The Cakes Of Lewis

(Please click on the title for a reading aloud by the author.)

It started the better part of two years ago and innocently enough with a tray of lemon squares. They were good but Lewis decided good wasn’t good enough. Being a craftsman and self proclaimed sybarite he thus started his journey experimenting, tweaking and developing the ultimate lemon square.

When Eileen entered his life and their relationship bloomed, so did Lewis’ baking; combine this with discovering the cookbooks of ex-U.S. Marine Marcel Desaulniers, most of which having to do with chocolate, and the concept of dessert has taken new and mind blowing dimension. Goodies from the high end bakeries in town are, well, they are ok.

The white chocolate raspberry patty cake last Thanksgiving was the real leap. To the chagrin of friends, I made a break from tradition that day in deciding to not have dinner and instead go hiking. I had the mountain to myself, came home full of fresh air and not terribly hungry. I had a can of chicken soup which really hit the spot. But there was an empty little corner in my appetite, both for companionship and dessert. Lewis was hosting a gathering and had told me to come over if I wanted so I called. Dessert was about to be served. I’m so glad I made that call.

The patty cake sat on the table, glowing, a collection of colors and textures, creamy whites and deep radiant reds. My memory of the cake’s construction is fuzzy, but more or less it was two layers of pound cake with a fresh raspberry puree in between, with whipped cream on top studded with beautifully arranged whole berries. Somewhere in there was white chocolate. With all requisite pomp and circumstance Lewis served. It was quiet. All eyes were on the cake, in each of our faces shown something of the wonder and anticipation of children. It’s great to see this in adults, it so infrequently happens. The quiet extended into the first tastes and then it was delight and yum’s and oh’s and mmmm’s. The textures and flavors, sweet and tart blended in compliment and harmony. It’s remarkable how eating a slice of cake can be so full an experience. It was stunning.

Since then all who know Lewis have been treated to his other creations. It might be a special occasion or Monday night supper club or for the heck of it, Lewis bakes. With these friends I used to talk about life and goings on; now we reflect and debate on this or that cake. Everyone has a favorite, or a favorite two or three… no one is ho-hum. Some of the performances have been repeated, but always tweaked a little or a lot.

My top three? The above mentioned patty cake was and is my first. There are only a few firsts I’ll always remember and this is one of them. Second would be the strawberry desert flower cake; three layers of vanilla cake with chopped fresh strawberries, separated by a mocha butter crème frosting and topped with sliced fresh strawberries arranged in concentric rings. And maybe you were thinking “mind blowing” was taking it too far… Third, the chocolate cherry cheese cake; from the top down a layer of dark chocolate ganache, a layer of vanilla cheese cake with dark maraschino cherries, and a tart crust. I can picture different friends reading this and thinking, “oh no… it’d be the blueberry mascarpone tart…” or the “death by chocolate cake…” that would be their first.

Last Saturday the phone rang and it was Lewis. Friend Patti was coming over for dinner and would I like to move Monday night supper club over and join them? I was delighted, it’s a special treat to see Patti. The photo above is the chocolate fudge cake. The cake is extra rich and extra moist and the dark chocolate Lewis chose included a hint of espresso. The frosting is chocolate butter crème. When Patti took her first bite she tipped her head back and I swear she had a personal moment.

Gordon Bunker