedding guests do too :). 2010 was a year for us of taking leaps of faith and jumping for joy. Pushing envelopes and pulling all-nighters. Talking, planning, thinking, doing, and most of all: Loving.

This year saw the marriage of many people in love: Robin and David, Kim and Steve, and Candise and Paul just to name a few. No gay weddings this year for us, but here in California many of us have hope for its legalization in 2011. However, the weddings I have had the privelege to work on allowed me to meet lots of wonderful people, and see some California landmarks and locations that I've always wanted to view. One of those was the Chateau Marmont.

The Chateau Marmont's Penthouse was an extraordinary wedding site, with its stunning patio/balcony overlooking Sunset. The ceremony was held on the balcony and only one of Sunset Boulevard's giant billboards was visible from the balcony: A stunning black-and-white photo of 70s-era Beatles on a white background. A simple iTunes ad, with a perfect touch of rock-and-roll to lend to the legendary history all around us at Marmont.

Chateau Marmont + The Beatles. The view off the penthouse balcony overlooking Sunset at sunset.

This year we also got to meet some amazing wedding pros for the first time. Planners from No Worries Events, Wedding Jeannie, and Amber Events impressed us with more capabilities than a Swiss army knife. Other cakers from around SoCal knocked our socks off. Stationers like local haute couture paper houses Paper Olive and Urbanic wowed us with their creativity. And forward-thinking florists like Venice, California's Floral Art and Amsterdam-based Menno Kroon inspired us beyond words.

We were also humbled to be voted one of The Knot's Best Wedding Vendors for 2011. Thanks to all who gave us reviews and left such kind words. It's truly touching to be included in your momentous occasions and it means the world when you send us a shout out -- thank you.

We were also lucky enough to have our Mod Macaron Cake chosen as one of Bride's Magazines Top 10 Best Wedding Cakes of 2010. We showed up alongside some of our favorite cakers, doubling the honor already given to us by Brides. It put the perfect bow around a sweetly-wrapped year of good fortune and fun.

Last but not least, we'd like to endorse the retirement of a few phrases from the wedding lexicon. We're happy to send off the following Top Three Wedding Cliches with a big New Year's Eve kiss. Won't you join us?

Goodbye "wow factor." You shall not be missed.
So long "Big Day," you look tired. Take a rest.
Arrivederci "bling," your niece and nephew "metallic" and "jeweled" are inheriting the throne.

Do you have any phrases or words to add? We'd love to hear them! Leave a comment and let us know which you'd like us to retire. :)

Happy 2011 to everyone, and to each and every client, colleague and friend, you are truly Superfine.

Big love,

Andrea

Steph Fowler is Superfine

2010-12-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

Recently Steph Fowler of Steph Fowler Photography called us asking for a dreamy cake at an engagement shoot in a local public garden. The style was to be a little Alice in Wonderland meets Midsummer Night's Dream. I've had a very large cake design along those lines in my head for a while now, so I thought I'd use the opportunity (and Steph's very trusting attitude with the design) to try my hand at sculpting a couple of dragonflies and playing around with my new airbrush. Above is the resulting cake.

I started with a layer of lavender fondant then airbrushed it with violet and silver. This cake is impossibly shimmery in the light, but unfortunately no camera can pick up glitter or shimmer. I've tried -- it looks like the cake is wet. Ew. I finished the decor with tall grass and leaves, and little silver dots to mimic fireflies or stars. Just tryin' to keep it ~~classy~~ dreamy. :)

Though she has a very flexible style, Steph shows off her soft and other-worldly eye for this vintage shoot. This couple is so beautiful among the flowers, tea cakes and amazing stands and containers scattered along the table. The three-tier stands are courtesy of Orange and Blossom's High Tea for Alice line available on Etsy. Always charming and perfect.

We can't wait to see what Steph comes up with next, and thank her for including us in her lovely shoot. :)

Thanksgiving Dessert: Keeping it Simple

2010-11-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

I believe that often the simplest dishes with the clearest flavors are the best. This glass compote holds our simple diced orange on the Thankgiving table this year, garnished with coconut and pecans (likely from a tree my grandfather planted in the heart of rural Alabama).

My mother says she remembers this glass dish holding canned peach halves and cloves when she was a child. At about two feet tall, she would look up through the underside of the glass dish at the sea of orange sweetness that sat on the table. It seems appropriate that it hold something orange now, no?

One more: A lustful shot of the mashed potatoes, just opened for serving. Yes, I was actually sitting at the table snapping. Until someone snapped at me to put away the camera. ;)

Happy post-Thanksgiving all, hope you had a wonderful week.

I'm on a boat.

2010-11-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

Today I delivered a delicious cake trio and 100 of our Fleur de Sel caramel wedding favors to Kim and Steve's wedding on the Dandeana yacht in Marina Del Rey. Rain was predicted for today so I brought all kinds of special cake-protection paraphernalia to keep it dry, but miracle-of-miracles, the sun came out in a crystalline PERFECT sky!! I was so happy for the couple that they got this lovely weather.

The trio features housemade ivory fondant decorated with ivory molded sugar lace appliques and hand-painted 18K gold bands. The smallest cake on the left is our North Beach Torte (chocolate cake with cappuccino-tiramisu icing), the center cake is our Citrus (Lemon cake soaked with lemon simple syrup and iced with orange icing), and the cake on the right is our interpretation of the Opera cake (almond cake soaked with a dark rum-coffee simple syrup then iced on top and bottom with French mocha buttercream, then a dark layer of chocolate ganache in the middle).

I love lace on cakes, but wanted to do something less orderly and traditional as you see on most cakes. So I worked with this modern bride to create more free-flowing lace patterns on each cake. On the smallest, there's a "fan" or arch of lace just on one side of the cake consisting of several different, overlapping lace patterns and pieces.

On the cake on the left (pictured above), I laid together long pieces of lace occasionally accented with tall appliques of lace flowers to echo a kind of wave effect (we were on a boat after all...). The center cake is the star of the show featuring a regular pattern of lace at the bottom only, and thicker gold bands. I knew Kim was ordering this bling'd out topper, so I wanted to make that a focal point by letting it sit atop a less-busy tier.

I'll leave you with this last detail shot of the smallest cake -- so cute! I think it would be great on its own as a birthday cake -- let me know if you want one! :)

Have a great week everyone,

Andrea

Magazines, Menus, Cakes and Clients: Part Two

2010-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

If you've been following me on Facebook or Twitter, you've likely seen this cake trio before. It's a set I created earlier this year as a companion piece to the gorgeous Viceroy invitation suite by Paper Olive.

I'm kicking off this post with the trio because I wanted to talk a little more about how it was made, and announce that it was chosen to appear in Brides Southern California magazine in January. Another lovely surprise that came via an email request for images from the editors.

Trios are popular these days -- coincidentally I'm making another trio this weekend for bride Kim which will have lace accents and gold bands. I think the popularity of this more deconstructed style of wedding cake is coming from both cakers and brides. It stems from a desire to create more visual interest and modernize the cake presentation. Brides are thinking more and more about the cake as a "destination" at the reception, like the bar and dancefloor. A trio is something new and different for people to look at and get excited about eating later in the night.

This trio almost didn't happen. When I got to the photo studio I was unhappy with a couple of aspects of it, and thought I'd just shoot the center cake. Then I thought, Eh, just shoot it. And bingo, the magic that happens at Andrea Bricco Photography took place. Et Voila, the trio was shot.

One of Bricco's photography friends, Steph Fowler, saw my cakes and asked me to make one for a Midsummer Night's Dream engagement shoot she was working on. I told her I could make a small cake with lots of detail, if that would work -- here's the result (shot by me, not her -- she's much better):

Sometimes I have cakes completely sketched out before I start decorating. Other times, I have a rough idea about how I want it to look, but let the cake dictate how it will look finished. This was one of those times when I knew I wanted lavender, something green on the sides, and dragonflies. That was it.

The day before I began on the cake, I sculpted the dragonflies out of gum paste and attached wafer paper wings. Fun stuff, wafer paper. I've just started experimenting with it and see a lot of possibilities.

The cake started with pale lavender fondant, then I airbrushed some violet areas and let that dry. Then over the whole cake I added silvery shimmer (very difficult to capture that on camera, but it shimmers in the light with a fine silver mist). I added grass blades and leaves to the side, then shaded most of them with edible green petal dust. I popped on a few stephanotis flowers, and added tiny silver dots between the grass blades and to the top to give an effect of fireflies in the distance or nighttime stars.

The stand it sits on is by the fabulous Lisa Marie at Orange and Blossom. Her High Tea for Alice line of vintage European china tea stands and cake stands was featured on Preston Bailey's Entertaining Blog, and I've loved them since I first saw them there.

At this point in the post, you may have noticed that I addressed everything in the title except the "Menus" part. I included that because I very much want to focus Superfine on doing fine cakes, and am leaving behind the cupcakes and confections piece.

"But Andrea, cupcakes are so popular!"

That's true, I still get requests for them and likely always will. Thing is, I currently charge $3-5 for a cupcake (depending on decor) and would have to charge $7 each to make them work with the Bottom Line. In my opinion, with all the great cupcake shops around like Crumbs that charge less and make a great product, I decided I'd leave the cupcakes to the cupcake shops. Of course, if you've had a Superfine cupcake before and want them again, ring me. If I can accomodate you, I will.

"Um, Andrea? You also mentioned you were dropping the confections piece. Is that like the truffles, cookies, macarons and stuff? By the way, it still says '...and confections' in your header."

Yeah, I gotta change that. I'll update the header soon, but yes, it means I won't be producing confections on a for-order basis anymore. I still love to make them when I have down time and want to make something special for a friend's party, but as the menu goes, they're going the way of the Dodo. Cakes are my passion and are the core of my order base. Not to mention I'm really looking forward to a more cake-centric practice, one that lets me dive in to all the new techniques and technology of cake-making. I have a list of 18 cake ideas waiting in the wings (no kidding). I'll be starting on that list in January.

Whew! Another long-ish blog post. More to come...have a great day!

