Saturday, August 1, 2026

View in browser

By Bianca Betancourt

Welcome to the latest edition of Big Style, a portal to a world where clothing meets culture. This week, CNN Style editor Bianca Betancourt dives into how Sant Ambroeus’ signature dessert has gained a devout (and fashionable) following. Have thoughts, questions or feedback? Reach us here: bigstyle@newsletters.cnn.com 

Mentioned in this issue: the TikTok-ification of our appetites, really good marzipan, Lindsay Lohan, semi-acceptable workplace nepotism, divas, nostalgic mall perfume, chic jello shots.

Did a glamorous pal forward this email to you? Click here to receive the newsletter yourself, which is known in the business as “subscribing.” 

IS THIS THE WORLD'S MOST FASHIONABLE CAKE?

The Sant Ambroeus principessa cake has been a staple of the Milanese cafe's dessert menu for 90 years. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel/CNN)

New York has a bad habit of inflicting trend culture upon the masses — especially when it comes to food. You can almost immediately identify a year based on the cult confection of its time. Magnolia Bakery cupcakes (created in 1996, but shot to fame in 2000 after being featured on an episode of “Sex and the City”), cronuts (2013), Levain’s gargantuan chocolate chip cookies (1995) and, more recently, dot cakes (just why?). While all of these goodies are still around, their public-derived hype cycles have since fizzled out. As a certified Sweets Person, dessert as a marketing concept makes me sad.

Maybe it’s my self-conscious rejection of all that the algorithm serves me, but as a devout cake connoisseur (and keen home baker) I’m always searching for a sweet treat that delivers more than a quick hit. Maybe Marcel Proust was indeed onto something!

The best examples of this seep with tradition, skill and look too good to eat. To me, no other dessert exemplifies indulgence, legacy, craft — and maybe even a friendly dose of snobbery — quite like Sant Ambroeus’ principessa cake. Whether you’re dining in or merely passing by any of the Milanese cafe’s 10 locations, you’ve likely seen her: fabulously fluffy sponge cut with butter-yellow, lemon-scented cream, then a towering cloud of whip all encased in a dainty pink marzipan topcoat. And miraculously, all those intricately crafted layers result in a perfect bite that isn’t too sweet. She’s an old-school Hollywood diva personified in confectionary form.

The allure surrounding the restaurant's take on the traditional Swedish cake has a lot to do with its prim and pink aesthetic. (Photos by Marco Postigo Storel/CNN)

Since the 1930s, when Sant Ambroeus was a thriving Milanese establishment and decades before its formal infiltration into New York’s dining scene in the ’80s, the princess cake has become the restaurant’s premiere dessert offering. Up to 400 slices are served a day, globally, and its never-waning popularity has helped secure its status as one of the more universally adored treats by the ever-fickle fashion set. While the traditional Swedish version, called a prinsesstårta, typically features a layer of raspberry jam and a bright green marzipan coating, Sant Ambroeus’ iteration is respectfully remixed for a more metropolitan crowd. Over the decades, the principessa cake in particular has cultivated a devout — and fashionable — following. Doting power publicists often send out a full cake to clients. Fashion influencers will film themselves mid-bite to spread the social media gospel of the girlish treat. Magazine editors-in-chief (those who still exist, anyway) will whip out the corporate card to purchase a principessa for their favorite exiting employee’s almost-always-awkward office farewell parties or to toast to 180 years of business, like Town & Country recently did. (For context, the cake’s standard 14-inch size version starts at $200 and its largest 18-inch iteration can run one back $360 — plus tax.) Actor and eternal millennial icon Lindsay Lohan even indulged in the dessert for her recent 40th birthday, with the pastry making an appearance in her celebratory Instagram photo dump.

“Listen, cakes are for all ages. God knows, people are getting cake all of the time. But I do think there's just that little bit of elevation that goes along with getting a really adult, chic, sophisticated cake from Sant Ambroeus,” said Daise Bedolla, an editor at Into the Gloss, writer of the beauty newsletter I Just Want to Talk and a longtime fan of the princess cake. “I’ve been in New York City for almost 13 years now, and one of the first times that I went to Sant Ambroeus I was on a student budget,” she recalled. She and a friend would split the cost of a slice. “I would pay seven, and she would pay seven, and we would buy a slice and go eat it on a bench, and we felt so fancy,” Bedolla said. “I feel like I’m in Sofia Coppola’s ‘Marie Antoinette’ whenever I’m eating a piece.”

Sant Ambroeus’ rendition of the cake has even inspired an offshoot of product offerings in the beauty and wellness space. Flamingo Estate, the luxury, LA-based lifestyle company (and a favorite of the fashion set) released a string of products inspired by the restaurant’s signature slice just last year, including a powdery, almond-forward scented soap bar, a coordinating candle and a fragrance oil. (I got my hands on the candle last year and a few weeks later my husband accidentally dropped it on the kitchen floor shattering it to pieces. I almost cried.)

Paula Parovina, executive chef of cuisine at Sant Ambroeus, prepares special 90th anniversary editions of the restaurant's principessa cake. These mounds will later be topped with an elegant burgundy marzipan coating. (Photos by Marco Postigo Storel/CNN)

For Aaron Harvey, Flamingo Estate’s head of creative, Sant Ambroeus’ twist on the princess cake represents a type of unwavering commitment to sophisticated simplicity — something that has seemingly become an endangered art form within the food industry.

