If Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito have learned one thing from running a bakery, it’s that every day is a cause for celebration — and from birthday parties to picnics to dinner parties, there’s a dessert for every occasion. The duo behind Brooklyn’s Baked don’t just bake sweet treats for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their staff stays busy cooking up creative desserts for days like World Nutella Day, National Ice Cream Day, and Elvis Presley’s birthday. Because why not embrace an opportunity to celebrate — with cake?
In their new cookbook Baked Occasions, Matt and Renato share recipes for every month (and every obscure holiday) of the year. On Earth Day, they bake a vegan Hippie Cake with olive oil; there are Individual Baked Alaskas for Alaska Day. And of course, you’ll still find Conversation Heart Cakes for Valentine’s Day and 12 recipes for Christmas cookies.
Here, we ask Matt and Renato all about the book, their favorite party desserts, and the most bizarre holiday they’ve celebrated. Read on, try a recipe from the book, and join us for a book signing in Williams-Sonoma stores (dates and locations below)!
Why did you want to write a book focusing on occasions and parties?
We are equally obsessed with traditional and peculiar holidays. And we bake especially for them — we like to tailor each item for the specific holiday, sometimes to a fault. We, like so many people, are compulsive about baking 12 different cookies leading up to the 12 days of Christmas (yup, we have 12 Days of Cookies section in the book), but we also like to bake cakes to celebrate Dolly Parton’s birthday (a pink frosted coconut and fudge Bundt) and Martha’s. It’s all tongue in cheek, yet we really do get excited around these special “holidays.”
And due to the advent of social media, we became highly aware of some of the more obscure holidays (National Pudding Day and Nutella Day and, even Alaska Day). So many of our social media fans will ask random questions like : “Hey, what are you doing to celebrate Elvis?” (Um, hello, we made peanut butter-chocolate-banana bread pudding for the book. Of course.) We like a good dessert challenge. The more random, the better.
What are the best kinds of party desserts? How would you characterize them?
It’s hard to beat a great big cake or Bundt for a party. They form the centerpiece. Don’t get me wrong, we like individually-sized desserts (mini pies, tarts and souffles), but a monstrous three-layer cake is just automatic PARTY! And if you don’t make a cake, we think you should make something that is fairly stress-free (you want to enjoy the party, not fuss over it) and not too precious. A precious dessert can kill a party mood (in our humble opinion).
Which celebratory desserts are most popular at Baked?
We are known for our three-layer cakes, and we will decorate them minimally and beautifully to reflect the occasion. It should be noted, we also do a swift party business in mini cookies (how can you not like a COOKIE!?!!), mini brooksters, and bite-sized brownies.
What’s the most bizarre holiday you’ve baked for, and what did you make?
We made a Purple Velvet cake (made with purple yam powder) to celebrate Hunter S. Thompson’s birthday. The recipe is in the book, and it is rightfully weird and amazing — like Hunter S. Thompson.
What’s your personal favorite holiday or occasion for baking?
At my heart, I am boring and traditional: I love baking for Christmas. Cover me in Christmas cookies.
Any decorating tips for making desserts look especially festive and party-worthy?
Don’t over-decorate your cake. It shouldn’t have to work that hard. It is beautiful on its own. Let the accouterments, table settings and cake platter do most of the work. A simple sprig of holly on the plate for December is simple, beautiful and perfect. A small chocolate bunny plopped in the middle of an Easter cake is equally fun and minimal, yet effective.
You’re baking for a big party of people you don’t know well. What’s a foolproof dessert that everyone loves?
If you aren’t into making layer cakes, you should think about a big old sheet cake. I went to school in Alabama and know my way around a sheet cake. We have a great big Texas-style sheet cake in our book (for Texas Independence Day) and it is damn addictive.
