"We have bakers ammonia, if you need it," Greil told me as soon as she heard about my blogging project.
"What is bakers ammonia?" I asked.
"It's called for in some old cookie recipes. It makes cookies light and crisp. It's hard to find, but we have it."
"OK, I'll check." I felt like saluting.
I had entered the world of Home Cake on Roosevelt Way in Seattle. (They don't have a website, but Yelp has reviews.) It is half the size of a 7-Eleven, the walls and shelves are government-issue green, and they are covered with cake pans, decorating equipment, cookie cutters, fondant, sugars, cupcake papers, cellophane bags and tiny boxes for gifting truffles and baked goods. Every item has a number.
"What I really need is a piping bag and some tips. I think this kit would be a good start," I said.
"Oh, but for cookies you'd want a slightly smaller version of each tip in this kit. Instead of a 4, you want a 3, instead of 32 you want 24. It's all about the proportion, and you're working small."
Everything makes sense when Greil says it. The numbered tips reside in a set of small drawers, the kind the hardware store uses for assorted screw eyes and latches. I used the handy display to choose better tips for cookies, then a 14" piping bag.
While I browsed, one lady bought black feathers on sticks and silver beads to decorate her 18-year-old daughter's birthday cake. Another woman needed posts and supports, and they weren't for her deck. Who knew so many people were ambitious enough to build a multi-layer cake? Or decorate with luster dust. I saw photos of cookies dusted with this stuff, and they seem to glow.
"How do you use the luster dust? Sprinkle it on or brush it? Or does it mix with water?" I asked.
"Well, yes, yes and yes," Greil responded. "There is no one way. You can play with it to achieve the effect you want. And if you want special eye shadow, you can use this instead. It's a mineral dust, just like they use in eye shadow."
My mouth hung open. Cookie decorations that double as eye shadow! Another customer examined the fine edible glitter called "Disco Dust." Could I use a small paint brush with that?
"You can use your finger or any little brush," Greil said. "A cosmetics brush is perfect because it's meant to pick up dust and then release it."
Greil demonstrated with a tiny bottle of translucent Rainbow glitter (Disco Dust is about $5 for 5 grams). She dipped her finger in, spread it across the back of her hand, then fanned it onto her face and neck. "Don't you love it?" she asked.
Greil didn't need the Disco dust to sparkle. She seems to thrive on answering each customer's question, elementary as some, such as mine, may be. A knowledgeable salesperson isn't bad for business either.
I escaped with my piping equipment, two jars each of Disco Dust and Luster Dust, and a few cookie cutters.
I also picked up a new vocabulary word. Dragees (dra-ZHAYS) are those little silver balls that I used to see on cookies and cakes. I've heard that you're not supposed to eat them, but I remember they were the most special part of wedding cakes I ate as a kid. Greil says they are mostly made of sugar, and a tiny bit of silver that some people are worried about. Someone brought a lawsuit in California and now they don't sell them there. She doesn't think they are a problem in the quantity we'd eat them. Besides she has amalgam fillings in her teeth - don't we all?
"I'll take some for later," I said. I paid and headed for the door.
"And remember," Greil called to me, "we have bakers ammonia."
"What is bakers ammonia?" I asked.
"It's called for in some old cookie recipes. It makes cookies light and crisp. It's hard to find, but we have it."
"OK, I'll check." I felt like saluting.
I had entered the world of Home Cake on Roosevelt Way in Seattle. (They don't have a website, but Yelp has reviews.) It is half the size of a 7-Eleven, the walls and shelves are government-issue green, and they are covered with cake pans, decorating equipment, cookie cutters, fondant, sugars, cupcake papers, cellophane bags and tiny boxes for gifting truffles and baked goods. Every item has a number.
"What I really need is a piping bag and some tips. I think this kit would be a good start," I said.
"Oh, but for cookies you'd want a slightly smaller version of each tip in this kit. Instead of a 4, you want a 3, instead of 32 you want 24. It's all about the proportion, and you're working small."
Everything makes sense when Greil says it. The numbered tips reside in a set of small drawers, the kind the hardware store uses for assorted screw eyes and latches. I used the handy display to choose better tips for cookies, then a 14" piping bag.
While I browsed, one lady bought black feathers on sticks and silver beads to decorate her 18-year-old daughter's birthday cake. Another woman needed posts and supports, and they weren't for her deck. Who knew so many people were ambitious enough to build a multi-layer cake? Or decorate with luster dust. I saw photos of cookies dusted with this stuff, and they seem to glow.
"How do you use the luster dust? Sprinkle it on or brush it? Or does it mix with water?" I asked.
"Well, yes, yes and yes," Greil responded. "There is no one way. You can play with it to achieve the effect you want. And if you want special eye shadow, you can use this instead. It's a mineral dust, just like they use in eye shadow."
My mouth hung open. Cookie decorations that double as eye shadow! Another customer examined the fine edible glitter called "Disco Dust." Could I use a small paint brush with that?
"You can use your finger or any little brush," Greil said. "A cosmetics brush is perfect because it's meant to pick up dust and then release it."
Greil demonstrated with a tiny bottle of translucent Rainbow glitter (Disco Dust is about $5 for 5 grams). She dipped her finger in, spread it across the back of her hand, then fanned it onto her face and neck. "Don't you love it?" she asked.
Greil didn't need the Disco dust to sparkle. She seems to thrive on answering each customer's question, elementary as some, such as mine, may be. A knowledgeable salesperson isn't bad for business either.
I escaped with my piping equipment, two jars each of Disco Dust and Luster Dust, and a few cookie cutters.
I also picked up a new vocabulary word. Dragees (dra-ZHAYS) are those little silver balls that I used to see on cookies and cakes. I've heard that you're not supposed to eat them, but I remember they were the most special part of wedding cakes I ate as a kid. Greil says they are mostly made of sugar, and a tiny bit of silver that some people are worried about. Someone brought a lawsuit in California and now they don't sell them there. She doesn't think they are a problem in the quantity we'd eat them. Besides she has amalgam fillings in her teeth - don't we all?
"I'll take some for later," I said. I paid and headed for the door.
"And remember," Greil called to me, "we have bakers ammonia."
Karen - take your camera next time! I want to see a picture of this place. -- Nancy
ReplyDeleteThis place sounds like cake heaven or for me a place of amazement!!! These things really exist?
ReplyDelete