By Erin Frank

Choosing your wedding cake is about more than just baked goods—it’s an experience. From the tasting, to the planning and design, to the baker herself, everything should come together to give you the best possible feeling for your big day. And, if you’re really lucky, by the time you are done your cake designer will feel like a good friend.

I met the talented Tracy Auseklis of The Buttercream Studio at the San Francisco Wedding Fair at the Four Seasons last week and just had the pleasure of meeting her one-on-one for a bit of follow-up and cake tasting. You immediately feel like Tracy is your pal, someone who is on your side to help make your wedding day fabulous. This Columbia grad and former city planner turned foodie years ago, baking cakes for family and friends and working in pastry kitchens and restaurants. When she got engaged in 2007 the joy of designing her own wedding cake led to scrapping her plans for a big, fancy wedding of her own in order to buy a bakery instead. After tying the knot at City Hall, followed by cocktails and cake (naturally), Tracy opened The Buttercream Studio in South San Francisco.

The Buttercream Studio uses recipes of both Tracy’s creation and variations on those shared by cake designers at the top of the profession to make rich, velvety cakes with creamy frosting. In addition to traditional chocolate and vanilla, the bakery’s menu includes flavors like Lemon Butter Cake with Lemon Curd, Raspberries and Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Mousse, and Belgian Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercream. Do you have a favorite flavor that’s not on her list? Custom flavors are welcome. The Buttercream Studio’s cakes are made from a butter-based batter, baked to light and fluffy perfection rather than the typical spongy wedding cake you’ll find, and the cake is never frozen. This allows for greater stability and support for tall, tiered cakes and specialty orders, and makes the cakes taste just as good as they look. The frostings, other than the cream cheese version like the one you’ll find on the Old Fashioned Red Velvet Cake, are a delicious Italian merengue buttercream. For sculpted cakes Tracy’s fondant is all made by hand in the studio.

The designs for Buttercream’s cakes are inspired by anything Tracy sees: from a swatch of fabric to a ruffle or a terrific floral arrangement, or any bride’s wildest desire. No challenge is too great—take for example the cake she created for San Francisco’s celebration of Barack Obama’s inauguration which was a replica of the White House, or the specialty cake she made for a Yahoo! celebration, a behemoth of an order made to serve over 3500 guests.

The Buttercream Studio doesn’t stop at traditional wedding cakes. Tracy’s specialty cakes are perfect for bridal showers, rehearsal dinners and grooms cakes. From a Coach purse stuffed with a champagne bottle made of out sugar, to a suitcase cake perfect for a travel-loving couple, her designs are inventive and authentic. And for the DIY bride The Buttercream Studio offers classes for making and decorating with buttercream or fondant, as well as an intensive 2-day crash course in decorating cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. There’s something for every bride here, and Tracy will make you feel nothing but welcome. Happy tasting!

The Buttercream Studio is located at 158 South Spruce Avenue in South San Francisco, 415-730-3313.

Tastings are by appointment only. Suitcase photo courtesy of The Buttercream Studio.