bake - February 2014 - 32

Sisters April Weilbacher and Ashley Landerman
push the creative envelope at 2 Tarts Bakery.

Gustaﬁk also takes advantage of the fact that ﬂavor

"Here in Texas, people are still in the grips of the Red

infusions are often colorless.

Velvet craze," Weilbacher says. "French Macarons
with ﬂavors like blueberry-pomegranate, Nutella, milk

"We use strawberry and raspberry oil in icing when a

and honey, and crème brûlée are deﬁnitely catching

bride wants the ﬂavor, but wants white icing instead

on, too."

of pink," she says.
At Blue Star Donuts, deciding which ﬂavors to
In addition, ﬂavor infusions have staying power.

offer involves a lot of trial and error. "We try a lot

Gustaﬁk prepares her fruit-based ﬂavor infusions when

of incredible seasonal combinations," Poppe says.

each type of fruit is fresh and in its prime. She then

"Sometimes they don't translate very well, but those

keeps the infusions refrigerated so she still has access

that do make the display case."

to the ﬂavor when the fruit is no longer in season.
While the sky is the limit when it comes to ﬂavor
Freshness is also important to April Weilbacher,

combinations, Thomas advises against throwing all

co-owner of 2 Tarts Bakery in New Braunfels, TX.
"We mostly use fresh ingredients, such as fresh fruits
and herbs, to ﬂavor our baked goods," she says.
"Pure, all-natural extracts and oils are also amazing at
getting bold ﬂavors."
Flavor selection

A TASTE BUD'S DELIGHT
Check out some of the most interesting
flavor combinations that are delighting
taste buds across the country:

Choosing which ﬂavors to offer and experiment with

Enchanted Cakes - Cocoa, FL

can be one of the most interesting and stimulating

* Chocolate cake with Baileys Irish Cream,
mint, and coffee

parts of baking.
"From books to nature to current trends in the industry,
inspiration can come from anywhere," Thomas says.
But with so many ﬂavor options out there, it can be

* Lemon lavender cake
2 Tarts Bakery - New Braunfels, TX
* Blue cheese blueberry cheesecake

difficult to narrow down the possible combinations.

* Cardamom chiffon cake with rosewater
whipped cream

Many bakers and pastry chefs take a cue from the

* Sage scone with maple glaze

time of year.

The Broadmoor - Colorado Springs, CO

"Seasons play a big hand in what ﬂavors are more

* Yuzu, banana, hazelnut, chocolate cake

popular than others," Gustaﬁk says. "In the summer, for

* Mango, rose, coconut, pandan leaf cake

instance, fruit combinations like lemon-raspberry and

Blue Star Donuts - Portland, OR

pineapple-rum are very popular, while in the winter we
do a lot of chocolate with Kahlua or Grand Marnier."
Location should also play a role when deciding which
ﬂavors to incorporate into your bakery case.
32 < FEB 2014 | bakemag.com

* Blueberry, bourbon, and basil donut
* Pistachio cheesecake donut with
a raspberry hibiscus glaze
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - February 2014

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