My Trip to Carlos Bakery

            Last summer my sister Emily and I were invited to go to Cape Cod with some of our cousins and our grandparents.  We drove together.  My aunt and uncle realized that we could drive through New Jersey to get to Massachusetts.  We all immediately thought of Carlos Bakery, since it is in New Jersey.  My cousins are huge fans of Cake Boss too.  My aunt and uncle decided that we would spend one night in New Jersey to break up the long drive. 

            My aunt found a hotel for us to stay in that was close to Carlos Bakery.  After a very long and tiring day in the car we finally made it to New Jersey.  We checked into our hotel, and then decided to go explore the town for a good dinner. 

            As we were driving, my cousin and I wanted to find Carlos Bakery.  We typed in Carlos Bakery into my GPS and saw that we were really close.  We were heading right towards it!  My sister, cousins, and I kept our eyes peeled.  We were determined to find Carlos Bakery. 

            All of a sudden my younger cousin screams “there it is!”  The rest of us didn’t see where he was pointing.  Then as soon as we were closer to it we all screamed!  It was so exciting. 

            We had planned to go to the bakery in the morning, but since we were right there we decided to go that night.  That night it had been raining on and off.  We only had to wait in line to get into Carlos Bakery for about a half an hour to forty five minutes.  We were very lucky.

            As we got closer and closer we were freaking out with excitement!  We started thinking about what pastries we wanted to buy.  Each group of people waiting in line was given a number.  We knew it was almost our turn to go in. 

            Finally we were called to go in!  There were so many people in the bakery at once.  It was crazy in there.  Even though we were inside we still had to wait for our number to be called.  That was perfectly okay with us.  Just being inside the bakery was amazing.  There was so much to take in. 

            Along the walls there are pictures of buddy and his family working at the bakery.  There are also several replicas of cakes that Buddy has made on his show.  Above the pictures and cakes there were articles that talked about Buddy and his family and the history of Carlos Bakery. 

            After spending some time looking around the bakery, our number was finally called.  Our aunt told us we could get whatever we wanted.  All together we bought two red velvet cupcakes, two vanilla cupcakes, a bunch of cannoli’s, a couple lobster tails (which are a delicious desert not an actual lobsters tail), and we bought a small circle beach themed cake.  My aunt had them write happy 50^th anniversary on it.  My grandparent’s anniversary was coming up and we wanted to surprise them with the cake when we got to Cape Cod.  We also bought some t-shirts and sweatshirts from the bakery. 

            When we were paying for our goodies one of Buddy’s sisters Lisa came down stairs.  It was so exciting!  My aunt asked her if we could take a picture with her and she said yes.  She was very nice. 

            After we took a picture with her we went out for dinner.  Later that night we tried a couple of our Carlos Bakery goodies, and let me tell you they were delicious!  They were incredible.  I would have to say they were the best deserts I have ever had.  When we ate the cake it was sweet, creamy, and simply wonderful!

              I most definitely want to go to Carlos Bakery again.  I can assure you it is definitely worth the wait!                



View from in the car when we found Carlos Bakery

Walking down Carlo's Bakery Way to wait in line for the bakery

Getting closer

Bakery full of customers

My cousins, sister, and I in front of Carlos Bakery



Our number!

Enjoying our Cake Boss treats!

My Favorite Cake Boss

            Over the years, since I started watching Cake Boss, I have watched so many different episodes.  They are all very different but extremely entertaining.  After watching so many episodes it is very difficult to pick which one is my favorite.  I took some time to go back and watch a few Cake Boss episodes.  After thinking it over I finally picked one that is one of my favorites.  When it comes to Cake Boss you cannot have just one favorite episode.  It is impossible.  They are all so good!

            My favorite Cake Boss episode that I chose is Aquarium Adventures and An Announcement.  In this episode Buddy and his cousin Frankie go to the Adventure Aquarium to meet with the people in charge.  The aquarium was turning five years old and the people in charge wanted Buddy to make them a cake for the upcoming event. 

                They told Buddy they wanted a vanilla cake with vanilla cream.  As for the outside of the cake they told Buddy that they trust him and think he is super creative.  Buddy was really excited about making this cake. 