Magazines, Menus, Cakes and Clients: Part One

2010-11-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

It's funny, sometimes when you toil in relative obscurity doing what you love, trying to do something interesting and original to feed your soul, other people watch. They notice and watch without you knowing. Maybe they lurk a little on your blog, or check your website every so often. Maybe they friend you on Facebook to see what your life is like. I don't think of it as stalking, it's more like curiosity. I get it -- I do it. And lucky for me at least one influential editor of a national wedding magazine does it too.

I got a call from Editor X a couple of weeks back (I'll reveal the names when the article publishes -- rights issues, doncha know...), saying she'd been looking at my site and was aware of me for some weeks. I was surprised and happy -- she had me at Hello. Talk about shock and awe.

She asked if I would create a cake for one of four sets for a magazine shoot on Nov. 10. I had about a week to design and execute the cake, alongside my current client needs for contracts, cake tastings and sketches, but how could I say No? I mean, it's Editor X. From THAT magazine! I said Yes, had a couple of OMG moments, then set to work.

The theme of my set was "Vintage Glam." I was assigned to a team that included the best Southern Cali has to offer: Florals by Eddie Zaratsian at Tic-Tock (you might have caught him on "The Arrangement," a floral design competition show on the Logo Network). My cake was going to sit atop a pearl-encrusted handmade stand by Kathy Jo Peterson at Raise the Cake. Our coordinator, Sheryal Rozzelle of Unique Elegance, has coordinated the weddings of the best and brightest in The OC and beyond. Stationery like menus and table numbers came in from Tifany Wunschl at Gourmet Invitations. The impeccably professional photog team led by Annette Biggers from Triplecord Photography documented it all with flash and flare. Talk about a Dream Team.

Our palette was champagne, ivory, very pale pink, and charcoal gray, with touches of black. Our goal was to glam up the space with sparkle and class, and I think we did a pretty good job of it. Here's a sneak peek of the bottom of the 5-tier cake I did for the shoot.

Alligator and pearls, silver and champagne. That's all I'm sayin'. When the magazine publishes, I'll do another post with pix as rights allow.

It was an incredible amount of work, but everyone's work hard/play hard attitude got the job done fast and beautifully. Big hugs and many thanks to the Editor, Sheryal, Eddie, Kathy, Tifany, Annette, our model Jaima (hope I'm spelling that right), and Stacey at Hitching Post PR. It was lovely to be included with such a great team, and I look forward to the next time we meet!

Vintage Wedding: The Cake

2010-09-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Today, right now, Candise and Paul have just professed their love for one another, said their vows, and are beginning their reception. In a few hours, they'll be eating this cake, and hopefully enjoying the pink velvet interior (iced with three berry buttercream).

This cake began with this three berry buttercream: Fresh Swiss buttercream made only with butter, egg whites and sugar is a really pure, white base for the addition of fresh fruit. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries look amazing against this white fluffy buttercream, no? This is a big bowl of goodness. I'm 5'4" and if I make a circle with my arms in front of me, and just touch my fingertips together, that's the size of this bowl. GIGANTIC. And so pretty, I had to take a pic.

You all have likely already read about the sugar buttons (see my last post, please, if not), so you already know how they were produced. The one thing I didn't share publicly, is that we (planner Seth, groom Paul and me) planned to surprise the bride with two special buttons on the back of the cake: Her cats Moose and Monty.

According to Seth, Candise had been looking for subtle ways to incorporate her beloved cats, so Seth and I conspired with Paul to figure out how to get their sweet faces on the cake. Here's a shot of them on the back of the cake -- I wonder if Candise has seen them yet? Big thanks to James and Jamaica of Jamaica's Cakes for the icing printer help! Big hugs to you two...

[Day-after update: Got an email from the planner saying that the bride welled up a little when she saw the cats, then plucked them off the cake to keep.]

On my way out I clicked off a few shots from a distance of the cake on a stage, just in front of the dance floor. I loved this client, planner, and cake sooo much -- I'm kinda sad it's over. Sigh. Here's a baker's view of the cake, as I walked to my car to leave. Enjoy!

Vintage Wedding: Sugar Buttons

2010-09-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick and sexy shot of what I'm working on this week: An assortment of 700+ sugar buttons. The wedding colors are gold and pale pink with accents of this deep blue, and these buttons will eventually adorn a four-tier pink velvet cake filled with three-berry buttercream.

These buttons are a labor of love and have been so fun to make. Yes, I'm a little insane to enjoy what others might find maddeningly tedious, but there are so many ways to make new and interesting buttons, I couldn't help myself.

Some were cut with aspic cutters (tiny), some were molded, some imprinted, and some were hand-shaped, like the little pillow-shapes you see here.

We have access to a lot of great buttons here to use for reference, but not a lot of deeply textured ones, so I after a long search I found several perfect ones and had them shipped from Thailand, then made molds of them. You see them here as the largest gold button and the top-most gold button with the rose in the center.

I also discovered an edible shine liquid thanks to the fine folks at Divine Specialties in Woodland Hills. It took some hunting online to find it, but it adds the perfect touch. All the buttons will have a gloss shine on them when I'm done, lending to the trompe l'oeil effect. Here's a pic of the shiny vs. unshiny effect. What do you think?

When the buttons are finally in place on the cake sides, I'll pipe fine gold thread looping and trailing in and out of the buttons around the cake. I'll post pics as soon as the cake is done -- can't wait to see it complete!!

In Love With Cake Cloches!

2010-09-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

I'm always sifting through the myriad of trends, styles, patterns and colorways to create new looks and reinvent cake and dessert bar design for my clients. My latest obsession has me circling around how to display my confections (and decorate the tables they're on), so I wanted to show you a collection of my favorite new items: Cloches.

These etched cake cloches are available in a couple of different sizes, and present a uniquely customizeable option: Adjustable height. Displayed with cakes inside, a stack of fresh fruit, or even a flower arrangement they would lend a great look to a vintage, victorian, or French-style table.

Two different widths of this style are available at Comfort House, so think about purchasing five or six and adjusting the heights to create a cohesive look.

If you want to change up the look of your antique-inspired table, add a little something from your local antique lighting store:

This oversize bell jar is one of many designs available from antique lighting shops on the web. We found this one at the Victorian Trading Company, and love it! Traditionally these are mounted on a wrought-iron fixture with the opening at the top, and slid over a soft light bulb.

Some are so large that a two-tier cake will fit underneath comfortably. Instead of having flower centerpieces on your tables, consider doing centerpiece cakes for each table, and protecting them under a gorgeous piece like this. At the end of the evening each table can remove the jar and cut their own cake.

When the night is through you can re-use this bell jar cloche in your garden to cover small plants during cold weather, or seedlings that need protection from birds and deer to grow. If like me you love to garden but frequently have to travel, these are great for keeping your plant soil damp for the three or four days you're out of town.

The next cloches are more modern, but lend a little tradition to an otherwise contemporary table:

These petite stands from Z Gallerie hold a 6" round cake, but I think they'd look amazing holding an elaborately decorated version of something on the table. For example, say you are offering cupcakes. We would make one large cupcake with sugar flowers and maybe a sugar butterfly, and place it up on one of these pedastals to decorate the area and "advertise" the sweets on the table.

If you're having lavender French macarons, we might create a small pyramid of pale purple macarons, wrap it with a few threads of spun sugar, then add tiny white sugar orange blossoms to the stack. Voila! A mini macaron croquembouche.

Have fun shopping for your own cloches, but take a few words of wisdom along for the ride:

If you plan to have guests lifting the lids themselves, make sure you leave a space near the base of the stand to allow a guest to set it down safely (or simply remove all the lids before service).
Try to buy stands with a heavy base. Cloches placed on a spindly, tall stand are top heavy, and can tipple over easily with the added weight of a cake.
If you are using a stand and cloche, make sure to communicate the dimensions to your pastry chef to ensure a clean fit. We love it when a client gives us their stands and covers so we can be sure a cake fits and is set up properly at the site.
Never place any cake or confection in direct sun. If a cloche is over something edible and the sun hits it, you'll have a humid, warm environment inside the cloche and your cake will become sticky (or worse, simply melt and fall).

Spotlight: Confection Stands by Orange And Blossom

2010-08-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

I follow event designer Preston Bailey on Facebook and Twitter, and he recently wrote a post about how hot vintage is right now. The first picture featured was this charming confection stand by designer Lisa Marie of Orange And Blossom, and I instantly fell in love and knew I had to have one.

I know I know, I'm a modernist when it comes to cake designs, but I love the juxtaposition of modern against vintage. These re-loved English bone china plates would be amazing filled with a set of bright green pistachio macarons, yellow meringues filled with apricot jam, and a few petit fours topped with sugared violets and rose petals. Variety is the spice of life!

You don't need a full dessert bar to enjoy her work. Even a few small treats have a home on one of Lisa-Marie's little plates:

So cute! She has a great eye, no?

Check out the Orange and Blossom shop on Etsy to see more of her work, and custom order one of your own!

Bibles and Basics: Books I Swear By

2010-08-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with an interviewer Thursday, and she posed a question that's continued to echo around in my head: "What books to you reach for on a regular basis?"

My mind flooded with favorites, but three books rose to the top of the list (at least for this week). Here they are with my completely biased, somewhat-informed opinions based on working with a few reliable recipes from each. If you have a favorite book to recommend, please let me know in the Comments section. I'm out of books to read right now, and the magazines are getting tattered.

Any cake-baker worth their salt will tell you they have at least one of the many great books from this brilliant caker and author, Rose Levy Berenbaum.

Her knowledge of blending methods (yes, adding the ingredients in a certain order does make a difference), temperature control (make sure your ingredients are room temp), and the science of baking make it easy for anyone to bake a good cake.

Just about every flavor you need is in "The Cake Bible", but finding the right one for you might take some flipping through. I used it to research Red Velvet cake recipes, but didn't see one in here. How was that possible?! I scoured the index, but nothing. Then a kind friend pointed out it's called "Rose's Red Velvet," so when you buy your copy, be sure to look it up under "Rose."

Authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg created "The Flavor Bible" to help chefs at all levels pair foods, spices, herbs, liquors, and sauces. The encyclopedic knowledge represented here is unmatched, and I reach for it at least once a week.

