Eat Your Art!

Ann Arbor’s top pastry chef has again won a major cake competition. Chef Courtney Clark was awarded first place by the judges at the National Area Cake Show. Her cake also won the People’s Choice Award. The theme was “fantasy castles”. The contest was sponsored by the Virginia Chapter of the International Cake Exploration Societe (www.ices.org & www.virginia-ices.com). Who knew there were such societies? Here is a picture of Courtney’s winning cake.

Courtney's previous wins include First Place at the Detroit International Jazz Festival (2006), Winner of Detroit’s Channel 4 The Best (2007) and First Place in The Food Network’s theme of Disney Pixar Cakes for which she was awarded a whopping big check of $10,000!

The Food Network has featured Chef Courtney many times. Her next Food Network appearance is on their “Last Cake Standing Challenge”, which is described as a “grueling, four-round competition”. Round One premiers April 5^th. The winner’s top prize is $50,000.

Chef Courtney is not merely a pastry chef; she is a pastry artist. After graduating Saline High School (Saline, Michigan), Courtney attended The School of the Art Institute in Chicago where she worked with edible art. This inspired her to study with the renowned pastry chef, Jacquy Pfieffer, at The French Pastry School, where she mastered French pastry techniques (and was so certified). Both her passion and training in the field of fine art and pastry making can be seen in her work. See pictures of many of her creations on Cake Nouveau’s website. (www.cakenouveau.com) Courtney designs and bakes cakes for customers’ special occasions.

As wondrous as is her visual artistry, the proof of her baking skills is, as they say, in the tasting. Oh, and what a taste. Courtney’s Chocolate Truffle cupcake is the blackest, most chocolaty cake with a superbly delicate butter cream icing crowned with chocolate truffle bits. The creamy denseness of the cake surprises the mouth and gives the body – ah, uhm, well – the chocolate explosion and texture is that good. I have never had cake as good as this – not anywhere, not ever.

A free cupcake! Buy one, get one free.

At the shop in Ann Arbor, you can always purchase the Chocolate Truffle Cupcake plus one of several other daily specials. Cake slices are also available. Whole cakes must be ordered ahead of time. Busy Moms and Dads often stop by and come away with boxes of cupcakes for all kinds of gatherings and events. Quantities of two dozen or more cupcakes are also best ordered ahead.

Cake Nouveau is at 206 North Fourth Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan – just up the block from the Kerrytown Shops, the farmer’s market, and Zingerman’s Deli. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number is 734-994-4033.