Long before fat grams and cholesterol counts were on our minds, there was the dessert party. Luscious spreads that included rich frosted cakes, flaky pies, chewy cookies, creamy puddings and unadulterated ice cream. And real coffee instead of decaf. Or dense chocolate truffles and fancy petit fours paired with fine ports, wines, brandies and cheeses for a Continental flair.
In so many instances, it was the perfect way to entertain. On weeknights, it was just the right amount of social interaction after unwinding from work, getting dinner out of the way and putting the kids to bed. On weekends, it hit the mark after another diversion, be it a routine night at the movies or a special excursion to an opera or play. Or on Sundays, it was the perfect touch to cap off a book club or bridge.
Its beauty lay in several truths. It could be dressed up or down, depending on the events that preceded it. Everything could also be prepared ahead and presented in a “self-serve” way. And best of all, it could be done effortlessly with store-bought fare, elaborately by making everything from scratch or somewhere in-between.
Chicago actress Janice O’Neill Sparr finds herself giving this type of party relatively frequently these days. She finds it to be a practical, flexible and gratifying way to entertain given her busy lifestyle–and more manageable than full-blown dinner parties.
An accomplished chef but a busy working mother, the format allows her to make “one show-stopper dessert as a centerpiece” then buy the rest of what she serves or take it out of her “reserves”–cookies and bar-style items she bakes ahead and freezes. For her next dessert buffet, she’s already planned to make her trademark coconut-macadamia nut macaroons dipped in chocolate and a labor-intensive croquembouche (the traditional French dessert made out of cream-filled puff pastry balls that are glued into a towering mass with hot caramel and cloaked in a sheath of spun sugar), which takes her a day to create.
Sparr is going to great lengths because this party will be a special Christmas celebration with close friends. Her other dessert parties have been less elaborate. “I’ve had them to cap off evenings where we didn’t get to talk, like going to the theater or opera, and to salvage nights at boring fundraisers. I even do them in the afternoon to thank the people who have worked on my fundraising committees. They’re much more satisfying than teas,” she says.
Elite bakeries that turn out big-deal desserts are also thriving (see sidebar) and providing delectable yet also elegant baked goods that can be served at these parties, making it possible for those who have no interest in baking, or spare time for it, to have dessert parties nevertheless.
Here’s some advice from the experts to keep in mind:
1. For a showstopping centerpiece, Jill Van Cleave, a Chicago author of three cookbooks on baking, suggests a chocolate rum mousse cake with raspberries and chocolate glaze, which she developed for this story (see recipe). Sponge cakes can be refrigerated for a day or so without any loss of moisture, and this particular recipe can be made in three steps over a few days. “When you take each step separately, it’s more manageable. The problem people run into is they try to tackle everything all at once and then it’s intimidating,” says Van Cleave. The rum mousse can be done up to two days ahead; the sponge cakes can be made the morning of the party; and the quick-chocolate glaze can be made at the time the cake is assembled later that day.
2. Drinks can include various coffees and teas; sparkling waters, ciders or lemonades; wines, champagnes, ports, brandies and cordials; or flavored milks if kids are invited.
3. Display is everything for this party. Make the table as enticing as possible with china, crystal and a pretty tablecloth. Put big-deal desserts on pretty pedestal plates that elevate them, or make your own pedestals for certain desserts (stack a few books on the table and cover them with small tablecloths or large napkins). Decorate the table with strewn flowers, candles, glitter or theme-related accessories such as holiday ornaments.
Make a bakery stop
A Taste of Heaven, 1701 W. Foster Ave., Chicago, 773-989-0151. Cakes are its specialty. Hot seller: Jeannine’s Cake. Most divine: Lemon cloud cake.
Bittersweet, 1114 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, 773-929-1100. Rounds of shortbread, fingers of biscotti, picture-perfect cakes taste even better than they look.
Rahmig’s House of Fine Chocolate, 3109 N. Broadway, 773-525-5700. “Old World” treats, rich pastries, cookies, cakes, fancy tea cookies.
Sweet Mysteries, 4229 W. Montrose Ave., 773-282-2989. Known for “killer cakes,” towering fruit pies and impossibly dense pound cakes; big-deal cakes, tarts, sinful chocolate chip ruggeleh.
Sweet Mandy B, 1208 W. Webster Ave., 773-244-1174. Old-fashioned such as layer cakes, pies, cookies, bars and hit-making devil’s food cake.
Vanille, 2229 N. Clybourn Ave., 773-868-4574. Dinner truffles in 10 flavors, dense Le Brownie chocolate cake and chocolate banana tart infused with rum.
CHOCOLATE RUM MOUSSE CAKE WITH RASPBERRIES AND CHOCOLATE GLAZE
Makes one, four-layer cake; serves 12
Chocolate rum mousse:
16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup dark rum
1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee
3 large eggs, separated and at room temperature (use pasteurized eggs, if desired)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sponge cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Chocolate glaze:
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups raspberry spreadable fruit or “spoon” fruit
1 pint fresh raspberries
1. Prepare chocolate rum mousse: Melt chocolate in a large bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Whisk smooth, then whisk in rum and coffee. Slowly add egg yolks, whisking until smoothly blended. Remove bowl from hot pan and let cool.
2. Beat egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high and slowly add 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture with a large rubber spatula.
3. In a clean bowl with clean beaters, whip cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the vanilla until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until the mousse is set, at least 2 hours.
4. Prepare sponge cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Position over rack to the center of the oven. Grease two, 9-inch round cake pans, 2 inches deep. Cut and fit a round of parchment or waxed paper to line the bottom of each pan.
5. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Place egg yolks in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until thick, about 4 minutes. Gradually add the cold water–the mixture will look foamy. Slowly add the sugar, beating to dissolve completely, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sift the flour mixture into the yolk mixture. Fold together using a large rubber spatula. Do not overmix. A few lumps are fine.
6. In a clean bowl with clean beaters, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form, shiny but not dry. Gently fold whites into yolk mixture just until flour is incorporated.
7. Divide batter equally between the prepared pans, shaking gently to fill each pan evenly. Bake for about 25 to 28 minutes, until centers are springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 20 minutes. Invert to release cakes from pans. Reverse cakes to have paper-lined bottoms resting directly on wire racks until cakes are completely cool before peeling off liners.
8. Prepare chocolate glaze: Combine the chocolate and cream together in a glass bowl. Heat at 50 percent power in microwave oven for 2 to 3 minutes until chocolate is melted. Whisk chocolate smooth, add butter pieces, and whisk until mixture is smoothly blended. Set aside to cool to spreadable consistency. Cover and hold at room temperature until ready to use.
9. Assemble Cake: Cut each sponge cake horizontally into two equal layers, dusting off loose crumbs. Place one layer on a cardboard cake circle or cake plate. Spread 1/2 cup raspberry fruit evenly over cake. Add about 1 1/2 cups chocolate mousse on top and spread evenly over the raspberry layer. Add a second cake layer and repeat with the raspberry followed by the chocolate mousse fillings. Add a third cake layer and repeat the fillings. (There may be some chocolate mousse left over.) Top with the fourth cake layer and refrigerate cake until 30 minutes before serving.
10. Spread chocolate glaze over the top of the chilled cake. Bunch the whole fresh raspberries in the center of glazed cake to create a “bouquet” of fruit garnish. Cut cake into wedges, serving some raspberries with each slice of cake.
