'Wacky' cake for dinner?

Foodies with a sweet tooth party at SPAC Dec. 4, where dessert is the main course.

Standard Fare’s Sam Pierre was inspired by Justin Burke’s “homey, nostalgic, cozy” recipes and is making a broiled banana pudding for the party. The restaurant’s “That’s So Cosmo” cocktails and Bocage’s cuvée will also be served. (Left two photos by Zach Skowronek)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Forget saving room for dessert — SPAC is throwing a party where digging into the sweet stuff is the main course. And we’re talking five-star, sinful, holiday-worthy confections from the top pastry chefs in town.

On the menu: caramelized white chocolate Texas sheet cake by Familiar Creature’s Michele Hunter, broiled banana pudding by Standard Fare’s Sam Pierre, and black forest trifle by Jeannette Liebers of Sweet Mimi’s. It’s also a rare chance to taste the handiwork of Austin Bayliss, the orchestrator of SPAC’s food events and a mean baker in her own right (trust me); she’s making “wacky” cake. Vanessa Traver of the Saratoga Reading Room and SUNY Schenectady is whipping up peanut butter & roasted red grape cheesecake squares (yes, please), and Dynia Mariano of SUNY Adirondack Culinary Arts is baking “pull-apart” shortcake (omg).

Each dessert is inspired by a recipe in a new book, Potluck Desserts: Joyful recipes to share with pride, which will be toasted at The Pines at SPAC on Thursday, Dec. 4.

“When we bring food to these potlucks, we are sharing the narrative of where that recipe’s from and why it’s important,” Burke says. “This is the food that keeps our community educated, safe and loved.” (Portrait by C. Brian Samuels)

“I’m always excited to see what spin chefs add to a recipe,” says the book’s author, Justin Burke, who will fly in from South Carolina, where he lives with his partner and son. “Do something that resonates with you. Make it your own. I’m always excited to see that.”

After the sweet feast, guests will hear from the writer and award-winning pastry chef, during an interview with WAMC’s Sarah LaDuke for a future broadcast on WAMC’s The Roundtable. With everyone on a sugar rush, I’m look forward to a lively Q&A session at the end.

“The book is a delightful combination of his own personal story — in a sort of memoir style — and fantastic recipes,” says Pam Abrams of the CulinaryArts@SPAC program. “It’s around the idea of sharing desserts with his chosen family and how potlucks were a place where he first became comfortable with his own identity.”

Burke’s personal journey in the book adds a powerful layer to all the festive, nostalgic ice box cakes and sheets of brownies.

“I have a recipe in the cookbook called ‘Cookies for Peter;’ Peter’s partner used to make them for me, and that’s how I learned about the Lavender Scare and Stonewall,” Burke says. “We’re seeing a shift culturally with food, away from ‘Instagram-worthy’ and back to the food’s narrative and a very delicious way of honoring its roots.”

The Thursday, Dec. 4 event starts at 7 p.m., so you can grab a light dinner beforehand — if you must. For more info and tickets, visit spac.org. See you there, Saratoga.