Margaret Braun Cakes

Profile

Celebrity cake designer Margaret Braun counts New York royalty among her clientele, which includes Sarah Jessica Parker and Bobby Flay. Braun has also been widely featured on television and in the glossies, and her distinctive, baroque celebration cakes have had starring roles in several films. But any ordinary Joe willing to pay a four-figure minimum for opulent, awe-inspiring sugar art can order one of her multi-tiered creations (with a few months notice). Braun prefers to keep the insides of her cakes basic—chocolate, vanilla, almond pound, butter cinnamon—and fills them with fig preserves and chocolate or espresso buttercream. This makes sense given how much is happening on the outside of the cake, a level of decoration that the baker has mastered and continues to refine, tweak, and polish, cake by cake. Her intricate hand painting often features saturated colors like deep red or royal blue, highlighted by gold leaf and curliques of sugar and frosting. Braun doesn't have a showroom or a retail space; clients most often discover her work in magazines or in her book, Cakewalk. And although each cake is custom made, the source is always apparent. Like a couturier’s frock or a famous painter’s canvas, every one is clearly recognizable to the cake-world cognoscenti as the handiwork of Margaret Braun. Call or email to make an appointment. — Nancy Davidson

Braun’s dazzling creations have a Baroque aesthetic; they’re perfect for those who like vibrant colors and ornate detailing. For chef Bobby Flay’s nuptials, the cake featured creamy orange and yellow stripes with a sugar chalice on top. Braun decorates each cake all by her lonesome, so expect prices to run into four figures. Prices upon request.