Today, in New York City, hundreds of couples will tie the knot.  And they will not take this hard earned victory for granted.  I couldn’t have been happier to have been asked to contribute just a small part to the festivities.  In celebration of the 150 couples getting hitched today at the LGBT Center in Manhattan, Sugar Couture sent them a wedding cake.

Nontraditional cake for an nontraditional wedding… my very favorite kind.   I wish them all much love and happiness as they move forward on their adventures together.

Check out the entire article, along with downloadable projects at Hostess with the Mostess.

Photo courtesy of Stefanie Schiada.

And what better to talk about for this semi-inaugural post, than inspiration.

At some point during every class I teach, someone tells me, with a certain authority, that they are not creative.  And this shocks me every time.  Creativity is built into our DNA.  It’s a survival tool, mentally and physically.  Every little detail we figure out to make our days easier, fuller, happier, is an unrecognized creative endeavor.  Rather than a special talent, creativity is a muscle,  and inspiration is its exercise.

I have a policy of not copying other’s cakes.  I avoid this for so many reasons…  I’m not the original creator, so my cake would never look like an exact replica anyway.   Something made for someone else, is not something special just for you, and you are the real inspiration.  So when a client comes for consultation, I ask that they don’t bring photos of other cakes. Once its out there, its so hard to move away from a beautiful design and create something new.  But that doesn’t mean inspiration is limited…  instead, it opens the door for it to be pulled from absolutely anywhere.

When you’re thinking of your cake, especially your wedding cake, the inspiration should come from the hundreds of little choices you’ve already made.  There is delicious detail in the dress, colors, flowers, invites, not to mention your personal style, a special secret between the two of you….  Almost anything.

Of course its great to look at cake photos… it will help you figure out what you like, and don’t like and be a great starting point for a cake conversation. But they can also be limiting, as though that is all that is available to you.    When I started making cakes, of course I looked at and was inspired by other cakes, but while so many of them were beautiful, I didn’t find myself in them.  So I stared looking everywhere else.  Once you open your eyes to the constant inspiration all around you every day, its impossible not to find it.  It’s a way of looking at the world, and it makes the beauty shine a bit brighter in everything you see. Its in the wrought iron of a beautiful railing, in the leaves of the trees, in the contrasting pattern and texture of a strangers outfit.

This cake is all about the inspiration.   Chris came to me for a cake for his partner’s birthday.  He didn’t know what he wanted exactly, but he knew his partner liked Paris, Art Nouveau, Antonio Gaudi, and science fiction.  As we brainstormed together, we thought of Jules Verne.  As the process continued it came out that the guest of honor had also studied film in Paris…. and then it all came together for me.  It made me think of one of the very first films made.  A French film called A Trip to the Moon, and it wrapped up Paris, Science Fiction and Jules Verne, and easily hinted at the Gaudi.  All of this inspiration culminated into this sketch…

And after a bit more client consultation, this sketch became this cake…

If there is one thing I’ve truely learned over the years of making cakes, is to trust the creative inspiration.  It may not take you where you expect, but it will get you there and what a great ride it will be.

The design process has a lot of  back and forth, give an take that has a few false starts, lots of nos, many yeses, and finally together we stumble onto your cake.  My favorite part of a wedding cake consultation is when I hold up the photo and say, is this your cake?  And it is. And we both know it.  It’s yours, and no one else’s.

So when you’re dreaming up your wedding or party, think less about what has been done before, and more about all the things you love.  As you focus on that, it all becomes clear.

But then in your next life…(or on facebook) you can sometimes cross creative paths again. And this is how I reconnected my cake life with the fabulous Yale Gurney. A million years ago, Yale was a production assistant on a documentary about modeling that I produced, working on his own film career. Now, in his second life, he’s a brilliantly talented photographer. Its fun to discover your talents can stretch further than you ever knew. (who knew I could carve cake???) One of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned is that if you trust yourself to do your best, you’ll always be surprised by what you’re capable of.

Yale’s photographs are rich and soulful. He’s equally adept with still life, portraits, has a keen eye for documentary, and capturing a moment. Lucky for me, he was able to lend his talents to one of my recent favorite cakes. For her 40th birthday at Lucky Strikes in Manhattan, Lauren wanted a cake that was all about her… and Lauren is all about shoes. And travel. And glamourousness. And shoes. So her birthday cake was as fabulous as she is, and photographed on scene by the talented Yale Gurney. I’m thrilled to be able to share his photos with you. Everything you see is edible, make up, jewels, blackberry, shoe heel, passport… everything is sugar paste, and even the oreo packet, which contained real oreos!

