Every Spring it seems as though all of the wedding cake designers across the country receive the same memo in which a collection of trendy color palettes are explained.  Have you ever wondered how these seemingly universal accords on what colors are “in” this season are reached?  We know that many cake designs are inspired by haute couture and interior designs, but taking it a step further, where do these color trends originate? 

In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, , the founder of Pantone, created an innovative system for identifying, matching and communicating colors. His idea that the color spectrum is interpreted differently by each individual led to the innovation of the PANTONE® MATCHING SYSTEM® (PMS).  You, no doubt, have see this book of standardized colors (nearly 2,000 of them) in fan format.  Since its inception, PMS has since expanded its color matching system concept to other industries in which color is critical, including fashion which directly then influences the cake world.

Cake decorators in the know often turn directly to the PMS color reports to get a handle on what color schemes will be popular in upcoming seasons or years in order to plan new designs for wedding and party cakes. For example, Spring 2010 will bring splashes of sunshine to the fashion world, so expect to see cakes with turquoise-based color palettes; turquoise is a color that evokes tranquility and escape–perfect for destination weddings. Violet’s purplish hue lends itself to romance and will figure largely in Spring fashion. In cake it will translate to sugar violets as side designs, color bases for bows, and linens for table scaping.  Other colors to be on the lookout for in cakes in 2010 are pink champagne and coral.

Pantone color reports do more than simplify identify color trends though…colors are explained.  In reading the reports, a better understanding of how certain colors correspond to different types of events and to various personalities as well as reactions that specific colors tend to evoke can be grasped.  This level of understanding can help a cake decorator develop a broader sense of style vis-a-vis colors and be better suited to guide his/her client through the cake selection & design process.

If this is your first time hearing about color reports, read one.  It is just like learning a new word that suddendly everyone around you is using.  Read the report and watch the whole world glow.

I recently enjoyed some chocolate that I had brought home from France.  Upon sharing it with a friend downstate, he asked me to help him choose a “good” chocolate to eat out of hand from his local grocer.  Much to my surprise, this particular store had a huge selection of chocolates, so I was certain that we’d have no problem finding something to satisfy my friend’s chocolate craving.

While my friend was not intimidated by the array of choices, he had no idea where to begin.   Today’s chocolate bar labeling bears much more information than the manufacturer’s name, so it is important to understand a few key components of the label.  Just remember that choosing a chocolate is very much like choosing a wine.  There is, in my mind, no one “good” chocolate for every palate.  Just as one person may enjoy a certain Sauternes while another finds it syrupy, such is the variation in taste perception of chocolate.

First, know whether you are interested in milk or dark chocolate.  The difference is straightforward: milk chocolate is chocolate to which milk or milk solids have been added during the production process.  So it will have a creamier and usually sweeter taste than dark chocolate.

On the label…labels of some purveyors have become increasingly specific about the cocoa content in their chocolate.  While this percentage printed on the label is somewhat helpful in gauging the intensity of the bar, it is not necessarily a clear figure among chocolates from different makers.  This number refers to the total amount of ingredients in the bar derived from the cacao bean, including cocoa butter, cocoa powder and chocolate liquor.  So two 70% bars from two different manufacturers may indeed have very different levels of intensity.  Why?  One of the two “70s” make comprise more cocoa butter and less liquor than the other, thus changing the overall flavor.  The bar’s overall profile will vary greatly also based on the beans used to make the chocolate (more on this in a future post).

The other part of the label that interests me is the ingredient list.  When sugar is the first ingredient listed on the label of what is puported to be a dark chocolate, I usually pass.  Chances are your chocolate craving will not be satisfied by a bar that has more sugar than chocolate in it.  This is why so many of us end up eating multiple bars of chocolate until we feel we’ve actually HAD chocolate.  With so many domestic bars containing only a mere 13-15% actual cocoa, we end up ingesting lots of fat and sugar without the satisfying chocolate indulgence.

I also try to steer clear of chocolates made with artificial ingredients.  Artificial flavors mask the natural flavors of the actual chocolate, thus defeating the purpose of eating the bar to begin with. 

The best way to choose a “good” chocolate is to taste many of them and keep a diary of what you like/don’t like about each.  For each one, follow 4 simple steps:
1.  Smell the chocolate.  A good chocolate should smell chocolatey…not like wax or some artifical chemical.
2.  Break the chocolate.  The chocolate should have a crisp “snap”, not crumbly or dull sound.
3.  Look at the chocolate.  It should not appear grainy and should have a nice shine.
4.  Taste the chocolate.  The chocolate should melt on your tongue and feel smooth. 

After you’ve tasted each chocolate, make note of the flavors that you identify.  Ultimately, did you like it?? Even if a chocolate is popular or is supposed to be “good” it doesn’t mean that it will be pleasing to your palate.  Choose one that is. 

For an opportunity to indulge in a vast array of high-caliber chocolates, attend the annual For the Love of Chocolate event at the French Pastry School at City Colleges of Chicago on Saturday, February 6.  Event details at www.fortheloveofchocolatefoundation.org/events.html.

If you would like to learn more about the history of chocolate in France, please join me at a special presentation at the Culinary Historians of Chicago at Lexington College on Saturday morning, February 20, 2010.  For information about this event, please visit www.culinaryhistorians.org.

One point that I sometimes found difficult as a competitor in cake shows was to agree with the judges’ decision on a winning cake.  Now that I am on the other side of the turntable, I understand things in a different light.  Even as a judge, the cake that first appears as the “obvious” winner is not always the correct choice. 

Case in point, this past weekend I was one of three judges to consider entries in a Marie-Antoinette themed wedding cake competition in New York City.  At first glance, I was drawn to a particular cake with a certain prominence; I thought “well, this will be an easy task”.  Not so fast.  Upon closer inspection, and conference with the other adjudicators, it was discovered that the work on another cake was a better representation of the theme: the color palette was spot on vis-a-vis Marie-Antoinette and her era, details coincided with Marie-Antoinette’s wardrobe, her Austrian heritage, and French lifestyle.  Some details on the first cake were out of sync with the period.  And as an overall piece, there seemed to be two incongruent styles represented in two portions of the cake that did not work well together.  After comparing each individual element on each cake to the rules the appropriate cake was selected as the higher scoring cake, without diminishing the many merits of the other entries. 

One of the greatest characteristics of a cake show is that it gives all of us a place to learn.  Whether you are a beginning cake decorator learning the basics of what it means to compete, or a professional designer who is looking for ways to take your own designs to the next level, judged shows provide the venue.  For judges the learning comes from conference with other judges whose perspectives and experience bring new light to details in each cake.  I have spent as much as 3 hours discussing and comparing three professional wedding cakes in tough competitions. 

At the conclusion of a competition, I encourage all show competitors and spectators to discuss choices with the adjudicators…not in an attempt to alter the outcome of the show but to simply learn more about the process through which the judges went in order to arrive at their conclusion.  Through such conversation, we all go home with some new ideas, new perspectives, and hopefully new tools to use at the next show.

If you are interested in upcoming competitions/shows, check out:

That Takes the Cake in Austin, TX February 27-28, 2010

National Capital Area Cake Show in Fairfax, VA March 20-21, 2010