ON THE BOX
Cake Boss is back with its new season premiere this Saturday August 25 on Food TV at 5.40pm. Just prior to that at 5.15pm is the New Zealand premiere of Buddy’s Big Bakedown, a new competition series championing America’s talented bakers who all aspire to bake it like The Boss. Bite asked Cake Boss Buddy Valastro for a few tips on winter cakes and entertaining.
What are some of your top decorating tips and ideas to celebrate the winter season? The winter gives us an opportunity to incorporate some really fun decorations into cake — snowflakes, cool glitters, icicles, glowing white tones, and metallic accents.
What are the best cakes to bake and decorate during winter? I really like to work with spices in the winter — ginger, chai, cinnamon, nutmeg, all the good stuff to just slightly warm up a sweet treat.
Not including Christmas, what are some of your favourite winter holiday themes? I really like “ice” as a theme… creating snowflakes out of fondant or packing crystallised sugar on top of a cake to look like a blanket of snow is really beautiful!
Winter in the US coincides with Christmas and New Year. Aside from being with your family over the festive season, what are some of your favourite ways to connect your love and passion for food (and baking) with spending time with your loved ones? This definitely isn’t restricted to a season in the Valastro famiglia. We always gather in the kitchen and around food — we’re big cooks and eaters! When it comes to getting a meal or a snack together, we’re all hands on deck and everyone helps out in bringing something to the table, even if that’s assembling the meat and cheese plate; chopping up vegetables to pick on; or, whipping up a batch of fresh cookies. I think of food — sweet and savoury — as a social experience overall and that’s just how we spend quality time together. The day-to-day can get pretty crazy for us around here but every night, meeting up in the kitchen and talking about our day while getting dinner is what means most to me.
Do you have a simple go-to recipe that you reach for when you want to ‘wow’ your guests? My spaghetti carbonara is always a big hit and it really takes no time. Noodles, eggs, cheese, olive oil, black pepper, pancetta (or bacon), and garlic! That’s it.