Blogs | Bridal Buzz | In Good Taste
July 18, 2008
In Good Taste
By now, you all can probably tell that I have a little bit of a sweet tooth (ok, a “little bit” might be an understatement). That’s why I couldn’t wait to talk to Renato Poliafito, one of the founders of Baked, an up-and-coming bakery in Brooklyn that is all about how the cake tastes. Yes, a beautiful wedding cake is great, but to me, if it isn’t delicious then what’s the point?
Renato told me that he and co-founder Matt Lewis like to stick to the basics: classically styled buttercream cakes. This doesn’t mean their cakes are boring, though: They offer 22 different flavors, including some funky ones, like “Oopsy Daisy” (chocolate cake with peanut butter mousse and buttercream), “Caramel Apple” (“packed with apples” and frosted with sweet caramel buttercream), and “Aunt Sassy’s Pistachio Surprise” (pistachio-flavored white cake with vanilla honey buttercream and toasted pistachios).
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So how do you arrive at the perfect flavor? I asked Renato this, and he said that when he holds tastings with engaged couples, he likes to let them sample a selection of his “greatest hits,” as he calls it, which he brings out in the form of cupcakes.
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Renato always starts by giving the bride and groom samples of the basic white cake and chocolate cake. That way, once they taste the more complex flavors, they can better pick up on their subtleties. And Renato gets a good idea of what the couple likes and dislikes from the start.
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One of Renato’s own favorite cakes for weddings? The “Lemon Drop.” It’s a variation of the classic white cake, layered with lemon curd and topped with lemon buttercream. He says it’s a crowd pleaser because it’s not overwhelmingly lemony, but it still has a lot of flavor—“I am a chocolate guy, and I love this cake, so that says a lot,” he told me.
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Other popular requests include the red velvet cake and the “Sweet and Salty” (chocolate and salty caramel). Renato also told me that he’s been having a lot of requests for dessert tables of cupcakes for weddings.
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Baked also offers a “build your own” option for wedding cakes—if you have your heart set on something like “Strawberry Shortcake,” it could be pretty easily imitated by building your own cake with buttercream frosting and strawberry filling.
Now how’s that for having a cake that tastes as good as it looks?!
Posted by Isabel at 10:47 a.m.
yummy!
These look SO delicious!!
Posted By: Desiree
2008-07-18 8:23 AM
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