With Pinterest-worthy weddings lighting up the Internet, many brides are looking for ways to customize their big day. Some couples express themselves with cakes of all shapes, colors and sizes, while others are going for something entirely different, like reception pastries ranging from cupcakes to pies.
Here are three Pittsburgh bakeries that take the cake:
1. Parisian Pastries from Gaby et Jules
As the unofficial patisserie of Appalachia, Gaby et Jules in Squirrel Hill serves authentic French macarons and pastries. Lori and Frederic Rongier, the husband-and-wife team behind French restaurant Paris 66, opened this sister patisserie in 2013 with master pastry chef David Piquard.
Frederic is from Paris and Lori is from Altoona; the two met at Penn State University. The pair then met Piquard, also French, in France. Piquard was trained at the world-famous Ladurée in Paris, but promises 100 percent original macaron recipes at Gaby et Jules. The shop offers flavors from almond to white chocolate basil.
Gaby et Jules wedding concierge Julie Raffensperger described the bakery’s macaron towers as an alternative to the classic American wedding cake. These towers are encrusted with macarons — not, Raffensperger explains, macaroons.
Macarons are a delicate sandwich cookie filled with buttercream or ganache. Gaby et Jules' version are made with 100 percent almond flour, confectioners sugar, egg white and a flavorful filling. A macaron wedding tower from Gaby et Jules can boast three to 10 tiers of macarons, with as many as 237 delicate cookies.
Another wedding favorite from Gaby et Jules is the croquembouche — a traditional French wedding and event pastry. The showstopper is made from cream puffs filled with a light cream, hand-dipped in hot caramel and built into a classic cone shape. It can also include a nougatine case, jordan almonds and almond paste flowers.
Raffensperger explains that croquembouche means “a crunch in the mouth.” She added that grooms in France slice the top off with a sword and throw the cream puffs to the bridesmaids.
In addition to conical shapes, Piquard can craft a croquembouche to suit the bride and groom’s interests — one couple requested a gondola-shaped masterpiece.
Brides have also opted for mignardises — or miniature pastries — including tarts, eclairs, cream puffs and baba au rum (a rum-filled sponge cake). Of course the Pittsburgh patisserie can also provide beautifully decorated cakes.
2. The Best Cake in America
For more than 100 years, a bakery has stood at 5525 Walnut Street in Shadyside. And for 40 years, that address has been the flagship site of Prantl’s and home to “America’s Favorite Cake.”
In April, The Huffington Post named Prantl’s burnt almond torte the “Greatest Cake in America.” According to Lara Bruhn, Prantl’s co-owner since Henry and Jane Prantl retired from the business in 2007, the cake was invented around 1980 when Henry Prantl went on a trip to California. There, he was asked to come up with an almond cake recipe due to an almond glut. Henry found the perfect recipe for Pittsburgh — an airy, sweet torte frosted with a light buttercream and covered with hundreds of candied, toasted almond slices.
“It’s not every day you get that kind of PR,” says Bruhn with a laugh. She added that she shipped the cake to Huffington Post’s New York offices on a Tuesday and Prantl’s made national news the following Monday. It didn’t take the publication long to realize the best cake in America was not in New York, but in Pittsburgh.
Many Pittsburgh brides choose the burnt almond torte for their reception, but sometimes, according to Bruhn, it’s incognito — brides opt for the recipe sans almond exterior to keep a traditional wedding cake look. The slivered almonds are served on the side and guests can create a “deconstructed torte” on their plates. Other brides, however, like the almond slices as decoration, making these tiered tortes a popular wedding item.
Mini versions of the cake are also popular as part of a collection of two-bite pastries. According to Bruhn, these mini batches are popular on their own and as an accompaniment to smaller tiered wedding cakes.
“The cutting cake with the minis is kind of a trend,” she says, adding that the little treats can please more people by incorporating the bride, groom and mom’s favorite flavors.
She added that they are also seeing more creative batters and fillings. Requests like pumpkin cake with spice icing and a spin on the traditional raspberry filling with shaved white chocolate are on offer.
Other trends Bruhn mentioned include cakes as centerpieces (which can be cost effective) and an increase in Groom's Cake requests, which are more traditionally seen in the South. Prantl’s is also happy to help with the cookie table.
3. Boozy Cakes … In a Jar?
Ever since Eliza’s Oven opened in the Public Market in the Strip District last year, owner Eliza Bowman has been whipping up handmade pastries with a twist. The bakery’s catchphrase, “Have your cake and drink it too,” stems from the boozy kick added to intensify flavor in Bowman’s cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies and more. All of the liquids Bowman uses to bake are locally sourced, including milk from local dairies, and alcohol from Wigle Whiskey and East End Brewing Co.
When it comes to weddings, Bowman's “Create your own Cake Cocktail” wedding package is a hit — it includes individual mason jars of alcohol-enhanced cakes in an array of flavors.
Bowman described the jars as layers of crumbled cake, filling and frosting. They can be arranged in tiers at the wedding and are individually portioned for guests. This cake alternative also allows for multiple taste options.
Previous wedding parties have selected flavors such as chocolate martini (with chocolate and vodka); cosmo (with vanilla cake and cranberry whiskey filling); and hop n’ lime (with a lime curd IPA twist).
Bowman often works with Wigle Whiskey. When couples develop a signature cocktail with Wigle, she can create desserts to match the drink or incorporate the cocktail when baking.
The bakery's “drunken oatmeal” cookies (made with whiskey) and romantic “whiskey kisses,” sandwich cookies with a dulce de leche filling, are great cookie table additions.
Eliza’s Oven also offers pies, a new wedding trend that Bowman’s been seeing. Chocolate cherry stout and apple whiskey with caramel and ginger are a couple of Eliza’s Oven’s most popular pies.
Bowman can even provide a pie cake for the big day, made by stacking two pies together with filling. Eliza’s Oven also offers reception options such as mini pastry dessert buffets, cakes, cupcakes and even scones.