Wedding Cake: Behind The Scenes

This past week, I had the opportunity to make a wedding cake for a co-worker. (A co-worker, its worth noting, I had never actually met until I was asked to make her cake.) Apparently, word of mouth played to my advantage when a friend/co-worker in the pastry department recommended me. I was happy to be involved. Gratefully, my work was willing to let me stay after my shifts to bake the cakes and do what I needed, so space was abundant and precious time was spared in the preparation of the cakes.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the process of a wedding cake, I'll run through my agenda of the week leading up to the cake. Gabi, the bride, wanted chocolate cake with German Chocolate filling and white buttercream frosting - enough to feed her 120 guests. I tend to stress over any and all details, so setting a schedule was key to avoid any unnecessary stress, so I had the week planned out in preparation for the wedding cake to be set up on Friday. Here were those plans:

SUNDAY:
Finalize Design Plans (Sketch out final ideas, determine items needed, etc.)

Gabi was looking for something simple, yet elegant that incorporated her colors of yellow and grey. She wanted something along these lines:

I felt that I would incorporate this design, add ribbon on the bottom of each tier and then accent the cake with real flowers (which would be provided by the florist). Her cake topper, as you'll see later, was an adorable rubber ducky bride and groom, so having both of the colors on the cake itself would be essential. 

MONDAY:
Make German Chocolate Filling 

An interesting task in itself because I have only made a relatively small batch of german chocolate filling previously... I multiplied the recipe by 10 (!) and hoped for the best. (The result was 8 quarts of filling and I used all but a couple cups of it by the time I was finished)

TUESDAY:
Morning: Costco/Michaels Run - buy ingredients for buttercream, Ribbon and accents for cake
Evening: Make Chocolate Cake Sheets (10 full sheet trays total)

Since this cake was going to be square, having sheets of cake makes the process very easy because you can just cut the sizes you need. I planned on doing 3 tiers, (16", 12" and 8"), and after measuring those sizes and roughly how tall I anticipated each tier to be (about 4 1/2 - 5" tall), I determined that 10 sheets would be more than enough. (I ended up using 8 sheets when all was said and done.)

WEDNESDAY:
Morning: Make Buttercream for cake (at home)
Evening: Build Cake and Crumb Coat

My idea was to take care of the larger messy projects at work where I would be able to utilize the space, then take care of finishing/decorating at home. As planned, I made the buttercream at home in advance, in anticipation for the decorating in the following days. At work I took care of building of the cake, which included cutting out the cake, building each cake (bordering each layer with buttercream and German Chocolate filling), and measuring each tier to make sure they were similar in height. Here is a picture of what the results of those steps were.

*Note: It should be noted that it was close to 1:30 a.m. at this point and I found myself missing my mom even more than I usually do. The coke in the picture was in honor of her - growing up, making wedding cakes and drinking coke go hand in hand and some traditions will never be broken. Not surprisingly, she was still awake when I sent her this picture that night by text and we were able to chat for a bit. Felt like old times making wedding cakes in the kitchen at home growing up...

I also "crumb coated" the cakes that night - which basically means that the cake has an initial layer of buttercream on the cake to hold all of the cake crumbs (or leaks in the filling) in place. This is essential when making a dark cake with a light frosting... Crumbs can be a nightmare.

THURSDAY:
Morning: Clear room in fridge for cakes, clean trunk of car (in preparation for transporting)
Evening: Pack up cake from work and take home
Night: Add buttercream to each layer to build sides

God bless us, everyone. This was my fridge after I unloaded the cakes... I was terrified that the shelves might not hold that center tier, but it all held up just fine. This also gives you an idea of the crumb coat concept... This was before I built up the sides with buttercream.

Getting my building on... And since I was in the moment, I wanted to experiment a little bit with methods of how to make the design work, so I took a little bit of time to experiment to make sure I had a solid plan.

After some hits and misses, I decided that I would use butchers twine to create the marks so that it would add some texture to the lines. I also oiled the silver ribbon at this point, which has become a new, but necessary, practice. The reason to oil the ribbon is because you are putting a piece of ribbon on an item that has fat (buttercream), which can leave the ribbon looking blotchy. If you add the oil the ribbon before hand, it will yield a consistent product and any surprises will be avoided. 