A succint intro covers the basics of flavor, but the main feature is the meat of the book: An A-to-Z dictionary of all foods, each with its own sub-list of compatible flavors. It's so comprehensive that I'm sure to find something already in my pantry or fridge that will work with the ingredient I'm looking up.

For example, when your neighbor drops off a bag of apricots, look up the fruit and you'll see a list of flavors that have an affinity with apricots (both fresh and dried), with the most successful combinations in bold. My personal favorites with apricot? Rosemary, plums, and/or almonds.

The Flavor Bible helps you understand the essence of an ingredient, so eventually you become instinctive about what works for you, and how to successfully push the boundaries.

Though I'm a pastry chef, I love to cook. Period. That includes working in the culinary side of the kitchen and this hefty tome by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins answers my questions every time.

"The New Basics Cookbook" spans all types of cuisine, and the accessible ingredient lists make it really fun to try new things.

If you want to impress someone, try the very simple (but outrageously delicious) Pesto Walnut Risotto on page 153. There are also foolproof recipes for duck and foie if you're feeling adventurous.

I received my copy as a gift from my Dad upon first moving out of the house for college in 19[ahemcoughcough], and though it's falling apart at this point, I'll never give it up.

Have a favorite go-to book? Comment and let us know why it's great!

Baby Cakes

2010-07-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Event-planner Pamela phoned me on Tuesday in need of a Superfine cake and two coordinated "smash" cakes for her twins' first birthday. Of course we were happy to oblige!

The cake design was based on the ball-themed party invitation, pictured here (faces of the birthday babies have been hidden to protect the innocent!):

It's always great when a client can provide inspiration like this for us cake makers to riff off of. The best part was I could take this theme and inject a little dimension into it on the cake. I added circle cuts into the side, stacked a few circles and design elements, plus I added a little action to each tier by adding a graphic of a ball bouncing its way around each tier.

This cake presented some technical challenges (Physics 101: Would a ball really bounce in that kind of an arc?), but all in all it was great fun to work on. I'm starting to get a lot of requests for this tart shade of pale yellow these days...somebody call Trend Watch!

Thanks Pamela and happy birthday to E. and S.!

P.S. I'd also like to take a moment and send a big Thank you to Anna, Sibylle, and Julie C. for ordering Fleur de Sel caramels from our new shop on Etsy! Anna's wedding guests will be enjoying them in Key Largo, and Sibylle and Julie C. will be spoiling themselves at the office. Enjoy ladies!

Andrea

Outdoor Wedding? You're Covered.

2010-07-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working with fantastic bride Candise and planner Seth to talk through the ever-challenging logistics of protecting the wedding cake in an outdoor setting. What about the heat (or rain)? What about insects and adorable woodland creatures? What about falling leaves and other gifts from the sky?

It got me doing a lot of thinking about the various methods of cake-protection, inside and out. From the composition of the buttercream to the structures over your outdoor cake, there are a lot of protection options every outdoor-wedding bride should take advantage of.

When you plan an outdoor wedding, consider using a cake tent or "canopy." Even in the best weather, leaves fall and birds poop. I know it's good luck when it goes on you, but when it goes on the cake?! Ew.

Cake canopies can be made of pretty fabric like the one above. It's secured to a hoop, which is hung from a tree limb. I've seen similar styles made from a mosquito net and lace ribbons. Secured to the table corners, it's a great no-blow solution.

When I'm consulting on outdoor situations without trees (beach weddings, for example), I recommend building a large table top framework box and securing it to the table. A sturdy structure turns into a soft back drop when draped with fabric "walls" and lush wrapped and knotted fabric accents. Leave the front open and voila! You can set the cake and any other dessert bar confections safely inside the frame. If the wind kicks up, drop a see-through lace veil down over the front to keep the sand off.

One of my favorite solutions comes to us from Raj Tents in Torrance, California. They rent stunning small and large tents in rich colors, perfect for setting an Indian/Persian/Moroccan style mood.

The tent to the right is a perfect way to shield a cake from sun or sprinkles, and creates a striking visual destination at your reception. Even indoors, this tent and the cake inside is a magnet for milling guests.

Please comment and tell me about your outdoor wedding cake experience!

Erin Feinblatt is Superfine

2010-07-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Professional photographer Erin Feinblatt took photos at the recent wedding of Rebecca and Tony in Pasadena, California, and was kind enough to send on some photos of the cake we did for them along with pix of the happy couple. Thanks Erin!!

Congratulations Rebecca and Tony!! May you have many long years of love (and cake!) together.

Cool Cake Stands To Die For

2010-07-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Traditional cake stands are everywhere, in every color, at every price. They're popular and easy to come by, but today's post is about the unique cake "platform:" Something unique, modern, and unexpected to put your cake on.

First let's take a look at bowls as cake stands:

I found this trumpet-shaped bowl at a local florist. I was still in the process of developing this bird cake when I found the bowl, so I used its berries as part of the design. It was important that the stand naturally flow into the cake structure, not only to support it, but visually set it off. The cake is sitting on a perfectly-sized piece of round plexiglass (aka "plexi"), covered with fondant. Voila!

We found this piece of antique Italian Majolica at an auction. Imagine it supporting a Tuscan or lemon-themed cake surrounded with floral fruit sculptures and plates of marzipan, chocolate and fruit-filled confections...whew. Is anyone else getting hungry?

Next I want to talk about the power of four. Any item can become "feet" of a platform, providing that there are four items of equal height (five if you want some support in the center). Imagine four of these Fu Dogs topped with a piece of plexiglass guarding a beautiful red and gold wedding cake:

These are/were offered at CB2.com, but to find your perfect set, Google "Fu Dog" or "Foo Dog" to see all that the web has to offer in terms of color and height fit for your cake.

Another adorable option are these fantastic garden lanterns from the always amazing Floral Art on Abbot-Kinney in Venice, CA. Get four of the same height, top them with a plexi, and you're in business:

One word of caution: Please don't be the gal/guy that thinks putting real candles inside these is a good idea for the cake platform. : | Use the battery-powered votives, or better yet, how about some water and flowers? Sand and seashells? The sky's the limit.

If you'd rather have your cake directly on the table, consider laying down one of these cool wrought-iron wall hangings then center your cake on top. Each is perfectly flat and extra-large at just about three feet, and makes a striking table decoration to set off your cake. Don't like wrought-iron? Easy fix: Spray paint them a bright color in your wedding palette for a more modern, fresh look:

Gorgeous, right? All of these were found online at the Wrought Iron Decor Store run by Tori Shearer out of the great state of Texas. What you see here is just a sampling of the shapes and styles they have -- browse their site for more options or hop on Google to find one just right for your cake table.

Ultimately your creative eye is what helps you discover, choose, and create the perfect cake platform, wedding day, and reception for you and yours. Be flexible about your design ideas and nothing can stop the success of your fun, beautiful event!

Check out the following shopping tips before locking in to your favorite cake stand or platform. Happy celebrating!

Shopping Tips:

Try to keep your platform to 1/3 of the total cake height or less. You want it to be cool, but not overwhelm the cake.
Before you shop, look around your house for potential platforms: Think creatively: Stacks of red books, votive holders, and CDs topped with a level piece of flat plexiglass turn something plain into something amazing.
Make sure your platform is stable. Use Earthquake Putty to secure any seperate pieces together, and to secure the cake to the platform.
If you have a cake stand you already want to use, work with your pastry chef to ensure the cake fits the stand. If a stand is too narrow or possibly too weak to hold up your 100 lb.+ cake, it's best to find a new one or scrap it altogether.

Superfine Cake Toppers

2010-06-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

As a baker of more modern wedding cakes, I tend to leave cake toppers off favoring a clean look. That's because I remember the old ceramic brides and grooms: Mismatched eyes, someone else's hair color, and strange lipstick...right?! Remember that? They seemed to be painted by someone who didn't really care, and weren't very unique. Conveyor-belt production at its worst.

But more and more I find artisans just like me reaching for something more current with cakes -- and toppers. Enter Etsy.com. Etsy has opened my eyes to these great hand-crafted custom toppers made from unexpected materials: Paper, steel, buttons, tulle and feathers, and I want to use them all. Take a look.

These paper toppers by Gwen at Concarta are custom made to look like you, your best friend, and if you like, your dog!

Gwen also makes these intricate paper flowers in all colors and sizes. I can't wait to use these for some lucky cake!

Next are metal toppers from another Etsy fave, SheaChicDesigns. Their use of original materials work really well with everything from very architectural cakes to more playful designs:

Imagine these playful, colorful and unexpected flowers on your cake with a matching bouquet simply laying on the top tier. These are from Jillians shop on Etsy, and have all the charm of an afternoon spent at one of Gatsby's parties (or shopping at Anthro ;) :

This is just a sampling of toppers and cake decor from these great artists. Take a look at the rest of their shops and spend some time doodling on Etsy -- you'll find amazing things that are just *perfect* to inspire and delight you and your guests!

Have a great day,

Andrea

The Next Step in Cupcakes? The Cake in a Cup.

2010-06-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the next step in cupcake evolution: The Cake in a Cup. Customers will always want cupcakes, but are starting to want something more elegant than the sweet, more casual cupcake in a paper.

A recent client asked for something more upscale than the usual paper-clad treat so based on her description of an ideal dessert to offer at her birthday party, we created 60 of the lovely Cakes in a Cup you see at left in three flavors: The Black Onyx Chocolate cake and cappuccino-Tiramisu icing is at left. We also created a traditional Red Velvet version with a wine-colored bow on the glass, and a Lemon cake version with Lavender icing (both color and flavor!). To complement the treats we also created 15 Orange-Grand Marnier truffles and 15 Port-Black Pepper truffles to round out the dessert bar.

If you're in Los Angeles and you'd like to have some for yourself, we can take care of it for you. Just email us at info {at} superfinebakery.com and let us know what you'd like!

Calla Lily Cake

2010-05-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Many of you have been asking for pix of the cake with the sugar Calla Lilies -- well here it is! The photographer, Claudio Cambon, was working in The Terrace Room of the Sunset Tower Hotel (the same room Vanity Fair hosts their Oscar party in every year). He had almost nothing but candlelight to shoot by, so I was really happy to see these shots of the cake, taken by candlelight.

