Featuring Victoria Laslo
@Sweeetvs
@86glutenandwheat
I have had the honor of working along side Victoria for many years. Her knowledge and love for food makes it seem as though she has been a chef for 50 years. She takes such pride in every piece of work she does. Everything Victoria makes looks like it came out of a magazine and has such attention to detail. I am so excited for Victoria to share her knowledge with us!
About Chef Victoria Laslo!
Hello! My name is Victoria Laslo. I am a culinary graduate of George Brown College in Toronto, ON. My time there I completed two programs. Chef’s Training and Baking and Pastry Arts Management. I feel when in the Culinary world it is best to be well rounded and understand both the savoury and sweet sides of things. I specialize in pastry however because that has always been a passion of mine. Just like many young girls, I grew up baking and cooking in the kitchen with my mother and both grandmothers. Learning Italian cookery and desserts from my mother's side, and Hungarian from my father's side.
From my years of working and a bit of travel, I am proud of the resume I have built. Mostly all the restaurants I have worked for remain on Canada’s Top 100 list of Best Restaurants. I have very high standards when it comes to food and restaurants. I like to work with only the best and hardworking likeminded people.
The new fad is to have a wedding Doughnut wall. It is a cool concept, but is it worth it? Are they edible? How long should you have your wall out to prevent them from going stale?
The doughnut wall is making a statement. I am for individual desserts and dessert tables at weddings. It allows the guests to interact and choose what they would like and how much of each. The doughnuts are edible and a much more cost-effective choice. To prevent your doughnuts from getting stale, I would recommend only bringing them out once dinner has almost finished to allow the guests a sneak peek at the sweets to come.
Cupcakes vs Wedding Cakes:
It is all about personal preference on this. Some are more traditional and lean towards having the wedding cake as a show piece and plate it up for their guests to have. Others like to go the cupcake route because it is a new way to have your guests eat a piece of the cake in an individual size. Bot options can be presented beautifully. Both have different price points. *An option if you are stuck deciding- Have a smaller wedding cake to save for your First-year anniversary. The cake can be displayed on the top tier of a stand with the remaining tiers full of cupcakes.
Many Brides are not aware that you can have a “fake cake”. Yes! A Dummy cake as we like to call it. I have made many wedding cakes and never has anyone known there was a dummy tier. (other than the bride/groom that had ordered it lol) Many people like the look of a 3-4 tier cake. However, due to their price point or sizing of wedding it is just not necessary to have that much edible cake. The dummy tiers allow you to have the look and esthetic of the 3-4 tier wedding cake, but only the edible cake amount that fits your portion size or pricing.
Its an age-old tradition to save a piece of your wedding cake or the top tier. Is this sanitary? Does it keep? How do you store it?
I am a traditional gal when it comes to saving a piece of cake for your first-year anniversary. For the most part your cake is masked in buttercream or an icing of some form. That icing acts like a shield to lock in moisture and keep it from going bad if stored properly. While a year to store anything in the freezer is pushing it, if you wrap your cake piece well in saran wrap and place into a freezer lock bag it will keep until you take it out. *Once removing your cake from the freezer to consume, place it into the fridge to thaw and then bring out to come up to room temperature before consumption.
Fondant vs frosting vs naked cakes
Choices, choices and so many to choose from. Choosing the finish of your cake comes down to seasonality, esthetics, and your price point.
Many people do not like the texture/taste of fondant, so it is not as popular as it once was. Fondant allows you to get that super clean and smooth looking finish to your cake as well as giving the ability to many textures to be printed onto the cake. Fondant is doughy and can be manipulated and formed into many shapes and pieces like flowers, bows, ribbons etc. Buttercream is usually the icing of choice to mask a cake. It can be put on in a thin layer to give that “naked “look, or much thicker layer so no visible cake is seen. Having just an iced cake can also leave many options for decorating. You can also ask your Pastry chef to mix a few of the methods to something that suits your budget and needs.
Is it important to check who your baker is? Is Instagram pics enough?
YES. Lots of people have started to do cake decorating and baking of some form over the Covid 19 pandemic. While it is nice to see people try new things you want to make sure that who you buy your cake from is someone with wedding cake experience. Making an 8” birthday cake is one thing, but a 3–4-tiered wedding cake in the middle of June takes actual training and education to know how to build that cake and if decoration choices are proper for the time of year. Always, always check in to whom you are investing your money into and putting the responsibility of your wedding cake into the hands of.
Can you skip your cake tasting?
I would not recommend skipping the tasting of your cake. Just as you do a formal tasting of the food being served at your wedding it is important to taste the cake you will be having made. If you do not do a tasting, you have nothing to compare to or knowledge of what to expect once you do taste the cake you have already paid for. Not knowing if that Pastry chefs’ vanilla sponge is a dense or dry one is something you should know before purchase.
Does the time of year change the type of cake you should get?
The number of mousse wedding cakes I use to portion in the middle of a hot summer! (I was working at the time at a Hotel in NOTL and the wedding cakes we would receive for weddings were not chosen well for that time of year) Some flavors and types of cakes may sound and taste delicious; however, you really need to take the time of year into account when choosing a cake. An extremely hot summer day I would not recommend a fondant finish as the heat will already want to soften and melt the buttercream underneath and that fondant will just weep and sweat. You also need to know once the cake arrives at the event site if it can get proper refrigeration until it is displayed or if it will have to remain out in the weather conditions it is that time of year.
Cake portioning – what you need to know!
Going back to knowing who is making your cake, cake cutting is also something I was taught in school. When it comes to a wedding cake you do not just cut birthday slices out of it and call it a day. The number of portions from a 10” round cake for a wedding is much different than portions from that same size cake for a casual occasion. Your pastry chef will help guide you into the decision of how large a size cake you need to accommodate your portion size.
Cake décor and accents:
Once you get the base price of your cake it is also important to ask and know of extra charges like handmade fondant or chocolate flowers, ribbon being added or even cake stand rentals. All these little details have a price tag, and it is important for the customer to know the price of each.
What to know from your Wedding Coordinator:
- Your coordinator can save, portion, and package a piece/tier of your cake for you to take home
- Check with your venue if they have a cake cutting fee and storage fee
- Inquire with your venue how long they will hold onto your cake and when you can have the cake delivered (make sure to pass this information to your coordinator and baker!)
- Many Brides and Grooms would like their own cake cutting utensils for pictures, you will need to provide this with your décor to your coordinator. They will make sure the venue is aware.
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