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Evelyn helped her sister and brother-in-law Heidi and Jeff Van Dyke, who founded Papa Haydns in the late 1970s, develop their legendary dessert menu. Considering that...

What makes a birthday cake unique? Its got to taste great, no doubt, but visual appeal makes a cake really dazzle. In Portland, Oregon, Papa Haydns is renowned for incomparable birthday cakes that appear as fabulous as they taste, so we asked co-owner Evelyn Franz to share a couple of of her secrets for cake decorating success.

Evelyn helped her sister and brother-in-law Heidi and Jeff Van Dyke, who founded Papa Haydns in the late 1970s, produce their legendary dessert menu. Given that then, Papa Haydns has become Portlands dessert destination, consistently winning awards and accolades from food lovers and restaurant critics alike.

With an MFA in sculpture and a lifelong love of baking, Evelyn guides her pastry staff in combining visual appeal with exceptional flavor and texture. I assume its as critical to pay attention to looks as it is to flavor, she says. The looks can make a large difference in terms of what you in fact taste on your palate. I dont think its a effective dessert unless it looks as good as it tastes.

If you want to attempt your hand at producing spectacular cakes for the birthdays, anniversaries and weddings in your life, consider these helpful hints from Evelyn.

Tie a yellow ribbon: An straightforward and elegant way to jazz up birthday cakes is by tying a colorful ribbon about the bottom of the cake. You can use chiffon or just a French ribbon to truly doll up any cake, says Evelyn. Just don't forget to get rid of the ribbon before serving.

Much more terrific toppers: Verify out cake decorating retailers for concepts, says Evelyn, who likes to adorn birthday cakes with dragees or candy pearls. Silk or edible flowers also make elegant cake toppers, turning an ordinary layer cake in to a birthday cake to keep in mind.

Fabulously frosted: With a small practice, you can turn frosting into an intricate birthday cake style. By alternating vertical and horizontal ribbons of frosting, for example, youll generate a delicate woven pattern that dazzles the eye. Even easier designs can be achieved by making swirls or peaks with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Wrap it up: For the more advanced pastry chef, wrapping a cake in a thin layer of an additional cake can add an elaborate touch that dazzles even following a birthday cake or anniversary cake is sliced. Papa Haydn functions such delicacies as White Chocolate Mint Truffle Torte, wrapped in a patterned chocolate sponge cake, Hazelnut Mousse Torte, wrapped in a striped almond sponge cake, and Georgian Peanut Butter Mousse Cake, wrapped in a polka dot sponge cake and topped with ground peanuts. It takes some practice, but the impact is properly worth the effort.

The fine art of chocolate: Evelyn and her crew are nicely-practiced in the art of decorating with chocolate, as well. Just spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on a cooled marble slab or baking sheet, then meticulously make curls or ribbons with a metal spatula to decorate your unique cakes. For birthday cakes, you can cut out rectangular banners of dark chocolate, write a Pleased Birthday message with white chocolate or frosting, then location the banner upright on the cake for an edible birthday greeting. This, too, takes practice, but when youve mastered the strategy, youll be a cake decorating star.

Designing from the ground up: One more way to generate dazzling birthday cakes is to layer distinct cakes and fillings for a variety of flavors and textures. Properly do a cake that has meringue in it as effectively as chiffon and maybe a flourless chocolate cake, says Evelyn, to give it a nice texture and a small crunch. Making use of cakes and fillings of different colors adds to the visual appeal as well as the taste.

If you strategy cake baking and cake decorating as Evelyn Franz does like a accurate artist  your birthday cakes, anniversary cakes and even wedding cakes will dazzle your guests just before, in the course of and after they take pleasure in the delicious taste! read about cakes read about cakes read about cakes