This cake was a champagne cake filled with hazelnut buttercream and iced with a white swiss buttercream. The bands are gumpaste, tinted to match the couple's wedding stationery, and the Calla Lilies are handmade sugar flowers by yours truly. For more on the flowers, see my post in early April about the process of making them.

Thanks Claudio, and congratulations Darcine and Howard!

Tiers of Joy

2010-05-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Rebecca and Tony! They got married yesterday and lucky for us they wanted a Superfine cake! This one is lemon cake throughout with vanilla bean icing. The exterior is our housemade white chocolate fondant and it's decorated with over 500 sugar flowers in graduated shades of orange.

For this cake we zested and juiced 30 lemons, colored, cut, sculpted and shaded the flowers from gumpaste, and baked the cake you see above plus a sheet cake decorated with flowers just in case they needed a few extra pieces.

The wedding was held in a stunningly landscaped acreage of a large family-owned Pasadena home. The decor was gorgeous, and the wedding was catered by famed Pasadena caterers Simply Elegant, so the food was guaranteed to be good.

As you might have noticed, the web site is now live! I'm so happy it's done -- this cake will be the 6th in the Gallery section and I can't wait to get it up and live. Soon, soon. :)

Fleur De Sel Caramels

2010-05-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Caramels. Simple, familiar, and the perfect small treat for anyone with a taste for something sweet...and in this case, a little salty.

We've taken the simple caramel and elevated it with heavy cream, a generous dose of vanilla seed, then folded in fleur de sel, a French sea salt. The larger, more delicate structure of sea salt allows it to melt effortlessly along with the caramel, and helps to define the sweet, buttery flavor of the whole piece.

These have been wrapped in irridescent cellophane, making for a beautiful presentation. En masse they look like the mediterranean sea at high noon. Fantastic on a dessert table, or boxed as a guest favor.

Right now you can order them loose or in the 10-piece boxes pictured above in our Etsy store. Yippee!

Birds in the Trees

2010-04-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

When I visited my last bride's florist, my eyes naturally scanned the shelves full of containers they used to create arrangements. Lots of glass and ceramic in solid colors mostly, but among them was a single large trumpet-shaped bowl with birds and berries painted on it. It was beautiful, but I frugally told myself "I'm not here to buy bowls. Pass, Andrea...just walk away..." So I did.

When I went back the following week to pick up some models for sugar flowers, the bowl was still there. Like a siren song, it called to me from the high shelf, and I asked them to get it down. Close-up it was even more beautiful, so I bought it, and designed a cake around it. A sneak peek of the hand-painted birds and marzipan fruit on the cake are at left.

This is one of three cakes I'm prepping for a shoot this Sunday. The shoot is the final phase of the site launch I've got planned for mid-May, and I can't wait to get the cakes shot and live.

The other two cakes are a re-imagined version of my sage-colored seaside cake (some of you may have seen it many posts ago) and a new cake modeled after a Martha Stewart cake using a charming color scheme and table set up designed by Becky Maedge of SpotWorksDesign in San Francisco.

You'll see them all in full soon, but I wanted to send you shots of this work in progress to keep you going. :)

Enjoy, and I'll post more when I have it! Here's a last shot of the bottom tier of the cake -- can't wait to show you the whole thing!

Big hugs,

Andrea

Sugar Calla Lilies

2010-04-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

I had some strict Chef Instructors in school. They always had anecdotal instructions about how to test if your product was good. For sugar or chocolate flowers, Chef Folck always would shout "Keep it THIN TO WIN!!" One way to test the thinness of your flowers was to hold them up to the light. If the sun shone through (as it would with a real flower) then you achieved your goal. So above is a shot of my test.

I'm making these mini sugar Calla lilies for a lovely couple's wedding cake due in just about a week. These are completely edible, made out of sugar.

My process isn't easy: I visit the bride's actual florist to pick up a few live models to consult as I make the flowers. This way I can ensure that the sugar flowers on the cake will match the bride's bouquet and the rest of the flowers used throughout the room. If I hadn't picked up a set for this job, I wouldn't have known about the slight green at the tip of the petal or the faint green vein up the back of some. Sure it's a little more labor-intensive, but I want to make sure that whatever I make is perfect. Just like the real flowers, in every sense.

As I made these, I was struck by how the first five or so looked identical. I stepped back and thought about what Callas look like in real life, so began to ripple the edges of a few, alternate the direction of the petal's 'wrap' from flower to flower, and make a few open and a few tight, unopened buds. This particular breed of white mini Calla has special details that make it really elegant. I can't wait to see them on the cake!

Next up: Blood Orange Truffle practice. A friend of mine has a Blood Orange tree in her yard, and I think it's harvest time... :)

Ich Bin ein Deutscher Schokoladenkuchen

2010-02-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

JFK made many laugh during a 1963 visit to Berlin, Germany when he expressed his brotherhood with his audience saying "Ich bin ein Berliner." His intent was to say "I am a Berliner," meaning "I am one of you." But a 'Berliner' is also the name of a kind of jelly donut. So in homage to JFK's coming-out as a pastry, I would like to announce that I am a German Chocolate Cake. Or, ich bin ein Deutsch schokoladenkuchen.

This German chocolate cake was made twice this weekend, both for birthdays of chocolate lovers. At 6" tall and 6" around, this cylinder of decadent madness is made with our Black Onyx chocolate cake, filled with German chocolate icing (yolks, sweet coconut, pecans, evaporated milk, sugar, you can see where this is going...charge the paddles...), coated in chocolate ganache, and topped with flakes of edible gold. Those of you who follow my work know I love drama and statement in my stuff, so height and gold were used here to that effect.

A lovely gent at one of the parties asked me, "What makes a regular chocolate cake a German chocolate cake?" I started to rattle off the filling ingredients, and he stopped me saying, "wait, no, why is it GERMAN?" I got it then, and proceeded to BS an explanation about how trade exploded in the region and imported coconuts and pecans were new to German pastry chefs who exploited the new, rare ingredients by creating the delicacy and claiming it as their own. Then I told him, I was completely BSing him, and offered to look it up. Here's the real story, according to WhatsCookingAmerica.com:

"German Chocolate Cake is an American creation that contains the key ingredients of sweet baking chocolate, coconut, and pecans. This cake was not brought to the American Midwest by German immigrants. The cake took its name from an American with the last name of "German."

1852 - Sam German created the mild dark baking chocolate bar for Baker's Chocolate Company in 1852. The company named the chocolate in his honor - "Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate." In most recipes and products today, the apostrophe and the "s" have been dropped, thus giving the false hint of the chocolate's origin.

1957 -The first published recipe for German's chocolate cake showed up in a Dallas newspaper in 1957 and came from a Texas homemaker. The cake quickly gained popularity and its recipe together with the mouth-watering photos were spread all over the country. America fell in love with German Chocolate cake."

So there you have it. I guess I'm actually 'German's Chocolate Cake'. Ich bin Deutscher's schokoladenkuchen!

Yellow and Pink Mod Wedding

2010-02-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Superfine People! Today's cake was done for a very mod couple of graphic designers that wanted bright colors and bold design on something that still looked like a wedding cake. To the left is the result.

Occasionally couples request dessert bar treats to go along with their cake, and I happily oblige. :) For this one, I made pink meringue kisses filled with lemon cream cheese. Fun to make, they complimented the bold cake nicely without visually overwhelming it.

The meringues are easily made with sugar and egg whites, then piped out on sheets and baked for hours at low heat. The more savory, heavy nature of cream cheese icing was a great balance to the air-light texture of the meltaway meringues. Sort of the same flavor effect as sea salt caramels. I loved them and would do them again in a heartbeat.

In other news, an official web site is in the works! It's mostly finished with design and writing, and now just needs more pictures of goodies like these so I can make the home page look as good as it should. Two more cakes are in the works at the moment, and once I get those done and photographed, I'll have what I need to at least get the site in "launch shape."

See you soon and I'll post more when I have it!

Happy Birthday, Susan!

2009-12-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

Saturday was new client Susan's 40th birthday and she ordered the above birthday cake (white cake with vanilla bean buttercream) and requested the Marimekko poppies in red with black accents. This cake was a 6-inch round at 5" high, so it made for a striking presentation.

Along with the cake she ordered a full dessert bar: three kinds of truffles (coffee, lemon-basil, and hazelnut-almond), two kinds of French macaroons (vanilla and raspberry), the coconut macaroons drizzled with chocolate pictured at left, sugar cookies decorated with a lemon icing "S" and fine edge piping and two kinds of petit fours. 170 pieces in all plus the cake. PHEW.

The petit fours presented a special challenge, because they magically disappeared (out of the rental kitchen where I do my work) the day of the delivery. After a couple hours of baker's meltdown and searching, I finally phoned a confectioner in Silver Lake who made replacement petit fours that I could deliver with the order. Susan ordered it, and by God she was going to get what she ordered.

In the end all turned out well and the delivery went off without a hitch! Happy birthday to Susan and may she enjoy her 40s!

Carioca (Espresso) Truffles

2009-11-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

Filled with a nice espresso-infused ganache, the Carioca truffle is a classic coffee-flavored sweet.

This treat was done in a proper chocolate mold shaped like a coffee bean given to me by master chocolatier Cindy Davis of Xocolata Confections on the last day of my internship at Studio Cake. (Thanks Cindy!)

Typically I make Carioca truffles freehand. I spread out the ganache, let it set a bit, cut it into squares, then dip it in tempered chocolate and top it with a coffee-flavored chocolate bean. I loved the mold so much, however, that I wanted to give it a tryout today. :)

Lemon Basil Truffles, Anyone?

2009-11-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

My latest client asked for a truffle featuring lemon. I spent yesterday and today doing some experiments and came up with a lemon-basil-white chocolate ganache center for this fleur-de-lys white chocolate truffle.

I love the look and shape of this one -- it's a little hard to tell from the photo, but it's about the size of a golf ball at about half height. Soft and smooth, I can't wait to hand a set of these off with the delivery!

More pix to come as I get them...

Happy First Birthday, Avery!

2009-10-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Avery's first birthday, and I'm honored to have been tapped to make her first cake. What you're looking at is a 6" on top of an 8", enough to feed 25-30.

