DragonflyDesserts

Has any one used a dough sheeter for cinnamon rolls/sweet dough? Do you have recommendations on what type? My space and funds are limited. TYIA!

Thanks for the tip! That is exactly the kind of stuff I want to hear. I am self taught so some times it takes me awhile....fortunately my customers are happy with what I do and I get better each time. Cheryl

Thank you for your input. I need to remember to go and look at your sight more often for inspiration! Awesome work! I don't know if you do this type of thing, but do you charge a different pricing for just boxing up desserts or traying them or maybe just a tray rental charge? I'm going to be trying the mousse thing ASAP. Are all molds created equal are do you recommend a certain brand... they are quite pricy!

Hi....I've been doing more and more minis and getting better and better . I thought I'd post some pics for your review. I've never been to or seen a professional dessert buffet. I would love your honest critiques. This one is RLB Chocolate Oblivian Truffle Torte with chocolate hearts. I cut them in circles...I like to mess with shapes...messy and a lot of waste! 4" pecan tartlets before I cut them. Sampler Platter...the chocolate wedge is how I usually present the Chocolate Oblivian...I use a 6" pan and cut into 18 wedges...no waste and much faster. Turtle Cheesecake bites...actually the size is a little more generous than I wanted them to be but the freezer method worked great! Mini tartlets with pastry cream....what do you think about the size and shapes? It was quite time consuming. Is that what most of you do? Do you usually put a doilie or paper cup under each item or select items....right now I just box them and use a doilie under the Chocolate Oblivian. Thanks for looking!

"What I've found works very well is to make a normal cheesecake in a 9x13 pan and then freeze and cut with cookie cutters. You will have some waste but can minimize that with a good cutting plan. What you get in return are pieces that look as though they were made to order not just cut with a knife. You can then decorate each one to further accentuate the individual nature. If the sides are not as clean as you like you can always dip in chocolate, icing or roll in nuts or another coating." Love the nut idea and coating the edges... and plan to make little dipped ones. I tried the freezing method and will not do it any other way from now on. It seems so obvious now, don't know why I never thought of it before. Another question...when you all do minis, do you always put each piece on a little doily or something? How big should a mini be...1 bite and a pricing question...I know it will vary, I am in the midwest. How much would you charge per each. I feel I am a low right now. I only box them, not tray them and they are 4 for $3.00. I don't mind being a little low now as I am learning but want to stay competitive and not underprice myself. THanks!

I am doing more dessert minis and am looking for the best way to do cheesecake minis. I've tried cutting a 9x13 pan into squares, but I don't get a nice clean cut. I've tried the mini cupcake pan with papers but I don't like how it looks. I tried a bigger cupcake pan yesterday and may remove the papers...they sank and cracked however. I really need some good tips to make some beautiful little minis. Pictures would be great also...and recipes! Thanks a bunch!

Putting walk in fridge & freezer outside is definately a good idea. I will be looking into that. THat would save a ton of space. Yes JeanneCake, I am the one with the 10qt Thunderbird. I will have to try the magnet idea.....don't know if its magnetic. I've never tried to rig anything....just dealt with it the way it was.

Thanks K8....that was the kind of info I was looking for, like the seperate, cooler decorating area....seems obvious, especially since I've been in a tight, small kitchen. Helps me visualize how to arrange the room a bit more. I've never been in a professional kitchen before (except the restaurants my mom has owned and I worked at) No bakeries or cake shops. Thanks for the oven info and the great hints! I have read earlenes info before, but I will check that out again. I like the handy custom made stuff she has incorporated. As far as volume..... Yikes, it could be average and constant or huge! I'm thinking on the cake end, 30 - 40 a week. Not fancy, scuplted, but specialty cakes with the same designs. There will also be cupcakes, cookies, muffins, scones, etc. And I'm planning a seperate fridge and prep table for coffee house stuff. I just found out that we can also put a storage unit on the property... one of those insulated sealed containers. That can hold a lot of stuff I don't need on a regular basis. Thanks!!!

I have the wonderful oportunity to move out of our current location (which I do love and is our little coffee/house cake shop baby) in our 2000 pop. town into our nearby city of 250,000. I opened a coffee house, with the main purpose of having an outlet and kitchen for my cake business. Through some incredible circumstances, I get to move that business and put my input into the design of the coffee house bar and more importantly, the kitchen. I have a 15' x 46' space to work with. Not incredibly huge, but much bigger than we have now. The location is right next to our University so along with the specialty cakes and wedding cakes, I plan to incorporate fun stuff like cupcakes and some healthy alternatives. I have no professional training, so setting up a kitchen is a little overwhelming and since space is tight, I want to make sure it is used well. I guess, I'd really like to see pics of your work spaces. I've done internet searches and cannot find any. Also, I've heard there is a convection oven that works better for cakes....can you help me with that? Thanks for your great input!!!

I'm getting a chocolate fountain for my dessert business and am looking for a good resource for the chocolate. The companies that sell the fountains sell "fondue" chocolate where you don't have to add any oil. They are $4-$5 a pound. Too pricy plus shipping. Can I use any couverture chocolate with out adding oil? Or how about something like Merckens Candy Coating? Any good wholesale places to get chocolate for under $4.00 a pound? Thanks for the help and advice!

so what are all the uses for dulche de leche. I'd like to use it in my cake shop but don't know exactly how its used in desserts....something authentic mexican. THanks!

Wow! I am so excited to find this thread. I haven't read the whole thing, but as some others mentioned, I too have found a new fascination with Dutch cooking. I didn't grow up with too much Dutch cooking and asked my mother to dig up some recipes for me. The main thing I remember that they sold at the local bakeries was rusk buns. I love those, and the dried crispy version we would eat with butter and cinnamon and sugar. My grandparents were also from Pella and most of my relatives live around Sioux Center and Orange City. I even was in the tulip festival parade a few times. My maiden name is Kruid. I'd just like to even be able to pronounce some of these dutch dishes! My grandfather spoke Dutch and I always found it quite humorous. They sure like vowels! Any way...thanks for all the time and effort put into these recipes and demos. I'm sure to learn a ton!

What a great site Brian!! I hadn't checked it out for quite awhile. I so wish I lived even within an hour of your shop. What a great selection!! ← What are chocolate truffle lollipops? They sound fun and delicious. Also...would you be willing to share any info ont he mini mousse desserts. I don't have a large repertoire of dessert experience and I've never made any before. Thanks!

Thanks for the helpful info. In other words....a lot of work! I think I'd rather step into it a little more slowly and try and find out what is available in the area and how the other caterers handle it. I look forward to seeing how the 200 person buffet goes. I absolutely cannot imagine baking for 1000! Maybe someday!

I have a small cake shop and am doing a small dessert bar for 200 people. I'm not too worried about that but a phone call today got me thinking about all the details of catering a dessert buffet. A company call today wanting a dessert buffet for 1000 people. I've never attended a real dessert buffet let alone put one together. How do you figure how much to make, pricing, set up.... would you include set up, platters etc. in the pricing? Any pictures of buffets out there? I would appreciate any help, info, details on catering a dessert buffet. How many people would it take to do one that size. I'm I crazy to think that I could do it with one other worker? Thanks for any information!