                Buddy and Frankie got to walk around the aquarium and see all the different exhibits and fish.  Melissa and Mark were the people in charge and they arranged for Buddy and Frankie to actually get into the shark tank.  Buddy said after seeing the sharks in the aquarium tank that he was pumped to make the aquarium cake and that it was going to be awesome!

            Buddy’s ideas for the cake sounded really neat. I was very anxious to see how the finished product was going to turn out.

            This aquarium cake was 110 inches long by 40 inches.  That’s a pretty big cake!  Buddy wanted this cake to look like an actual exhibit.  He wanted to incorporate all the details that make up an aquarium exhibit. 

            Buddy’s main goal for this cake was to have fish tanks with live fish lined up behind the cake.  He wanted people to feel like there were in a real aquarium when they looked at this cake.

            The details on this cake were awesome.  Buddy and his crew used tons of bright colors just like it would look down under the ocean.  They made bright colored coral, fondant fish, shells, turtle, hammerhead shark, a leopard shark, and a stingray.  Everything on the cake looked phenomenal!      

            Buddy said that he thought that the cake weighed about 600 pounds.  I think it’s crazy that Buddy and his family are capable of delivering 600 pound cakes.  That’s a big responsibility.

            When Buddy and his family got to the aquarium with the cake they filled the fish tank up with water, coral, and then added the live fish.  I, as well as everyone at the event was very impressed with this cake.

            Also on this episode Buddy’s sister Lisa and her husband Remy tell Buddy that she is pregnant.  She wanted it to be a surprise for everyone else in the family.  She and Remy planned to tell everyone when they were all together for a party.  They asked Buddy if he could make a baby cake for the party.  Of course Buddy said yes.  He was so happy for his sister. 

            Remy works at Carlos Bakery too so he helped Buddy make the cake.  They made a baby carriage out of cereal treats and covered it with fondant.  Then they placed it on top of the cake and decorated the rest with polka dots and fondant flowers.  This cake turned out really cute.

            I really enjoyed this episode of Cake Boss, just like I enjoy every episode I watch.  Cake Boss has yet to disappoint me.  If you haven’t watched an episode of Cake Boss yet you’re really missing out.  Watch one and I bet you will be pulled in just like me and my family!

Next Great Baker

            Aside from Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro has another show known as the Next Great Baker.  Buddy has had two successful seasons of this show on TLC.  This show has several contestants all of which have baking or cooking experience.  On the show these contestants compete against one another in several challenges.  This show is similar to American Idol because each week at least one contestant is eliminated.  There are three judges that decide who should go home.  Of course Buddy is one the judges along with two others that change on a weekly basis.  Buddy’s mom, sisters, and some of his cousins from the bakery have been the other judges on the show. 

            Each week Buddy presents a challenge to his contestants.  The challenges are always very fun to watch.  I think it is entertaining to watch the bakers under pressure make decorated cakes and desserts.  Some of them turn out really neat and professional, while others do not.

            The contestants are judged on their cakes’ taste, texture, appearance, and creativity.  Buddy is very serious about his cake and is a very tough critiquing judge. 

            The last person left after all the others have been eliminated is the winner.  The winner receives $50,000 cash and gets to work alongside with Buddy on Cake Boss for a year.

            Buddy wants the best baker to work with him.  He does not want someone who is rude, lazy, and sloppy working with him and his family in the bakery.

            Like all reality T.V. shows the Next Great Baker is full of drama and competition.  I for one get drawn into a T.V. show that has drama.  It is entertaining and leaves you wondering what will happen next. 

            The Next Great Baker and Cake Boss are great shows to watch with your family.  If you do not believe me then you will just have to watch them and see for yourself what you are missing.    

Lackawanna

            Over the years Carlos Bakery has been doing better than ever.  Buddy and his family are always very busy.  They have a lot that they have to manage.  Buddy has to help take care of his family, run the bakery, and take time to make the Cake Boss episodes.  On top of all that he and his family are constantly baking and selling their cakes and pastries to hundreds of customers that are waiting in line every day. 

