JeanneCake

When clients ask me to use a family recipe, or something out of the ordinary where they are providing me the recipe, I tell them that I will be charging a small fee for the tasting/consultation. They understand that, it's because I'm doing something outside what I usually do and no one has ever had a problem with it. (I explain that I don't charge for consultations - which is a one hour time and includes tasting my house recipes, but they choose, obviously, what they want to taste.) At the meeting, I get feedback from them - is this what it is supposed to taste like? (etc). And because I've made the recipe a few days in advance, I can also adjust my recipes to see if I can come close to what they're asking for but with a known formula that I'm comfortable with. Then I can suggest to them what kind of configuration will work - maybe this won't do for a traditional stacked cake, but will work for individual cakes on stands (or cupcakes as K8 mentioned). This gives them an option to consider, and allows me to price accordingly. It might help you in this case.

Hi Pam! I just found your blog this year! You're a wonderful blogger and I love reading about your adventures and wish you lots of success in the new space. And hope that you are able to rest after the holiday. Anyway, last year you shared two brownie recipes with us - one had choc chips, butter, cake meal and potato starch; the other had oil and cocoa powder. I've had some people ask me this year to make brownies for them (they know I'm not a kosher baker, I share space and they are aware of that. Mostly I make macaroons for my Passover clients). Which recipe is your favorite or maybe the question is which version sells out faster!? I would leave out the nuts either way. Thanks again for taking the time to share with us this year. It's a big effort, and I most definitely appreciate it. Jeanne

I've never seen them in my local supermarket, but there's supposed to be "irradiated" (I don't think I spelled that right) eggs in the shell - maybe they're labeled pasteurized? - that could work for this recipe. I can get pasteurized liquid eggs from my distributor, but that's not something available in the local supermarket.

A very, very long time ago, before I went to school, I used The Cake Bible to make my own wedding cake. I followed her instructions to the letter and used the start/stop technique (and the pyrex cup!). It was 15 years later that I went to school and learned that you don't have to beat the butter before hand, you add the syrup in a steady stream; if your sugar is ready before the whites are, you add more water to slow it down and buy yourself more time. Plus, you don't have to add any liquor to the buttercream when it's done, it's fine the way it is. The part that's missing from these Cake Bible instructions is that you're supposed to be working quickly. With this method, there shouldn't be any lag time in adding the syrup, turning on the mixer etc. It should take about 30 seconds to add the syrup. Sarah, maybe you could put a "baker's note" or "Sarah's Suggestion" in about this instead of removing the recipe from your site....

I can't tell from the first photo whether there's liquid in the bottom left corner or not. When you added the hot syrup, how did you do it (slowly? quickly? what speed was the mixer at?) It may be that your meringue deflated/collapsed and so the butter didn't incorporate. Do you have a blow torch? You could use it to warm up the sides of the bowl while the whip is on (speed 2 or 4) and see what happens. Or take some out and put it in a microwave safe container, and nuke it for 3-5 sec until soft and melt-y (like ice cream). Add this in a steady stream to the cold buttercream and let it go for a few minutes and see if it comes together. You can only do this once or twice before you end up with just butter in the bowl, though. Edited to add: When I'm re-whipping buttercream, I use the paddle and try to have it as close to rm temp as I can (as long as it isn't ice cold)

McDuff, Who is RLB and can you tell us the technique? I have tried reducing Boiron's raspberry and mango purees in the microwave, and while I've been satisified with the results, I always feel as though I am violating the heat restriction and possibly losing some flavor compounds. Sorry if I should know who RLB is, maybe it's too early for me! Jennifer ← RLB is Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of several baking (and one cooking) books. She describes a method to reduce the juice of thawed, drained frozen raspberries and strawberries (as well as regular fresh squeezed OJ for orange curd) in the microwave to concentrate the juices into a thick syrup. It's not the same as what you'd get in a compound (there's no sugar in the syrup, you add some to taste to the entire puree). The berry puree has a fresh, clean flavor, but you would probably use more of the puree than a compound because of the concentration. You might want to consider asking Amoretti if they'd sell you smaller size jars. They have sample sizes that are about a third of a cup and maybe that's all you need. I love the Driedoppel fruit compounds, and their champagne compound; but for others, I like different brands. I use the Amoretti eggnog compound for cheesecake at Christmas.

I'm swooning... thank you for taking us along on your trip to Chocolate Heaven!!

with all the money you've spent on hand held mixers over time, you probably spent the equivalent of a stand mixer! I have a 5 qt model that's been in use for 15 years and still going strong, so maybe that's a good option for you. (In the shop I have a 20 qt Hobart, a 6qt KA and a 5 qt KA with extra bowls, beaters and whips for each. I bought a 7 qt Viking, and brought that one home because it wasn't very useful in the shop). I'm thinking that next I need a 40 qt hobart so I can still use the bowls from the 20 on it if need be. But, I'd second the idea of buying a stand mixer....