The interior is a new chocolate cake recipe that I'm loving called Black Onyx. It's a very very dark brown, and was layered with pale pink vanilla-bean buttercream. The name comes from the type of cocoa used in the batter, and it has a reputation for being less moist than other cocoas. It's true -- it's drying -- so to counter that I incorporated extra butter and whizzed a generous amount of Guittard milk chocolate chips then folded them in after all the batter was mixed.

The vanilla bean buttercream is an Italian buttercream, based in cooked sugar added to whipped egg whites. It makes for a very shiny, thick, smooth buttercream -- not like those grittier, tooth-achingly sweet powdered sugar-based buttercreams.

To the Prince's, it was great working with you and a big hug to the birthday girl!

Wee Cakes in Menlo Park

2009-09-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

Wee Cake anyone? This is just a sampling of the 16 adorable cakes designed by BethAnn Goldberg at Studio Cake in Menlo Park, Ca. I spent my last three weeks of school interning for BethAnn working on this line of cakes and I loved every minute of it!

First, BethAnn drew out all the images of what the cakes should look like. This monkey is stacked with alternating chocolate and vanilla cake and filled with caramel buttercream, then covered with brown fondant and decorated with fondant details. The end result was a delightful set of 16 Wee Cakes, soon too appear on BethAnn's site at http://www.studiocake.com/.

"Yeah, Andrea, those are cute and all, but what did *you* do?" I'm so glad you asked.

I baked all the cakes (just under 30 total), made many pounds of fondant, color-matched it all to color swatches BethAnn had, then used it to cover and decorate the cake boards. After that BethAnn, Arlene and I stacked, buttercreamed, then covered the cakes with fondant, and added the details. I loved the whole process, but the cakes really came to life when I worked with BethAnn to make and affix the key elements like paws, noses, ears, bellies, collars, flowers, spines on dinosaur backs. I also created a tool used to indent the sheep's fur with swirls and in the case of our Alien Wee Cake (named "Allen"), I stuck on *three* eyeballs and inserted antlers. That's right, I said antlers. At Studio Cake, anything that sticks out of something's head are not antennae or horns, they're "antlers". Love it.

Here's a picture of the sheep and Allen for your viewing pleasure:

All in all I think I might have had the best internship ever. BethAnn and Arlene, the powerhouse duo behind Studio Cake, are the most generous, kind, nurturing, funny, real people you could ever ask to work with. They will be lifelong CFFs (Cake Friends Forever) in my book, and I so look forward to my future knowing they'll be in it. :) Check them out on Food Network's Nov. 1 airing of the Simpson's 20th Anniversary Cake Challenge!

I also wanted to send a shout out to Cindy Davis, the amazing chocolatier who shares the Studio Cake space with BethAnn. Cindy is the principal chef-owner of Xocolata, and kept us filled with truffles during our work. She's a lovely person and her work is outstanding! Check out her product at http://www.xocolataconfections.com/. Cindy, thanks for the "ride-along" chocolates eaten during my 5-hour trek down the 5 to LA. They made the journey so much faster!

Big hugs to my Menlo Park peeps: BethAnn, Arlene, Cindy, Gary, Pat, Dizz, and Fanny! Thanks also to my hosts and in-laws in Hayward: Tom, Alex, and Zoie (TAZ!). Love to the Aptos Crew: Embrulie! Kisses to Mom and Dad, and HELLO GREG AND PICO in LA! I missed you guys...

Here are a few more pix of other Wee Cakes for fun:

Adventures at Studio Cake

2009-09-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Sorry for the long silence. As you can see I've been hard at work on a line of cakes called Wee Cakes for BethAnn Goldberg here at Studio Cake! The line is a set of carved cakes like a ladybug, octopus, or puppy, and they sit on a fondant-covered cake plate, like the one I'm covering here. I made 15 of these today to host the menagerie of cakes we're going to work on tomorrow and next week. Here are three shots of the rack full of trays hosting the various elements of each cake in the line:

While I worked on that, BethAnn started her day by putting the finishing touches on a birthday cake for Mary Meeker, famed internet financial guru. I can't publish a pic of it here because Mary is supposed to get it this evening, and I don't want to spoil the surprise!

After that, BethAnn and her lovely assistant Arlene worked on a very big robot cake. Here's a shot of Arlene painting the whole thing silver and a detail of his iron cupcake:

We're having a blast putting all this together and I can't wait to see everything completed. I'll try to post more soon!

Lots of love,

Andrea (and BethAnn and Arlene)

Baby Shower Cupcakes for Kate

2009-08-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hot pink and leopard was on order for Superfine Kate's baby shower two weekends ago, and it was great fun to work on! The leopard/pink combo reminded me of Paris in the 40s or 50s, so I was inspired to make the following cupcake tower with flavors requested by Kate and her Mom, Barbara (uber party-planner extraordinaire):

I developed a cupcake recipe for Kate's baby shower inspired by the ever-popular Red Velvet cake. This one I'm calling (you guessed it) Pink Velvet. It's a baby pink, very soft cake, and on here we topped with pink buttercream.

The lower tiers were cupcakes done in hankie papers, and the upper tiers were done with leopard-print cupcake papers. The topper was a jumbo cuppie large enough to hold these *perfect* baby booties I found online. Now she has baby's first pair of shoes, and they're sassy as heck!!

If you look closely (click the image for a larger view), you'll see the small edible baby bottles I made to go on the top-tier white cupcakes.

All around it was a terrific experience and working with Barbara and Kate was a real joy.

Here's Kate holding the baby shower cupcake tower topper with baby's first pair of shoes.

Congratulations, Kate!

White Lightning

2009-08-21T16:35:00.001-07:00

In the Southern states where my people are from, they call moonshine "white lightning." I like to think of these white chocolate fudge nuggets as something comparable (though the alcohol content is much lower -- more on that later). I'm open to name suggestions.

This white fudge is studded with semi-dried cherries rehydrated in my current favorite cooking liquor, Armagnac. I soaked them for 10 or 20 minutes, then cut them in half and threw them in my white chocolate/butter/condensed milk base. I also grabbed a handful of crunchy cocoa nibs (the raw seed in the cacao pod which becomes chocolate after some processing).

Once the fudge was mixed and set, I tempered some semisweet chocolate and half-dipped them in. After whizzing some pistachios in a blender, I had a nice bowl of bright green and purple pistachio bits, just begging to dress something up. So I dipped the wet milk-chocolate end of the fudge pieces in that too for good measure.

You might've seen me write about tempering chocolate about five or six weeks ago. It hasn't gotten any easier. To temper all kinds of chocolate, there are three temps you have to take it to: High point (melting it and melting the sugars), Low point (preserving the cocoa butter emulsion inside the chocolate), and Working point (a few degrees above Low to loosen it up just enough to pipe, use for dipping, or pour out on a sheet and cut).

I'm an impatient, instinctive cook, and tend to take the chocolate to within a few degrees of each, so my stuff gets out of temper. This is why you're not seeing my streaky, fat-bloom-covered toffee pieces here. I'll post those when they're actually superfine.

I need to practice tempering this weekend (it's Friday at 4:46 right now) so I can do well on my Monday exam. I have to make two truffles (12 dipped and 12 molded), as well as an all-chocolate box to present the truffles in. I've made the box once and I tell you folks, it is an exercise in managing your frustration trying to create a stable structure of chocolate in LA in August. Pray for me.

Tempering my temper,

Andrea

Good Medicine

2009-08-19T15:15:00.001-07:00

Imagine waking at 4:10 a.m. and driving under moonlight to a kitchen with several stoves along one wall, wooden work tables and a few quiet girls in chef's whites gracefully stirring bowls of ganache, putting pots of water on to boil, and chopping large blocks of chocolate into small chunks, chips and shavings.

You wrap yourself in an apron and do the same, knowing your work will result in something that turns someone's day around. Bad meetings that haven't happened yet might end with a co-worker offering up something I've made and as soon as it hits the tongue, the team forgets the tension, and there is perspective once more. We're making "good medicine." The remedies for anything that ails you. Today's prescription: Six kinds of truffles, something for each aspect of your personality (more if you need it, Sybil):

Now you have some sense of the elation I feel at the dawn of each work day. I know that when I start, soon I'll have something that delights the down, might elevate the Eeyores, and do what I was meant to do: Nurture your soul with the alchemy that is tempered chocolate, fruit puree, espresso, port, salt and pepper. Something tells me I'd be burned at the stake in Salem for this.

Above is the result of today's work, and clearly its got me waxing poetic. You might feel the same if you spent your breakfast stimulating your brain's pleasure center with a variety of chocolates and experimenting with flavors. These truffles have been designated as this year's holiday gifts, so rest assured beloved readers, you too will be enjoying these soon.

Here are the deets: In the pic above from the upper left corner, we have nut-clusters called "Splitter Truffles." No one knows why -- I think it's because they can cure a splitting headache in two bites. They are made of a tempered white chocolate and praline paste mix, tossed with salted/toasted/chopped hazelnuts and almonds. Once balled and set, they are bottom-dipped in tempered milk chocolate.

The next set of dark, ball-shaped truffles have a lovely center made of black pepper and ruby port. They're dipped in tempered dark chocolate and due to my lust for things decadent, dusted with gold.

Below those are milk chocolate truffles with orange-flavored centers. The red-orange color on top comes from a light painting of colored cocoa butter. Nom nom nom.

The milk chocolate squares are filled with an espresso-chocolate center, and topped with a bean-shaped coffee/chocolate goody.

Next are the shiny white-orange domes. These are filled with a light apricot/ancho chile/lime juice ganache. If that scares you, dear reader, I'm okay with that. More for me.

Finally, in the lower-right corner is a version of the Rocher, popular in many stores around the holidays. I opted for a simple single slivered almond on top rather than the tar-and-feather approach of chocolate and nuts found on the more common version. Hope you approve.

So the next time you need a mood-boost, pick up your favorite coffee and a truffle. Any kind will do. In a pinch, have a Spoon Truffle: A spoon + Nutella = joy.

Big love,

Andrea

Wedding at the Beach

2009-08-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Superfiners, Long time, no blog post. As you can see I've been pretty busy with our latest assignment, a wedding cake with sugar flowers. The assignment was to design a cake out of three round tiers. It had to feature flowers that fit a design of my choosing, show some fine piping, some kind of embossing or sculpting on the cake, and had to be completed alongside our regular in-class tasks and homework assignments.

