The creations of Purple Cow Cakery owner Nicole Contursi embody sophisticated, luxury wedding and celebration cakes. A true couture baker and visionary designer, Nicole has refined her craft through art-forward creations that are as exquisite as they are memorable. She also shares her passion through summer baking classes in Metuchen. Let’s get to know this proud Metuchen native, who designs special-occasion cakes across New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
Over twenty years ago, Contursi started making desserts for her husband’s restaurant, while balancing her career in finance. But what began as a passion project bloomed into something more.
At the time, the desserts were being sourced from an outside vendor and sales were underwhelming. So Contursi stepped in, offering homemade desserts she made in the evenings and on weekends, and in time everything changed.
To her surprise, customers started specifically requesting her cakes and dessert became a highlight at the restaurant.
Her dessert menu reflected her family table: Flourless chocolate cake, rice pudding, carrot cake, mascarpone cheesecake were family favorites she offered that resonated with diners. Contursi assessed what guests were looking for and leaned into flavors that felt both familiar and comforting like the mascarpone cheesecake she still offers in November and December.
Bottom Photos: Nicole Contursi of Purple Cow Cakery.
Contursi has always considered herself a creative baker. Her brother asked her to make his wedding cake and she executed a beautiful one that was aesthetically pleasing and met with rave reviews for flavor and texture. That stuck with her. There was something deeply fulfilling about knowing people genuinely loved the flavor combinations she created.
After welcoming her third child, Contursi embarked on a business venture and opened Purple Cow Cakery in 2018. It was a risk, but one grounded in purpose. Her creative passion had been ignited, and baking naturally aligned with this season of her life.
Contursi loves flowers and the striking beauty of large, beautiful cake designs. A cake is like a blank canvas. She especially loves using fresh flowers and floral arrangements for her designs. She has a talent for transforming that canvas into an art-forward creation. Her cakes are one-of-a-kind, thoughtfully tailored to reflect the unique preferences of each client. She loves working with couples, and many return to her to create celebration cakes for bridal and baby showers.
Using a ghost kitchen, she bakes wedding cakes as close to the event as possible, sometimes even the day before, in because freshness is a priority. There is no simple syrup added to her cakes to create moisture when a cake gets stale. The flavor isn’t overly sweet. So, if it’s chocolate, you will taste that flavor alone — the essence of the cake is prominent.
To add the finishing touches to her cakes, she uses Swiss meringue buttercream instead of fondant. She hasn’t had good-tasting fondant, she tells me. It’s handled so much and is like sugar playdough. Buttercream is what she likes, she explains, but it’s harder to work with due to it not being stable. The taste is rich and creamy when made properly.
The Swiss meringue style is made with egg whites and sugar that are heated and then whipped (off the heat). Once it reaches stiff peaks, you add butter and flavorings and beat it until smooth and creamy. It’s a challenge, but in the end the result is a better quality product. She is noted as a couture baker because she uses only high-end ingredients. Popular flavor combinations include:
- Vanilla Swiss almond cake with lemon buttercream and fresh raspberry purée
- Vanilla bean cake with fresh mixed berry compote and Chantilly cream
- Rich chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache and espresso cream
- Red velvet cake with rich chocolate mouse and dark chocolate shavings
- Pistachio cake with pistachio cream filling and a blackberry purée with fresh blackberries.
She designs wedding cakes for celebrations at private estates, luxury ballrooms, waterfront venues, and iconic NYC locations. She delivers to New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Some of the venues she has worked with are Liberty House in Jersey City, Park Chateau in East Brunswick, Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck, The Grove in Cedar Grove, The Union Club in New York City, and The Plaza in New York City.
If someone has a hard time visualizing their dream wedding cake, they shouldn’t be concerned. Contursi can design a custom-made cake for a couple that’s inspired by favorite flavors and colors and that complements the wedding dress, flowers, invitations, or venue.
She also offers cakes for Sweet 16s, bridal showers, and baby showers, but she does not design character cakes.
Nut-free and gluten-free cakes are available but not for celiac or severe food allergies due to cross-contamination.
At a celebration or a wedding, your cake is not an afterthought, Contursi says. It is a curated design that enhances the entire room.
KIDS IN THE KITCHEN
By the week, Contursi offers a summer camp for kids ages 5 to 12 in June, July, and the first week of August. It runs as a ½ day morning camp four days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., with an option for full-day camp, too. She collaborates with Creative Twist Events owner Joanne Cruz, who runs the afternoon sessions. Cruz and the kids make tie-dye shirts and other fun and crafty projects. The camp is held at Creative Twist Events at 10 Pearl Street, Metuchen.
In the camp, kids bake and make other sweet delights like tarts and fruit bars, decorated cookies, and fresh pizza dough from scratch. Contursi teaches measuring and math skills while they prep and measure ingredients. The kids are so excited about and proud of their creations and can’t wait to share them with their family, she tells me.
