bake - July 2018 - 46

cakes

Putting the Extra in

EXTRAORDINARY
San Diego's dynamic food scene would not be complete

"We're very colorful. Where a lot of bakeries can use beige

without sweet treats. One baking institution in the city has set

and brown tones because that's the color of dough and that's

the example for what it means to provide gourmet desserts to

the color of chocolate, it's important to me that it's a painter's

customers. But Extraordinary Desserts, with two locations in

palette," Krasne says.

the heart of San Diego, isn't satisﬁed with mastering just that
one aspect of the business.

The complexity of each dessert's look extends to its taste
as well. Krasne points out that the products have a lot of

When you talk with owner Karen Krasne, the ﬁrst thing you

layers and textures that have become another calling card

notice is her passion. Whether she's discussing travel, education,

of the bakery. "There's a lot going on in just one item from

family, or business, her enthusiasm and energy is on full display.

the counter. A cookie is not just a cookie. It might have four
different types of sugar," she says.

left to pursue her dream. She graduated from the University of

It's that sophistication from a design standpoint that

Hawaii with a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science and

Extraordinary Desserts looks to balance with accessibility.

Human Nutrition, which has given her a unique perspective on

Unexpected ﬂavor combinations and vibrant touches of fruit and

the role of food in our lives. Following that, she studied pastry-

ﬂowers add ﬂair without making each dessert seem overly fancy.

making at Le Cordon Bleu before returning to San Diego when

To stay true to itself, the bakery doesn't rely on trends to dictate

an opportunity presented itself to open a bakery there.

where it goes with design, but it does follow the ﬂavor trends.

Every so often, Krasne returns to France to learn more about

That's where Krasne's work ethic comes in handy. She is

the pastry arts. One could describe her as a citizen of the

constantly searching for the right ﬂavor proﬁles to satisfy her

world, traveling to exotic and faraway places to experience the

customers. The bakery was an early adopter of the elderﬂower

culture and use that experience to inspire her desserts.

trend, which has soared ever since the British royal wedding
between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle featured a lemon

Many of the products at Extraordinary Desserts are topped

elderﬂower cake at the reception (the pastry chef who made

with fresh ﬂowers, something Krasne picked up from her time

the cake, Claire Ptak, is a California native just like Krasne).

in Hawaii. Another noticeable trait of many of the desserts
at the bakery is gold leaf, a French/Parisian component. The

"I love that! We have a cake that we soak with elderﬂower, and

colors the bakery uses help to set it apart from its peers, with

now it's going to be huge! We also do an elderﬂower glaze on a

dazzling desserts that pop out of the display case.

lemon scone," Krasne says.

46 < JUL 2018 | bakemag.com

PHOTOS BY EXTRAORDINARY DESSERTS

The talented pastry chef was born and raised in the area, but
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bake - July 2018

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