Prairie Baking Co
Elizabeth Rzoska
Photos by Christian Rodman
In a world of extreme desserts (have you seen a piecaken?), Prairie Baking Co. stands out for its simple elegance. Owner and solo baker Elizabeth Rzoska doesn’t go in for trendy flourishes or dizzying colors. Her spare aesthetic has been honed over the years, on a winding path starting in the Midwest, with an art degree to culinary school to barista, then on to Portland, where the path led her to some of the finest bakeries in town, and finally to her own business. Whew.
Even though she makes a fabulous scone, cake is the star at Prairie Baking Co. “It’s what I’m most passionate about,” she says. “It’s a good way to mix art with flavor.” About half the business is wedding cakes, with stunning watercolor painted buttercream and subtle touches of gold. Fresh flowers play a big part in decoration too. After receiving a flower CSA from her mother-in-law, Elizabeth starting working with local floral farms for seasonal blooms. A few stems of dahlias, a simple white rose surrounded by greenery or colorful freesia lend grace and charm to a simple cake. Silky Swiss meringue buttercream, made by first creating a meringue with egg whites and sugar, then slowly incorporating butter and vanilla bean paste makes a glossy, blank canvas for decorations.
Because not everyone is in the market for a wedding cake, Elizabeth also offers what she calls “standard celebration cakes.” But a four layer cake with three layers of filling and that smooth coat of buttercream seems far beyond standard to me. It seems like a party, especially with flavors that include yuzu- lemon vanilla and raspberry chocolate, chocolate cake layered with raspberry-citrus curd and vanilla bean buttercream, iced in vanilla bean buttercream. Elizabeth is particularly fond of the chocolate Earl Grey cake, in which she steeps the tea in cream for use in a ganache, a twist on the classic chocolate-coffee combo. Summer time brings forth a tender buttermilk cake with Maine wild blueberry-lemon curd. I recently tasted the chocolate-covered pretzel cake, and was impressed with the deep chocolate flavor, tight crumb and luxurious texture. To me, it had the feel and taste of a sophisticated European cake, found behind a glass case in Vienna or Zurich.
Before moving to Portland three years ago, Elizabeth was baking cakes for friends and restaurants. Once settled here, she went to work at both Belleville and Gross Confections, two excellent spots for a new-to-town baker. Prairie Baking Co. is the first time she’s owned a business. Baking was done at Fork Food Lab, and the business was introduced to the public last year on Valentine’s Day. Elizabeth now works, alone, out of the old Drifters Wife kitchen, soaking up all the good vibes left behind. She’s recently started a Saturday pick-up pop-up, offering a small layer cake, scones, cookies and other pastries. Just order ahead, and she’ll bring it out to the curb for you. She also sells some baked goods to Little Woodfords coffee shop.
Like most everyone else, Elizabeth says it’s been “a weird year.” Just as Prairie Baking Co. was getting started, so was the pandemic. But she managed to keep going, with orders for small weddings, a busy fall and new ideas, like decorate-it-yourself cookie boxes around the holiday season. And like all of us, she’s looking forward to celebrations on a larger scale, the kind that call for big, beautiful, flowery cakes.