            On Cake Boss the phone is always ringing. Customers call to set up a time to come in and talk with Buddy.  No matter how busy Buddy may be he always makes time for each and every one of his customers.  Buddy could be in the middle of making one of his signature cakes and he will stop what he is doing to go have his meeting with his customer.

            About a year or two ago Buddy and his family came to realize that Carlos Bakery is not big enough for all the large cakes they make as well as for the many different pastries they bake.  They were running out of room in the refrigerators, the ovens, and the cooling racks.  Buddy and his family took some time to seek out a new place where they could expand.  In time Buddy and his family found a great place to open a bakery in Lackawanna. 

            They decided to keep Carlos Bakery to make the smaller cakes and all of the pastries.  Besides, hundreds of people stop by the bakery every day because Cake Boss has become so popular.  There are so many special memories at Carlos Bakery for Buddy and his family.    They use the new bakery to make the larger cakes.  The new bakery looks very nice on Cake Boss.  The refrigerators are enormous and the ovens are gigantic.   Buddy is thrilled to have so much more space to make and keep the cakes before they get delivered. 

            If I was Buddy I’m not sure if I would be able to handle all of the responsibilities of running a bakery.  I think it would be pretty stressful at times.  I don’t know how Buddy manages it all, but one way or another he does.  He never lets you down.            

Life Size Cakes

When customers go to Carlos Bakery and explain to Buddy the cake they would like, he gets a BIG vision of the cake in his head.  On Cake Boss some people might ask for a racecar cake, a rocket cake, or a hockey cake.  Most of the time the customers envision that the cake will be average size and will either look similar to what they are asking for or will be a small version of it.  Buddy’s goal for the cake is to make it life size and to look as real as possible.  The customers always love his ideas and are always very eager to see their cake.  The T.V. viewers are just as eager.

            Buddy has made a wide variety of life size cakes.  When thinking about which cakes I should write about I had a hard time choosing which cakes I liked best.  I chose three that I thought were pretty cool.

            The largest cake that Buddy and his family have ever made was a NASCAR cake.  When Buddy was asked to make a cake for the Charlotte Motor Speedway he decided that he wanted to make a life size cake replica of a NASCAR.  I didn’t think it was possible to make a cake as big as this one turned out.  On the show Buddy said this cake contained over 2,500 sheet cakes!  This cake looked exactly like a NASCAR the only real way to tell the difference would be by touch.

Layers of sheet cake for the car

 

            For many of the larger cakes Buddy uses plywood for the main base.  He covers all the wood with fondant.  Buddy is so good at what he does no one knows what’s really under parts of the fondant.  Before Buddy and his family start baking a cake they take time to think and come up with a plan for the cake.  First Buddy and his family sketch out the cake so there is a plan to follow.

            Another cake that I thought was interesting was a hockey table cake.  This was not an ordinary cake.  You could eat and play the cake.  Buddy was asked to make a hockey table cake for two boys' b'nai mitzvah.  His idea was to make a bubble hockey table.  Buddy used plywood for the base to make the shape of the table.  This was a pretty big cake as well.  Buddy filled the base with 30 sheets of cake.  He then used fondant to cover the cake and add details.  The head sculptor formed hockey players out of modeling chocolate.  I thought it was neat how Buddy’s cousin Frankie was able to make the players move just like a real bubble hockey table would. 

Buddy's sketch

            This next cake was a birthday for a cow, yes a real cow.  Buddy and the crew went to Klein Farms to see some of the cows to help get some ideas for the cake.  The owner of the farm wanted Buddy to make him a cake for his favorite cow Eden.  Eden was turning 10 years old and her owner threw her a party.  A party for a cow is a little odd, but the cake was most definitely not odd at all.  Buddy had two of his cousins build the structure for the cow cake.  Then he had one of his sculptors carve a cows head and neck out of rice krispies treats.  Those parts would be finished off with modeling chocolate.  Buddy wanted the udders of this cow cake to be able to milk real milk.  No doubt about that Buddy and his family were able to make it work.  This cow looked just like Eden.  It was truly a life size replica of her!   

            Buddy and his family are always able to amaze me with the cakes they make. The life size cakes are truly amazing!

