Batter Chatter: Interview with Elisa Strauss of NYC's Confetti Cakes
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Cakespy Note: Yes, all of the photos in this feature are cakes, believe it or not!
To call Elisa Strauss a baker of cakes, though accurate, would be a vast understatement. For if cake making is an art (and we believe it is) then certainly she's a master of the medium, creating meticulously rendered and painstakingly detailed fondant trompe-l'œil confections which have won her the attentions of the likes of the Food Network, Martha Stewart and Paula Deen (photo left, disco ball cake made for "Paula's Party"), to name just a few. Between making cakes, TV appearance and a great new book (which we own and love!), it's a wonder that she even had time to chat with us, but we're oh so glad she did. Here's what we learned about the glamorous world of baking on-screen, what Martha's really like, and whether these cakes really taste good (hint: no, the cheesesteak cake is not flavored like its namesake)...
Cakespy: You studied fine art, but then took a little bit of a different turn and got a degree in Pastry Arts. Do you think your fine art background makes you approach Pastry arts differently? How so?
Elisa Strauss: My art background is a tremendous help when it comes to the cakes. It helps me with both color and design. Even though we make everything from scratch in the bakery, and consider taste the most important aspect of our cakes, I still look at each cake as a work of art too!
CS: When did you decide to take on cake-making as your livelihood?
ES: I had graduated pastry school and was back working in fashion full time (just making cakes on the side…very late at night) when about a year later I couldn’t keep the juggling act going anymore. I had to make a decision if I was going to go for it or not…so I went for it and opened a commercial space, bought equipment, hired employees and took it from there!
CS: You work primarily in fondant icing. Do you ever work in other frosting or icing types?
ES:We make all our fillings and frostings from scratch so we have a wide variety of flavors. From buttercreams to ganaches, citrus curds to fresh fruit, etc. We use a lot of different fillings in our cakes then frost them with a layer of buttercream that sits under the rolled fondant. The fondant gives the most elegant and professional look. You cannot achieve the detail we do with a solely buttercream frosted cake.
CS: Do specialty cakes like yours really taste good?
ES: YES!!! Absolutely. One of the most frequent compliments we receive is how AMAZING our cakes taste. People never think it is possible because our cakes look like realistic objects but they taste great. Again, we make all our cake and fillings from scratch with the highest quality and freshest ingredients we can find….we do not skimp on anything related to taste! Ever! (Photo left, Sushi Cake, credit Alexandra Rowley).
CS: You used to do cookies, petits fours and cupcakes, but have now pared down to just custom cakes. What made you decide to cut down on the other services?
ES: I LOVE doing the smaller items, i.e., cupcakes, mini cakes, cookies, etc…but as a business model it just didn’t work. I could spend all day designing one cookie I could sell for $10 instead of working on one specialty cake for $800….you see what I mean? It just didn’t make sense for the business anymore.
CS: Can you tell us a little bit more about how it feels to work in a commercial space versus, say, a cramped NYC kitchen?
ES: After working in my TINY, TINY apt kitchen for a few years I thank my lucky stars I have a commercial space…I could never go back…especially with my 20 quart Hobart mixer!
About baking on TV...
CS: Do you get nervous about baking on-screen?
Yes! I definitely get nervous….especially with LIVE television anything can happen. The last time I went on the Today Show a light fixture crashed ten seconds before we went on the air…Ann Curry saved Al Roker and my cakes form getting hit by catching the light…and then all of a sudden three seconds and we were on LIVE National TV. I would say it is more of a “butterflies in my stomach” feeling of nervousness then scared! I love doing television!
CS: What was it like to meet Martha Stewart?
ES: Wow, amazing! It is so incredible to meet people who you see all the time…but on TV. She is such an incredible business woman!
CS: About that famous Flaming Sock Monkey Cake. Did it get eaten afterward?
ES: The last challenge on the Food Network: Extreme Cakes…was amazing! Not just because we won but the entire experience was incredible…SO much time and energy went into the planning and making of that show! Unfortunately by the time we finished it was close to MIDNIGHT and after all the photos were take it was thrown out because the studio had to get set up for the next day!
CS: All of your cakes are unusual and unexpected--but have there been any that have really stood out, or been special, for you?
Well, each cake is like a child to me…I usually don’t forget any that I have EVER done! So it is hard to pick favorites…but I will say I am especially proud of a few cakes that stand out: a Victorian Mansion cake (photo left) we did for a couple’s wedding last summer. They got married at the House, and we even matched the paint chips for color! I also loved being on Paula Deen’s show, Paula’s Party (see photo above, by intro paragraph)…where we made her a disco ball cake for her disco themed party! [Also] I do love replicating food…so many of our sushi or Philly’s cheese steak cakes are fun! OK, there are a lot...but I will not go on!
CS: How often do you eat cake?
