Part XI: Self-taught Pastry Chef

I'm making my cousin's wedding cake in October, only the second time I've done one.  The last was Techie and Writer Smurfs' in 2002.  I went to find all the math I'd done for the cake batter, and realized I don't bake that many cakes.  Time to brush up.

In French, there is a sharp distinction between a Patissière and a Boulangère.  The first is a (female) pastry chef, while the latter is a bread baker.  I'm a Boulangère.  I made a distinct effort to become good at breads, to the point that I sometimes make bread instead of going to the store as the path of least resistance.  Icing cakes, not so much.  I know the techniques, but I'm not all that interested in it.  I prefer pies, which kind of fall into the bread baking category.

This summer, I'm going to make close to a cake a week.  Yes, I could practice my icing skills on cardboard, but that feels like a waste of butter.  Besides, I need to find cake recipes I like.  I don't even know what kind of cake my cousin wants, other than one she gets as a wedding present and doesn't have to buy.  I'm going to have to UPS and Amazon stuff to Virginia and bake it at her apartment.  Part of this practice is going to be how to streamline the process so I can go only two days in advance.

Some of the tips I'll be sharing are pretty basic, and are often included in a recipe or on the box of cake mix or tub of icing.  Others, I learned in my one pastry class.  Mainly, I'll be showing how to make a pretty dessert with limited artistic skills.  I'm terrible at pastry bag artistry, have made maybe three passable icing roses in my life, and forget writing.  If you go with the less is more approach, the look is far more elegant and hides the fact that you suck at icing cakes.

So enjoy a few months of the occasional cake!