Check out his web site and behind the photo blog for glimpses into the back stories.
www.yalegurney.com
http://yalegurney.com/blog/

Today’s wedding favors can be almost anything, but so often these well meant tokens end up in a drawer, until, lets face it, you get up the courage to toss them out. The best way to avoid the guilt and the clutter is an edible favor. Whether they gobble them up on the car ride home, or savor them the next day, edible wedding favors conjure up wonderful memories of the day, and satisfy a sweet tooth.

While most of my hours are spent in cake creations, for me favors can be a welcome creative diversion. I love the challenge of coming up with just the right idea for each couple.

Stacey and David are avid scrabble players, and they wanted something special that their guests would enjoy, but would make them grin with recognition at their long term passion. So with this inspiration, Sugar Couture created scrabble board cookie favors, 6″ across, with “DAVID AND STACEY LOVE U” spelled out on the board. Wrapped in beautiful bow tied boxes, their guests treasured the thoughtful gift as they made their way through the huge cookie!

For an elegant wedding at the Plaza, a long time client and wedding planner ordered mini chocolate boxes, with two blossom chocolates in each box. The white chocolate treats were sprinkled with pink peppercorn centers, and filled with a luscious candied ginger ganache. Each box had a bow in a matching ribbon color and a label with the couple’s name and date.

One of my favorite favor options we make are our edible escort cards… delicious sugar cookies with an edible image to correspond to the event decor. Each guests’ name is printed on the cookie, along with their table number. Functional and surprising.

Of course monogrammed cookies, luscious salted caramels and chocolate truffles are always good traditional options. Mini cakes are a decadent and truly special treat. Packages of cookies made from a cherished family recipe is a smart and sentimental gift to send home with your friends and family. The options are limitless and are inspired by the wedding design and couples personal tastes.

So when Matt and Natalie sent me these gorgeous photos the other day, I had to catch my breath when I opened the email. This is a cake I delivered myself, and when I left it there, all lonesome in the middle of a huge room, against the back drop of massive windows, looking out to the city skyline, I definitely felt the room engulfing what now seemed to be this puny little cake. I felt a little sad that it wouldn’t be able to stand up to the show. But I was doing what I often council my couples not to… I was looking at it out of context! Its a whole different cake I see sitting before the beautiful couple, with the cheeky little guy sticking his finger into it, lit gloriously by the setting sun over Manhattan…. Suddenly this cake seems so much more than what it was when it left my hands. Matt and Natalie added that glow in the room that positively lit up that cake. Thanks to them for sharing this moment with me and teaching me, once again, the important lesson of context.

Ever wanted to know how my lovely seating card cookies were made? DIY for that, along with edible cookie menu cards and corresponding table cake numbers can be found in the latest issue.

Thanks so very much to the lovely and ultra talented Lauren Hawkins of Lauren Hawkins Design who contributed her amazing talent to this project. She designed these cookie backgrounds, menu templates and gorgeous table runner. Lauren is a graphic genius and brilliant collaborator, who gets it right every single time.

So check out Nonpareil to read about my cookies, and drink up all the other brilliant inspiration in its pages!

And of course, the beautiful week is followed up by the seventh or ninth or seventy ninth heatwave of the year, and so my dreams were set aside for a few more weeks. But since my oven is perpetually on, I thought I’d share a perfect in between season sweet, and hold a contest for the perfect baking molds for them, courtesy of the lovely people at cookware.com!

Financiers are just the most lovely of cakes. They are loaded with rich brown butter, and lightened by the addition of powdered sugar. Hearty, soft and delicate they also can pack in a lot of flavor, pretty much anything you choose. Inspired by a flavor combination I fell in love with on a trip to Belieze, these treats are bursting with coconut and bathed in a delicious banana chocolate ganache. These cakes are endlessly versatile. They can be baked in one large round or in adorable individual molds. The best part yet… extra batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, making freshly baked dessert available to you at a moments notice.

And to make these beautiful babies just as adorable as they can be, I’m giving away two silicone baking mold sheets from cookware.com. To enter, leave a comment under this post about your own autumn inspired culinary fantasies by 5pm Friday, September 3, 2010 and I’ll pick a winner, and announce them on Tuesday, September 7th.

For the Financiers:
(Inspired by a recipe by Sherry Yard)

8 oz or 2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 cup coconut flour (Bob’s Red Mill is one brand)
3/4 cup cake flour
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8 egg whites at room temperature
1/2 tsp natural coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium high, and cook it until the milk solids start to brown. Watch it carefully to prevent it from burning. Like caramel, its really easy to go from brown deliciousness, to burnt as you blink. Its also best to use a lighter colored pot for this, so you can see the transformation. Set the butter aside to cool for at least a half hour. If the butter is too hot it will ruin the cakes, so definitely let it sit but don’t refrigerate it either. It needs to stay liquid.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pans you’re using by spraying with pan spray, or butter and flour them. Silicone pans shouldn’t need more than a quick spray.

