FAQ #4: Do you make ____ free cake?

FAQ #4: Do you make ____ free cake?

Let me explain this question. It’s really multiple questions wrapped into one, just insert any of the following words for the dashes: gluten, dairy, sugar, peanut, carb, fat, oil, butter, etc. You get the idea.

While I wish I could answer yes, unfortunately I haven’t had the time, energy, or resources to devote to creating a diet-friendly menu. As important as it is to meet specific dietary needs, I can’t bring myself to offer products anything less than spectacular, and I’ve found that rather challenging without using gluten or sugar or butter or dairy.

However…

I had the perfect opportunity to experiment last week for a very special birthday that required Keto cupcakes. The Ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet. It excludes gluten, added sugar, and basically everything on my menu aside for, maybe, the fresh strawberries I occasionally use as a garnish.

I searched the depths of Pinterest for Keto Chocolate Cake recipes, and found the best-reviewed recipe for Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake with Chocolate Ganache. I have to say, it’s not bad. Admittedly, the ganache is a little bitter because of the 100% unsweetened cocoa, but the cake actually tastes like a fudge brownie. The texture is a bit crumbly, and serving it warm relieves some of the density, but overall I’d eat it again, especially since it’s only 5 carbs per serving.

I was meaning to snap a picture of the leftover one I ate for breakfast, but apparently I ate it too fast! The plain cupcake with a spoonful of almond butter, microwaved for 20 seconds, was an incredible way to start the day. I did hear decent reviews from the customer, though she’s been on a Keto diet long enough that anything that even resembles chocolate will be well-received!

While these won’t be on my permanent menu, I’d highly recommend all my health-conscious customers to check out this recipe if you’re craving something sweet.

I think this is the perfect time for me to announce that for the next 30 days I’ll be living off of meat, veggies, and the occasional fruit on the Whole 30 diet. You might’ve heard of this, but it’s very similar to Keto in that it excludes sugar, grains, alcohol, soy, legumes, and dairy in favor of whole foods.

Please send prayers.

Seriously. All of those things I just named, I LOVE.

You might wonder why I’m committing to 30 days of basically celery sticks and water, and actually I’m wondering the same thing, but I’ve always been a health geek, researching nutrition, exercise, and how the body works in my free time (ironic, I know, considering my life purpose revolves around creating things purely out of sugar). Whole 30 is a crazy experiment to see how the body reacts to eliminating processed foods. I’ve thought about it before, but this time my housemate is committing with me, so on day 3 when I’m hangry and threaten to quit, I can’t!

I’m telling you this because in my pre-Whole 30 research, it suggests telling as many people as possible so you have a greater likelihood of holding yourself accountable. So, faithful followers, I’m doing Whole 30 for the month of September!

I’d invite you to join me in this 30-day whole-foods-only journey, but I’d really like you to keep ordering cakes (wink!). So instead, you can follow my 30 days on my Facebook and Instagram Stories. Basically, with my updates, you can do Whole 30 without doing Whole 30. You’re welcome.

We’ll see if the next 30 days influence me to add gluten/dairy/sugar free options to my menu (one day, I really do hope to have these readily available for all of my customers—after all, everyone deserves to celebrate with a piece of cake!), but until I can legally ensure they meet dietary criteria, and until I can make them taste not like you’re eating a raw cocoa bean, I’ll keep experimenting when I get the chance.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone online for the next 30 days and beyond. If you’ve got any recipes, tips, or tricks, I’m all ears. And in the mean time, for all my customers who’ve placed orders for September—I’m begging you, have a slice for me!

Cheers!

jorie

FAQ #3: What should I order?

FAQ #2: So what should I order, cakes or cupcakes?

It’s wedding season, friends! Especially if you’re almost 23 and a recent college grad living in the South. Weddings all around! And with weddings, come wedding cakes. And now wedding cupcakes.

One of the conversations I have the most with my wedding/event-planning customers centers around deciding on the perfect balance of cakes and cupcakes, and which one better suits their vision.

Often times, the answer is both.

A gorgeous 3-tiered cake and dozens of minis, August 2019. One of my forever favorites!

Here’s what you should consider when deciding on your order:

• Cupcakes offer convenience, flavor options, and, well, fun! They’re a great way to supplement serving sizes and offer flavors for everyone. You don’t need to cut, plate, or serve them, which makes them about the easiest party desserts around.

• Cakes are showstoppers. They start conversations, can be customized to the nth degree, and will likely be remembered long after the event. Bonus points if your guests ask, “that’s a cake?!”.

Graduation cake and minis, May 2020. The perfect combination!

If we were sitting at a tasting right now and you asked my advice for your wedding, birthday, office party, etc., I’d tell you this: order both. Yeah, sounds a little over the top. But you’ll thank me later!

The convenience of cupcakes is unbeatable, but sometimes the presentation can leave a little to be desired. Don’t get me wrong, a cupcake table done right is exquisite. However, it takes lots of cake stands, vases of flowers, and bunched up table clothes to make the display come to life. I mean, have you ever seen any of the displays they make on cupcake wars?! Those things are works of art in themselves, and those carpenters are the real winners in my book.

A cupcake display, May 2020.

Where cupcakes might lack a little luster, that’s where cakes, um, take the cake (pun intended). They’re their own centerpieces. You simply can’t have a cake cutting at your wedding without a cake! It doesn’t need to be an 8-tier waterfall cake with 200 gumpaste roses on a moving platform to be a statement, either. A 6” cake with a rustic buttercream texture and a fresh flower does the trick. Cakes give your eye a resting place on a dessert table. They’re the glue that brings everything else together.

Wedding cake table, June 2015. Quite a big statement!

So here’s why this world needs cakes and cupcakes: customization and convenience. Just think, we’re all driven by these values. We shouldn’t have to settle for one or the other. And, heck, if we want to try 7 different flavors of cupcakes, we should have that option.

My second wedding cake table, October 2014. I’ve learned a lot about tablescapes since then, but for a 17-year-old, I think it’s pretty good!

Thus far in my baking career, I’ve done 12 weddings (the first one when I was 15), and 10 of those have been a mix of a cake and cupcakes. Some couples only wanted cupcakes! Which just shows us the power of convenience paired with our industry’s obsession with the bite-size cakes.

But please, don’t do that!

Get a cake too!

If only for the sake of appeasing your baker (me) and for the cake-in-each-others’-faces picture that will sit in a frame on your desk forever. Order a cake with your cupcakes!

If you’re feeling even more dainty and petite, order mini cupcakes. And order a lot of them. Because—not to point any fingers—most men tend to eat them in one bite, and usually eat a minimum of 3. So plan on ordering about 2 per person.

One last cake & cupcake table, September 2019. Stunning with that mirror in the back!

At the end of the day, if I’m going to have dessert, nothing beats a piece of cake (see my post about my favorite cake for an example). However, I’ll never turn down a cupcake— I’ll just make it into a sandwich before I eat it (you know, like I wrote about here!).

Next time you’re torn between ordering a cake or cupcakes, either order both or call me. I have a lot of opinions on this topic, and I’m happy to share anything that will bring your vision to life.

Talk Soon!

jorie

**Given the covid-19 circumstances, cupcakes may be your best bet. Single-serve, wrapped, and easy to package. However, never underestimate the celebratory power of a slice of cake!