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PRINCETON: Sweet!

Library picks a winner for its anniversary cake

By Victoria Hurley-Schubert
   Three Tiers Cake Studio has been selected to create a cake for the party celebrating Princeton Public Library’s 100th birthday.
   Leslie Dowling, the baker behind Three Tiers Cake Studio, is a practicing architect in Princeton.
   The cake base will be a giant red library card depicted in 1,000 marzipan flowers with a background of 800 red flowers with a ring of 100 light red flowers with candles in each and “Princeton” spelled out in 100 white flowers. Ten tiers of books are stacked on the cake, topped with “100” and the third-floor flying goose. The books are two-layer cakes with marzipan covers.
   ”My inspiration for the centennial cake started with my library card. Several years ago when I designed and built the Neruda Folly for the Princeton Writer’s Block, I was in quick need of a specific series of Pablo Neruda’s poems,” said Ms. Dowling. “I went over to the library and to my surprise, found the very books I needed right there on the shelf. Our community is so deeply fortunate that anyone can walk in, get a free library card and immediately have access to the entire collection of books, music, films, classes and so much more.”
   The Princeton Writer’s Block was a public art and architecture installation created by teams of local architects, writers and contractors. A garden folly is a structure that can be inhabited, a little building.
   Ms. Dowling, who is married to restaurateur Carlo Momo, operates her business out of the kitchens of Terra Momo Restaurant Group. Through the design and renovation of several of Mr. Momo’s restaurants, Ms. Dowling became increasingly interested in culinary and pastry art, and attended the Classic Pastry Arts Career Program at the French Culinary Institute.
   ”Playing with multiples of the birthday anniversary date of Oct. 10, 2010, I then stacked 10 books on top of the library card, a ring of 100 candles and 1,000 marzipan flowers,” said Ms. Dowling. “The books will be a selection of 10 notable books of the last century, each a two-layer cake with marzipan cover. I topped the books with “100” and will make the third-floor flying goose out of shards of white chocolate to mimic the way it was constructed out of paper. I felt the goose was an ideal topper for the cake both for its physical location in the library (at the top) and its symbolic meaning as the library takes flight into its next 100 years.”
   The cake will be coconut with caramel filling, a vanilla butter-cream crumb coat and rolled fondant. Decorative elements will be marzipan and white chocolate; all of the cake will be edible, said Ms. Dowling.
   The library’s party will be Sunday, Oct. 10, on Hinds Plaza and inside the library and will feature a variety of Princeton entertainers and organizations.
   Six finalists for the cake competition were selected from a pool of applicants and the winner was announced this week. The other finalists in the competition were Vikki Hilton and Chris Houwen of McCaffrey’s Market, La Bella Cakery, The Whole Earth Center Bakery and Jen’s Cakes & Pastries. Design submissions range from a three-tier cake with lettering reflecting the library building’s cornerstone artwork to a multilevel, off-kilter creation piled with “books.”
   ”The more whimsical the designs, the better,” says library Executive Director Leslie Burger. “We are looking for a cake that reflects our theme of words, ideas and community and can be a centerpiece of this wonderful celebration.”
   The panel of judges for the cake competition consisted of Ms. Burger, Princeton Township Mayor Bernie Miller, Princeton Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman, library Board of Trustees President M. Katherine McGavern and representatives from Johnson & Johnson, corporate sponsor of the birthday cake.
   ”Each of the judges evaluating each cake sample on the basis of frosting and cake taste, and design. Frosting and cake were evaluated by each judge eating a sample of each of the six cakes,” said Mr. Miller. “Design was evaluated by a sketch of the design. All of the cakes were excellent and it was a difficult decision. The judges voted and selected a three-tier design with outstanding frosting and cake, and a design that really captured the spirit of the Princeton Public Library. All of the judges finished with a sugar high!”
   While Three Tiers Cake Studio will create the cake, all of the finalists will have a hand in the celebration. Each will bake 200 mini-cupcakes for the party, which begins at 1 p.m. and continues until 5 p.m.
   Music, exhibits, tours, and special entertainment for children are all part of the celebration. The cupcakes and winning confection will be set out at 4 p.m. in the Community Room, and everyone is invited to indulge their sweet tooth while singing a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
   The Sands Library Building is at 65 Witherspoon St. in Princeton Borough. Convenient parking is available on neighboring streets and in the borough-operated Spring Street Garage, which is adjacent to the library. For more information about library programs and services, call (609) 924-9529 or visit www.princetonlibrary.org.