COURTESY OF DUCHESS OF CAMERON confection
PERFECTION
CAKE MASTERS CREATE WORKS OF ART THAT ARE JUST AS DELICIOUS AS THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL .
| BY ALLISON EMERY |
“ A party without cake is really just a meeting ,” said Julia Child . Whether it ’ s confetti-dotted , buttercream-frosted , layered or tiered , cakes are omnipresent in cultures across the world as symbols of celebration and merriment . But before fondant and edible adornments made their way atop the storied sweetmeat , cakes were much simpler in nature .
It ' s difficult to trace the exact source , but food historians believe cakes first originated from ancient Egyptians and were more breadlike and dense , baked upon hot stones , which allowed them to rise . Often sweetened with honey or made with dried fruit , seeds or wine , these early cakes paved the way for the ones we know and love today .
CURRENT CAKE CULTURE In more recent years , media phenomena like Netflix ’ s “ Is it Cake ?” and “ The Great British Baking Show ” have elevated cake into an art form . Hyper-realistic cakes , with designs that range anywhere from hamburgers to handbags , have gone viral on social media and shifted people ’ s perspectives on what a cake could be .
“ Cake isn ' t just a dessert anymore ,” says Grace ( Grey ) Pak , owner and founder of Duchess of Cameron , a high-end cake studio in New York City whose delectable designs have been featured on Food Network and on the tables of clientele like Tiffany & Co . “ It carries multiple functions : For example , it can be another visual element to add to the decor or be a standalone art form where the maker expresses themselves using cake as a medium .”
Pak says people ’ s expectations for cake are also changing for events like weddings , baby showers and birthdays . It ’ s no longer simply the end cap to a meal ; cakes are becoming the centerpieces , the ultimate experience and the statement for an event .
“ People respect and admire artistic expression and the craftsmanship of a handmade product — artistic cakes present both ,” she adds . “ And the more intricate and elaborate the cake , the better .”
GRAND CREATIONS The taste , scent and texture of food can be extraordinarily evocative , bringing back memories of not only eating the food but also of a particular place and time . For Claudia Martinez , executive pastry chef at Miller Union in Atlanta , that memory harkens back to the first cake she ever made while attending culinary school .
“ It was a spiced cake with pink cream cheese icing ,” comments Martinez , who was named a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist in the category of Outstanding Pastry Chef . “ I found that cake memorable because I didn ’ t know all the rules about how to make cakes , so I wanted to add color to it and cover it with nuts and different garnishes .”
While the cake didn ’ t turn out exactly as she hoped , it still serves as a reminder for her to continue exploring new styles of decorating , even if they don ’ t always go as planned . Now , Martinez has upped the ante from pink frosting to more refined ingredients , such as her passion fruit and white chocolate mousse cake . “ My motivation for baking was seeing the trend of mirror-glazed cakes with fun shapes and molds being used ,” she explains . “ I learned how to make cakes like this in Sweden and wanted to do one on my own . I love using passion fruit in cakes and the acidity it brings to a sweeter cake base .”
SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | SEA ISLAND LIFE 47