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Something Borrowed

Vanessa deBruijn

A seasoned baker and cake-decorating artist learns from the "school of hard-knocks," discovering skills and secrets passed down from his German and Swiss mentors

In an all-white chef’s outfit, Carl Loeffel emerges from behind a glass counter where another worker is decorating an autumn cake with brown and amber frosting. The bakery is a Mom-and-Pop sort of place, complete with handmade signs detailing coffee flavors and an employee who chimes in from time to time to attest to the experience and quality work of the owner. Even after washing, a handshake reveals telltale remnants of orange coloring on hands that Loeffel says are rarely free of frosting.

The case behind the counter is filled with wedding cakes, each one in separate layers waiting to be reunited on the special day of some lucky couple. One is what Loeffel calls a more dated cake, adorned with heavy, detailed loops and bows – a sort of "baroque palace" of wedding cakes. The other cakes are smooth and shiny, much more simplistic in what is called “rolled fondant style.” One cake is decorated with thin brown swirls to match the artwork on a wedding invitation, and the other is skillfully covered with detailed renderings of dress embroidery made out of pearly white butter cream frosting.

"Everyone wants something different, that’s really where it’s at," said Loeffel, looking contemplatively at his case full of masterpieces.

Despite what many might think, Loeffel did not have to attend extensive or pricey classes to learn his art form. Instead, he learned from what he calls “one of the toughest schools in the country: the school of hard knocks." Loeffel learned style and form from his old-world German and Swiss mentors through observation and perseverance.

Now that he has owned his own bakery, "Carl’s Cakes," on the east side of Madison since 2004, he gets to run things on his own terms and with his own flair. Averaging around eight to fifteen weddings a week during their busy season, Loeffel spends every Saturday morning consulting with brides and their families, and of course, creating masterpieces. Committed to using his own delicious recipe of butter cream frosting, Loeffel has had to adapt his technique to fit the ever-changing styles in the cake-decorating business. From the elaborate styles of the '70s to the basket-woven, half-cheesecake cakes of the eighties to the new smooth and simple look, he can never rest.

"I always blame Martha. Everybody does. Every florist and cake-maker in the country blames Martha for the styles. She has been quite a pain in the ass to a lot of people," Loeffel said, with a sparkle in his eye.

Although he originally joined the bakery business more than 30 years ago in the name of getting a job (any job), it was his entry into the world of cake decorating that cemented his dedication to the bakery business.

"It is art, you can’t get around that idea of it," Loeffel said. "People don’t come up to you and say ‘Oh Carl that’s a gorgeous donut’ or ‘that Danish is just beautiful I just loved it’, they don’t do that – but they say that about wedding cakes,” said Loeffel. “It makes a difference in their lives."
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