Lafitte’s Desserts

Henri Lafitte is a pastry genius. When I first met him, I was on a hunt for THE cake – the wedding cake. When it was time for us to say farewell after our first meeting, I had to hug the man. He is that jovial, that wonderful – this lovely little French man who has a way with pastry, pulls wonderful sugar ribbons and is the only vendor I found selling croque-​en-​bouche, towering traditional French wedding ‘cakes’ made of light choux pastry.
Henri’s creations are truly something to behold – artistic, intricate and absolutely delicious! He does not skimp on ingredients. When he says you’re getting pure buttercream (and he says it in such a charming way), he means it – he uses straight up butter and none of that shortening as filler. The result is a seductively smooth frosting that, while sweet, is not cloying. Henri makes his fillings from the freshest ingredients, likes to add a little booze to the mix when appropriate (who doesn’t want Kahlua or Grand Marnier in their cake?) and is a master decorator. He loves the challenge of a tall tiered cake, but Justin and I convinced him that a delicious three tier french vanilla cake with layers of buttercream and sliced strawberries would be just right for us. I wavered for a moment when he suggested a mocha cake with Kahlua buttercream, but figured I could always try the less traditional treat later.
We visited Henri a second time to provide him with a swatch of bridesmaid dress so he could ensure a match with accent colors. He welcomed us at the door with a complimentary mini-​cake – mocha and Kahlua buttercream and pure deliciousness! It’s pretty special when your pastry chef remembers your dessert weakness months down the road. :)
Henri delivered the cake to our reception venue himself and made sure it was properly adorned. It was beautiful, moist and so, so delicious. His fantastic suggestion of using smooth marzipan instead of rolled fondant (ick) ensured that everyone was able to eat all of the cake (except that one friend with the nut allergy), instead of peeling off the fondant layer. I wish he would’ve stuck around for us to arrive at the reception – I would have given him another hug!
By appointment only. Trust me, it’s well worth the drive to the boonies.