Q&A: CakeLove's Warren Brown

AS OWNER (AND ICING KING) of four local CakeLove bakeries, Warren Brown has been giving Washingtonians a sugar rush with his confections since 2002. The attorney-turned-baker just popped out a book, "CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes From Scratch" ($27, Stewart, Tabori & Chang), potentially sweetening up kitchens around the country.

» EXPRESS: How did you start baking?
» BROWN: It was my new year's resolution in 1999. I could cook, but I couldn't bake. I needed to expand my knowledge and was bored with my cooking. I bought a bunch of different books on baking. I started baking at home. I started with cake and went on to pies and tarts and cookies. I worked back to cake.

» EXPRESS: Did you have any kitchen disasters at first?
» BROWN: I tried to make blueberry compote filling for a yellow cake. The blue and yellow made a thin layer of green! I needed to learn the basics before I could do it freestyle.

» EXPRESS: You sell many cupcakes at the bakery. What's your fave combo?
» BROWN: I can't have a favorite because all of the others will stand up and revolt. I do like the chocolate cake dipped in ganache and the New German Chocolate.

» EXPRESS: There's been a lot of debate about the taste of your buttercream frosting. Care to weigh in?
» BROWN: When I started, I was bringing the cake to people before a party, so they weren't serving it for two hours. Now people want to stuff it into their face immediately. We've tried to explain to people that they need to wait for the cakes to warm up to room temperature. I don't think they taste good cold. We refrigerate them because they're made with partially cooked egg products like meringue or something else. The Department of Health mandates that. Other bakeries might be using different ingredients. There's no quick answer to it. CakeLove is not going to be everyone's favorite, but I'm confident that people who are hating it are eating it when it's cold.

» EXPRESS: What are your favorite places to eat in D.C.?
» BROWN: I don't go out that much, but I love carry-out pizza from Moroni's on Georgia Avenue.

» EXPRESS: What do you do for fun around town?
» BROWN: I love going to the movies. I love the big screen and escaping into the world. I'm looking forward to the new "Indiana Jones." I definitely like art house movies and documentaries. I'm also a total news junkie.

» EXPRESS: With all those cakes and goodies around, how do you stay in shape?
» BROWN: I watch what I eat and make sure I sweat, too. I thoroughly enjoy running for the solitude and peacefulness. It's part of my routine. I like it. It's not work. And I eat a lot of salad.

» EXPRESS: You're getting married in the fall. What kind of cake will you serve?
» BROWN: We're getting married in Leesburg at the Russ Manor House. It's part of the Audubon Society. We're going to do lots of tapas, drinks and dancing. Casual and fun. We're going to have multiple cakes; probably six to eight. We'll definitely have something with cream-cheese frosting, because that's Pam's favorite. And the New German Chocolate Cake. I don't know what else yet.

Written by Express contributor Kelly DiNardo
Photo by Renee Comet for FaceLove