To the left is the result of my work. I colored my fondant in three different shades of sage green (Americolor's "Avocado" gel paste), then covered these 6, 8, and 14" tiers.

I let that set up then made up some royal icing and piped the white coral and little pearls between each tier. I shaped many many shells in fondant and placed them in small piles around the coral. If I didn't have to follow requirements I'd have made these out of white chocolate...can you imagine getting a slice of this cake and a bonus chocolate shell on the side? I love it.

Throughout the week we were being taught how to make different flowers out of sugar. Typically sugar paste (aka gum paste) is used due to it's incredibly hard and durable final state, but it takes a long time to dry. Instead we used fondant for our flowers, and it worked great. The flowers were admittedly a little more fragile, but heck, that's the nature of what we're going for: Fragility and fine appearance.
We were taught two lilies (stargazer shape and calla), a peony, roses, stephanotis, orchids and accents like small buds and leaves. On this cake you'll see roses, orchid buds, and stephanotis.
Today I spent the morning petal-dusting the flowers to bring them to life with colored centers and edges, then floral-taped small sprays of flowers together and placed them around the cake and on top.

This module was my favorite by far: The work was challenging, but so incredibly fun. Channelling all my energy and creativity into this cake was incredibly rewarding and I can't wait to do my next one!!

Monday we start our sugar and chocolate module in which we make showpieces. I'm guessing these will be tall sculptures in both mediums, so I'm stocking up on the Aloe to squirt on the burns. Sugar is dangerous folks, don't try this at home!!

More to come,

Andrea

Monkey Fun

2009-08-05T13:38:00.001-07:00

Today was our third (and my final) day of working on this cake, a chocolate children's cake with a chocolate and pastillage sculpture on top. The requirements were 1) to create a scene out of chocolate and pastillage that was suitable for a girl's party that had to contain at least one cocoa painting (more on that later), a "Garrett Frill" (the draping around the side), and the whole top sculpture had to be removeable for cake cutting.

I chose this scene of monkeys in a boat. The pastillage is a white sugar paste that hardens nicely for painting and decor. The sail, palm leaves, boat and plate the sculpture sits on are all made of pastillage.

The two most prominent monkeys were sculpted out of dark molding chocolate (smells like brownies...mmm) and white molding chocolate. Different shades were achieved by mixing the two.

The decoration along the side is what's called a Garrett Frill, made with half-circles of chocolate fondant, then rolled under a skewer to create the frill. It's tricky as all get out: You have to make sure not to poke, rip, stick down, or otherwise damage the delicate frill in the making of it, then once it's affixed to the side of the cake, gently stick two or three toothpicks into the cake under the frill to prop up the folds while it dries hard to give it some life. It's finished with chocolate palm leaves and coconuts.

Next: A three-tier wedding cake! Stay tuned...

Croquembouche Day

2009-07-28T17:55:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of my wedding cake module and we're in the midst of learning how to make the traditional French wedding cake called a Croquembouche. It's a tower of vanilla cream-filled puffs (the same as used for cream puffs or eclairs) held together with caramel cooked to a hard crack.

Tomorrow I'll post shots of the base made of nougatine, a caramel/almond slice mixture that hardens to a glassy, crack finish. While it's still warm we roll it thin and cut two 8" plates out of it, and some "tiger's teeth," triangles that we will bend and use to decorate the nougatine plates all the way around.

More to come!

Happy Engagement, Nicole and Jeremy!

2009-07-12T09:06:00.001-07:00

Lastnight I attended and baked cupcakes for a great party celebrating the engagement of two wonderful people, Nicole and Jeremy. For this event I baked three flavors: Red velvet, Lemon with Italian meringue, and vanilla with orange buttercream icing. The challenge with this order was to keep the look of the cupcakes working as a unit. I didn't want a chaotic presentation of different color icings, decor, etc. What to do?

So I devised a plan: Use the same pattern across all the cupcakes (in this case tiny flowers) to pull them together, but indicate the flavors with the different colors. The result is the presentation above.

Another challenge I ran into on this one was this cupcake stand. It worked great, but we had some height challenges with the hankie papers -- they only fit on the bottom two tiers, calling for the smaller cuppies up top. I didn't want the perceived smaller cupcakes to pale next to the more dramatic hankie-papered cuppies, so I phoned the Town Tart and she pointed me in a direction I love: Rubber stamping. I went out, bought a rubber stamp set of the alphabet, and did these hearts. Problem solved!

The flowers, butterflies and hearts on top were made of thinly rolled fondant, cut out, dried, then assembled with royal icing. Royal icing is like cement folks -- nothing moves once it's used to adhere sugar together.

And as any baker or chef will tell you, this is what it's all about:

Temperature, Tempering, and Temper

2009-07-10T15:27:00.001-07:00

Finally folks, a shot of my work from the Plated Desserts module. What do you think?

You're looking at something called a Pralinette. It's a chocolate cookie with praline-armagnac cream on top, then another cookie, and more cream. The chocolate ribbon on top and the chocolate wrapper around the dessert are both products of my first official attempt at tempering chocolate, which worked out surprisingly well. I'm still thermometer-reliant (practiced chefs can temper chocolate just by watching its behavior and shine), but was extremely pleased with the strong and shiny result.

The red sauce on the plate is a simple-syrup + fresh raspberry mixture, run through a blender and strained through a chinois (very fine mesh, conical strainer). The sauce looks great on the plate, but looked even better on me (I'm a "Summer" and pink/corals are right up my alley). Let's just say that if your old, old blender seems to magically shut off, it's not on a timer: The wiring is bad. It will magically turn on when you least expect it, blowing the lid off, and whizz raspberry sauce all over you, in your eyes, all over your table and anything on it.

I walked around the rest of the class with an old Prince song stuck in my head, "...she wore a raspberry puree..." Make it stop. Please.

Creative Week: Wednesday

2009-07-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sitting outside under the Le Pain Quotidien awning in Sherman Oaks, I waited for my friend, high-end-stationery designer Marleine Pacilio of Paper Olive. Two women walked out of the restaurant, and as they hugged goodbye on the sidewalk and parted, one shouted back over her shoulder, "Marie! Thanks!" Her friend Marie said "...for what?" The first woman responded "...for checking me."

The exchange made me smile, because the best friends I have are the ones who reality-check me. Or to put it less elegantly, call me on my sh**. This means, if I'm kidding myself about something, or cajoling myself into believing something far-fetched, they roll their eyes and stare at me, silently saying 'oh, really...and you expect me to buy that?' It takes a brave friend to do that for you, and I thank heaven every day for all the people in my life who love me enough to do that. Marleine is one of those gals.

Highly intelligent and creative, she was my original inspiration to start Superfine. To just dive in, take baby steps, and see how far I could get. She's a producer at Disney *and* runs Paper Olive every second she's not at work. She is very driven and a great inspiration. Not to mention successful: She just completed a suite of paper products for Kendra's wedding (you know, Hef's "Girl Next Door?"). I couldn't be more thrilled for her!! Her first celebrity job!

We talked about our businesses and for several months now have each harbored a desire to work together. For example, she or I would retain a bride and offer maybe a 15% discount on both cake and stationery if the bride used the other of us. I get so inspired to make cakes and cupcakes to match her wonderful paper goods and designs, so the thought is maybe she might be into doing something with my cakes too.

I'm running a little behind her (she just celebrated her first year in business), but maybe, someday... :)

My lunch for Thursday (today) cancelled out, so I've spent the day preparing for my next module, Plated Desserts. It's when we learn how to create fancy presentations for single-serving desserts. Can't wait...

Creative Week: Tuesday

2009-06-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today I met the Town Tart. She's better known as Maya: Baker, wife of John, and big time tart. :) Our husbands have worked together for a little more than two years now, but baking is what really brought us together.

We met up at the Daily Grill in Santa Monica and while we cleaned our plates like good girls we talked about the beauty of tattoos, the properties of gum paste, and her work at MySpace. She's traveling to Spain in a few months, but we didn't get to talk about that much -- not enough time in the day when you're chatting with a cool woman, right?

I'm really excited because I found out she's going to be at the same party I'm doing the 7/11 cupcake order for. I walked through the pieces of the order and my plans and she totally gets it and had a couple of great suggestions. Everyone should have an awesome cheerleader like Maya around -- she does wonders.

Tomorrow's VCP? Marleine Pacilio of Paper Olive, a high-end custom stationery design house. She designed my parents' 50th anniversary invites, and *just* completed an order of invites for Kendra's wedding! (You know, Kendra, one of Hugh Hefner's 'Girls Next Door'). It's her first celebrity order, so I want to hear all about it!

More to come...

Creative Week: Monday

2009-06-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

By some miracle of scheduling, I have this whole week off of school. It's my last stretch of free time before I graduate at the end of September, so I'm making the most of it and brainstorming, taking the business a few steps closer to reality with licenses and such, and spending every day at lunch with a VCP: Very Creative Person.

Today's lunch was spent at a great restaurant on Melrose called M Cafe (at left) with my friend, bag designer Jocelyn (http://www.jmasonhandbags.com/). She makes incredibly hip, beautiful 'loose' bags by hand out of reclaimed leather. Catching up with her was great. She's full of cool ideas and interesting stories.

Today she mentioned that she decided to spend some of her time doing a little *light* reading, and picked up a copy of, um, Dante's Inferno. It's about the nine circles of hell and how people get sorted through those circles based on the egregiousness of their sins. Sort of like the Harry Potter sorting hat, but a lot more painful. And hot.

Right after that topic, she asked about the pic of my Dobos Torte (below), and the two ideas melded in my head: The torte has six layers of cake. Why not make it nine, color the cake red, and call it Dante's Torte? Or Inferno Cake? Each layer would represent a different circle of hell, and I could soak all layers with Brandy syrup (as the recipe calls for) except the bottom circle. That one, the worst, most damned ninth circle of hell, could get a dose of slightly hot cinnamon liquor. Like Goldschlager or something. I think there's something there, but I need to play with the flavors a bit to make it good.

