Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

Erin Gardner of Wild Orchid Baking Company in North Hampton, New Hampshire has been impressing brides, grooms and wedding vendors with her sweet (no pun intended) personality and yummy goodies from her retail shop and at the main event. We’re fortunate to have snagged a few minutes of this gal’s busy time to treat you to an inside peek of what makes Wild Orchid stand out when there are so many options to choose from to delight your sweet tooth. Thanks, Erin!

L&L: Tell us a little about you and the history of Wild Orchid Baking Company.

ORCHID: I didn’t really take a traditional route into cooking. I have a degree in Business/Marketing and at first saw myself going into advertising as a career. In college I interned at Tiffany & Co. in NYC and then afterwards worked as an account manager at a business journal in Hartford, but really didn’t find that kind of work creatively satisfying at all. Not really knowing what I was doing, I went to a restaurant in downtown Hartford and told the Chef that I might want to be a pastry chef. He hired me to plate desserts at night, and the rest is history! I worked my way up the ladder in restaurants all over New England. My most recent restaurant positions were as Pastry Chef at Locke Ober in Boston, and at The Bedford Village Inn in NH. I started doing cakes on the side and eventually was being referred by chefs and friends to do cakes for various events. It was always my dream to go out on my own, so in the Spring of 2009 I opened the shop in North Hampton.

L&L: Describe range of cake products you offer.

ORCHID: We’re a custom bake shop, so truly the range of cake products is limitless. We can accommodate an enormous 350 person wedding, or a simple birthday gathering for 4 people. I have a flavor list that I work from for most cakes, but that can be customized as well. Once I worked with a bride who wanted her cake to taste like her grandmother’s blueberry peach streusel bars. Another couple wanted the cake to taste like a tropical cocktail they had enjoyed while on vacation. Besides custom cakes, we also do cupcakes, cookies and other tasty treats.

One fun thing about our wedding cakes is that we offer a complimentary top tier for the couple. What’s great is that they can choose to have that cake as part of their wedding cake’s design, take it home and freeze it or eat it. Or they can have that cake baked fresh for them on their first anniversary. Lots of couples love this option because eating a fresh cake is so much for fun than eating anything that’s been a freezer for a year!

L&L: What is your favorite cake and frosting flavor combination?

ORCHID: This is such a hard question to answer! So many flavors are so great at different times of the year and for different reasons. In the summer I absolutely love a lemon cake with fresh wild Maine blueberries, lemon curd & lemon butter cream. For something decadent I love devil’s food cake with salted caramel butter cream, and in the fall nothing beats pumpkin spice cake with cinnamon butter cream.

L&L: Where should a couple start if they want to place an order for a wedding cake or cupcakes? Can you explain the design process?

ORCHID: Couples should plan on contacting their cake designer a year to 6 months out from their date. This also depends on the wedding’s time of year. If you’re getting married end of summer/fall, then get in touch as soon as possible. Winter and spring tend to be a bit more flexible. Once I get the basic info from a couple, the tasting is where the fun begins! I’ll usually present 5 to 7 small cakes with butter creams & fillings they can mix and match to their liking. While the couple is tasting I’ll start gathering information about the wedding like colors, flowers, themes, design styles – in order to start putting together an idea for a cake. Sometimes couples will come in with pictures of cakes they’ve seen online or in magazines. That can be a great starting point, but I always prefer to tweak the design so that it is as specific to the couple’s special day as possible. At most tastings I will send the couple home with a full quote, a sketch of my idea for their cake & a box of whatever is left from their cake tasting If more research needs to be done I will send the quote & sketch along as soon as possible. That first sketch is really a starting off point. Once a couple has secured their date with a deposit, we can develop the design together as more details of the wedding unfold.

L&L: Tell us about the most challenging cake you have ever baked.

ORCHID: The most challenging cake I’ve ever baked was a 7 tier cake, loaded with sugar flowers, that stood over 4 1/2 feet tall once it was finished. It was huge! So much detailed planning went into the creation of the cake. It was as much an engineering endeavor, as an artistic one. Because the cake was so big it had to be transported in pieces and assembled on-site. The cake called for over 600 flowers – peonies, roses, ranunculus, orchids & sweet peas – all hand sculpted, petal by petal. Moving all of that cake, and all of those delicate flowers, took a great deal of patience and nerve. It was one of the longest days of my cake career, but also one of the best!

L&L: What is fondant and how popular a frosting choice is it?

ORCHID: Fondant is a rolled frosting made up of sugar, water and bit of gelatin for elasticity. It’s very similar to home-made marshmallow. Fondant has become very popular lately because of how it can be manipulated in so many different ways. It has also gotten a bad rap. As I tell the couples that I meet with, not all fondant is created equal! There is a lot of bad fondant out there, and I would never serve anyone anything to eat that I didn’t think was delicious myself. Many couples like the look of fondant finished wedding cakes, but are hesitant because of what they’ve heard or experiences they’ve had at other weddings. I will always offer the couple a sample of my fondant, rolled to the same thickness as the fondant that will be applied to their cake. I always finish my cakes in a layer of butter cream first, before applying a very thin layer of fondant. It really does give you the best of both worlds.

L&L: Do you make gluten-free cakes? Are these becoming more popular?

ORCHID: Yes, we do gluten free cakes & cupcakes. They are a bit more expensive, purely because of the cost of ingredients involved. As more people are learning they are allergic to wheat & gluten, we have seen an increase in requests for gluten free cakes. Many of our flavors can be done gluten free, but there are some limitations. Sometimes couples will do the top tier gluten-free, for the cake cutting, but then have the rest of the cake done traditionally for their guests.

L&L: How far in advance do you recommend a couple places an order?

ORCHID: My initial response is always, as soon as possible! I have a small bake shop where we do detailed, custom work, so there is a limit to the number of cakes that I can take on any given date. A year to 8 months in advance will give you a comfortable amount of time to book your cake.

L&L: Do you deliver wedding cakes to the venue?

ORCHID: Yes, we deliver your wedding cake to your venue. Delivery is complimentary in the Portsmouth area. Beyond that area, the delivery charge is based on mileage. Set up fees may apply for cupcake displays. You can choose to pick up your wedding cake, but we really don’t recommend that and transportation would be at your own risk.

L&L: What “must-see” places and eateries do you suggest folks from out of town check out while visiting Maine/ coastal New Hampshire?

ORCHID: So many great places in Maine! I love Foster’s Clambake in York. Beach Pea Baking Co. in Kittery is a fantastic place for breads & sandwiches. In Portland you can’t go wrong with a croissant from Standard Baking. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Black Trumpet & Cava in Portsmouth are two of my all time favorite restaurants. Friendly Toast is a must see for the wacky decor, and they make a mean grilled cheese.

L&L: Thank you for giving us an inside peek into Wild Orchid Baking Company. If readers want to get in touch with you to inquire about your availability, what is the best way for them to reach you?

ORCHID: The best way to reach me is email, erin@wildorchidbaking.com or phone (603)964-2253. You can also contact me directly through the website, www.wildorchidbaking.com. I’m always updating our Facebook page, Twitter & most recently Tumblr. Those sites are where I’ll post pics of recent work or fun things I come across along the way.