Cake is a food group, right? Well, it should be. I’ve been a big cake fan for many years because of what the dessert represents- happiness. Cakes are always served at fun gatherings; birthdays, retirements, congratulatory parties, graduations, and milestones, just to name a few. A good cake has frosting and icing; a great cake consists of a smooth buttercream, a real (not preservative) fruit filling, buttercream, or ganache, and a light, moist cake. For some reason, great cakes have been difficult to find in Pittsburgh. They contain all of the necessary elements that make a cake memorable. The buttercream is smooth, buttery and not to sweet. The filling I had this evening at my cousin’s birthday party contained real raspberry, not the imitation stuff with the horrible after-taste. The cake was fluffy and light on the palate; very pleasant to eat. Have you ever had a piece of cake that required a few glasses of water or milk to get dense pastry down? Well, the cakes at Oakmont bakery require no such effort.
Another interesting thing happened tonight as I was eating my delicious piece of white cake with raspberry filling… everyone, without exception, had a second piece. Within a few minutes the entire cake was gone.
If you like cake, (and who doesn’t) take a trip to Oakmont Bakery.
Chef Chuck Kerber
chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com