Next we talked a little about Red Velvet cakes, and I mentioned that a cafe near my house (Aroma, on Tujunga Ave.) serves a very Cookie Monster-blue Blue Velvet cake. That got me thinking about a cupcake order for a girl's baby shower coming up, and I wondered. Hmm, Pink Velvet. Wouldn't that look cute? I dunno -- need to play with that too.

So that's what this week is filled with: Ideas. Cool ideas. Now I just have to spend a few days refining them. It's so nice to have this time off. Tomorrow's VCP? It's my friend Maya: Writer, baker, and Town Tart at http://thetowntart.typepad.com/. Check her out -- she's a real kick in the pants and a lot of fun. :)

More to come...

Lest you think the cupcake craze is over...

2009-06-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

...here is proof that it's actually alive and well and keeping me busy! This order was for four flavors: German Chocolate (Chocolate cake with coconut-pecan icing), Red Velvet, Lemon with Meringue Icing, and Vanilla with Orange Buttercream. Pictured above is the Vanilla with a few of the German Chocolates showing.

The German Chocolate cupcake has to be my new favorite. It's a cooked icing, and near the end of the mixing process I added a bunch of sweetened coconut and the world's most amazing pecans. These pecans come from trees that my grandfather planted on his farm in rural Alabama many moons ago. His neighbors who now own the land did what the best kind of Southerners do, and packed up a large bag of these plump, buttery, fat fresh pecans and sent them to me. They really take this decadent, rich icing to another level.

Here's a shot of the lemon cupcakes with a toasted Italian meringue on top, and the Red Velvets. The little decor you see on the Velvets is a small triangle of dark chocolate with an edible image laid onto the chocolate when it's still warm. When it cools, you can score and break it into desired shapes. The chocolatey-ness of these Velvets begged for something chocolatey to compliment it, and the red plaid-like pattern was a perfect fit to help identify the flavor.

Enjoy!

The Dobos Torte

2009-06-18T14:31:00.001-07:00

So a cake, some chocolate buttercream, caramel, and a few toasted almonds walk into a bar. The cake asks the bartender, "Got any brandy?" The bartender answers, "Yes, but what do you want with brandy? She's trouble." Buttercream butts in at this point and says, "we're putting together a little party for your mouth called a Dobos Torte. You're invited -- *if* you bring brandy."

This torte features six layers of cake soaked with brandy syrup then stacked and separated by six layers of chocolate buttercream. On the top are wedges of cake that I poured a little buttery caramel over. The wedges are propped up on one side with rosettes of buttercream, and the sides covered in toasted almonds, so any way you slice it, you're in for a flavor delight.

More to come!

What's Up, Doc?

2009-06-17T17:39:00.001-07:00

Today's offering: The moist carroty-ness of the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. I threw a handful of toasted crushed walnuts into this one for fun, and made up little marzipan carrots to decorate the top. Though I haven't eaten many carrot cakes in my time on this planet (carrots? In a cake?! Whaaaa?), I am learning to love it.

I'm also learning to love marzipan -- sculpting it is fun, eating it is funner (yes, that's a word). From this picture it's hard to get a sense of the size of this tiny marzipan carrot, but it's about 1.5 inches long. I made the "greens" by squeezing green marzipan through a garlic press. Voila!

Tomorrow, the Dobos Torte. A seven-layer cake stuffed with coffee buttercream and caramel.

Sigh...I gotta join a gym...

The Alhambra Torte

2009-06-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all that is the Alhambra Torte. It consists of two layers of hazelnut-chocolate cake soaked with coffee-rum syrup then filled and glazed with chocolate. It's right up my alley when it comes to flavor -- coffee, chocolate, a little liquor...oh daddy. This one's good.

Just in case those flavors aren't enough, some mad genius decided this cake should have marzipan roses on top (so I made up some marzipan and shaped these for your viewing pleasure), then added a little crushed pistachio around the base of the thing (pant, pant).

The history of this cake involves celebrating the Spanish city of Alhambra and its lush gardens. The pistachio represents the greenery, the roses...well...roses, and the hazelnut meal in the cake base celebrates one of the main nuts produced there. Due to the close proximity of Morocco and subsequent Moroccan influences in that region of Spain, some make this cake with pomegranate seed as a nod to the nation across the way.

Some of you may be familiar with the more well-known, similar torte called the "Sacher Torte." This is something of a sister cake to that one, the Sacher different due to apricot jam between the layers and brandy syrup instead of the coffee-rum used in this Alhambra.

Details about the cake: It was relatively easy to mix and bake, slice, and ice. I chilled it to get the thin crumb coat of chocolate nice and stiff, then heated up the glassy chocolate glaze, said a prayer and poured out the bowl of goodness right onto the top of the cake. I didn't move the glazing bowl -- just let it run over the edges, and drip down the sides evenly. Whew! It worked! I set that aside to firm up, then made the marzipan roses on top, petal by petal, and piped "Alhambra" on top. Oh, and put those crushed pistachios around the edges. I'm making this one again on Monday as part of a practical exam. Can't wait!

Boston Cream...er...Pie?

2009-06-10T13:18:00.001-07:00

Technically it's called a Boston Cream Pie, but the lovely cakes that go inside this dessert are just that: Light fluffy white cakes. You heard the myth exposed here first folks: It's a cake I tell you! A cake!

This is my first posting from our Cakes module. I've also made a "celebration cake" (white cake with frills, roses and "Congratulations!" piped on top, a very standard supermarket-variety cake -- ew) and a Black Forest cake made with devil's food layers, kirsch-flavored whipped cream, cherries inside and out, and shaved chocolate, then powdered sugar on the sides and top. Neither of those are pictured here because with my high standards, they're just "fine," not Superfine. :)

This Boston Cream pie-cake, though, is delicious. Easy to make and build, lovely to the eye and mouth. If you're in or near the Valley, give me a call sometime between now and tomorrow and I'll bring you a slice...

Happy Birthday, Do!

2009-06-05T17:12:00.001-07:00

I'm sure most of you saw the title of this post and thought it read "Happy Birthday, Do[o]." In fact, it's a birthday wish for my friend Do (pronounced "dough") Duong, a most kind, talented and successful man, turning 30 today.

To celebrate with his family, he ordered a few things from me: A large fruit tart, a cinnamon loaf (loaf of bread formed with a cinnamon spiral at the center), and the cupcakes pictured left. He wanted some vanilla and some chocolate, so I did that and kicked them up with mocha buttercream and orange buttercream. Because it's his birthday, he also got these special papers with blue swirls on the vanilla, and edible gold dust on top of all.

Do, may you have a fantastic birthday, may Elline have a good time too, and lots of love to you both. :)

Chocolate Souffle

2009-06-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Rich and sweet, this chocolate souffle is a lot like my husband, Greg. (Thank you, thank you...I'll be here all week...)

This is a picture of it just about two minutes after it came out of the oven and it's slightly deflated. It was half this height just five minutes after coming out! That's why when you order these in a restaurant, you need to order them in advance: They take a long runway to get them in front of you "a la minute" (right away).

It's a delicate thing, souffle-making. You have to scald chocolate chips and milk together, use a roux to thicken it, then when just slightly cooled, mix in several yolks one at a time. While all this is going on egg whites and sugar are coming to a medium peak on the mixer, and at just the right moment, you fold the whites into the warm chocolate mixture. Pour that into a piping bag, fill to the rim and bake. Bake *quietly.* No slamming oven doors, no shouting next to the oven, you wouldn't want to scare it back down into the ramekin (the little dish it's in). The second it comes out, sift some powdered sugar over top, then while still oven-hot you (ow!) lift it (dang!) onto (ow ow ow!) a plate. So much for my fingertips. :\

Thing is, all the trouble and slight pain is worth it. It's delicious, and perfect for a champagne-and-strawberries evening.

Morning Biscotti on the Balcony

2009-06-01T18:28:00.001-07:00

First dear readers, so sorry it's taken me soooo long to post! I'm in the middle of the "International Custards and Creams" module, and it's next-to-impossible to get those wobbly suckers home and presentable for posting. I'll try to capture something from the class for you next week or so.

Here are my latest experiments: Anise-Almond Biscotti, tip-dipped in chocolate.

In class our chef-instructors occasionally will bring in their extra goodies: Books, bags of whole-bean coffee, various tools or herbs. They'll kindly draw names and give away what they've got, and recently I was the winner of a CIA (Culinary Institute of America) textbook! After poring through the pages, I found the recipe for these guys and absolutely love it! Next up: Orange biscotti with candied orange peel. Nom nom nom!

Sayonara, Sakura

2009-05-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's no secret. I love cherry blossoms (or in Japanese, "sakura"). They really appeal to the mid-century modernist in me: Clean, light, elegant, and as temporary as a heartache.

This fascination with the cherry blossom began with my wedding planning back in '06. Greg spent his high school years in Japan, so in a nod to that I found invitations featuring cherry blossoms, and riffed off that image for my table numbers, Thank You cards, and yes, my wedding cake made by the lovely Jamaica Crist at Jamaica's Cakes.

These cupcakes and papers started as an exploration into how I might customize and further decorate the cupcake papers. I love the plain white, but it seemed I could do more. The cherry blossoms above and the cabbage rose, love heart, and colonial rose below are the results. Let me know your thoughts!

Superfine Cupcakes

2009-05-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely dinner at our friends Julie and Bill's house lastnight and after talking through some options with Julie, she asked that I make chocolate macaroons (french style) and these lemon cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting. This cupcake is unique in the set, and it belongs to Julie. The hostess always gets the cool one! :)

All were sprinkled with edible gold, then for the remaining cupcakes I made marzipan and sculpted little edible oranges for the top:

I love these cupcake papers which I call "hankie" style. To me they look more elegant than the short papers, and do a great job of protecting and containing the frosting. These were a hit and were a blast to make -- I saved this one for you:

Patty's Napoleon

2009-05-01T14:03:00.001-07:00

Our great friend Patty loves Napoleons, so this one was for her. I handmade puff pastry, cut it into three rectangles and baked it off. Then, I spread two with apricot jam, and the third (top) pastry, I covered with a glaze and piped chocolate, then dragged a skewer through it to texture the stripes. Then, I made pastry cream, and stacked it between each piece of pastry to make the Napoleon.