ES: Quality control is tough but someone has to do it…hee, hee! Not everyday but probably more then I should!
CS: What are some of your favorite desserts?
ES: I would definitely NOT put cake up there…..I am much more of a cookies and ice cream girl! Bread is my real downfall….but I love a good Buckeye ball or Key Lime Pie too!
CS: Have you noticed any trends, or movements, in cakes and cake making in recent years (popular flavors, themes, or anything you've seen emerging)?
ES: I love the fact that most of my clients have moved away from just a traditional cake….even in flavors. We do a ton of Red Velvet, Banana or even Coconut flavored cakes!
CS: Which part of writing your book was hardest--making the cake "patterns" or finalizing the recipes?
ES: By far the hardest things were: making all the cakes, cookies and cupcakes for one week of a photo shoot (we had to shut down doing other people’s cakes for months so we could just focus on making the projects for the books)….and then writing out STEP by STEP directions for EVERY aspect of each project! I really, really want people to be able to make everything at home so we labored over every detail, measurement, weight and direction!
CS: To you, what is the most important aspect in making a great cake?
ES: It should look and taste equally great! It also doesn’t hurt when people don’t know that our cakes are actual cakes!
CS: What makes a "bad" cake?
ES: One that doesn’t taste great.
CS: If you could go back in time and give yourself any advice while just starting your cake business, what would you say?
ES: “Don’t do it”…JUST KIDDING! Honestly, I do not know…I kind of just jumped right in, worked CONSTANTLY and I am still figuring it all out!
Want to find out more? To make an appointment in their NYC studio (they will deliver throughout the tri-state area), or find out more about Elisa and her cakes, visit confetticakes.com.
Want to buy the book? You won't regret it; it's like a cookbook and beautiful craft book all in one! The photos alone are worth the investment; it's available online here.
batter chatter, cake art, nyc
Reader Comments (44)
I absolutely love cake. It is one of my most favorite things to eat. If I could eat it for every meal and not gain weight I would.
I really enjoyed watching her win on the Challenge. I was routing for her.
I found you on ALF's blog. Just wanted to say hi.
Oh those are amazing!
I'm completely floored. :oooo
Those cakes are exquisite, and a Flaming Sock Monkey Cake? Bwahaha! I love humanity so much! I guess it's nice to know that a melding of art and pastry is not only possible but possibly a match made in heaven? :D
What an incredible artisit she is!
Oh these are truly awesome cakes!! What a lot of patience required to create these wonderful beauties!
Rosie x
I think I had my mouth hanging open more or less all the way through that post... what would I give for the sushi cake?!
I have been living in a cave, apparently. These cakes are SO darn amazing.... And, here I thought the whole idea to a well-presented cake was to have it level & evenly iced. Darn. That book is calling my name. Thank you for the enlightenment!
Beautiful pictures, beautiful, so sad when they are eaten I think!!! I love the little house!!!! Gloria
Wow that is some seriously amazing cake! Great interview!
Excellent questions, excellent interview, great subject. Good for you.
Really enjoyed the post! the cakes are incredible.
Wow those are seriously amazing cakes.
Dhanggit: I could try to send you one for your birthday, but it might not look as good by the time it reached Europe. :-)
EB: Awesome!! I loved watching it on TV too!
Janice: I say there are MANY things about cake! :-)
Allie: Thank you for saying hi! What a small world that I went to High School with ALF.
Kristen: YES.
Liz Squared: You're right...flaming sock monkeys do...er, raise the bar!
Freshly found: Yes, she's amazing!
Rosie: Patience may be an understatement!
Indigo: I don't know...what WOULD you give for a sushi cake??
Amy B: Hope you like the book, I love it!
Gloria: Happy in your belly, sad to look at the cut cake I think.
Jenn: Thank you!
Clem: Thank you, glad you enjoyed the interview!
Frantic Foodie: Thanks! Wish I could attend your event next week :-(
Eat Me Delicious: Seriously. ;-)
beautifulllllllllll cakes
I love the dollhouse cake!
I can't believe that mirrorball cake!
I just love these absolutely amazingly decorated cakes, especially when they look so unlike a cake! It makes it a little unappetizing though, I have to admit! Not sure I'd want to dive into a blackberry phone cake! :)
I actually got to meet her a few years back. She shot her DIY show (http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_natural_homemade/article/0,,DIY_13767_5225051,00.html)
right before I shot my soap segment. She was sooooooo sweet and knowledgeable - and she made making this incredible hat cake look easy.
I was in awe of her talent back then and remain a big fan.
Wow--great spotlight on very a very cool collection of cakes. I'm impressed that she really cares about flavor and textures and taste--it seems like a lot of these "art cakes" are just kind of there for the craziness. I struggle to see the point of making a cake if it isn't going to be delicious, even if it is art.