a sweet farewell
Last night I attended what would have been a bittersweet finale to a two-year love affair but when the farewell is to my favorite bakeshop in the whole world, bitter is a taste that is simply unfathomable.
Sadly, baker Chrysta Wilson has decided to move her Kiss My Bundt bakery in Los Angeles to a smaller, more practical space, (which is yet-to-be-found, so if you have any leads…) Unfortunately, it means that the little pink and brown bakery will no longer be the closest restaurant to my Los Angeles test kitchen and West Coast home base.
The event included samples of a lucky 13 different bundt cakes accompanied by Seagrams Sweet Tea cocktails, wine, coffee or ice cold milk. I actually spent a little time behind the bar serving up cocktails before taking a spin around the cake table.
Having worked on the Kiss My Bundt cookbook, I am very familiar with most of Chrysta’s cakes. But this was the first time I ever tried the Tecate cake, made with a syrup from the Mexican beer. I’d been hearing about the cake for months, the Los Angeles Times food section editors cannot stop talking about it–and now i know why. The cake is mildly sweet, yeasty and complex. It is a heavy, sophisticated cake that would be great for breakfast or as an afternoon tea cake. I think that, without the glaze on top, the cake would also make a great accompaniment to a savory Mexican entree.
Beyond Tecate, there were several of my favorite cakes on offer, including my personal addiction: 7UP Pound Cake. I ate until my stomach could hold no more. Then, with a heavy heart, I bid my favorite shop farewell.