Made to Order:
Custom Cakes BY ADRIANNE LOVRIC
Sweet Cocoa Butter Cakes
SWIRL Cakeology
A
Cake and Chocolate
s a kid, my experience with cake was limited to birthday parties, where cakes were either slab or ice cream. The fanciest cake I could name was Black Forest. That all changed once I started accompanying my young children to birthday parties. Cakes were no longer the standard transition to the gift opening portion of the party. They were presented as showstoppers — appreciated and enjoyed, by kids and adults alike, for their unique designs and flavour combinations. What happened to the days of fighting over a corner piece of grocery store cake with extra icing?
16 Culinaire | December 2021
“The Food Network and baking show competitions are to blame,” laughs Deb Cook, of her inspiration to begin creating custom cakes 12 years ago, and the reasons behind the demand for them. The owner of CAKEify Studio, and recent participant on The Food Network’s The Big Bake: Holiday Season 2, says cakes have evolved over time as people have come to understand how edible pieces of art can be sculpted from cake. “In the past, cakes were generally finished in white icing, with icing flowers — a traditional, classic finish. This evolved into cakes that featured a fondant finish and flowers. Now it’s all personal preference, depending
on the cake design. Generally more sculpted cakes will have fondant, while more rustic cakes will be finished in buttercream.” The influence of baking shows on people’s appreciation of what can be done with cake is undeniable. “It has changed the requests we receive. People are understanding what you can do with cake, helping them to realize they can have more than an average cake at their event,” confirms Lynnette MacDonald, owner of SWIRL Custom Cakes and Desserts, and The Big Bake Season 1 alumna. MacDonald and her team regularly field requests for realistic replicas of