FRIDAY:

Morning: Decorate Cake, Add Supports and Ribbon

Finish by 1:00, pack up essential items, load all tools/back up items and cake in car

Set Up Cake, add final touches, etc.

Evening: Drinky Drink

Close up of the action... All the lines were hand placed with a small piece of twine. This took a bit longer than I expected, but the result was better than any other method. For the supports, I used poly-dowels as opposed to regular wooden ones... This seems to be more common in professional kitchens as opposed to the wooden variety. That being said, I have seen anything from wooden dowels to straws used, so I honestly feel it's just a matter of preference. These are sturdy for the heavy cakes, but very easy to cut so I tend to use them for stacked cakes. 

I brought every single one of these items in a bag... you never know when you are going to need a blow torch, right? Fun fact... I did! And that is why you pack every single item to get you out of a potential jam. (This brought me right back to the cake days with my mom... I even packed a wet hand towel like I always remember her bringing, for cleaning hands and tools.) 

And finally....

I transported each tier separately and stacked it at the venue. This task was a little intimidating since I was setting up in the middle of the room and everyone (florists, caterers, banquet waiters, etc.) were running around trying to accomplish their tasks. People were surprised I was by myself setting it all up... but in all honesty, this is where the skills my mom taught me with her cakes while growing up came into play. Some things they just can't teach you in culinary school... 

The delivery went well, but to add final touches proved to be a little more difficult because I didn't have any hot water to use to smooth rough patches. After several botched attempts to make things nicer, I succumbed to using my blow torch to heat my spatula and smooth edges down. Everyone was giving me the side-eye, but you do what you gotta do. (That's why you pack all the things you could EVER need in your bag, people... Expect the unexpected.) 

After placing the cake topper and flowers on the cake, then adding the votives around the edges, the cake was finished.

(I'm not usually a huge fan of cake toppers... I still can't see a Precious Moments or 'bride-dragging-groom' figurine without wincing, but this was adorable.)

The final product.

(And, as per schedule, I did grab a drink afterward... Once again, a coke (albeit, with some rum added to it to take the edge off...) An evolution in tradition...)

Smitha's Cake (and other fun projects)

Nearly two months have gone by... which included an entire summer semester (finished, as of today. Woot.) and some fun projects at work. I mentioned briefly in my last entry of my chef asking me to do another cake. Well, my friends (and more importantly, my mom) here is what the final product looked like.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing, garnished with gold dusted chocolate covered croquants and modern chocolate garnish 

Birthday Plaque  - Happy Birthday Smitha!

(.... Smitha?! No folks, that is not misspelled...)

A side sheet cake that is decorated similarly - For those who aren't aware, in many situations there is a presentation cake (in this case, the 8" round cake that is served to Smitha) and there is a side cake that is the one that is actually served to the guests. There were about 45 guests for this party - a full sheet sheet cake was a tad excessive, but I was just fulfilling the request!

In context... the smaller cake, next to the larger one.

In all honesty, I felt pretty good about this cake. I was able to maintain my style and adapt to what was expected from hotel standards and what my pastry chefs style was; I went home that night feeling pretty good about the final product. 

The next day, I came in to this:

WTF?! What's with the fruit? Who put the damn starfruit on the cake? A green candle?!! None of it seemed to mesh with the overall theme of a chocolate cake or the color pattern (white, gold, brown). I was upset until I realized that it was my chef that put the extras on the cake... Ugh. This situation was all too familiar from my Marriott days with one Ms. Mothra.

Here's another pic of the cake with a plate-up that was served to the guests. 

(Seriously... Starfruit?!?!)

I'm still trying to find a way to breathe through these type of experiences without feeling offended or upset. I take my work a little too personally, I suppose. But that is what passion is all about, right?

(((**Deep Breath, Pugmire...**)))

Exhale... 

and...

continuing on...

At any rate, here are some more pics of some work that has happened recently...

 Trio of desserts for a banquet - Strawberry Panna Cotta, Chocolate Lava Cake, Apple Cobbler

 There were 400+ of these desserts... I can't lie, there is nothing I love more than looking down the row and seeing this. Ahhhh.... the uniformity.... it is truly bliss.

A plate I decorated for guests having their first trip to Chicago... (I ended up putting our S'more dessert on it, but didn't grab a pic of it before the server snatched it up) For all of you non-Chicagoans, it is a play on Chicago's flag.

