Sweetvolution

Last weekend the FT's How to Spend it featured an interesting article about the "designer patisserie" scene in London, Paris and New York. The article notes the rising popularity of designer cakes despite the increasing trend towards banning sugary carbs.

It got me thinking about the evolutionary process in cake making and consumption. One of the reasons why these creations sell, literally, as hot cakes - is that we are becoming truly demanding about how we spend our limited calorie mileage. It's normal: if you could only afford one sugary treat every once in a while would you settle for a generic, forgettable cake or would you go the extra mile?

If you answered the latter, then I hope my below attempted classification of the different designer cake species will help you choose wisely.

The COMFORT CAKE derives predominantly from the old pound cake recipe. Its simplistic home-style approach (in sharp contrast to the next species) is by no means detrimental to its value and appeal: sometimes you need something simple but pleasing to the eye and palate. The other advantage of the comfort cake is that it lends itself wonderfully to home lab experimentation (if you are keen, then check out this website).

Picture source: Billy's Bakery

Where to try Comfort Cakes?
NY: Magnolia Bakery, Billy's Bakery
London: Hummingbird Bakery, Ottolenghi


Next species is the EVOLUTIONARY PATISSERIE, which mutated the French gateau into futuristic creations with unique shapes, textures, colours and/or flavours (Absinthe? Pomegranate? Green tea?). These special creatures should be handled with extra care as regular consumption may lead to an uncomfortable feeling of dessert ennui.

Picture source: channel 4

Where to try Evolutionary Patisserie?
Paris: Pierre Hermé, Ladureé, Christophe Michalak (see directory below), Sadaharu Aoki (my favourite, for its heavenly "black sesame eclair")
London: Yauatcha, Ladureé at Harrods


And finally the variant species: the BIJOU CAKE. This species, dominated by the macaron and the mini fours with their myriad flavours, shares some of the same advantages of astronaut food: it packs many flavours (even savoury ones) into one tiny body and they also have a relatively long shelf life (up to 5 days in the fridge if you can resist for that long...).

Picture source: Ladureé

Where to try Bijou Cakes? Pierre Hermé, Ladureé

For completeness, I reproduce below the mini directory which closed the FT's article. I promise I will make my next food post less caloric!

SELLING LIKE HOT CAKES
Billy’s Bakery, 184 9th Avenue, New York 10011 (001212-647 9956). Claridge’s, Brook Street, London W1 (020-7409 6307). Christophe Michalak, see Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Harrods, 87/135 Brompton Road, London SW1 (Ladurée: 020-3155 0111). Hôtel Plaza Athénée, 25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris (00331-5367 6665). Ladurée, 21 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris (00331-4407 6487) and see Harrods and www.laduree.fr . The Magnolia Bakery, 401 Bleecker Street, New York 10014 (001212-462 2572). Mariage Frères, 35 Rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004 Paris (00331-4347 1854; www. mariagefreres.com) and branches/ stockists. Pierre Hermé, 72 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris (00331-4354 4777) and 185 Rue Vaugirard, 75015 Paris (00331-4783 8996; www.pierreherme.com ) and see Claridge’s. Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London W1 (0870-777 4488). Yauatcha, 15 Broadwick Street, London W1 (020-7494 8890).

Further reading: Top 5 tea places in London and Paris