Tell us about your background in pastry.
I got my start decorating cakes for Cornerstone Confections in Salem, Oregon. We prepared cakes for a local restaurant and also did special event cakes as well as wedding cakes. I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, with an associate degree in baking and pastry. After graduating, I got a job in Telluride, Colorado, as a chocolatier and also created cakes for them. Currently, I am baking for two different companies and continue to make cakes on the side.
What is your favorite part about crafting wedding cakes?
I love the decorating and construction of the cake. The baking of the cake is more stressful to me. Delivering the cake and setting it up is always nice: you get to see the final product in its final environment, and there is usually someone around to tell you how fabulous it looks.
"My favorite weddings always...{fill-in-the-blank}."
...are the ones where people don't stand around telling me how to stack a wedding cake. ;)
What makes you an excellent pastry chef?
I am usually my worst critic, so if I am happy with the product, there is a good chance you will be happy, too!
What is your favorite flavor of cake that you offer?
Chocolate, with any filling. It will be more moist than white cake and almost everyone likes chocolate cake. {Note from DCW: She has this great secret about dousing the cake in simple syrup that keeps it so moist. I honestly have never tasted a chocolate cake as good as the one she did for a client's wedding last fall. With peanut butter filling...yum!}
What has been the most enjoyable wedding cake for you to create?
I really like working with fondant, but a particular buttercream favorite was a request in Colorado: a cake decorated with drawn mountains and trees around the sides, almost like an icing painting.
I really like working with fondant, but a particular buttercream favorite was a request in Colorado: a cake decorated with drawn mountains and trees around the sides, almost like an icing painting.
And the most challenging?
A request for a groom's cake with a wood grain pattern. I had never attempted a wood grain design, and I had about two months to figure it out. The cake was so stressful and even now I see all the bad in it. Although everyone was impressed with that cake.
A request for a groom's cake with a wood grain pattern. I had never attempted a wood grain design, and I had about two months to figure it out. The cake was so stressful and even now I see all the bad in it. Although everyone was impressed with that cake.
How does a DOC make your job easier?
It's nice to have someone there with a schedule and who knows the plan. I have set up cakes where no one is in charge, and I have to hunt for someone to tell me where to put the cake. It's nice to have everything organized and easier for me to get in and set up and leave quickly.
It's nice to have someone there with a schedule and who knows the plan. I have set up cakes where no one is in charge, and I have to hunt for someone to tell me where to put the cake. It's nice to have everything organized and easier for me to get in and set up and leave quickly.
Do you accommodate special dietary requests (i.e. dairy free, gluten free, kosher, etc.)?
Yes. I don't have recipes for special dietary cakes, but I am willing to find good recipes that work. Everyone should be able to eat their own wedding cake!
Are there any cost-cutting tips to consider when choosing a wedding cake?
Consider the ingredients. I personally charge extra for the use of fondant and marzipan. You can do great things with fondant, but since most people don't really eat either one, I often prefer using buttercream. It can be made to look just as smooth and perfect, and is more suited to people's taste. Organic cakes can be done, requiring the use of organic flours and sugars, cage-free eggs, etc...but keep in mind this also adds to the cost.
And she's not limited to cakes. Trained as a pastry chef, Amanda has expertise in all things pastry: truffles, tarts, cupcakes, pies, etc. So if you are in the market for an alternative to wedding cake, it's a good bet she can create it for you! She prefers to know the specifics of a pastry request at least three months in advance and requires a 20% deposit to hold the day.
Contact Amanda at aschlarbaum@gmail.com or 503.310.1275.
We've got to sign off now. We have a serious craving for something sweet...
This is such a neat creation.
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