Cakes for Celebs

     Everyone likes having cake at a party or special event. A lot of the cakes Buddy has made have been for famous people.  A few of the ones that I think are interesting are when Buddy and his family made a cake for Snooki, The Regis and Kelly show, and Rachel Ray.

     Snooki from the show Jersey Shore came into Carlos Bakery hoping that Buddy could make her a cake.  She told Buddy that the cake would be for her mom and that she hadn’t seen her in a long time.  Snooki wanted half of the cake to represent her mom and the other half to represent her.  Buddy asked her questions to find out what kinds of things Snooki and her mom like.  This cake turned out really cool.  The half of the cake that represented Snooki’s mom was decorated with a modeling chocolate figure of her mom gardening with bright assorted flowers.  The other half was decorated with modeling chocolate figures of Snooki and her guy friends that she refers to as her “Gorillas.”  The figures looked like they were fist pumping on the Jersey shore.  When Buddy and his family delivered Snooki her cake, she and her family were thrilled with how great and realistic the cake turned out.

     Another famous person that Buddy made a cake for was Regis from the Regis and Kelly show.  Regis was actually invited to come to the bakery for a day and observe Buddy and his family at work.  Buddy had Regis try to decorate a cake of his own.  Let’s just say decorating cakes wasn’t Regis’s specialty.  Buddy made a cake for Regis and Kelly and delivered it on their show.  He made a three-D cake that looked just like Regis and Kelly.  He made each separate and incorporated detail that resembled each of them.  The cakes were a big hit. The cast and guests said it tasted great!

     This next celebrity loves to cook and has her own show, Rachel Ray.  Rachel went to Carlos Bakery and explained to Buddy that her five year wedding anniversary is coming up soon.  She told him that on her next show she wanted to surprise her husband with a cake made by Buddy and his family to celebrate.  Rachel showed Buddy a picture of a castle in Italy where she and her husband got married.  She told him that about 130 people would be at the show.  Buddy immediately came up with a plan for the cake.  He wanted to make a replica of the castle.  Buddy did just that.  It turned out amazing! The cake looked exactly like the picture Rachael showed Buddy.  Her husband was so surprised when he saw the cake. 

     Carlos Bakery is becoming more famous every day.  More and more celebrities are coming to Buddy asking for one of Buddy’s specialty cakes.  Buddy is always up for the challenge!!  

Cakes with Special Effects

            Almost everyone loves special effects because of the action, motion, and excitement.  But did you ever think a cake could have all three?  Well Buddy’s cakes on Cake Boss do!

            I can remember the first time I ever watched Cake Boss.  I was amazed by the different things Buddy and his family could make a cake do.

            When I watched Cake Boss the first time and heard what the clients wanted their cake to be able to do, I thought there is no way that Buddy or anyone could make a cake with elaborate effects.  Buddy proved me wrong.  He makes cakes with all of the requested special effects and he adds so much more.

            Two of my favorite special effect cakes that Buddy made on Cake Boss are a circus and cruise ship cake.  The Ringling Brothers. & Barnum and Bailey Circus asked Buddy if he could make them a cake.  The head clown told Buddy that he wanted the cake to be very realistic including a ring of fire.  Of course Buddy and his family included all of that and much more.  The cake he made included all of the acts, clowns, and animals that you would see at the circus.  The special effects Buddy put on the cake were a ring of fire and cannons that shot out circus people made out of fondant.  The Ringling Brothers. & Barnum and Bailey Circus were so pleased with Buddy’s outstanding work.

            My next favorite special effect cake is a cruise ship.  Buddy and his whole family went on a Disney Cruise.  Buddy was asked to make a cake for the ship.  The cake he made was huge!  He made a cake replica of the cruise ship.  The Disney ship has an awesome water tube slide called AquaDuck.  The AquaDuck goes out over the ocean and wraps onto the ship.  Buddy used special tubing to make the AquaDuck and put it on the cake.  He added water with blue food coloring that moved throughout the slide.  It was amazing to see it all put together.  It looked so real!

If you don’t believe me you will just have to watch the show and see for yourself how extreme some of the special effects can be!