The Charm City Cakes team will hook you up with a motor or fireworks, but there are some things even they won’t do for customers, including baby-shaped shower cakes. “Why would you get a cake in the shape of a f—ing baby?” wonders Goldman. “You have to eat that. It’s gross.”
For a reality TV show, “Ace of Cakes” presents an almost unheard of problem to fans. Instead of delving into petty problems between castmates, it focuses on the cake — no backstabbing, no messy hook-ups, no drama except the occasional bumpy fondant. Which is fine, until you fall in love with cutie decorator Jeff and what to know more than his theories on royal icing.
“Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes” should do the job. Written by bakery boss Duff Goldman along with his brother Willie, the scrapbook-style book tells the story of the business and its quirky little team of employees.
“What you see on the show is what you get,” says Goldman of his team. “[General manager] Mary Alice is that sassy — she’s been sassing me since the day I met her. It’s a safe place, we were all the weird kids.”
Goldman also takes the opportunity to clear up rumors and criticism, such as claims that the cakes aren’t edible (most parts are) and that they’re outrageously expensive. “I hear people say we charge $20,000 a cake,” he says in disbelief. “Man, if I was getting $20,000 a cake, I wouldn’t be writing books.”
Duff Goldman signing
Dec. 3, 2:30-4 p.m.
Kitchen Kapers Center City
213 S. 17th St.
www.kitchenkapers.com