I Am Thankful For... Cake

And for my family, friends, and health, of course! But I would be lying if I didn't say that a large portion of this Thanksgiving was spent baking, frosting, decorating, and thinking about cake. Thankfully, it all turned out pretty well. I made a three layer pound cake with homemade lemon curd in between the layers. It's frosted in a vanilla Swiss buttercream and the flowers on top are real and edible!

Cupcake -- The Perfect Little Cake

I went to an Indian Restaurant in Palo Alto today, and when I was done dining, I asked the waiter if he knew of any good cupcake places. He looked at me like I was crazy. "Cake? In a cup? That sounds very strange!" I had never thought of cupcakes as exotic before.

The other day, I found a giant Japanese Kabocha pumpkin at the Farmer's Market. I roasted it, pureed it with some sugar and spices, and created some cute little cakes topped with vanilla buttercream icing and edible flowers.

If you're planning a party, or just need some sweet snacks, think about ordering some cupcakes. Email me at katiespastries@gmail.com!

To the Patron Saint of Pastry...

This cake is named "Saint Honoré" after the Patron Saint of Pastry and Bakers. Saint Honoré, who was also the Bishop of Amiens, lived in Northern France during the sixth century. The cake is a brisée dough at the base, encircled with a ring of pâte a choux , and filled with a special "Chiboust Cream." (For you history buffs out there: This Chiboust Cream filling, which is a Pastry Cream stabilized by gelatin and lightened by Meringue, is named after Chef Chiboust who had a pastry shop on rue Saint Honoré in the 1840s.) Then, individual cream puffs, dipped in caramel, are placed around the top of the cake like a shining crown. Chantilly (or whipped cream) fills in as the "ruffles" of the crown.

The Smallest Mini-Wedding Cake Yet

Tonight I accomplished it! I made the smallest wedding cake I have ever seen in my life! The largest layer of the cake -- the base-- is just a hair over 2 inches, and the top tier is under 1 inch in diameter. It is frosted in Buttercream and decorated with Royal Icing and Pearl Candies. When Honey (our baby bunny rabbit) posed near it, it looked even too small for her! But it was cute. I say was because most of the cake has already been eaten by a certain someone with an amazing sweet tooth...

Gluten-Free Cake!

I've been asked more than once, since living in the Bay Area, to make a gluten-free cake. With Celiac Disease seemingly more and more common -- and people just becoming generally more sensitive to wheat products -- gluten-free seems like an important path to follow. I've been researching and experimenting, and tonight's cake turned out... well... delicious! I was shocked!

The photo of my creation from this evening is an honest-to-goodness gluten-free wedding cake: Pound Cake surrounded by a Swiss Buttercream frosting (lightly "zested" with some fresh lemon and grapefruit) and decorated with my Dark Chocolate Ganache. I didn't think it could happen.. but what can I say? ... Gluten-free Cake? Yes We Can!

I know I have some special, newly-engaged, friends who will be interested in this discovery.

If you have any need or want for some gluten-free cake in your life, email katiespastries@gmail.com! I'm happy to customize frosting flavors and decoration styles.

Wedding Cake Weekend

So some hip 24-year olds who live in this rockin' city head to the Mission for Tapas, or maybe hit some bars on Divisadero, or perhaps grind all night at a favorite dance club on any given Saturday night. I, on the other hand, spent this weekend in the kitchen baking, frosting, and decorating yet another mini-wedding cake. Alas... I just always seem to miss the "hip-train." But as everything is relative, I think it turned out to be a pretty exciting weekend -- Instead of the traditional white wedding cake, I went chocolate brown! This is a classic vanilla genoise cake with layers of homemade raspberry jam, frosted in a rich dark chocolate ganache.

Mini Wedding Cakes

I've always been a little bit obsessed with wedding cakes. Well, let's be real... VERY obsessed with wedding cakes. There's something about the multiple tiers of cake, the ridiculous abundance of fluffy frosting, and the elaborate decorations that just mesmerizes me. Sometimes it's a visceral negative fascination: "How could anyone possibly think that red frosting bows are classy on a pastel, fondant-covered cake with fake pillars holding up each layer??" But more often than not, it is in admiration that I oggle the decadent dessert we call the wedding cake. In fact, I am hoping to one day be a professional wedding cake maker (!). This weekend, I made my very first attempt -- a practice wedding cake... mini-size. My skills need some major development, but the project was fun, the cake delicious, and the minature nature of the whole thing... just plain cute. If you have any need for a mini-wedding cake (ahem, my newly engaged friends), drop me an email.

