bakingbuyer - May 2011 - (Page 24)

DESIGN OF THE TIMES E TREME Cakes Extreme cakes have officially broken the barrier between television entertainment and real-life customer demand. And arguably, no one knows more about that transition than Bronwen Weber, Executive Chef of Frosted Art Bakery in Dallas, TX. Weber, who considers herself “classically trained by my third grade art teacher,” has competed in 23 televised cake challenges, which is more than any other competitor. And she has also created numerous extreme cakes for Frosted Art Bakery’s customers. “Customers now want the fireworks because they see them on TV,” Weber says. “I’ve always tried to be on the cutting edge of cake, so I’m enjoying it.” To successfully produce extreme cakes, you have to be on the cutting edge, as customers’ expectations continue to rise. “It’s like, who cares about fireworks anymore? That’s so yesterday,” Weber says. “So we started making things spin and adding motors and animation.” Luckily, those are the types of cakes that excite her. “My favorite types of cakes to make are anything we haven’t done before,” Weber says. “We do the dots and ribbons to pay the rent, and to pay for us to be able to do the rest of it.” Defining Extreme Despite the ever-growing popularity of extreme cakes, there is still quite a bit of confusion surrounding them. “I get a lot of phone calls and emails asking, ‘Where’s the extreme cake store?’” Weber says. “There is no extreme cake store!” According to Weber, there are just cakes with extreme elements. And every decorator can produce them with the correct partners and patience. “Trial and error is how I learned,” Weber says. “I have no training. But my husband happens to be a welder, so he does a lot of our extreme elements. He always competes on the challenges with me, and we work together in the bakery.” Weber works on a motorized cake for a corporation in her production area. 24 · BAKING BUYER · MAY 11 Consultations Before you can make an extreme cake, a customer needs to place an order for one. Therefore, it is your job to get them excited about the possibilities. “The hardest part about extreme cakes is convincing people they need them,” Weber says. “Usually you have to twist their arm and make suggestions—‘We could make this light up!’; ‘We could make this spin from the ceiling!’; ‘We could do this, we could do that…’—and then they start to get excited.” Many customers have a general idea about what they want when they

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bakingbuyer - May 2011

bakingbuyer - May 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE - The Bakery Showman
CONTENTS
INDUSTRY NEWS
APC/Crisco National Pie Championships
Caravan Launches New Website
National Honey Board Offers Bakery Formulas
Cake Boss Joins Get Back to Scratch
The Baking Channel
Preferment Primer
Birth of the Slider
Team USA Profile
Extremem Cakes
Macaroon Sushi
Think Outside the Bakery
Chocolate Mousse: Tips & Techniques
Get your Grill on
Effective E-Newsletters
"The Greatest Show on Earth"
Welcome Home
Getting to Know You
Brandon’s Cookies
Re-Cakes
Lessons Learned
Wedding Statistics
Efficiency in Motion
Syrups vs. Grounds
FEATURED PRODUCTS
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
MARKETPLACE NETWORK
AD INDEX
Baker's Dozen

bakingbuyer - May 2011