Cake artist Jill Nguyen (@CapitolJillBaking ) made sure to stop and smell the flours during her recent visit to our @SmithsonianNMNH . 🌸🍰
To get inspiration for her next cake, she met with conservation biologist Gary Krupnick and scientific illustrator Alice Tangerini in the US National Herbarium of our @SmithsonianNMNH . There, she explored specimens like passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) and vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) as well as detailed illustrations of the specimens to better understand their intricacies.
When Jill got home, she created a vanilla bean chiffon cake with a passion fruit curd and fig leaf olive oil Italian meringue buttercream. Want to see more museum-inspired cakes? Come back this time next week for a creation that we know will get your stamp of approval! #CakeArt #SmithsonianCakes #MuseumCakes #MuseumInspo #baking
We can’t wait for the next #thebigcakeexchange on May 31st! If you scored a ticket, we’ll see you there! 🎂 No ticket yet? Here are a few ways you might still get in:
1) TICKET TRANSFERS 🎟️
A few days before the event, some ticket holders are usually unable to make it. This time around, we’re making it easier to connect. Keep an eye out for a dedicated Ticket Transfer post coming soon so buyers and sellers can find each other in one place!
2) GIVEAWAY 🏆
We’ll do a giveaway of 1 ticket each to two individuals the week before the event. Stay tuned, we’ll post here when it’s live!
And a huge shoutout to @thingsjuliamade for the gorgeous event art. We are absolutely obsessed with this design! 🥰
#cakecakecakecake #cakeexchange #cakedecorating #communityovercompetition
Passionfruit, Raspberry Fig Leaf and a Mango Lychee Passionfruit Milk Tea hanging out together. Both of these flavors make me think about a hot summer day walking around with a jumbo iced tea and honestly now I want one.
All blooms from @littleacreflowers
Last week was one for the book: Block Party, Wedding Cakes, 686 pastries, @insta.chai@drinkspotoftea saved us from our delayed Thai tea shipment (🙏😭), and almost a thunderstorm during pick up. I forgot to take any photo but @reesentlybaked remembered, so here are some cute BTS shots of us girls being girls making pretty things and surviving. Karma must be real because we keep thriving despite setbacks ✌️also shoutout to @youronlyfrienddc for the most delish bake day lunch!
Bakers: @reesentlybaked@maggiespillane & me
Packers/front-of house team: @ciara_m_havener@priiyag & Isabelle
Friday mood to let you know that there are plenty of spots left for June bday/engagement/just because cakes (and we’re booking Weddings + Large Parties till end of Sept 🎉 ) so hit the cake request form - link in my bio.
And then once you get the form submitted, relax because I will go through them next Monday 🌸
Photo by @reesentlybaked
Been a long time coming - FOUGASSE is now permanently on the Wednesday bread menu!
A Provencial classic, our fougasse is made with both a poolish and our trusted sourdough starter, Scarlett, shaped and baked same day. This current version is with plenty of green/black/kalamata olives, topped with @zandzdc zaatar, @wearebrightland olive oil, and coarse sea salt. It is the perfect bread for ripping and dipping - make a dip, maybe grill some chicken and a side Greek salad and there’s your dinner!
My June cake book and Q3 Wedding & Large Parties booking are both LIVE!
Please go to my website or use the links in my bio for the right form. Everything I make is bespoke, and it’s a great joy to get to know the people and couple behind each cake: your favorite food memory, favorite spice, how much you hate licorice and love cardamom…I wish I could take on all the requests that come through the door, but as the one and only cake decorator here even as this microbakery grows, I truly treasure every cake that goes out to mark your birthday/baby shower/engagement/wedding/“just because.”
A few bookkeeping regarding my Bespoke Cake program:
- Please only use the Weddings & Large Parties form for weddings and when you need more than 50 servings of cake. July cake book will open June 1 and July 1 is when you can book August cake.
- All the dates available to book are on the website. If your date is greyed out, I can’t do it.
- Give me as many details as possible in the form to help me think of fun flavor combinations for you!
- I answer reply in the order of receipt. I can not hold a spot unless I have all the information to send you an invoice (date/flavor/size/delivery or not/allergies). Your cake is only confirmed once payment is received.
- Be patient with me because the inbox is always overflowing and I’m the only person in the team who can answer these requests!
Yay let’s get cake on!
📸 by @eblancophoto for D & E <3
A great bread day, especially with this big temperature swing, is just so satisfying. Yesterday we mixed with warmer water, lengthened bulk fermentation, and kept the fridge temp higher than normal to compensate for the kitchen being 65F. Bread that usually takes 4-5hrs to ferment took 6-7 hours, but that’s just the job.
From top to bottom, left to right
- Country Sourdough
- Black Pepper Grits Sourdough
- Classic Baguette
- Marbled Caraway Rye Sourdough,
- Rhubarb Earl Grey cake slice with our @wearebrightland Olive Oil Cake
- Olive Za’atar Fougasse with @zandzdc za’atar
- just missing our dairy-free Olive Oil Brioche!
GARLIC & RAMP KNOT
Our sourdough challah dough, with whipped ramp pesto butter, more ramps, garlic confit oil, red pepper flakes, and just a touch of vegetable bouillon, baked then brushed with more ramp pesto butter. THE VERY BEST THING I HAVE EVER MADE!! not sure when we will get ramps next, but I will try to keep this in the menu for as long as possible, subbing in green onions and chives. I can retire from baking happily now.
2nd pic by @poojjj
Appreciate @adler81 for being my ramps dealer