The Dummy Place - 860-875-1736. The gentleman's name is Lenny and he's very, very nice. He can send you the catalogue of shapes/sizes and foam boards that are cut to your specs or you could just tell him what you want and he can invoice you if you don't want (or have the time) to wait for the catalogue to arrive.

The colored soy wrappers are mamenori .... you may be able to find them locally through an oriental foods distributor. I had more trouble getting the right texture with the sweet sushi rice, though! I used coconut milk and sugar, and then sprinkled with more coconut milk and sweet rice wine after it was ready. I made these for a charity event a few years ago; the key is to wrap them tightly, use a sharp knife to cut the pieces - the mamenori is about 6 inches in width if I remember correctly. The wet fruits will tear through the wrapper if they get too wet. I made the rolls the day before, and cut them the day of. You definitely want to glaze them (be careful when applying the glaze, otherwise it makes a mess of the wrapper) and use the black sesame seeds! I plated them with choc quills for chopsticks and lime curd for the wasabi.

It won't shrink, it just dries rock hard. Depending on where you get the styrofoam, you may want to fill in any gaps (and uneven spots that can develop if it's not packed well during shipping), with royal icing first. Personally, I find the styrofoam from The Dummy Place in CT to be superior to anything else I've bought, I never have to do anything to it before I cover it with fondant. If you like the look, he'll even round the edges if you like, and this chamfering can be a lot or just barely there (the just barely there is nice for square corners, which sometimes will cause a tear, and that would be bad for a show cake). Keep us posted on things as you get ready for the show, and good luck!

Sheeters are expensive! There's a company somewhere in MA that sells tabletop sheeters and their cheapest one started at $4K. They're a new company so their stuff isn't available used yet; and I wonder about a used sheeter - it could be tough to clean and get all the flour, etc out of it depending on where it was used before. The clay gun is a good tool to have around to make borders with and if you do any figure sculpting, it has little disks to make various effects easier; I'd definitely get one (you can also buy them at a local craft store). I have a cake design that resembles a hand-tied bouquet with lots of stems around the sides of the cake. I used to use the clay gun to make each stem, then I decided to try a cookie press and went through three or four of them. I finally bought the Wilton cookie press and the stand Earlene makes for it (the stand doesn't fit any other cookie press), and it cut down the time it takes to do this design considerably. I would wait on this one, you may not need it just yet. But if you get a cookie press, get the black and silver one from Wilton so if you do eventually get the stand, you will already have the right one. And if you buy the adapter disks from her, you can use the clay gun disks in the big cookie press. The pasta machine is good for making very thin strips of fondant or gum paste; for when you want cut outs or if you are making flower petals or ribbons of fondant for around the base of a cake. You want to make sure you store it in a plastic bag so it doesn't get dusty; and if you can afford it, get the motor that goes with it - it will make using it easier for long strips, especially if you are alone and can't grab someone to help.

Here in the Northeast, Indian Pudding is traditional, as are hermits and fig newtons. You'll get a lot of great ideas from Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts. I've used it so often, I'm on my third copy. The sour cream oreo cookie cake is fantastic; the almond pound cake is to die for (it's also an adventure to make, it is not a quick to put together thing); the brownie collection is wonderful and how could I forget the California Fruit Bars?! It's sort of like a thin blondie with assorted dried fruits like apricots, figs, golden raisins, dates, plums, etc (or minus the fruit and only pecans, she calls them CA pecan bars) and anytime I've made it, people INHALE them (they also survive well and I send them to friends in the military because they ship well and last a long time). The bulls eye cheesecake is pretty cool too. I think you can still get a copy of the book from Jessica's Biscuit, an online bookseller that specializes in cookbooks. www.ecookbooks.com

I used to make my own, but now I buy it. Most distributors have some version of ready-to-use fondant available (Swiss Chalet, Albert Uster, Satin Fine Foods, Pettinice, aka Bakels, Sweet Inspirations); you might want to get some of each and see how they handle for you. I've tried most of them, and in order of preference, I like 1: Albert Uster 2: Pettinice 3: SatinIce. I don't like the Felchlin brand (Swiss Chalet). I've never tried the Sweet Inspirations brands, but they've come out with lots of colors (primary and pastels) and some flavors that look interesting. While I don't like the taste of the SatinIce brand, their primary colors are strong and great for coloring a larger piece of fondant. I use their black and don't bother coloring my own black fondant any more. For chocolate fondant, I use Pettinice only (I tried SatinIce and found it very soft and it tore easily and was frustrating to work with). The dark choc Albert Uster brand is too stiff and way way too hard to work with so until they reformulate, I'm staying with the Pettinice Choc fondant! You will find it easier to work on a stainless steel table, and use a bouquet garni bag filled with cornstarch to lightly dust the table. Use an 18" heavy-duty rolling pin, a shorter or more lightweight one will make rolling big pieces harder. But for small (decorative) pieces, the little white rolling pin is great. You can roll fondant out on a silicone mat (it will pick up the impression of the fiberglass fibers) or a non-stick mat; I just use the table and as long as I move the fondant piece every two or three rolls, I don't have a problem with sticking.

