Birthday Message For Sister

What makes a birthday cake special? It has to taste great, no doubt, but visual appeal makes a cake really shine. In Portland, Oregon, Papa Haydn is known for unique birthday cakes that look as fabulous as they taste, so we asked co-owner Evelyn Franz to share some of his secrets for successful cake decorating .

Evelyn helped her sister and brother-in-law Heidi and Jeff Van Dyke, who founded Papa Haydn in the late 1970s, create their legendary dessert menu. Since then, Papa Haydn has become the destination for dessert Portland, and regularly win awards and distinctions for gourmets and food critics alike.

With a master's degree in sculpture and love throughout cooking, Evelyn guides staff pastry by combining visual appeal with exceptional flavor and texture. "I think it's also important to pay attention to the eye as it is flavor," she said. "The eyes can make a huge difference in what you eat is your palate. I do not think dessert is a successful if it looks as good as it tastes. "

If you want to try your hand at creating spectacular cakes for birthdays, anniversaries and weddings in your life, consider these helpful hints from Evelyn.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon: A simple and elegant way to brighten up the birthday cakes is by tying a colorful ribbon around the bottom of the cake. "You can use muslin or just a French ribbon to really doll any cake," says Evelyn. Do not forget to remove the tape before serving.

Toppers most terrible: Check store for cake decorating ideas, says Evelyn, who loves to decorate birthday cakes with dragees or candy pearls. Silk flowers or edible cake toppers are also elegant, turning a regular layer cake for a birthday cake to remember.

Fabulously frosted: With a little practice, you can turn the frosting a birthday cake in complex design. Alternating vertical and horizontal ribbons of frosting, for example, you create a delicate woven pattern that dazzles the eyes. Even simple designs can be achieved by creating swirls or peaks with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Wrap-up: For the more advanced pastry chef, wrap cake in a thin layer of another cake can add a touch developed that dazzles, even after a birthday cake or birthday cake is sliced. Papa Haydn features such delicacies as White Chocolate Mint Truffle Torte and wrapped in a patterned chocolate sponge cake, Hazelnut Mousse Torte, wrapped in a striped terry almond cake, mousse cake and Georgian Peanut Butter, wrapped in a sponge cake with polka dots and topped with ground peanuts. It takes some practice, but the effect is well worth the effort.

The art of chocolate: Evelyn and his crew are well practiced in the art of decorating with chocolate, too. Simply spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on a piece of marble slab or baking cooled, then carefully make curls or ribbons with a metal spatula to decorate your special cakes. For birthday cakes, you can cut out rectangular banners of dark chocolate, write a "Happy Birthday" message with white chocolate frosting, then place the banner upright on the cake for a birthday greeting edible. This, too, takes practice, but once you've mastered the technique, you'll be a star cake decorating.

Design of the floor up: Another way to create dazzling birthday cakes is to layer different cakes and fillings for a variety of flavors and textures. "We will make a cake that has meringue in it as well as chiffon and maybe a chocolate cake without flour," said Evelyn, "to give it a nice texture and crunch a bit." Using cakes and fillings of different colors adds visual appeal and taste.

If you approach cake baking and cake decorating as Evelyn Franz does - as a true artist - your birthday cakes, birthday cakes and wedding cakes, even dazzle your colleagues.