Milk Chocolate Malted Brownies with Chocolate Ganache
Yield: 36 to 48 mini brownies
For the brownies:
1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (70 g) malted milk powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces (170 g) milk chocolate (40 to 60% cacao), coarsely chopped
4 ounces (115 g) dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
6 ounces (1. sticks/170 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes, plus more for the pan
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (110 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the chocolate ganache:
6 ounces (170 g) dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
For the royal icing:
3 to 4 cups (340 to 450 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Blue, yellow, red, and black food dyes or gels (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the center. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light-colored metal 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper so that it overhangs about 1 inch (2.5 cm) on the long sides of the pan, and butter the parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, and salt.
Place both chocolates and the butter in a large heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted, smooth, and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add both sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.
Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and whisk until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, place the pan on a cooling rack, and let the brownies cool completely.
Make the chocolate ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and heat just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Pour the warm chocolate ganache over the cooled brownies in the pan and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Allow the ganache to sit for about 10 minutes, then refrigerate for another 15 minutes to set completely.
Using a small paring knife, release the brownies from the sides of the pan and pull straight up on the parchment to remove them from the pan, then place the brownies onto a cutting board and remove the parchment. Place the brownies in the freezer for 30 minutes (this will make them easier to cut). Run a chef’s knife under hot water, wipe dry, and cut the brownies into 36 to 48 bite-size pieces (or smaller—these brownies are rich).
Make the royal icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups (340 g) confectioners’ sugar, the egg whites, and lemon juice until the mixture is completely smooth. The mixture should have the texture of a thick glaze. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until it is thick enough to hold its shape when piped. Divide the icing into four bowls. Royal icing will begin to harden when exposed to air. If you are not using a particular color, make sure to cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or place the icing in a pastry bag and cover the tip.
Leave one bowl white for skulls and ghosts. In another bowl, create a black icing (about 8 drops of black gel or 2 drops each of blue, yellow, and red dye) for outlines and eyes. In the other two bowls, we recommend mixing orange for pumpkins and green for embellishments (green eyes are spooky). Put each color in its own pastry bag fitted with the smallest tip. (Pastry bags provide more control, but, if needed, you can fill four zip-tight plastic bags and cut a small corner from the bottom of each.) In essence, you want to pipe and fill all of your base layers first, then go back and add your final embellishments. (It is more difficult to decorate each brownie from start to finish.)
For skulls and ghosts: Pipe on the shapes of skulls or ghosts in white and allow them to harden for a few minutes. Then fill them in completely. Gently pipe final embellishments (eyes, mouths, etc.) directly on top of the white icing with any other color you like.
For pumpkins: Pipe on the shape of the pumpkins (not the stem) in orange and allow to harden for a few minutes, then fill them in completely. Gently pipe on the stem in green.
Allow the icing to harden completely before serving. The brownies will keep, tightly covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Meet Matt & Renato
Join us at your local Williams-Sonoma store for a special book signing, dessert cooking demonstration and tasting with Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. They will be signing copies of their new cookbook, Baked Occasions: Desserts for Leisure Activities, Holidays, and Informal Celebrations.
Celebrating a year in desserts, BAKED’s beloved duo Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito offer cookies, puddings, whoopie pies, cakes, brownies, and more to commemorate holidays both expected and unexpected. Rum-infused Hair of the Dog Cake for New Year’s Day and Peanut Butter Sheet Cake for Texas Independence Day join Praline Ice Cream Cake for Mardi Gras, Chocolate Pop Tarts for Halloween, and 12 Days of Cookies for Christmastime. With 65 gorgeous photographs and 75 unique recipes, you’ll have everything you need to create a wide range of sweet treats for quirky festivities and traditional holidays all year round.
Roosevelt Field
Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 7:00pm
Roosevelt Field Shopping Ctr., Garden City, NY 1153
(516) 742-0342
Please visit Eventbrite or call the store to purchase a book and secure your spot.
Westport
Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 1:00pm
136 Main Street, Westport, CT 06880
(203) 221-8667
Please visit Eventbrite or call the store to purchase a book and secure your spot.
*Matt and Renato will only be signing copies of Baked Occasions purchased at the Williams-Sonoma store where the event is being held. Proof of purchase required.