I think you're on to something with the temp of the meringue and butter. What kind of mixer are you using at home? If you are using a 525 watt KA, add the sugar syrup at speed 8 and then after a min or so, turn it down to speed 6. When you can comfortably put the inside of your wrist against the bottom part of the bowl , you're ready to add the butter. (you don't have to beat ithe butter separately first, either.) As devin said, if your meringue is on the warm side, the butter can be cooler than usual. If the meringue is room temp, softer butter is the way to go.

can you be a little more specific about what is "unstable" about the buttercream you make at home? How does it differ from what you make at school? I was lucky enough last summer to have my distributor make a mistake and send me four cases of Plugra - at the regular butter price! . I worried that it would make my buttercreams too rich, but it was fine. I didn't notice a huge difference in it; it seemed to go on a little more smoothly, but that could have been my imagination... I don't know the exact temp of the butter when I add it, but it is cool (not cold), and soft (but not smooshy).

My in-laws spend the summer on the coast of Maine and scattered through the city of Rockport are lobsters in various disguises (paint - none of them are the traditional red or mottled natural shell color) and poses to celebrate and promote the Lobster Festival. I haven't been there in a few years to know if they are still there, but they were fun to look for!

Do you have a copy of the Cake Bible? The cheesecake recipe in there is very close to what you're describing. I don't use it commercially because it is so soft, but when I want something for at home, that's what I'll make! You can bake it with a crumb crust on the bottom or apply a crust after you unmold it. I love it with lemon or passion curd poured over it as a topping. There's also another cheesecake recipe in Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts - it's baked for 8 hours at 200 or 250. I found the texture to be nice and soft but the brandy flavor was too much for me.

If you are adding cornstarch or flour to a cheesecake batter, I've found that mixing it either of them with the sugar the recipe calls works best. (Then you add the sugar at whatever time the recipe states.) If your batter was lumpy, it's probably chunks of cream cheese as JayBassin says, rather than the flour particles (if you push the lumps against the bowl of the mixer, that would tell you).

On last week's Sugar Rush show, one of the features was a sugar showpiece with an ocean theme from a chef at a hotel in Florida. The chef took a tablespoon of royal icing and pushed it into a pot of boiling sugar (already colored) - he said it was the same type of sugar used to pour into the molds he was using. I don't think they showed him pouring it out, but you had to do that quickly, and it would foam and "dry" into edible coral. I don't know that it is good to eat, but it would qualify as edible. The pot was small as I remember - probably about a quart?

Wow, McDuff, thanks! Love the coeur a la creme idea, but sadly, I don't have heart forms... just lots of round pans and rings

The local chamber of music has asked me to participate in their "taste of" event; the evening is called "Marcel Proust's Salon" and will feature readings from Remembrance of all Things Past and as luck has it, I've never read this. Other caterers are providing savoury dishes and I'm it for dessert. When they first approached me, they said it was a Valentine's theme and I was going to go with panna cotta with a raspberry sauce. But now I'm rethinking it. While I think madeleines would be lovely and appropriate, I don't have madeleine pans and, as this is a donation and they are expecting about 100-200 people, I don't want to spend $ buying pans just for this. Can you think of anything else that would fit this theme? It's a cocktail party, people will wander from table to table helping themselves - the concert lasts about 90 mins and people will mingle afterward (starts at 4 so when they end, it's just in time for dinner). I had a lot of fun with the small champagne creme brulee tartlets I did the last time I had one of these events and am thinking to do it again.... I don't know what the other caterers are bringing, just that I am the only dessert vendor. Any ideas?

Parrish's/Magic Line will do custom work, but I have no idea how expensive it would be. Can't hurt to ask.... Or maybe the Chicago Metallic company would. I have a hundred or so of the 3x2 pans; for individual cakes it's a pain but there's no waste; but for cheesecakes, I use rings. I cut circles out of sheet cakes when I had to do individual cakes for a wedding order last year.

If you over beat it, that will thin it out..... I use a whisk to combine the sugar and cornstarch, but I use a spatula to stir during cooking

The butter in the buttercream will absorb into the wood, but since it isn't edible, it won't be a problem. You could try to cover the wings, etc with foil - maybe that new plastic sheeting stuff that you press together to seal would be good, I've never used it, but it seems that you could simply put the wing between the plastic, seal it, and then trim it. I don't think the buttercream will slide off the wood, it might slide off the plastic or foil, though. Do you have time to test this (wrap something in foil and see how long the bcrm lasts at rm temp)? How are you attaching the wings to the cake? Are you building the fuselage around a long piece of wood shaped like the wing? Or is it two pieces? I don't think covering wood with buttercream will be a problem, I suspect it would be harder to secure the pieces and not mess up the buttercream while handling it.