The Cakewalk

The Cakewalk at Modern Times last Saturday was a wonderful success. It was sweet, silly, interactive, rambunctious and eclectic. There were creamy cakes, vegan cakes, vegetal cakes, quadruple chocolate cakes, grandma's apple cakes, glazed cakes, frosted cakes and three tiered cakes!

Eggbeater made the famous Caramel Cake, but I experimented with  flavour combinations. I used these three frosting's:

1. Maldon salt flecked dark caramel mounted with creme fraiche.
2. 70% Chocolate ganache
3. Brown Butter and vanilla bean frosting.

What I liked about the top was that #3 was hiding under #2 and #1, so it was protected but also completely invisible.

In the middle layer I cut the top off the bottom layer so the three frosting's would absorb better into the cake and not mush out of the middle when I put on the top layer.

I'm new to making cakes. Well, ones that are big and round and stacked and pretty and American. (Sounds like a girl you may have dated, eh?)

I like the simplicity of them. How just looking at them cut open like this can bring back a million memories. The cakes spinning slowly in the diner case, cakes under domed glass, cakes on counters, birthdays, down home gatherings, state fairs, grandparents. Icons, these cakes.

And something came to me. If I were working at a restaurant that thought too much of itself to allow me to go out on my own and donate a cake to a local, political, 35 year old co-operative bookstore in The Mission District, I would not have had the opportunity to make an experimental cake just for the fun of it.

Here here to spontaneous cake walking all around!

Comments

[Garrett]

OMG, I lurvs me some cake, and I always heart a cake walk! We need one of those in Davis.

[Joe Fish]

Shuna,
Cake is done. I did my first basket weave on it, pics at omnivorousfish.com. I made it with a vanilla bean, I'll let you know how it came out after we sing happy birthday :-)

Fish

[Julie]

Gorgeous cake, Shuna. I know that your desserts range from the gloriously complex to the sweetly rustic -- but this cake combines both of these elements: the innovative layering of unusual icings in that evocative traditional-style layer cake. Oh for a slice! Being in NYC can be very frustrating, especially when one is longing to try that caramel cake.