The Beauty of Meringues

Meringues might be one of the most amazing discoveries in pastry history. Who would ever guess that 2 runny little egg whites -- quite unfortunately mucous-like in nature -- could transform into silky, shiny, gorgeous peaks of sweet white decadence three times their original volume? And the only magic needed for this fairy-tale-like like transformation is some form of sugar and a whole ton of whipping. Amazing. We are learning about all sorts of meringues -- from Swiss, to Italian, to French Meringue -- they each have slight variations in how you add the sugar and whether or not you bake them. But they are all fascinating. Stay tuned.. Later this week, I'll be making delicious meringue cookies with a layer of chocolate ganache in the center... A sweet sandwich, if I ever tasted one!

Pastry of the Week: Biscuits!

A delicious, flaky, buttery biscuit... does it get any better? Warm it up in the oven, cut it open, watch the steam rush up, slap a little jam inside... the perfect breakfast! Or... Try one of my bacon, cheddar, scallion biscuits -- a meal all on its own! Email me if you are interested... 

Custards, custards, custards

Who knew that eggs could be so versatile? And delicious? Turns out, almost everything creamy and rich is actually just egg yolks and sugar. Wow! Bad news for the cholesterol, but interesting. We experienced a whole week of the custard spectrum... from "Floating Islands" (an old, traditional French dessert -- "Oeufs A La Neige"), to Mocha Pots de Creme, to Ice Cream (Yes, it's actually just a custard... frozen), to Creme Brulee (Using a torch is awesome!), to Honey Parfaits with fancy macerated fruit compote, to Flan, to Souffles! I don't even want to think about how many eggs I cracked this week... And then consumed. Sorry, Doc!

Pastry School Begins!

Oh the bounty! Pastry School is turning out to be beyond my wildest, sweetest dreams! We have an amazingly talented and kind teacher and a fabulous group of Pastry-Chef-to-be's. The atmosphere is teamwork-oriented and incredibly supportive... no culinary competitiveness here! So far we've worked on all sorts of fancy cookies, fruit tarts, chocolate ganache, pate a choux (cream puffs and eclairs), and lemon meringue tarts. It's a whirlwind, but in our 4-hour sessions, we sure do create (and taste) quite a spread of lovely desserts. I'm learning so much about technique -- the academic nerd side of me is constantly being fed -- and I'm loving it!

Pastry of the Week... Katie's Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello San Francisco! After a boat, a bus, two planes, and a shuttle... I have returned to the West Coast. Aside from the offensive airport food offerings, the trip went pretty well -- with one exception...

Taylor very kindly offered to stow a few of my things in his carry-on.. (since my bags were already packed with essentials like Sea Salt made in West Tisbury and spatulas galore). I swiftly slid through the Security Check, but Taylor did not.

The "Authorities" asked Taylor to open his bag so they could inspect it. Taylor diligently sifted through and presented all the items in the bag until the source of suspicion revealed itself. I overheard the guard say, "Really?! We saw it go through the scan and thought it was chocolate... but we just couldn't believe it." The guard then swiped our 10 pound block of delicious dark chocolate with a bomb check just to make sure before sending us on our way -- chuckling to himself as we continued on to our gate.

Mary Beth had sent me back with this heavy and decadent gift so I could begin to make my own chocolate chips for my cookies. Rest assured, this chocolate is as good as it gets. Order some chocolate chip cookies this week to check it out for yourself!

Before Pastry School Begins

Currently I am on Martha's Vineyard Island spending some quality time with my family at their summer home. Even though Pastry School doesn't start for me until September 29th, my four-year-old assistant baker and I are hard at work keeping ourselves in practice. Together we made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting -- A tried and true toddler favorite (even though Grampy ate more slices than anyone else). 

Point of the story: Though this first Post has nothing to offer in the way of San Francisco pastry deliveries... I just want to let you all know that I, with the help of my nephew, am gearing up for a great, and extremely sweet, Fall of baking.