Confection Perfection

Sally Litchfield, MDJ Features Editor

Confection perfection - that's Jennifer Punch. The award-winning baker, who develops her own recipes for cakes, cookies and pastries, shares her expertise when making petits fours.
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Punch credits her grandmother with her knowledge in the kitchen. "My grandmother was an unbelievable baker and cook," she said. "Growing up in New Orleans, we learned through our families."
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The bite-size cakes, perfect for tea parties, baby and bridal showers or other gatherings, can be tricky to make."The frosting has to be the exact consistency or you'll have a huge mess," says the mother of twin boys. "It has to be just the right thickness and just the right thinness to pour it over the white cake."

Punch explains that you cut a white sheet cake into squares, preferably with a square cookie cutter. You then pour the frosting over the cake while it sits on a grid with wax paper underneath to catch the overflow.

The key to the frosting is "continual stirring with a whisk and temperature," said the former chemistry teacher. But Punch isn't a baker who cooks with an equation; she has an understanding of the way things should look and taste. "Most of my recipes read as heaps, mounds," she said with a chuckle. "They don't read as cups and tablespoons, and that's how we bake."

"In baking, I believe, too many people go by the book instead of learning the look," explains the wife of Layne Punch. "They're too set on the recipe and need to learn to look at cake or cookies and recognize when they're done or you have the right consistency," she says.

Punch, the owner of Confection Perfection at 4887 North Main St. in Acworth, is known for her moist cakes. In addition to an impressive list of corporate and private clients, she was recently named as one of two exclusive bakers for the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta.

For this Acworth resident, her knowledge and experience pay off in the kitchen with her sweet treats - the perfect Punch.