It's known in France as the Mille Feuille or "thousand leaves" for the 1000 layers in the pastry. And yes, it's really 1000 layers due to the multiple rounds of rolling, folding and chilling it takes to make this classic puff pastry. Patty, hope you enjoyed it. :)

Cinnamon Twists and Sacristains

2009-04-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of our new module all about the family of light, flaky doughs called "laminated" doughs. Now, when you say 'laminated' to most people, they think about the warm plastic pages sandwiching a document of some kind, like an old driver's license or a reference sheet. That's not the case here. These phyllo, croissant, and puff pastry doughs are laminated with layers and layers of butter which causes the puffing effect. No yeast is used here: Just the pure power of the moisture within the layers of dough.

Above are strips of dough sprinkled liberally with sugar and cinnamon, then twisted and baked. Below are wider strips called Sacristains that have been painted lightly with a sweet icing, sprinkled with almonds, then twisted and baked.

Both seem like they would offer a nice crunch and some resistance in the bite...but nothing. They simply disappear in a melted cloud of sweetness, leaving flakes of crumb behind...the only evidence that they ever existed.

Macaroons: One of Each, Please...

2009-04-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

That is generally how I order macaroons in a bakery: "Macaroons, one of each please." I love them, and now I can wield my knowledge of how to make them with reckless abandon.

These are French macaroons flavored with vanilla and apricot jam, but you can make them any flavor, color them, or fill them with anything you like. I think the traditional filling is buttercream, but I'm not sure. Any French people out there, please comment and let me know!
I'll be trying out green ones with pistachio nuts and flavors. I think I'll make a batch of chocolate ones too for a French friend with a penchant for them. :)
These are coconut macaroons, and are a lovely chewy coconut experience:
If you don't like coconut, at least promise me you'll give these a try. They really are as good as they look. :)

Petit Fours Glace

2009-04-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

So I wrote about Petits four sec below, but these are part of the family of petit fours known as "glace," or "glazed" petits four.

These are miniature three-layer sponge cakes. The cake is made very thin, layered with jam inbetween, topped with a paper-thin layer of handmade marzipan, then very gently coated with poured fondant. The top decoration is piped chocolate.

These little slices of heaven pop into the mouth in one bite. I'm thinking about trying a version made from the Opera cake in my last post...

L'Amour Est Une Oiseau Rebelle

2009-04-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

The title of this entry is the first line from "Carmen," my favorite opera (the version by Jessye Norman will rearrange your organs. Amazing). "Why are you quoting an opera, Andrea?" So glad you asked. It gives me the opportunity to flaunt my Opera Cake as made in class a few days ago:

This cake is 12 layers, made from 8 different elements (some are repeated). I'll spare you the laundry list, but suffice it to say this is a chocolate-coffee-rum cake dream.

The Opera cake will sneak up on you. It seduces you with dark shiny chocolate, glowing gold flecks, and all those visible layers of fillings and cake. Succumbing, you get a fork and take a bite. WOW, you think. It's so rich! Lots of flavors going on, different textures...so you take another two or three bites to give your brain time to decipher its elements. By then you've eaten a whole piece and fallen victim. It's like a slow knife: You don't know you've been wounded until it's too late.

Contrary to what you might think, the Opera cake will not induce a food coma. The chocolate lifts your mood while the generous heaps of coffee and sugar will wake you up a bit. That was the original idea behind this cake's creation: It was served at intermission during the Paris Opera to wake the audience up, so they could sit through the second half.

Here's a piece for you:

Petit Fours Sec: Cookies and More...

2009-04-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today was presentation day in the Petit Four section of our lessons. Over the last two days we have been making six kinds of dough, baking seven different petit fours, each with different forming methods and filling treatments (jams and chocolate). WHEW. Intense, exciting, and deeeelicious. Pictured here clockwise from the upper left are Linzer cookies (windowpane style), Coconut Macaroons, Lemon Madeleines, the long sticks with chocolate tops are Baton Marechaux, bottom right we have Linzer cookies "Jewel" style, French macaroons in the lower left, then up to Florentines.

Petit fours sec is a kind of "dry" petit four, like these cookies ("sec" mean "dry" in French). You won't find the more traditional cake-like petit fours in this section -- those are Petit Four Glace (glazed).

Here are more shots of the goodies (click the pic to see it larger) along with the oft-requested pic of me in uniform with my baking buddy Alice and mischevious Chef Instructor (and Dean of Pastry and Baking at Cordon Bleu), Joshua Orlando.

Whisking Whiskey

2009-04-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Whiskey Pecan Tartlets were the order of the day yesterday and this morning. These little pastries filled with heaven are a nice twist on an old favorite, the Pecan Pie. They're made with the same kind of dough used for fruit tarts (Pate Sucree, containing lemon zest), so they're sweet and light. A really nice contrast to the thick, sweet filling full of pecans and just enough Jack Daniel's to make a nice cloud of whiskey flavor on the tongue.

Also baked today: Lemon Tartlets! Bite-sized pastries filled with fresh lemon curd were topped with Swiss Merengue (which involves no small feat of boiling sugar, then adding it very slowly to egg whites being whipped in the mixer). The merengue was more like a frosting -- heavy and sweet. It was toasted off with a kitchen torch for a nice nut-flavored accent.

Superfine Since 1971

2009-03-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

Cracking the eggs was (and still is) my favorite part of the baking process. If I'm doing a wedding cake, that means I get to break up to 18 eggs or so. Party time!

Of course that means I'll also likely have to zest 15 lemons, juice 10 of them, and make four batches of frosting and five batches of cake batter. Sigh, I need a bigger KitchenAid...

Here I am stirring what looks like pancakes, a perennial favorite in our house growing up. Note the sunflower-yellow flour canister in the background and the sweet nut-brown dishwasher in front of me. It's the 70s baby!

The Art of the Tart

2009-03-10T17:26:00.001-07:00

I love making tarts. They're so decadent and light at the same time. A fresh sweet handmade tart shell gently formed directly on a wood tabletop. Fresh, rich creme patissiere speckled with real vanilla bean. Today's fruit designed on top. What could be better, eh?

This one was created last week. What do you want on yours? :)

25th Anniversary Cake for the Pierces

2009-03-02T12:15:00.001-08:00

Friends and fans of Superfine Bakery, I humbly give you the first large cake to come out of Superfine. This cake was created for our friends, Tim and Patty Pierce, who recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary here in Sherman Oaks, California.

The cake was inspired by some Italianate wrapping paper Patty received with a gift. She showed me how she scanned the paper for use as the basis of the party invite, and we agreed that the fruit swags would look good on a cake (scroll down to see the original paper).

Details: On the 8" top tier, the swag was first painted onto the cake, then lemons, apricots, oranges and pears were sculpted out of marzipan, cut in half and gently attached in place using royal icing. A pastry bag and various tips made leaves, cherries, grapes and blueberries. All were finally highlighted with a touch of edible gold food coloring for that antique look.

The 12" base tier of the cake is accented with stylized acanthus leaves, molded with fondant, then painted and gold-gilded. To visually ground the pieces, gold dots were sparingly drawn directly on the cake around each 'leaf.'

The interior was a lemon cake flavored with lemon zest and lemon juice, then the frosting was a light orange buttercream making for a nice citrus flavor to echo the fruit on the exterior.

I had a ball making this cake, and most of all enjoyed watching everyone eat it! Here are some more angles for your viewing pleasure:

Shells from a Chocolate Sea

2009-02-10T11:36:00.001-08:00

I've been experimenting with chocolate lately trying to understand its behavior at different temperatures and how it blends with other materials like nuts and fruit. These are Valrhona chocolate shells I made yesterday -- today I'll try to color and mold some of the white and see what that looks like. These would be great on a cake for a seaside wedding, or tucked into a box as a favor.

Here's the full set including whites, milks, and the blends above:

Pastries for Princes

2009-02-08T10:09:00.001-08:00

Tonight Greg and I went to the home of Jen, Chris and Avery for dinner. Joining us were the lovely and talented Andrew, Tina and Hank (who is just finishing up a few things in Tina's belly before he arrives in the world). We offered to bring something, and when I heard we were on dessert duty, I rubbed my hands together like an evil villain.

Would I torture them with a large croquembouche? A super-detailed one-tier masterpiece? Maybe a chocolate overdose tucked inside an innocent-looking pecan pie?

No, they're friends, I thought. I need to do something for everyone...fruit and chocolate. Done.

Above is the dessert tray I ended up bringing to the house: Outrageous brownies with walnuts (Barefoot Contessa gets the credit here), fruit tarts (with lemon pastry cream), and choux puffs stuffed with vanilla pastry cream, topped with powdered sugar (yes, these are the croquembouche puffs).

Dinner was amazing (thank you Jen and Chris!) and the desserts went off without a hitch.

Schwag

2009-01-28T18:42:00.001-08:00

Alrighty, here she is: My first swag, created to look like the wrapping paper I uploaded a couple of posts ago (scroll down to see the paper, click the image here for a close-up of the work). And yes, Virginia, it's all edible.

I started to add gold dots to see what they might look like, but I think I prefer it without. I'm going to show it to the bride to get her opinion and go from there (Patty, if you're watching, feel free to weigh in with a comment here! :)

This one still needs gold-and-blue bows painted on top of the swag points, but all-around I'm pretty dang happy with it. Here are a few more photos, below. Remember people, I'm available for parties and will be here all month :).

Little Marzipan Lemons

2009-01-22T20:23:00.001-08:00

If anyone had told me how easy it was to make Marzipan fruit, I'd have started a long time ago. Here is evidence of my first attempt at it: Lemons. These are small, to fit the scale of the swag of fruit I'll have to make, but cute! Check out the pic of the whole tray including the template I'll be following: The fourth little lemon is camouflaged on the picture of the swag as a scale reference.

Marzipan Fruit

2009-01-22T10:50:00.001-08:00

Next challenge: reproducing this Italianate swag pattern on a cake with painting technique and marzipan fruit (click the image for a larger view). Have I ever done either? Well, no, but I'm painterly and have a good eye for what works and what doesn't, so I'm going to start doodling around with the fruit creation and painting this weekend.