The phone rings!  Scurrying to wash my hands quickly, I race to the phone all the while wondering who it may be, and what kind of cake they could possibly be asking for!

Being in this booming cake business at this point in time means that you never know what a client may ask for next.  Many times clients preface our conversations with, “this may be an odd request…” while I always tell them that not request, could possibly be THAT ODD!  From scuba themed wedding cakes, giant bull frog birthdays, and even a good joke cake, no request is that outlandish these days!

I will admit, when I pick up the phone and the potential client says, “This may sound silly, but can you make _____?”  Actually makes my day better!  As anyone who has ever been in the bakery business, worked behind a counter, or washed dishes for a restaurant, your day tends to be very similar to the last.  In short, it is the same bread, same muffins, the éclairs need to be filled, and that same six inch chocolate mousse cake needs to be made the same way, every day!  It can be a tad monotonous, but when you own a specialty cake business, your day most definitely is NOT monotonous!

The cake flavors may be similar, but the shape rarely is!  The best clients are those who come to me with a few broad ideas.  For example, I receive a call or email asking for a birthday cake for someone in their twenties.  They throw out the idea of maybe doing a baseball themed cake, or possibly something around video games.  From there my mind explodes with ideas!  Take baseball, we have jerseys, baseballs, mascots, stadiums, bats, gloves, and the list goes on and on depending on the team.  And with video games we have consoles (old and new), characters, themes of the games, and the classic Pac man all the way to the modern combat games!  So from two broad ideas, we now have many to choose from.

My job as the pastry chef and artist is to now take that idea, and make it a reality.  Many times I have seen cake decorators who can speak of grand cake ideas, and great sculpted themed cakes, but when it come to execution, they may fall a little short.  So many times in a consultation or just speaking over the phone as these great ideas come up, I must always keep reality in the back of my mind!  Some things just do not work in cake.  The physics of a cake can be bent, but not broken.  You can make a cake look like it’s falling down, but if not done correctly, it will!

So, when thinking about your next occasion, write down all you ideas no matter what they are.  Sometimes the sillier the better!  A cake that makes someone laugh, or just adds something a little more personal, can bring just a little more to a party.  Especially with wedding cakes!  Make the cake you order YOU!  Think big, think grand, THINK OFF THE WALL!  If it needs to be toned down, don’t worry, we’ll make it tasteful on the outside as well as in.

Derek Corsino
Owner and Pastry Chef