This Pastry Chef's Brilliant Trick Makes Frosting Cakes and Tarts Easier
We’re totally going to repurpose this living room item now!
Cake stands are timeless, versatile, and stellar centerpieces for any table. Whether you top them with seasonal decor, plants, charcuterie, jewelry, or dessert, our best cake stands never go out of style.
While they look stunning and are certainly Instagramable, cake stands aren’t always the top tool for creating a magazine-cover-worthy cake or tart. Nearly all cake stands are immobile.
Even if you tuck small pieces of waxed paper or parchment paper under the first layer to catch any drips or excess garnishes, you still have to fuss with spinning the cake—or yourself around the cake—to frost it evenly on all sides. There has to be a better way.
Thanks to Karla Marro, executive pastry chef at Miller & Lux in San Francisco, and her brilliant dessert decorating hack, the solution might be in your home already. A vinyl record player!
Why Use a Record Player to Decorate Dessert?
After seeing Marro’s ultra-soothing demonstration on Instagram, we reached out to her for the dish on how she initially came up with the idea. She tells BHG that she remembers seeing the technique years ago on a French reality cooking show called “Qui Sera le Prochain Grand Pâtissier?” (Translated from French, the title is “Who Will Be the Next Great Pastry Chef?”)
“Years later, I was working in New York City, and the executive pastry chef was making a lemon tart with a marshmallow-topped cloud,” Marro recalls. “During the tasting, the head chef requested only meringue, so I told the pastry chef about the record player idea. He asked, ‘Do you have one?’ and I promised him, ‘I can find a record player before the end of the week!’”
Marro bought a record player on Facebook Marketplace and started practicing on food storage container lids until she mastered the pacing and spinning strategy.
Rotating cake stands exist—and Marro employs those for larger desserts—but she prefers the record player for single-serving creations such as mini lemon meringue pies or Key Lime Tartlets because it’s completely hands-off, allowing both hands to aid in a stable decorating strategy that results in a stunning swirl pattern.
She promises this is not a one-trick pony. At Miller & Lux, a modern steakhouse that has another all-star chef, Food Network star Tyler Florence, at the helm on the savory side, Marro says, “I have used a record player for mousse-like desserts as well. There’s a coconut passionfruit tart that I top with a swirled white chocolate-lime chantilly cream. I also have a Ferrero Rocher dessert that’s finished with a record player swirl of whipped milk chocolate ganache.”
We plan to use this strategy to make quick work out of decorating ice cream cakes so there’s less time standing between them and the freezer to chill.
Tips
You can also use the record player to play the soundtrack for your dinner party when you serve your stunning dessert.
Related: Master How to Make Cakes Bake Evenly Each and Every Time
How to Use a Record Player to Decorate Dessert
Now that you’re well-versed in the “why” and have a few ideas of what desserts might look even more rockin’ thanks to an assist from a record player, we asked Marro for a few of her top tips.
Invest in a quality piping tip. This is key for the most precise finished product, Marro admits. She swears by a 124 Petal Decorating Tip, which you can find online for less than $8.
Start slow. “Record players generally have three speeds. When I first started, I used the second speed,” Marro says, which is a nice, steady pace to get familiar with the strategy.
Stack it up. To elevate the dessert to a higher and level surface that’s closer to her eye line, “I’d place a tea cup or coffee cup underneath,” Marro says. Make sure it’s positioned exactly in the center of the record player so it’s rotating around the same axis.
Stay steady. “Focus on the center of your tart, then start pressing the piping bag. It’s important to keep your hands in the same position; try not to move too much! The record player is taking care of the movement, just gently press the piping bag and guide it,” Marro advises.
Above all, know that your first won’t be the best—but don’t give up!
“Practice makes perfect. I repeat new techniques over and over again until I feel like I’ve mastered them. Never be afraid of trying something new, but understand that you might have to do it several times before being happy with the results,” Marro says.
As you spin your way to your most spectacular desserts, why not try some new dessert recipes to act as the foundation? We think Pomegranate-Orange Cream Tart, Birthday Party Cookie Cakes, French Silk Pie, and any flavor of frosted cupcakes would all look even more stunning with a spiffy spiral topping of meringue, cream, or frosting.
For more Better Homes & Gardens news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on Better Homes & Gardens.
