I LOVE Christina Tosi’s formula for cakes. I fully admit I’m one of those people who scrape off frosting because it’s just too sweet and cloying, but I love a good filling.
If you order a cake from Milkbar, it’s $50+ for a 6” cake and $150+ For a 10” cake. Cake Truffles run $20 for a bag of 12.
If you like baking or knows someone who likes baking, Christina Tosi’s books are a great gift. I like to package them with a set of cake rings and a roll of acetate cake collars.
Her formula for the cakes are simple, and while they require a few components, it’s easy to do if you plan and make things ahead of time. The cakes are actually easier to stamp and handle when they’re cold, so I always bake them a day ahead of assembly. Fillings can be made a couple days ahead. Also, because it’s best to assemble the whole cake ahead of time and chill it overnight in it’s cake collar for support, it’s easy to concentrate on birthday/celebration meals the day of and simply pull out the cake at the end. Transporting is a breeze.
I’ve made several of her cakes as printed and the flavor combinations are fabulous. Just note that she really likes salty/sweet flavors. I tend to cut the amount of salt in half in her recipes and it’s still full flavored. Once you master the basics, you can substitute a myriad of flavors with your own combos.
This is the Birthday cake I made for our 13yo. He requested a combination of his two favorite desserts — Chocolate Cake and Cherry-Topped Cheesecake.
Chocolate Cake layers, Liquid Cheesecake filling, Tart Cherry Pie Filling, and Silver Sprinkle Crumbs that were leftover from a Bar Mitzvah cake I had made for a friend.
