A conversation with
Frank Barron @cakeboyparis
Frank Barron, better known as Cake Boy, opens the doors of his flat in the heart of the Marais. An enchanting space where everything is delicacy and refinement, where every object seems to have found its rightful place, a spot with an old-world charm rarely seen these days. From the choice of crockery to the elegant mouldings, not forgetting the winter conservatory discovered around a corner of the hallway, nothing is left to chance.
Hello, would you care to introduce yourselves?
My name is Frank Barron, better known as @cakeboyparis on Instagram. I started out making American-style cakes for Parisian cafés, and today I create bespoke cakes and tarts.
Your love affair with Paris keeps growing, what do you love most about it?
Butter! Salted butter, especially. I'm also partial to classic French pastry and beautiful museums. Paris is full of them, and the Guimet museum is one of my favourites.
Did you study at art school, and has that helped shape your creative world in pastry-making?
I think studying Art History essentially means studying beauty, so there's a certain aesthetic appreciation in everything you do. You can indeed apply it to cakes, to their decoration and to pâtisserie in general. You always think about how it will turn out in the end, about the aesthetic result of your creation. So yes, I think my studies have influenced the way I work today, and my desire to make my creations ever more beautiful.
What do you see as the big differences between American pastry-making and French pastry-making?
It's simple! American pastries are much sweeter. French pastry is very refined and intricate. American baking is generally easier to make. Making a banana bread or a carrot cake compared to a Paris-Brest is a completely different story! But both are just as delicious as each other.
You put American pastry back in fashion, what do you think is the key to your success?
Thank you! I think it's mostly a question of timing. When I started making my American cakes, there were very few to be found in Paris. I wanted to be able to enjoy the cakes I was missing, and I simply couldn't find them anywhere. I have the feeling that my work first found success with expats in Paris, who, like me, were nostalgic for American treats! That's how it all began for me.
« The French patisserie is intricate and highly refined. »
Just like By Charlot, you love offering personalisation, how do you go about it?
Sometimes, I get some very specific requests, like cakes topped with edible flowers; not everyone fancies eating them, but it's a personalisation I'm happy to do. And then, above all, lots of people order the classic American birthday cake which, again, is hard to come by in Paris. Stacked layers, lashings of buttercream icing, then the famous rainbow sprinkles... I always keep a secret stash that my family sends me from the United States!
You dreamt up a pastry for By Charlot inspired by our L'Élégante candle, can you tell us about it?
I was drawn to L'Élégante for her orange blossom notes, which is one of my favourite scents, as well as for her citrus zest and tonka notes, which struck me as utterly delicious… I imagined a beautiful citrus cake with a mascarpone icing and a touch of orange blossom to echo the candle. The cake itself is made with bergamot, which is L'Élégante's main note. To me, these are her predominant notes, and I wanted to put them centre stage in my creation. I'm glad to have the candle by my side. Sometimes, when you're baking a cake, the notes can fade away. L'Élégante allowed me to rediscover that scent, it's lovely to have it at home!
« I was drawn to L'Élégante for its orange blossom notes, which happen to be one of my favourite scents. »
Just like our candles, your creations awaken the senses. Is the olfactory dimension in pastry-making just as decisive as taste for a recipe's success?
I think that when you cook with the seasons, it really comes through in the aromas. In summer, for example, when strawberries are perfectly ripe, wild strawberries or gariguettes say, you can really smell them and appreciate their fragrance. When you make a fraisier or a strawberry shortcake, you get to enjoy their lovely fresh scent. For me, that's an important part of baking, though sometimes those notes vanish during cooking with certain fresh fruits. Chocolate, on the other hand, leaves a trail you simply can't miss throughout the house...
It's one of my favourite cakes, a simple chocolate cake, and the smell just spreads everywhere, as if you'd lit a chocolate-scented candle. It's incredible!
In the photos, your creations are surrounded by plants or flowers. Is it important for you to link the botanical and the culinary?
Absolutely! I think it's always a plus when you add edible flowers to a cake. The senses are heightened: sight, with the beauty of a flower, paired with taste, since you can actually eat it. I find it adds something beautiful and mysterious to pastry when you try to incorporate nature into it. Sometimes, I like to bake with tea, which comes from the most magnificent tea plants. It's my favourite ingredient.
You cook at home, how have you set up your flat so you can work there?
How do I organise myself? I just make do, I find solutions, because my kitchen is small, like in most Parisian flats! I do most of my decorating and baking in the dining room, but having this big marble table in front of us is really handy. I can spread out here, which I could never do in my kitchen! It's brilliant when I run my workshops: we're all gathered around the table with plenty of room for decorating, I can demonstrate my icing tutorials with ease, show off the lovely produce we're going to use... Fresh fruit, pears or plums in autumn... I've basically built my whole set-up around that, but I'll admit I wouldn't say no to a bit more space in the kitchen!
« I find it adds something beautiful and mysterious to pastry-making when you try to weave nature into it. »
The decoration of your cakes matters to you?
It's certainly the most important thing to me. When I'm thinking about the concept of a new cake or a new idea, I always start by thinking about the look I want to give it. And because I love cooking according to the seasons, I think about the aesthetics of what I'm going to make and how I can show off my creation at its best. If it's winter, for example, I like to add chestnuts, or something just as beautiful. Obviously, taste matters enormously, but a touch of beauty never hurts!
« I love filling my home with plants. Living in the Marais, I have so little access to nature, so it matters to bring a touch of greenery into my house. »
How do you bring nature into an urban home?
I love filling my home with plants. Living in the Marais, I don't have much access to nature, so it's important to bring a bit of greenery into my house, especially with little plants in my kitchen. I don't have green fingers, unfortunately, it's hard to come by, but I'm lucky enough to have a balcony, and I try to fill it with plants that simply can't die... Like ivy, so I can actually enjoy it. It really does change your mood, having that view every day, something green, something natural.
How did you choose the plants in your flat?
I chose them according to a passion that's rather amusing, well, I suppose it's not that funny, but I'm passionate about Southeast Asia and Bali in particular, the island of the gods. It's one of my favourite places in the world. I think that before, whenever I chose plants, I wanted them to have a tropical look, something that reminded me of the jungle or Bali. I was trying to recreate that world at home. A good part of my flat's décor comes from Thailand, Cambodia, my travels in Bali… So I tried to match my plants with the style of the objects in my home.
Are you drawn in by the colour of the pot, or the shape and colour of the plant?
When I'm looking for a pot for a plant or a candle, I'm drawn to natural colours that bring radiance and shine to a room. I also love gold, graphic black, mineral textures reminiscent of stone... Those are the colours that catch my eye!
