Artist Profile – Any way you slice it, job takes the cake – Winston

The popularity of reality shows like “Ace of Cake,” “Ultimate Cake Off” and “Cake Boss” underscores the fact that Americans love cake — a detail that has not escaped the attention of Karen Crotts, a Winston-Salem cake artist.

Even though Crotts, 62, has been professionally decorating cakes, cupcakes and candy since 1977 in her shop, Karen’s Cake Decorating Supplies, her fondness for embellishing dainties began almost 50 years ago.

Her creations are so impressive that some people believe they are fake.

“I’ve had more men come through when I’m setting up a cake and touch it and say, ‘Is this a real cake?’ ” Crotts said.

Not only are her multi-tiered confections delightful to look at, but they are delicious, too. The butter-cream icing and decorations are wonderful.

When she’s not baking or decorating cakes, which is rare — she starts baking at 3 a.m. most mornings — you’ll find her teaching decorating classes at Forsyth Tech or spending time with her husband, Henry, and their adult children, Todd and Tanya.

During our interview, we talked about her interest in the show “Cake Boss,” the latest trend in cake decorating and how she got started.

Q: When did your interest in cake decorating begin?

A: I started in the eighth grade when I made my mother and dad’s 23rd anniversary cake. A lady in my church showed me how to do the little cake, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Q: Where did you learn to decorate cakes?

A: Louise Motsinger, the lady who helped me with the anniversary cake, showed me how to do icing and decorations. Then, when my daughter started school, back then parents could take cakes in; she’d volunteer me to bring snacks. And I was stuck running to town every week trying to get something for their theme. At their break time, I would take either cookies or cupcakes to her class.

Q: What’s the latest trend in cake decorating?

A: Fondant is the going thing right now. For my personal use, I do not like fondant. It’s elegant looking, it’s beautiful, it’s smooth. It’s like Play-Doh. You can mold it, work it out and smooth it. It covers your cake’s rough spots. It’s elegant, but to me I’d rather have something that I can eat. The fondant is sort of gooey and gummy. At a wedding, I had a gentleman who was chewing it like a cow. You know how a cow chews…. In a few minutes, his false teeth went flying out and he was so embarrassed. It is so sticky. You actually have to pull the fondant off; you’re supposed to anyway. And underneath is supposed to be butter-cream icing. Well, when you pull that fondant off, the butter-cream icing comes off, so there is nothing but cake. It’s more for looks than it is for taste.

Q: What’s your opinion of “Cake Boss,” the reality show starring Buddy Valastro?

A: If you really watch it, they don’t use a lot of cake. They use Rice Krispie treats. The little designs and figures they use are either cut out of rolled fondant or they use Rice Krispies as the base cake. You need to watch it because a lot of times when they make the shape of a boat or something like that they use PVC pipe to give it support. And then mold with Rice Krispie treats around the PVC pipe. So it’s not really “cake, cake.” I’m not saying they don’t have sheet cakes or layer-based cakes, but a lot of it is Rice Krispie treats.

Q: What cake are you the most proud of?

A: I guess the castle cake I did for a lady who was in her late 50s, early 60s. You would have thought it was for a child’s cake, but she came in and ordered it for a wedding cake. She was getting married again, and she wanted a castle cake. I had to assemble the turrets after the cake was delivered. It’s one of the hardest cakes that I’ve done.