Thanks for a fun start to 2024 newsletter! If you haven’t already, check out photographer Cig Harvey’s latest work using cakes (all made by her daughter) as commentary on themes of ephemerality, perception, sensory experiences, and color/beauty. It’s interesting to see an artists use of cake as a subject vs how we bakers use cake as a medium for creative expression - exactly Cassie’s observations about the intersection of art + cake!
I loved this anticipated trends of 2024 issue. I'm looking forward to the candied fruit; broad color blocking on sheet cakes; playing with scale (e.g. long cakes or lil' treats); novelty cake pans; and non-dairy condensed milk.
I wonder if another trend will be neighborhoods with micro-bakeries in homes. In my neighborhood where I lived a few years ago, we had a bread baker, a cookie baker, a nursery, and a cake baker all within walking distance. Order your bread early in the week and then stop by on the weekend during defined hours for pick up. It was delightful.
In many ways micro bakeries also reference a return to how people used to do commerce - I do think we are seeing a resurgence of self-employed cooks as so many people have grown weary of the long hours and low pay of the conventional restaurant industry
I loathe every other in & out list except yours. Hurray! Haha. Usually they feel like a mean-girl way to shut down a trend people are still enjoying but I like how yours are actually based off observation and intuition. Thanks for sharing! I love the Parthenon inspired things, and the long cakes particularly!
Love this! I’m so excited for candied fruit!!! I’m also super curious to see how this 50s decor plays out. There are so many little design niches in that decade and a bit later that I could totally see in pastry/cake. I’m hoping with books like bread and roses coming out we will see lots of alternatives sources of sweetness and base flavour. Also just having come back from time in Australia i think that indigenous ingredients and flavour are going to be huge. So many places adding wattleseed to choc chip cookies or things like quandong in cakes. There was an amazing cookbook called the First Nations food companion that’s really driving the use of these indigenous ingredients in gorgeous bakes. I was so thrilled to see these indigenous Australian ingredients becoming more available to those outside the restaurant industry and have seen similar things in canada with epices de cru launching a range of boreal herbs
Oh I’ll be excited to see the long cake, toasted sugar/flour, and parthenon-core trends expand! I’d read your fashion spin-off too, if even just to hear more about (the tragedy of) bows jumping the shark in all realms.
Thanks for a fun start to 2024 newsletter! If you haven’t already, check out photographer Cig Harvey’s latest work using cakes (all made by her daughter) as commentary on themes of ephemerality, perception, sensory experiences, and color/beauty. It’s interesting to see an artists use of cake as a subject vs how we bakers use cake as a medium for creative expression - exactly Cassie’s observations about the intersection of art + cake!
https://www.dowlingwalsh.com/exhibitions/cig-harvey3
I can’t believe i missed this comment- diving in now!
I loved this anticipated trends of 2024 issue. I'm looking forward to the candied fruit; broad color blocking on sheet cakes; playing with scale (e.g. long cakes or lil' treats); novelty cake pans; and non-dairy condensed milk.
I wonder if another trend will be neighborhoods with micro-bakeries in homes. In my neighborhood where I lived a few years ago, we had a bread baker, a cookie baker, a nursery, and a cake baker all within walking distance. Order your bread early in the week and then stop by on the weekend during defined hours for pick up. It was delightful.
In many ways micro bakeries also reference a return to how people used to do commerce - I do think we are seeing a resurgence of self-employed cooks as so many people have grown weary of the long hours and low pay of the conventional restaurant industry
I loathe every other in & out list except yours. Hurray! Haha. Usually they feel like a mean-girl way to shut down a trend people are still enjoying but I like how yours are actually based off observation and intuition. Thanks for sharing! I love the Parthenon inspired things, and the long cakes particularly!
This is so kind, thank you!
Love this! I’m so excited for candied fruit!!! I’m also super curious to see how this 50s decor plays out. There are so many little design niches in that decade and a bit later that I could totally see in pastry/cake. I’m hoping with books like bread and roses coming out we will see lots of alternatives sources of sweetness and base flavour. Also just having come back from time in Australia i think that indigenous ingredients and flavour are going to be huge. So many places adding wattleseed to choc chip cookies or things like quandong in cakes. There was an amazing cookbook called the First Nations food companion that’s really driving the use of these indigenous ingredients in gorgeous bakes. I was so thrilled to see these indigenous Australian ingredients becoming more available to those outside the restaurant industry and have seen similar things in canada with epices de cru launching a range of boreal herbs
This is such an incredible perspective! I love the idea of returning to lesser-known indigenous foodways
Oh I’ll be excited to see the long cake, toasted sugar/flour, and parthenon-core trends expand! I’d read your fashion spin-off too, if even just to hear more about (the tragedy of) bows jumping the shark in all realms.
I love fashion and find it so fascinating but to be honest I live in t-shirts and joggers, may need to leave that subject matter to the experts!
This is FASCINATING. Also. I feel like there’s a fashion parallel to Parthenon core that’s emerging?
Oh this is interesting! Do you mean like Grecian robes/ pleats/ that sort of thing?
Would love to hear more about your sourdough cakes!