buttercream

Uncle George Turns 100

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Erica OBrien in birthday cake, buttercream, Featured | 3 Comments

My great-uncle George, my maternal grandfather’s brother, turned 100 on April 13th. The three cakes I made for his party were far from the prettiest or most technically challenging I’ve made, but they were very special because he is so very special. (He requested cheesecake and  strawberry shortcake–his two favorites. I’ve never made a strawberry shortcake, but how could I say no? Luckily Callan had an old  recipe. Cousin Steve requested a chocolate cake as well, so I made that too.)

In addition to having had an amazing life, Uncle George is the most spunky, energetic, full of life “fella” I’ll ever know. Nothing about him says “elderly”. He’s all wit and humor, speedy and quick, and still gets his drink on. (My grandfather, Milton, his brother, also lived until 100 and appreciated a good glass of gin on the rocks–daily–until he died last year.) As funny as George is, he is equally warm and loving and generous. He’s just one of those guys that everyone loves.

George has always been a great story teller (some of my favorite stories involve a neighborhood kid a few years older who bore no relation but was known affectionately as “Uncle Izzy”), but I was actually there for one of my most cherished George memories. It was about 10 years ago when George was 90 and I was teaching U.S. history at a high school in Queens. I asked Uncle George to come give a talk to my classes about his life. I hoped my students would enjoy it.

He started by telling them how he and his two brothers grew up in a tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. With no indoor plumbing, they had to go to public bath houses to bathe. They lived above a storefront, and the shop got a telephone long before they did. Friends would call the store and ask for George, and the shop owner would walk outside and shout up to his apartment, “George! Phone call for you!” George would come down and take the call. When George was about ten, they moved to the Bronx. One day George and a few buddies ditched school to go to Yankee Stadium and see Babe Ruth play. In World War II, he was in the Army stationed in Italy. And during the cold war, he and his wife Nettie traveled to Soviet Russia to visit her family.

The students–my inner-city students with their hard-as-nails New York exteriors–were riveted. They listened intently the entire time. I was so proud. At the end of his talk, I asked if there were any questions, and all their hands went up. Now I was bursting with pride. I probably should have seen it coming, but every single question shared a common theme:

“Were you naked in the bath houses?”

“Were women allowed?”

“Did you all bathe together?”

I was horrified, but George didn’t miss a beat, patiently answering all their questions with a respectfully straight face. If you knew him, you would expect nothing less.

George’s 100th birthday party was wonderful. Family and friends flew in from as far as Los Angeles and Israel to be there. Over 50 people were there.

First, the invitation:

george invite

George and two of my second cousins. Yup. He’s 100. Note the cocktail in his hand.

george photo

George founded a spiral binding company many years ago. The strawberry shortcake below features an edible version of the Spiral Man logo (left) that George designed.

spiralYankees, of course.

george cake 1

The three cakes. Cheesecake in the middle.

george 3

George, you are more than an inspiration to everyone that has ever had the pleasure of knowing you. You are the patriarch of our family, someone we all respect, admire, and love. Happy 100th Birthday to you.

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Why Have a Wedding Cake?

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Erica OBrien in buttercream, for the baker, for the bride | Leave a comment

The wedding cake is the most recognizable symbol of a wedding. It’s what beer is to baseball, what Elvis is to rock and roll, what rice is to sushi. A wedding just isn’t a wedding without the wedding cake. It’s the first thing people notice at a wedding (okay, maybe that’s just me, but still it’s important) and the thing they’ll remember most (again, probably just me).

