Pastry Chef Lori Baker is Once Again Sharing Her Love of Chocolate & Cake

Lori Baker with partners Aaron Toensing and Jeff Banker, photo credit Marc Fiorito, Gamma Nine Photography

Recently we got a chance to preview some of the pastry chef Lori Baker’s desserts at Maybeck’s in San Francisco, where she and her husband have signed on as owner partners and chefs. Not surprisingly her chocolate creations—a Brooklyn Blackout cake and warm chocolate chip cookie sundae impressed us mightily.

Baker earned a degree in Pastry Arts from Johnson & Wales University and staged in Belgium and Italy. In San Francisco, she worked at many top restaurants including Postrio, Bix and Fifth Floor before a stint teaching at the California Culinary Academy. She and her husband and executive chef Jeff Banker ran the acclaimed Baker & Banker restaurant and bakery for 5 years. She was most recently the pastry chef at Bluestem Brasserie, where she created a menu of classic American desserts. We spoke with her to learn more about her approach to chocolate desserts.

Locally people remember your desserts from Baker & Banker and your bakery, then you created some pretty spectacular desserts at Bluestem Brasserie. What do you enjoy baking the most? 

My favorite thing is layer cakes, I just love that you can take all these ingredients and turn them into something beautiful and delicious. What you can put on the outside, it’s a fun way to present a dessert. In addition to chocolate cakes, I’ve done a key lime pie layer cake, a negroni layer cake. 

Your desserts lean towards American comfort classics. How did you decide what to put on this dessert menu at Maybeck’s which has such an eclectic menu? 

I’m kind of sticking with what I do best, I feel like Jeff pushes me to think outside the box and think about presentation, but I don’t let myself go too far. I’m doing a “Root Beer Float”  with salted white chocolate chunk root beer ice cream, black licorice mochi, cream soda, and malted vanilla marshmallow fluff. It is an eclectic menu and I like ending the meal on a comforting note.

The brown butter chocolate chip cookie was a favorite at Baker & Banker and you did a similar one for a while at Bluestem Brasserie. The warm version with ice cream and chocolate sauce is perfection! What made you decide to bring it back? 

I’m really proud of it and I’m kind of known for it. It had a version with bourbon and pecans and cinnamon at Bluestem Brasseries. I always keep the dough in my freezer. 

Chocolate chip cookie recipes are like the holy grail—everyone is searching for the perfect recipe. What’s your secret? 

I find that browning the butter gives it more depth and more grown up flavor, nutty. But you have to replace the water that evaporates when you brown the butter. I use bread flour to make them chewy, and I use half eggs and half yolks for richness. I don’t use commercial chips, I always break the chocolate into chunks so I get different sizes and bits that melt into the dough.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake photo credit Marc Fiorito, Gamma Nine Photography

What’s the story behind the Blackout Cake? When did you first have it and how did you develop your recipe for it? 

I think I first learned about it from Gale Gand’s book and I like that it had pudding inside instead of buttercream. It’s decadent and different. I use Brooklyn brewery stout in the cake instead of coffee.

What types of chocolate and brands of chocolate do you use and why? 

My favorite is probably Callebaut, I did my internship in Belgium and it kind of blew my mind. I thought it was such a great product. I also love Valrhona and Guittard. I like using 60% for cookies when you’re going to bite into them. I use 72% for cake and buttercream because you’re adding sugar to it. 

Your chocolate desserts are always done with finesse, even when they are familiar, comforting, but adult versions, and not too sweet. You’ve done a flourless chocolate cake, the famous XXX Triple Chocolate Cake with layers of chocolate cheesecake and devil’s food cake, and now the Blackout Cake. What’s your take on chocolate cakes? 

Number one I want it to be moist, a dry cake is not going to be good no matter what you soak it with. I always use canola oil or oil and butter to keep it moist. I also up the salt so it’s not too sweet, it brings out the chocolate flavor. I just think about what’s going to taste good. My go-to is usually coffee or salt. I really like the chocolate beer. I love Grand Marnier with chocolate or another flavored liqueur. I read recently that someone used sumac with brownies and that intrigued me. I love orange and raspberry and cherry with chocolate. I don’t’ always love chocolate and strawberry. No other citrus works as well as orange.

What other chocolate desserts can we expect in the future at Maybeck’s? 

I think I want to do a salted chocolate panna cotta with toppings like rice crispies. Cherry marzipan brownies with amaretto ice cream, some kind of play on a s’more. Salted graham crackers. A brownie pudding in a ramekin, I want to try it with a matzah crack toffee in ice cream. But cake will always be on the menu—for me it’s fun.