bake - May 2017 - cake14

ADDING
LATIN FLAVORS
THE RISING POPULARITY OF HISPANIC FLAVORS IS OPENING UP A WORLD OF OPTIONS FOR CREATIVE FLAVOR
COMBINATIONS FOR WEDDING CAKES AND SPECIALTY DESSERTS FOR WEDDING RECEPTIONS.

Latin-inspired flavors are sweeping
the American cake decorating world,
as cake decorators look to add new
twists to traditional cakes and desserts.
No longer are Hispanic bakeries being
shopped by Hispanic customers almost
exclusively. In increasing numbers,
Hispanic cakes and Hispanic flavors
are being embraced by the mainstream
public.
Flavors like strawberry and mango
are widely popular with US Hispanics
of Mexican origin because those two
fruit crops are prevalent in Mexico.
Guava is very popular for the same
reason among Cubans.
In Houston, Agustin Rueda of
Panadería Tierra Caliente has been
creating wedding cakes for over
15 years. His passion for his work
encourages him to create lifetime
memories through the art of cakes.
"Our customers want special cakes,
and we work hard to meet every need,"
Rueda says.
At La Azteca Bakery in Salinas,
California, the decorators here make a
special gelatin cup in which an edible
flower is placed inside the gelatin.
The gelatin mixture then goes into a
large a wine glass to create an elegant
presentation.
In other trends, egg-rich custards
and thick caramels, including flan,
tres leches and dulce de leche have
never been too far outside the culinary
14

2017

THE WEDDING ISSUE

world, but regional delicacies and
new interpretations of old favorites
are trending upward, according to the
latest decorating movements.
Owner Gustavo Miranda, who
started the bakery in 2008, previously
lived in Los Angeles and brought the
milhojas recipe with him from Los
Angeles years ago.
The fruit and the flaky layers of
dough make a unique flavor. The
bakery uses strawberries, peaches,
kiwifruit, pineapples and grapes, "and
we do a jelly glaze on the top to make
it special."
For many years, milhojas cakes
have been regarded as a pastry
delicacy only to be enjoyed on special
occasions. Like its French counterpart,
the Napoleon, milhojas is produced
with flaky layers of pastry, filled with
pastry cream and topped with fresh
fruit slices.
"We make milhojas cakes all yearround, sometimes every day," says Alma
Ignacio, owner of Maravilla's Bakery
in Salem, Oregon. "We top them with
five kinds of fruit: kiwifruit, strawberry,
pineapple, peach and grapes. We bake
it from scratch. They call it milhojas
because of the flaky layers."
What is happening now, as
customers become more familiar with
unique pastries, milhojas is moving
into the mainstream. At Miranda's
Bakery in Woodburn, Oregon, full

f
POPULAR FLAVORS
Popular flavors can vary by
Hispanic country of origin, so
it can prove beneficial to know
where the customers who shop
your bakeries originate.
Popular Flavors by Country:
* Mexico: strawberry, mango,
pineapple, garlic, onion, chili
powder, oregano, cinnamon,
anise
* Puerto Rico: papaya, guava,
plantains, lime, oregano
* El Salvador: mango,
pineapple, banana, plantains,
yucca, guava
* Cuba: guava, citrus,
plantains, raisins, cinnamon
Source: Pew Research & bake
sheets and half sheets are very
popular. The bakery makes the giant
full sheet milhojas for customers who
buy them for special occasions like
weddings. *

bake - May 2017

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