I have fun making birthday cakes, for a singular reason!! I love to see the faces of the children when they receive them and see their cake for the first time. It truly makes their day, and truly makes my heart leap with thanks for being in this industry.
Although we are paid to make them, it feels great to create something based upon a request and to meet the expectations of the client.
One thing though that has long rubbed me a little the wrong way is the expectations other people have of Western - non-European Pastrychefs.
You see, as a pastrychef from Australia and working internationally, (there are quite the number of us out there now in major positions around the world these days), everyone expects us, to not only know International modern patisserie on just about every level, as well as chocolate tempering, sugar work, pastillage, ice-creams, breads and plated desserts, but they also expect us to knock out a birthday cake within a few hours notice (or less!)
So ! You might say..... You are a Pastrychef after all !! Right!!
Yeh, but does anyone ask Pierre Herme to knock out a celebration cake of novelty proportions for 100 kids on a Friday afternoon??
Does Christophe Michalak get asked to stay late and make a cake for 20 adults ??
I think not.!!
Seriously it does not bother me, as much as this blog may seem to state, but it is the in-equality of the country of origin that still bugs me a little all these years later.
If I were French, few would ask me to make a Novelty cake!! They would suffice with the words Happy Birthday draped over one of my more alluring Entrements.
Luckily, although not anywhere near perfect, I have been blessed with the opportunities to practice my Birthday cake skills over the past few years, making up to 50 cakes a year. Small numbers perhaps , had I had my own patisserie, but big numbers for our little operation.
Of course , If i had a Patisserie, I would never say no to any one of these cakes if I was asked to prepare them. For just like Wedding cakes, cakes of these styles can fetch top dollar.
Last minute orders with just hours notice, costing even more.
Thanks for stopping by and hope the cakes that I have produced this past year are of some interest to you all.
I watch the challengers on Food Networks, Cake Challenge programmes and believe easily, that our team would stand an amazing chance at winning the big bucks.
Pity someone won't cough up the airfare for me and my guys to head to Vegas, and where does the invitation come from anyway??
Or are they just a little scared of the Antipodean pastrychefs and the skilled Pastry guys here in the Middle East, proving how masterly we have
become over the years !!!
Mmmmmmmmhhhhh !!!
This car, is modelled out of chocolate fudge cake and sprayed with chocolate. Seats are white chocolate modelling chocolate.
Anyone need advertising cakes !!!
Pastrychef avaiable to fly anywhere !!! ha ha ha, for the cost of a ticket of course. !!! and a few days off at the other end of the production schedule. !
Birthdays, anniversaries, whatever the reason, its really nice to have some fun with whatever the occassion. I love this Wedding Anniversary cake. Simple, Sexy and of course chocolate mousse cake ! YUMMMMM
Thanks as always for stopping by and sorry for the delay in posting new pics of food lately.
Hope to have more to share with everyone soon.
Regards always
Pastillage for those who do not know, is basically, modelling clay for adults, while for the modern pastrychef it is simply one of the sturdiest and greatest mediums we can make for ourselves that will dry and set up beautifully and hold together for display pieces. The following is what you can do in the space of 8 days, and you can achieve much more than this if you have greater capacity for drying than I had over the past week. 8 days is about the minimum amount of time one needs as it does take a few days for the Pastillage to dry, before colouring, painting or air brushing and before sticking everything together.
