So i was updating this blog with the last post, and i realized i forgot this cake! i loooved making this one! it’s cakes and macarons! my two favorites!
so there. this was for a special order through the bakery.
enjoy!
-Catie
macaron cake!
Category: Uncategorized
to the macs!
It appears my lot in life has become macarons. What can I say? I adore them! Light, fluffy, delicate interior with a crisp shell providing that delightful contrast in texture. Then the fillings. Sweet. Flavorful. Buttercream or ganache. Caramel or fruit filled. So many exciting and tasty options!
At my current job in Seattle, the macarons have taken off! I’ve never been more proud of anything in my life. Seeing your creation bringing delight to so many is so very fulfilling. (I have to constantly remind myself of that when we get weighed down by the massive demand from our tiny….but strong…kitchen)
I just wanted to include some pictures to share with you all. To share with past employers and to share with future employers. And of course to strangers who for some reason choose to follow me. Hello to you all 🙂 Hope you enjoy my random posts and pictures of food.
I haven’t captured every variation that we’ve made, but here are a few of my favorites:
weeellll….that’s all for now!
ttfn 🙂
-Catie
Recent random bakes
Ever since I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, I’ve been doing a few side jobs/ special orders for people in my spare time. I’m very proud of a few of them, and I’d like to post some photos!
Enjoy!
The Rocky Mountain High program at Spring Canyon celebrated it’s 30th Anniversary this summer on July 6. My friend from culinary school and I were asked to make a dessert for the barbecue. We decided an America themed cake was only fitting, considering the weekend the party fell on. So, flag cake!
Rocky Mountain High has a program that they do over the summer called Father Teen adventure. It’s a wonderful chance for fathers and they’re teenage son or daughter to spend a week with just each other; no mother or siblings, just father bonding. There are typically two weeks for father’s and sons, and one for fathers and daughters. For the father daughter week, they have a “date night.” It’s a fancy dinner provided in a very nice setting. Your father gives a blessing, and you dance. It’s a wonderful night.
My friend from culinary school and I were also asked to provide desserts for this event. This is what we came up with!
Just a week ago, my brother married the woman of his dreams and his best friend! And I got a new sister! They asked me to do their wedding cake, a great honor. It was a small, simple cake, but still a great experience and lots of fun! Here are some photos of what I made:
Devil’s Food cake, dark chocolate chantilly filling, vanilla Italian butter cream, and white chocolate roses
one vanilla buttermilk cake with raspberry filling and Italian Buttercream,
the other Devil’s food with dark chocolate chantilly filling and Italian Buttercream
At my new workplace, I’ve once again been asked to introduce the clientele to Parisian Macarons. And oooohh how they’ve improved since I moved back to sea level. You wouldn’t think that elevation could affect all of your products, but I digress; 9,000 feet will affect anything.
Anyways, each time I bake them, I’ll make a new, interesting flavor. Here are my two most recent! Fall themed:
Individual Production Pastries
During my first year at the CIA we took a class on individual serving desserts, or petit gateaux. Here are some photos of what we did:
we went with an ice cream shop theme…can you tell?
chocolat
One of the many classes that I took at the CIA was the Chocolates and Confections class. I loved this class! It makes you feel like Willy Wonka all the time! Here are some pictures of what I’ve made through this class:
Wild Flour Bakery: my internship
As part of our Associates program at the CIA, we must complete an 18-month externship at a CIA approved site. I chose Wild Flour Bakery in Cleveland, Ohio. They were a small, local wedding cake shop. It was a wonderful experience and I learned so much from working with them. It really helped me see that this is what I want to do the rest of my life.
And now some photos…..
the two cakes I got to create from start to finish: baking, filling, decorating, delivering, and assembling
some of our “mini cakes:” 4″ cakes that a person could just pick up if they didn’t pre-order
aaaand cupcakes!
a “name cake” I got to help decorate
my daily job was to cut and fill the cakes that went through the shop, and then pass it on to Emily, our head decorator. These are just a few that we made that I loved and was glad to have helped create!
cakes cakes cakes
our Confectionary Arts and Specialty Cakes class was by far my favorite. my passion in baking and pastry is wedding cakes. i love the uniqueness of each finished product; how it’s tailored for the individual customer. here are some examples of what we worked on in that class:
Contemporary Cakes Class
In this class we learned about contemporary cakes: namely entremets. Here are some photos of the cakes i made:
Happy Birthday Chef Bocuse!
during my schooling, i had the amazing opportunity of helping decorate Chef Paul Bocuse’s 87th birthday cake. He would be celebrating it at the Culinary Institute of America at the dedication of The Bocuse Restaurant (where i would later have my final class). It was a 5-tier styrofoam monster, but it was such a great experience for me!
Plated Desserts Class
while at the CIA i took a class on plated desserts. here are some pictures of the products my teammate and i made:
Catie Rizzo 