New plates and cake style design for celebration cakes... Modern, yet classy. I love it.

My first stab at an ammenity for a DePual Allumni. The DuPaul logo is on a piece of sugar and all of the garnishes behind it are also sugar pieces that I was made. Sugarwork, as fascinating as it is, is time-consuming and definitely a work in progress. 

This next project is pretty unique - it is a painters palette with a collection of seasonal sorbets:

Clockwise, the sorbets are: Yellow Watermelon, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, and Honeydew. All of those are on top of a 'palette' that is an edible cookie (similar to a fortune cookie), with a 'brush' made of chocolate and sugar and a mixture of sauces (peach and raspberry).

The final touches included some cubed watermelon (both varieties)

Ah... Lemon-Basil Sorbet. Nothing too special here; just delicious summer goodness.

Red Velvet Birthday Cupcakes!

 ...and finally, small tart cherries. Fun fact of my life is that I have never had them before. I saw them in the walk-in and I literally squealed "They look just like the video game cherries!"... Sad. I had no ideas that cherries could look like this. And they are delicious (this coming from a man who puts tart fruits at the very top of the favorites list). I would say I've made myself sick from eating them, but I have eaten more than I should and I am still loving every bite. This summer has been filled with stone fruit goodness and I have been loving every minute of it.

Aside from those adventures, there are more items coming up in the future. There will be a menu change (long overdue... we still have rhubarb as an element in one of the desserts... **blushes**... How embarrassing...) and I will be doing a wedding cake for a coworker. All this will be happening in the next few weeks, so updates are sure to be had. In the meantime, enjoy those summer fruits and we will be in touch soon.

*Tschüss!*

Lessons Learned/Lessons Learning

A few entries ago, I posted a picture of a cake that my chef and I made... I explained how I would elaborate later on why it was a collaboration and not one that I did on my own. Well, the explanation is this: My chef asked me if I had a good German chocolate cake recipe, and I told him I did. (Truth be told... I did not. I just wanted the opportunity to make a cake at the Four Seasons) Well, he asked me if I would make a cake in the coming days for a special order involving German chocolate. I happily told him  that he would have nothing to worry about. Days passed, and in the midst of those days, I found recipes online that I thought would be perfect. I tested some, adjusted them where I felt necessary, and then I made my own recipe and used it for the final product. 

It was delicious.

And the cake itself was very gorgeous. Unfortunately, my phone was on the fritz at the time and the picture I took didn't turn out. So here, once again, was the final product. 

Originally, I didn't have the flower or the banner and the center wasn't filled with the German chocolate filling. The middle was left with the plain ganache and I wrote 'Happy Birthday Carole' in dark chocolate and garnished it with a couple candied pecans, toasted coconut and chocolate pieces. I loved it, was proud of it and I felt it was very "me", as far as my style goes. 

Well... my chef didn't like it as much as I did. I came in the next day and saw that my cake had been added to. I didn't really understand why until my chef pulled me into the walk-in cooler to see the cake and explain. First off, I had written the message in dark chocolate and it was on a chocolate ganache; While you could see the writing, he wanted it to stand out more. Secondly, the cake was clearly meant for a woman, so he wanted the cake to reflect a more feminine appearance. He added the flower and the banner with the birthday message to take care of both of those issues. Other than that, he enjoyed the cake and thanked me for making it. Unfortunately after that experience, my chef didn't ask me to make any more cakes. 

I suppose I shouldn't have been as offended as I was, but I suppose humility is a good thing. My co-worker, who usually does all of the cakes (which have included a birthday cake for President Obama), has a very gorgeous style, and I decided to pay attention to what he does when he creates cakes. He has created his own combing tools...

*Side note: a combing tool is a small metal or plastic tool that you scrape along the sides of a cake after you have iced it for a pattern effect - much like this: 

Also, my co-worker keeps those concepts in mind at all times (the gender and age of the recipient, color contrast, patterns, etc) and it has become natural for him to create edible masterpieces in a moments notice. Over the past few months, I have been digesting his tips and advice and it has been a great experience learning from someone who has as much experience as he does creating cakes in a luxury hotel setting.

