Secret Recipes of the Cake Gypsy

Deanna Damen, owner of the Cake Gypsy, is good at keeping a secret. Whether it is her nearly 100-year-old recipe for raspberry walnut bars or her signature chocolate frosting, she’s not telling.

“A lot of times,” started Damen, “people have handed down recipes through generations and don’t want to share what makes them so special. It could be the ingredients or the way those ingredients are put together. Or, it could be just one secret ingredient that makes all the difference.”

It took Damen 18 years to get the recipe for her amazing raspberry walnut bars, from a home baker. Once she had that recipe, she created the Cake Gypsy’s apricot almond bar by ... nice try.

Then, there was this particular filling that was the perfect foil for her cupcakes. That took three years to secure. And Damen had to swear not to share the recipe with any one else. The recipe for her chocolate frosting was a gift from another commercial baker - who was retiring from the business after 25 years. As a matter of fact, most of her cupcakes come with a secret past. “These cupcake recipes are very different.”

Once she successfully procures a sought-after recipe, Damen ensures she has the bona fides by spending the extra hands-on time to actually make it with the original baker. “It’s a fail safe.” The ruse of sharing a guarded recipe, with a key component left out, is not unknown in this industry.

At the display case, About Town spies a creative array of the little cakes, from Caramel Apple, to Monkey Business (banana and peanut butter), to Hot Fudge Sundae, and the traditional Red Velvet. There are also those fruit bars and some cookies. When asked how she comes up with such a unique variety of cupcakes, Damen says she “listens to what my customers are asking for, then tries to think of what they would like in a cupcake.”

In true artisan fashion, Damen only uses the best ingredients. And, everything from the fondant decorations, to the batters, to the colorings and frostings, is custom made. Certain cupcakes get extra special attention. For example, the Hostess with the Mostest chocolate cupcake has a larger dome on top than a standard cupcake. Hint: Whip the batter more and put in less oil.

Despite all the secrecy, Damen graciously agreed to bring one of her frosting recipes out of the shadows, to share with About Town readers:

Cake Gypsy Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 8 oz package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese; softened but not melted
• 1 stick of salted butter; softened, but not melted
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 pound bag of Domino Confectioner’s sugar
• Hint: Do not allow the butter or cream cheese to melt; it will change the texture.

Recipe

Mix the cream cheese and butter together. Add the vanilla. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time.

Hints: If the frosting is too lumpy, do not add milk. This will make the frosting too thin. Just keep whipping the ingredients together. This extra whipping will make the frosting lighter and a little less sweet, which people seem to prefer today. Keep your eyes on it or you will end up with soup!  

To make peanut butter cream cheese frosting, mix in 1 cup (maximum) of good peanut butter.

Damen is also willing to share the secrets of her role as sugar artist, in cake and cupcake decorating classes and parties that Cake Gypsy offers to children, teens or adults.

Cake Gypsy is a little tricky to find at first, but once you arrive you won’t need a secret decoder ring to know that her lemon coconut cupcake (and so many others), is worth the $2 investment.

Here’s the Deal

 Cake Gypsy, Canton Village, P.O. Box 388, 220 Albany Turnpike (Route 44), Canton; 860-335-0510: www.cakegypsy.com.