Sara De Palma | Trina Teruya
Wedding cakes, those towering works of sugared artistry, are the centerpiece of the reception (next to the bride, of course!). The icing on the cake is the way getting married in the Islands invites you to explore beyond the traditional. Go ahead, those trade winds whisper, dream up your perfect confection. Make it vibrant with tropical flowers . . . scrumptious with succulent fruits . . . or carefree as our surf-swept shores.
Maui No Ka ‘Oi asked six renowned pastry chefs to tempt us with their best ideas for tropically inspired wedding cakes. Among their artistic visions: gold-dusted seashells and chocolate-truffle spiny urchins. Oh my!
We learned that infusing a sense of the Islands into any cake is a cinch. From the zing of fresh pineapple to the subtle sweetness of creamy coconut, tropical flavors are delightfully versatile. They compliment cakes as light and fluffy as Chef Patrick Brault’s combo of passion fruit and vanilla chiffon; as richly decadent as Maui Wedding Cakes’ chocolate ganache/guava creation. Even some very traditional tropical desserts can be transformed into a wedding cake, as Chef Rhonda Ashton’s delectable rum-drenched banana cake proves so deliciously.
Wedding cakes, Maui-style, are a sweet slice of paradise that no guest can resist!
1. Marble cake swirled with custard macadamia-nut filling, smooth butter-cream icing finished with a dusting of chopped macadamia nuts
Pastry Chefs:
Lorien and Jay Force
Bakery:
Maxwell’s of Maui
Custom Cakes & Cookies
(808) 669-4494
Highlight:
Chopped nuts lend a
wonderful texture
2. Chocolate ganache with a guava mousse
Pastry Chefs:
Casey and Cheryl Logsdon
Bakery:
Maui Wedding Cakes
(808) 874-5932
Highlight:
Adorned with gorgeous gold-dusted dark- and white-chocolate seashells
3. White genoise with
mango-liliko‘i patisserie créme, sprinkled with coconut
snowflakes, wrapped with gold-dusted bastiage
Pastry Chef:
Patrick Chin
Bakery:
Hyatt Regency Maui
Resort and Spa
(808) 667-1234
Highlight:
Accented with an adorable dark-chocolate sea
urchin truffle
4. Pineapple-butter batter with tropical filling of vanilla pudding, fresh local pineapple, coconut and macadamia nuts, topped with French butter cream and a fondant overlay
Pastry Chef:
Patricia Pimentel
Bakery:
Cravings Bakery
(808) 893-2282
Highlights:
Elegant presentation and
traditional Hawaiian flavors
5. Vanilla chiffon cake with a passion-fruit filling, decorated with sugar flowers and rolled fondant
Pastry Chef:
Patrick Brault
Bakery:
Maui Prince
(808) 874-1111
Highlight:
Light and breezy,
perfect for an elegant
afternoon affair
6. Banana sponge cake layered with light coconut- and milk-chocolate mousses, inset with bananas flambéed in dark rum and covered in rolled fondant
Pastry Chef:
Rhonda Ashton
Bakery:
Four Seasons Resort
Maui at Wailea
(808) 874-8000
Highlight:
Bananas keep the cake
wonderfully moist.