Gratefully, my chef asked me again today if I would make two cakes tomorrow for an event on Monday. FINALLY, the opportunity has come again to prove myself and I am excited for the opportunity to test out the knowledge I've gained over the past few months. Pictures and a description will follow...

In other news, I am realizing more and more that there are concepts and terms in the world of baking and pastry that aren't as familiar to people who don't work in the industry. Hell, even I sometimes scratch my head at some things in spite of the fact that I've been in the culinary field for a while... but, that is how you learn, right? Well, with that in mind, I came across journal-type entries of yesteryear of these types of terms I came across and wanted to share some over the course of the next few blog entries. There is always so much to learn in any field of work and it's really exciting for me to be able to continue to learn new things in baking and pastry as time moves on.

With that all in mind, I came across an entry that was written after someone asked me to make Chantilly Cream. Well ,at the time, I didn't know what exactly that was... here is what I wrote: 

"What is Chantilly Cream? I had a pretty good idea of what it was (since it’s what I make practically every day), but I was never certain of a specific name. Alas, this is the name of a sweetened whipped cream with the addition of vanilla. Here is an official definition: “Chantilly cream takes its name from the chateau of Chantilly outside Paris, where the famous chef Vatel worked in the mid-1800s. The only difference between Chantilly cream and sweetened whipped cream is the addition of vanilla in the form of sugar, powder or extract. Chantilly cream should have a light and fluffy texture and therefore should be made with heavy whipping cream rather than manufacturing cream, which has a higher fat content.”

It is also interesting to note that Chantilly cream must be refrigerated. It will break if left at room temperature for more than a short period.

I should never, ever have to question again what exactly Chantilly cream is."

And truth be told, I never forgot it. Hopefully you won't either... Feel free to use that little nugget of information to impress guests at your next dinner party (perhaps while serving it on top of a delicious dessert!)

Until next time!

Mother's Day

It has been over six months now at the Four Seasons... everything is still exciting, challenging, and fills me with a sense of passion. What can I say? I love what I do... We rarely have a dull moment and the hotel itself has been very busy lately - in fact, this week, I am working six days. With that in mind, the time that I have to write this is short, but I did want to quickly post some pictures of work, as well as some work I've been doing and some work that the pastry team has been doing. 

First of all, a unique item that I've never come across until recently:

The Kiwiberry

The Kiwiberry, from New Zealand, is about the size of a cherry tomato but has the same taste as a kiwi. There is no fuzzy exterior, so you can just pop them in your mouth (or, better yet, use them as an attractive garnish for a dessert) - these have a sweeter flavor, but are still tart and delicious.

These are a few pics of some celebration cakes I have done recently:

(This was for an employee, but I still had a blast making it.)

You may remember the S'more dessert from my last post? Well, one of our guests decided they wanted actual S'mores instead of our plated dessert - I was happy to oblige. 

I toasted all of the marshmallows on small skewers and served them on a smoked wooden plate, then paired it with the traditional Graham Crackers and Hershey's Chocolate (which I had melted under the heat lamp, so they were nice a gooey). The idea was that they would build their own and it was a huge hit. 

Speaking of S'more's, here is another play on the dessert for a small banquet event.

Same concept as our regular plated dessert, but paired with a blackberry sauce and blackberry compote.

Also, there was a menu change recently and this was one of the new changes...

A lemon chiffon cake with strawberry-rhubarb compote. It is topped with a white chocolate disc, with strawberries, rhubarb gel, whipped cream, edible flowers and a scoop of lemon-basil sorbet in the middle.

Last but not least, there was Mother's Day... the brunch (and preparation for it) was elaborate and over-the-top. I loved it all.

First of all was this zucchini cupcake (with caramel cream cheese frosting) that was served in a small terra cotta pot. All of the cupcakes were then topped with edible flowers...

(all of the cups were lined with white chocolate - this picture is of the preparation)

Here are some of the other wonderful desserts...

(Green Tea cream with chocolate glaze and mandarin-mango pearls)

(Grand Marnier Hazelnut Cake)

(Pistachio Raspberry cake with five-spice crumble)

(Cream Cheese Panna Cotta, Rhubarb Soup, Strawberry Gelee and candied strawberry)

(chocolate caramel tart with fleur de sel)

And finally, here are some pictures of the display:

All in all, preparation for it all was pretty intense, but more than worth it. 

More to come soon!