bake - December 2016 - 8

personality

Lia Weber
Glitter and gold mean a lot to the success of Lia Weber, who
wears many hats as both the 26-year-old owner of her cake
and sweets shop Made. By Lia and baking ambassador for AB
Mauri North America, a leader in yeast and bakery ingredient
products and solutions.
"Gold is deﬁnitely in. That's the trend right now," Weber tells a
tuned-in audience of cake decorators watching her recent demonstration during the International Baking Industry Exposition
(IBIE) in Las Vegas. "About 90 percent of my wedding cakes

an emerging trend that decorators will want to know. "Brides

have gold incorporated into them these days."

really like things that aren't perfect these days," she shares.
For example, "you don't have to have a perfect line all the way

Weber knows what she is talking about because she has come

around your cake. But make sure it still looks really nice with

a long way in a short time. The Florissant, Missouri, native

the design."

started her own business four years ago, prior to working as a
pastry chef and lead cake decorator for several of the top retail

Brushing on sprinkles is one of the simplest ways to dress up a

shops and restaurants in St. Louis. She has a business degree,

special occasion cake, and it's easy. Weber began her IBIE dem-

a baking and pastry arts degree, and attended culinary school

onstration by applying colorful sprinkles to a cake covered in

in Italy. Two years ago, she rose to national notoriety after win-

white fondant. "You want to coat your cake in the piping gel so,

ning TLC's Next Great Baker Season 4.

that way, the sprinkles stick to the cake. It's fun, but it's messy.
If you have buttercream underneath your fondant, make sure

Weber calls herself a perfectionist, which is a handy trait for a

that the buttercream is cold. Otherwise, you will have indents in

cake decorator. And yet during the IBIE show, where she gave

your cake."

tips on applying metallic accents and sprinkles, she reveals
Applying edible gold leaf came next, and Weber's enthusiasm
showed. "Gold leaf is really one of my favorite ways to add gold
to cakes. It gives a really beautiful shimmer to your cakes,"
she says.
Weber enjoys working with both fondant and buttercream and
recommends that when applying gold leaf to fondant, you have
to add a little water ﬁrst. Not so with buttercream. Just take
your cold cake out of the cooler and start applying it. "I like
adding gold leaf to buttercream best because it gives more of
a matte texture."
Gold leaf comes in a variety of sizes and costs about $50 for
10 sheets (enough to cover a 6-inch round cake), she explains
to the crowd. "That is a good upsell for your brides," Weber reminds people about the importance of charging accordingly for
your work. "Gold leaf is very ﬂimsy and sticks to your ﬁngers.
But the overall look is so beautiful, it is well worth it."

08 < DEC 2016 | bakemag.com

http://www.bakemag.com

bake - December 2016

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