Occasionally, I hear about a bride who decides not to have a wedding cake. Sadly, I understand completely. I’ve been to many weddings where the cake–cloyingly sweet with gloppy filling and crunchy buttercream–just gets pushed around the plate once it’s served, only to be tossed out like some used up napkin. I freely admit that I’m a cake snob, and unless I made it, I rarely eat the cake at a wedding. Sure, I’ll try it, just to see what it tastes like, but in the end, I’d rather not waste the carbs on something that’s not appealing to me. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the cake looks. If it doesn’t taste good, it’s a failure for me. Cake can be a hard sell. Many clients come to me with the typical bakery cake in mind, made with greasy shortening that leaves a film on the roof of your mouth and powdered sugar that crunches between your teeth. Some even let me know upfront that they don’t like cake. Before their tasting appointment, I’ll get an email that reads something like, “And just so you know, I hate buttercream.” Obviously, they’ve never tasted real buttercream–the French kind made with egg yolks, sugar, and butter, the kind that I make. Even traditional American buttercream that’s made with real butter still has the powdered sugar crunch. The sugar in French buttercream is cooked till it dissolves, so there is no crunch, only sweet, velvety, buttery yumminess. I always include a few buttercream flavors, even if the client doesn’t want one, just so I can see their surprise when they taste it. I’ve never had a client who didn’t like it. Ever. And my cakes? Made with real butter, all from scratch, and with high-end ingredients, they taste nothing like the cake they’re used to. I’ve built my reputation converting my clients and their guests from cake haters to cake lovers.

Why should you pay for a cake that no one is going to eat? The answer is, you shouldn’t. If you want your guests to eat the cake, it better taste good. But be advised that good taste comes with a price. Sure, you can get a less expensive cake, but in all likelihood it will have less expensive, and therefore less palatable, ingredients. If you don’t care what it tastes like, that’s fine, but if taste is a concern for you, be prepared to pay. Think about how much you would expect to pay for a good dessert at a restaurant. Now factor in the time spent for the designers’ expertise, the labor spent decorating the cake, delivery and set up, and that’s how much you’ll pay per person. Our cakes begin at $7 per serving. Some of the top designers in the industry charge as much as $20 per person.

Remember, you don’t have to give up on cake just to serve a delicious dessert. Your cake should be the delicious dessert. To ensure that it is, make a lot of appointments with different bakers. Almost every cake baker is happy to offer a complimentary consultation. Be sure to schedule a lot of tastings before you decide to work with a cake designer. Don’t get your heart set on a specific baker before you taste his cakes. At your consultation, taste the cake and fillings separately and together. They should both stand on their own but also pair well. Ask your baker lots of questions, and don’t forget to ask if he or she uses real butter. And lastly, don’t leave your guests wondering where the cake is.

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Readers’ Questions Answered

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Erica OBrien in buttercream, fondant, for the baker, freezing cake, process | 6 Comments

When I first launched my blog, I really wanted it to serve as a resource for bakers and brides, but it seems I have less and less time to document my process. That said, when a reader emailed with the following questions, I thought the least I could do is answer them here.

1. Should baked cake layers, unfilled, ever go in the freezer? I read conflicting opinions. If not, how early should I bake the cake layers?

You are absolutely right: There are conflicting opinions. I have a friend who swears she can taste a frozen cake a mile away. I also know a very well-respected cake designer who freezes her unfilled cakes after she bakes them. I’ll admit that my younger self may have even frozen a cake or two, but I would never do it now. For me, optimal taste and freshness are just as important as design, and I won’t compromise my culinary integrity by freezing a cake. I just can’t chance it.

So, here’s my timeline. Let’s assume I am making a fondant-covered cake for a Saturday wedding. I would:

  • Bake my cakes as late as possible on Thursday afternoon and allow to cool for two hours
  • Fill and crumbcoat on Thursday as soon as my cakes have cooled
  • Refrigerate crumbcoated cakes until firm, then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
  • Early Friday, ice again with buttercream and refrigerate until firm
  • Once firm, cover in fondant and refrigerate (yes, I refrigerate my fondant-covered cakes) until ready to decorate

 

Remember that fondant firms up and seals in the cake’s freshness. If I were using buttercream, I wouldn’t bake a cake for a Saturday wedding until Friday morning.

2. What is your favorite type of buttercream to use? Does one stand up in the heat best? I’ve been using Swiss meringue buttercream and it started melting at wedding.