To amp up the flavor of the coconut flour, add it to a pan on the stove and toast it over high heat, stirring constantly to keep it toasting evenly and avoid burning it. It just takes a few moments to turn a warm toasted color. Let this cool. Sift the cooled coconut flour, cake flour and sugar and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer, and mix with the paddle attachment to combine. Combine the egg whites and extracts. Add this all at once to the flour mix and set to medium speed, mixing for 3 minutes.

Add the cooled butter all at once, scrapping down all those delicious brown bits, and mix for another 3 minutes. To make it easy to put into the individual sized pans, I transfer the mix to a pastry bag (plastic bag with the end cut off works just fine too) and fill the sections about 3/4 of the way up. Bake at 350 until just barely golden and set to to the touch… or the top bounces back when you touch the center of the cakes. I know you want times, and I’m sorry that I can’t provide them… every oven is different, pan size, type etc can all add or subtract from timing, so the best indicator to start to watch them is your nose. When you start to smell that delicious coconut flavor, its time to keep a close eye. You’ll be a better baker for it. Trust me.

When done, move them to a cooling rack, and unmold as soon as you can safely touch them.

The sauce:

4 oz heavy cream
4 oz best quality chocolate
1 large banana
1/8 tsp salt

Turn oven to 375. Poke banana a few times with the tip of a knife. Place it in the center of the oven and roast it until black…about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. If your bananas are very ripe, you can skip this step.

Heat cream in a small sauce pan till boiling. Pour boiling cream over chocolate and let this sit for 5 minutes. Then whisk this until the cream and chocolate combines fully, into a shiny chocolate mixture. Put the banana and salt into the bowl of the food processor… process until smooth, then add the chocolate and process until fully combined and smooth.

Pour the chocolate cream on the plates, and place the cake on top. If you’d like to make the garnish, take another banana, slice it and dip the slices into granulated sugar. Use a kitchen torch to brule the sugar. If you don’t have a torch handy, you can do this in a broiler, watching it carefully to prevent burning. Let them cool before touching them, then place on the tops of your cakes.

When I moved to New York, I was sure that my city lifestyle (and SUPER small apartment) was no place for craftiness. Thought it was uncool. But always the creative type, I headed to film school. I thought I would make films. I did make films, but while I was, I was also dabbling in photography, furniture building, mosaics, candles, late night baking, pretty much anything creative I could think of. There was a need to MAKE something, no matter what it was. My husband Jay defines the periods by how they affected him… glass in his feet in the mosaic days, gaining 10 pounds when I started making pies. (ok not really, he never gains weight ever, no matter how much sugar and left over cake I feed him. Hate him.)

I had no idea at the time that I was in training… turns out that all of those skills have at some point been useful in my cake journey. I know how to build things, create things, Make things. (thanks Mom) But what I think sometimes makes my work different from the other brilliant, talented cake people, is that I see things in scenes. And another perk of this choice of career is that I get to photograph my creations. No doubt my skills have grown since that very first creation, both in cake and in photography, but I still look forward to that moment after the cake is done when I get to set the background and the lights and capture the moment. My goal is not just to make a cool cake, but to set a scene and to convey a feeling in it, just like a shot in a film should, to tell their story in images. And just like people, some cakes photograph wonderfully, look gorgeous, and others… well, lets just say they have a great personality.

In cake, and photography, its all in the details… And as in film, rather than tell you my interpretation, I’d rather hear yours.

Val was a lovely young bride, and I adored her from the moment I met her. After four months of preparations and a few last minute changes, we came upon the big day… or from my point of view big week. On Friday we delivered a bright red Ferrari for her to surprise her groom at the rehearsal dinner, and on Saturday came the big wedding cake.

While every cake is no doubt an expression of me in some way, certain cakes I just can’t wait to make, knowing somehow they will be a moment or transition of sorts for me, artistically speaking. Val’s wedding cake was one of them. The original design called for some hot pink rosettes that matched the brides dress, covering a ball shaped cake, and a teal blue base cake that the ball sat on top of. But in the final weeks, Val had second thoughts about the blue. We rethought the original design, took away the blue but kept her favorite part, the varied colored rosettes. And I’m so glad we did. Generally I’m a fan of the theory, first thought, best thought, but this cake ended up being so much more elegant by keeping the white an pink tones, and eliminating the more intense blue. The other version would have been wonderful too, but this cake expressed joy much louder than the other version.

What I didn’t anticipate was exactly how long those rosettes would take! There must have been hundreds, and what I thought I could whip out in record time, became hours and hours of rolling gum paste. But so worth it.

I’m so thankful for all my visionary brides that challenge me every day to stay on my creative toes, and always find a way to something new.
Congratulations Val!