Writing by Cathy Deutsch
Photography by Justin Negard
Cake design by Nikita Batra
Head baker Rui Soares’ first job at Sweet Delites was as a dishwasher. He worked his way up, and now he and his wife, Jill, own the bakery.
“We love the holidays,” says Jill. “When we bake during the holiday season, we blast holiday music in the back and sing along as we work. It’s a very happy time for our staff, and seeing regulars come in year after year is so exciting as we all get into the holiday spirit.”
One of their showcase Christmas cakes is their reindeer cake – a vanilla cake layered and covered with chocolate buttercream frosting.
Reindeer Cake
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of milk
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tsp. vegetable or canola oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 7-inch pans with butter then line with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Beat eggs with a whisk. Pour in sugar and combine.
Once well combined, add the remainder of the wet ingredients (milk, vanilla extract and oil). Once all wet ingredients are well mixed, slowly add in dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing in between. When all ingredients are well incorporated, pour batter into greased parchment lined cake pans. Be sure to tap out air bubbles prior to putting in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Insert a toothpick in the center of each cake and make sure a toothpick comes out clean. Set cakes aside to cool on cooling racks.
Chocolate buttercream frosting
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup of unsweetened natural cocoa powder
3 to 4 tbs. heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. of salt
Directions
With a handheld mixer or stand mixer, beat butter on high until creamy. Add confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, three tablespoons of the heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt. Beat on low until well combined. Add an additional tablespoon of the heavy cream if the frosting needs to be thinned.
Once the cake layers have cooled, frost each layer, stacking them until the last cake layer is on top. Use the remaining frosting to ice the outside and top. Decorate as you wish.
Get the recipe for their chocolate-covered Oreos here, and for reindeer cake here.
This article was published in the November/December 2023 print edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Cathy Deutsch
Cathy Deutsch is a resident of South Salem and a former local shopkeeper in Katonah and Mount Kisco. She previously wrote a restaurant column for The Country Shopper and is currently a contributor to several local publications. Additionally, Cathy’s personal essays have been published on noted on-line platforms including Dorothy Parker’s Ashes. “Writing has always been my passion, and I’m very excited to be writing for Connect to Northern Westchester,'' she says.