“One year we spent the holidays in New York at the Carlyle, and a piece of Princess Cake at Sant Ambroeus, followed by a walk in the park became a kind of daily ritual," Harvey said in an email. "Every single time it was perfect. We fell in love. It's easy to do something well once or twice, but that kind of consistent, unwavering daily delight is incredibly rare,” he continued. “There’s a timelessness to the Princess Cake. It’s beautiful but not overly decorative, sweet but not cloying. It's the antithesis of the Dubai Chocolate Fun-fetti Unicorn things everyone seems to be talking about. It's delicious and uncomplicated, and there is nothing more elegant than that.”

So why has this dessert garnered such a loyal clientele? If you ask Sant Ambroeus’ Culinary Director Iacopo Falai, the answer is simple: It’s all in the presentation and that crucial first bite.

Precision at play! (Photos by Marco Postigo Storel/CNN)

“It’s a combination between the color and the flavor and simply that it’s adorable,” said Falai. “Also the fact that you can take a fork and easily slice through — it’s not complicated to eat. The texture from the whipped cream and the pastry cream makes it so yummy and a guest’s first bite is extremely important for me.”

Taste aside, there’s something regal about the preservation of tradition. The recipe continues to be the creative constant for a cake that still delights guests 90 years on. Every baker that comes through the establishment’s kitchen doors undergoes a thorough training process to ensure a consistent and near-flawless bake each time.

“It's fascinating to do the same thing every day and do it well,” Falai said of the restaurant’s longstanding commitment to the cake. “It's actually very exciting when somebody can conquer a skill and achieve that standard. It’s incredible and, in a way, its own art form.”

A perfect slice. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel/CNN)

And with 90 years of cake-making comes an earned reputation, one that Bedolla believes the dessert has managed to uphold within our ever-changing culinary culture.

“You can take a photo of it and instantly people know where you are. There’s the cool factor and that bit of if-you-know-you-know there,” she said. “It hits all of the right things — it looks beautiful. It's delicious. And you know what? At the end of the day, a lot of simple things are usually the best ones.”

DO I WANT TO SMELL LIKE MY SUBURBAN HOMETOWN MALL? MAYBE!

I too want to throw on my best worn-in white tee (like actor Victoria Pedretti, above) and douse myself in Gap's latest fragrance relaunch. (courtesy of Gap Beauty)

Hey Siri, play Britney Spears' 2007 deep cut "Heaven on Earth." (courtesy of Gap Beauty)

When I first saw a trickle of friends and mutuals dropping the hint (a.k.a. posting on Instagram stories) that Gap Beauty was making a comeback, I was instantly intrigued. Gap is having quite the resurgence thanks to Zac Posen’s reinvigoration of the mall brand via whip smart collaborations and attention-grabbing marketing. (Remember the Katseye mini music video to Kelis’ “Milkshake”? That was cinema.) I ended up being able to get a few embargoed first sniffs of Gap's revamped and reissued fragrances and these perfumes offer major nostalgia in tiny compact bottles.

The original scents that first launched in 1994 — with ethereal names like Dream, Grass, Heaven and Om — were reliable fixtures in any teen girl’s beauty routine, their recognizable scent often spritzed anywhere from the cafeteria to the locker room. Now, they're a bit more grown up — more concentrated, more nuanced and far more gender-neutral, too. Yes, brands everywhere are obsessed with the concept of nostalgia (maybe because we’re slowly but surely running out of ideas), but this beauty offshoot from Gap has seemingly been done the right way — sans gimmicks. Also, this set of fragrances was maybe the first time I took a whiff of perfume and was truly emotionally transported (and not traumatized!) to my youth.

OTHER THINGS ON MY MIND THIS WEEK

Some of New York City's premiere dancers striking a pose. (Photo by Darren Gwynn, courtesy of Chanel)

It’s summer — go see a show. Every year, Chanel and New York City’s Lincoln Center team up for the BAAND Together Dance Festival where all five of the city’s premiere dance companies (Ballet Hispánico New York, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem) come together for free performances for the public. I went earlier this week and was truly in awe of the dancers and grateful for a reminder of why the arts are worth preserving and remaining accessible. It’s also a hop, skip and a jump away from the Chef Kwame Onwuachi well-worth-the-hype restaurant Tatiana, where you can share chic jello shots on the patio with your bestie.
I impulsively purchased this tank top the other weekend and it’s already become worth its price in compliments from strangers on the street. Long live the bootleg tee.
I still haven’t seen “The Odyssey” or “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (it’s really the summer of the bro movie, isn’t it?) but what I have watched is a loop of reruns of old Nigella Lawson cooking episodes. A few rainy weekends ago, I was indulging in a marathon on YouTube (it’s my favorite way to unwind) and I believe we’ve properly overlooked Lawson as a rightful style inspiration. Everything she’s worn in past episodes — whether it be bold knit cardigans, shift dresses or cozy turtlenecks — all still hold up today.
While on vacation the other week, I forced my husband to watch Keke Palmer’s interview with Oprah Winfrey on her podcast and this quote from the media legend stuck with me: “I’m not by myself, I’m with myself.” I’m planning to recite that aloud the next time a bit of FOMO comes about.

You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for Big Style.
To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or sign up to manage your CNN account