Planning a theme party? From ruby slipper garnishes to chocolate pumpkins, here are ideas for making clever, thematic desserts.
For a recent wedding in Chicago, Truffleberry Market catering created Dr Pepper theme cupcakes for a couple who had bonded over their love of the soft drink on their first date.
When is it appropriate to make a cake-theme cake? When it's being served at a party in honor of New York cake designer Ron Ben-Israel. The dessert pro's birthday cake was shaped like a giant slice of cake.
Limelight Catering in Chicago recently created miniature Baked Alaska desserts for a "Fire and Ice" theme event in Chicago. The "flamed-to-order" desserts comprised stacked strawberry ice cream and dark chocolate cake wrapped with toasted meringue.
Janina O’Leary, executive pastry chef at LaV Restaurant & Wine Bar in Austin, Texas, created a "Wonderland" theme dessert table for Austin Food & Wine Festival's "Sips and Sweets" event in April. Hanging over the sweets table was a marshmallow chandelier that held forks holding marshmallows. Staffers cut down individual marshmallows for guests, who put them into chocolate teacups filled with homemade rhubarb jam.
This year's "Give Kids the World" benefit took place at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in May and had an "Under the Big Top" theme. For dessert, executive pastry chef Alain Vergnault put together a confection that combined caramel apple cake, cotton candy, and soft-serve-style vanilla crème fraîche.
New York caterer Abigail Kirsch created a whimsical plate of desserts for a recent "hat party" theme luncheon at a garden venue. The presentation included a white chocolate "fence," citrus macaron "hat pops," peanut-butter-and-jelly tarts, miniature carrot cake, and Devil's Food cakes topped with flowers, salted-caramel Linzer cookies, and more.
Chicago's Jewell Events Catering recently catered a dinner for a musical instrument company. For dessert, the catering firm's custom cakes division created an edible harp. "The cake designers working on the project utilized fondant to give the cake a realistic look and feel and built it according to the exact specifications of a real-life harp," said a company rep.
In 2010, the Joffrey Ballet hosted a Cinderella-theme luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. Dessert was a dark chocolate pumpkin filled with mousse and garnished with raspberries, hot pink sugar, and a chocolate "XO."
In 2008, the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago hosted a gala with a Wizard of Oz theme. Limelight Catering's desserts included a summer berry and lemonade cake parfait with a ruby slipper garnish.
