Louisville Bride magazine is Louisville, Kentucky's premier bridal publication, featuring photos of wedding gowns and listings for Louisville reception halls, caterers, wedding planners, photographers, and other wedding service providers.
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1 0 S p r i n g / S u m m e r B R I D E 2 0 1 8 Ask the Expert CAKES LET THEM EAT CAKE What's the biggest cake you've ever made? "I think it was like six tiers. All of our cakes are four layers of cake, but it could be three tiers, it could be four tiers, it could be five tiers. We're talking about a cake that may weigh 80 to 100 pounds. You have cake, you have filling, you have the buttercream — and we actually use real butter, which weighs a lot. There's a huge taste difference because we are using real butter. When you go try things and there's a funky film in your mouth after you've had whatever it is, that's the shortening because it didn't melt; whereas butter, it melts as you're eating it. That's why I always have a lot of older customers that are like, 'Oh, this tastes just like what my mother or my grandmother (used to make).' Yeah, because during their era they were using real butter all the time." How and when should couples start the ordering process? "There are only so many Saturdays in the year, so I say the sooner the better. I had a bride call me last year — her aunt was supposed to make the cake but something happened and they called us three days before. We definitely try our best to accommodate the needs of ev- erybody. If we can do it we're more than happy to. You just never know." What has been popular? "Our bourbon caramel chocolate cake. We do the chocolate version or the vanilla version. I've had customers do the almond version. In terms of design, definitely textured exteriors, like the stucco style." What's a trend you wish would go away? "I really hate cake pops — the plastic cylinder where it's filled with cake. I feel like: What's the point of it? I think the enjoyment of eating cake is taking your fork and going through all the layers so you get your buttercream, you get your cake, you get your filling, — you get all three flavors that come together. Versus the syringe thing where you're pushing it up and only getting one flavor at a time." Have you gotten requests for things other than cake? "We've done a lot of dessert bars. One wedding they did smaller cake and cupcakes. That's always fun. I think that's nice to add variety and get people to try different things. When I'm doing tastings, I never do a slice of cake. I always do everything separate- ly, so we have cake options, the filling and the buttercreams. If I come out with a cake and it's our bourbon cara- mel cake, I've already implanted that in their brain. Having them try differ- ent things, they're getting creative. I like seeing that process better. I like seeing people being more engaged with it. They'll mix and match and get so excited about it. I also think it's nice for the guests to see what their cake expression is for that day." Ever had any wedding-day disasters? "There always seems to be some type of fire. This is the only kitchen that we have. I'm also dealing with other cakes, birthday cakes, anniversary cakes. You never know if it's going to be pouring out or whether the weather's gonna say, 'Oh, instead of it being 70 today it's gonna be 90.' In September we had weddings every weekend. One weekend it was cool and perfect for cake, but the following Saturday it was hot as hot can be and then you have to worry about the heat, the AC, making sure that it gets there. I'll take a cloudy day." Claudia DeLatorre, owner of Cake Flour and a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, uses high-quality ingredients and offers allergy-friendly alternatives. She recently closed the bakery storefront to focus on cakes and other custom orders. Here, she dishes on wedding desserts.