The cupcake just refuses to go out of style. It has been a consistent bestseller at A Taste of Home Bakery, which has helped sisters Rose Fuger and Monica Tarantino get through some tough economic times. It’s an all-American staple. Everybody loves cupcakes.
“Cupcake towers are very popular for weddings,” Monica says. “We’ll build a tower with between 30 and 100 cupcakes.” You can have your cupcake and eat it too, even if you’re on a gluten-free, sugar-free or peanut-free diet, because Rose and Monica can accommodate any food allergy. Serving cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cake can be much more cost effective than a traditional cake.
Still, many brides prefer the traditional tiered cake, but there are many new options to choose from. “One of our brides had eight fillings and every tier was different,” Monica says. “It was total chaos for the people who served it!”
For budget-conscious brides, cookie favors have become very popular. “We make scrumptious cookies—filled with raspberry, peanut butter or fudge—and put them in beautiful boxes or bags with a pretty ribbon. It’s fresh baked, it’s reasonable and many brides now prefer an edible favor,” Monica says.
Daniele Messina, vice president of Dortoni Bakery Pastry Shoppe in Levittown and La Bonne Boulangerie Bakery & Pastry Shoppe in Port Jefferson and East Norwich says, “A lot of these [reality] television shows like Cake Boss have helped stimulate interest in the [baking] field and people understand the pricing and why it’s so expensive. They can see how much goes into [creating] it.”
Monica agrees that food TV is having an impact on their business. “Red velvet is very big—it’s a Southern tradition that’s taken off with the Food Network and the bride shows, and in that tradition we’ll be offering red velvet ‘whooppee’ cakes.” These small cakes are also known as Moon Pies and got their start in Pennsylvania Dutch country. They are known as whoopee pies because children would exclaim “Whoopee!” when the cakes were ready to eat.
Birthdays have definitely got the bakery business into customizing for the occasion. “People want to personalize the cake where it’s about the person and reflects that person’s interest,” Monica says. “If people want to spend $17 on a cake, they’re not looking for a good cake, they’re looking for something to put on a table. We’ll make exactly what you want, and it will taste delicious.”
Now when placing a special order for a birthday cake, Dortoni’s will ask what the person’s hobbies are to come up with a totally unique creation In fact, Daniele said that they just made a three-dimensional cake of a bull mastiff that cost $2,000. This is something that is just not taught in culinary school.
Now that takes the cake.