My favorite type of buttercream is classic French buttercream. I use Rose Levy Berenbaum’s recipe from The Cake Bible, and it is absolutely heavenly. It does not, however, do well in the heat. I actually find that Swiss meringue buttercream is more stable, and does better in high temperatures. Still, I always recommend fondant because of its stability. Clients are often surprised by how pleasant fondant tastes–I always try to offer a fondant sample at my tastings–and since fondant firms up, guests who don’t like the taste or texture can easily peel it off. Also, because of the way wedding cakes are cut in concentric circles (see diagram below), only the servings on the outside ring will get fondant on the top and the sides. Slices from the inner circles will only have fondant on top.

If a client insists on buttercream–and some do–it is important that they know about any possible issues with melting. I have it written into my contract that it is the client’s responsibility to ensure that the cake is kept in a cool area away from direct sunlight.

I really enjoy hearing from readers, and am happy to answer all your questions, so keep ‘em coming. Best of luck in all your baking ventures.

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The Buttercream Debate

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Erica OBrien in buttercream, cake design, Cricut cutter, for the baker, wedding cake | 7 Comments

I recently read this quote by Kerry Vincent, director and co-founder of the annual Oklahoma Sugar Art Show (also known for her role as the super uptight judge of the Food Network Cake Challenge): “We MUST preserve the art of buttercream. There are too many people who push some material in a mold, slap it on a cake and think that makes them a cake decorator.”

Ouch.
I shudder to think what Ms. Vincent would have to say about the recently released Cricut Cutter for cakes (pictured at left). According to their website, “[t]he Cricut Cake™ Personal Electronic Cutter is specifically designed for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and confections in no time at all. Just choose a shape, a size, and press ‘cut’. Decorating like a professional has never been faster or easier. Bon Appetit!”
There is an ongoing discussion on the Cake Central forum about whether the Cricut Cutter will render professional cake designers obsolete. Leah S. posted the following: “I think [the Cricut Cake™] is the worst thing that has happened to caking ever. It is destroying the creativity and artistry of what we do.”
Another perturbed cake designer wrote “If everything is made by machine or mold, where does the talent come in?”
Me? I’m not worried. Lot’s of people think cake design is easy. Indeed, a well-designed, well-executed cake can look deceptively simple. But think back to the first cake you made. I bet it didn’t look at all like the cakes you see on TV. I like what costumeczar posted on the Cake Central forum: “Just because you cut the shape out with a machine doesn’t mean the cake will look good. There will be plenty of cakes that look like a monkey iced them with cricut shapes slapped on…Cakewrecks, watch out!”
Pablo Picasso, perhaps the best known artist of our time, was actually a classically trained artist. His earlier work bore little if any resemblance to his later work. Although plenty of people look at Picasso’s later work and think they could easily replicate it, his early works show his technical capabilities.
And a more recognized Picasso, Self-portrait (1907):
For me, fondant is to buttercream what is digital is to film. They say that to truly understand digital photography, you have to first understand the nuances and technical aspects of film. Same is true for cake. Fondant won’t correct a flawed cake. The cake designer must first ice the cake perfectly smooth with buttercream.
When I started cake decorating 15 years ago, I worked exclusively with buttercream, and I was damn good at it. Today, I work almost exclusively with fondant. And you know what? I love it. I don’t care what Kerry Vincent says.
I’ve seen plenty of fondant cakes that lack artistry, but I’ve seen a lot of buttercream cakes that lack artistry too. I don’t think the medium determines the inherent artistic value. Working with buttercream is certainly a skill, but so is design. Skill with a piping bag does not necessarily translate into a well-designed cake. A beautiful cake employs both the mechanics and the design.
I’m excited about the new Cricut Cutter. I love the idea of adding new techniques to my repertoire and the endless design possibilites. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see a buttercream backlash in which buttercream becomes trendy all over again. That’s fine. I’ve got my piping bags all ready.
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