DragonflyDesserts

Having no experience with this...do you have any suggestions? I would like to make a coffee flavored one. What type of crunch would you put on the bottom? I'm thinking of whipped cream decorated with chocolate covered coffee beans around the edge and mayan chocolate drizzled across the top. RLB torte seemed so simplistic I was afraid to try it! Oh yeah, can I just add some Kahlua to it for flavoring or will the liquid mess it up? I'm thinking 1/4 to 1/2 a cup

Hi, probably seems like I'm going in a million directions...kolaches, tortes... well, I am. I need to make up a sample tray of some of my specialties for a very nice upscale restaurant in a city nearby that is looking for a new supplier for their desserts. They currently are using gourmet frozen but looking for fresh. I have some standards but they are also looking for a flourless torte. I don't have much time to experiment, I've pulled a couple of recipes off the net and have RLB cake Bible with the chocolate oblivion, but need these by Monday. My first attempt at most things fail , but alas, I am perseverant, though I really do not want to screw up the first time on this. I am looking for a tried and true recipe and any storage and longevity tips. Thanks for your help!!!

Okay, I'm back No recipe for Wendy's apple pie in the gullet. Can someone show me where I missed it? Thanks!

I've scrolled through this thread and cannot find Wendy's recipe.....ummm, maybe I need to check the recipe gullet?? I will be back

We pronounce it the same here also. So do I just yell...."KOLACHY KEITH...HELP" Anybody know how to find him??

Hi, I am throwing around the idea of serving Kolaches in my Coffee House. They are a regional thing here and I personally have tried one for the first time today. I have a lady who helps me out in the kitchen that has made them all her life and so showed me how to make them today. I wasn't real impressed with the taste of the dough... a little bland, but tastes like similar czeck or polish fare I have had...probably one of those things you grow up on and love. Anyway, does any one have tips on storing them? I was wondering if I could freeze them after filling them with the fruit fillings, and then set them out in the morning to thaw and rise a little and then bake. Her's weren't quite as fluffly doughy as the ones I've seen pictured on the internet. They are big in a town not too far away so I need to travel down there and try one to see how the ones I had today compares with hers. I would just like to have her make them once a week and be able to bake them daily. Any helpful ideas, tips or great knowledge of Kolaches???? Thanks!

I am wanting to make apple pies to sell this fall in my shop but was tossing around the idea of using IQF sliced apples (individually quick frozen). Has any tried this? What were your results? Thanks!

I also have found the recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa can to be my favorite recipe, with 2 variations: I use cake flour, adding the additional flour you need to make the conversion, and I replace 1/4 cup of the milk with sour cream. Oh, and also, I mix it a bit differently, adding the boiling water to the cocoa to bring out the flavor more. If anyone is interested in the exact recipe and mixing method just let me know.

Any comments on making cream pies? I am looking for a speedier way to make the cream then standing over the stove and stirring for 1/2 an hour. Does it work to make it in the microwave? Also, any way to prevent the meringue from watering out or what ever is producing the running syrup in my pie?

Carrot cake has been the basis of my business and it is a simple recipe from Betty Crocker. It uses three cups of fresh grated carrots and I have gotten rave reviews from this cake. I sell both retail and wholesale. I've been tempted many times to try some "gourmet" version with all the extras but remind myself to stick with what works.

Gotch ya! What could have I been thinking? Well, I don't have a digital camera on hand so you will have to be left in suspense for a while for more pictures. I'll be back!

Things are going great! We did a "soft opening" last Wednesday so we could get in the swing of things but its been anything but soft. We've had lines out the door and have been very busy! We have our Grand Opening tomorrow and Saturday and I am very excited. I have been baking away, providing scones, muffins, danishes, quiche, cookies and cakes for the coffee house. The whole town is a'buzz and loves the urban feel of the place. We did the espresso part right and can make better drinks than Starbucks would ever hope to I think the cake and coffees is a great marriage My husband took two weeks off of his job to manage and train and hire. We are closed Sundays, open a half day on Saturday and Monday through Friday 6am to 9pm. I work Monday through friday and have an assistant baker. We truly never expected such immediate success so the challange is to manage it so we don't have to live down there. Here are some pictures. They aren't the greatest, we did a little more work behind the bar, but hopefully I will get some more soon with better pictures of the cakes and pastries, but you get the idea. Thanks for you interest!

You don't know how encouraging that is! Thank you so much! As for the temp, I have read that thread before and did adjust it down to 325. I do think that worked pretty well. I may need to go a bit lower. My carrot cakes and white cakes turned out well....not quite as moist as usual so I will adjust for that. But maybe the chocolate cake could be described as rubbery. I'd never seen anything like it. The inside seemed normal. It was the sides and bottoms that had the funny texture. Do you mix more or less in the larger mixers? I'm very glad I don't have to worry about adjusting ingredients. This week I get to practice large batches of muffins, cookies, pies, gallettes and quiches for the coffee house. That will be less stressful because I won't be under so much pressure as the special cake order. All your help is greatly appreciated Thanks!

Hi, I had my first day in my "cakery", my new commercial kitchen at the coffee house. It is a little nerve racking at how long it took me to make 12 cakes. Can I make them fast enough to profit? Do I have to charge an arm and a leg? How do other scratch bakers do it? Maybe I need help with short cuts. Well, anyway, back to my original question.... I x's my chocolate cake recipe by 6 and mixed in my 20qt mixer. I baked them in 11 x15 inch pans and one part in (2) 9" round pans. The cake tasted the same but had sort of a rubbery texture on the bottom with definate air holes? not pockets but its like the cells were real distinct and rubbery. I wish I had a digital camera with me. I was wondering if maybe I needed to lesson the amount of baking powder or soda. If so, by how much? I used the recipe on hershey's cocoa box using cake flour. I've tripled it before with good results. the only thing I did different that I could tell was use a 20 qt mixer so maybe I didnt mix long enough, and used a convection oven for the first time. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I need to learn tips on making large batches. TIA

Yes, I would definitly be interested in trying it! I love it when someone is willing to do the research for me I haven't had much time to bake for fun lately and know one around here orders a yellow butter cake. I'd like to know what everyones favorite filling or icing is to use with the yellow cake. The only time I've made one was to make a coconut cream filled cake with boiled icing.

I do really savor everyones replies here. I know I'm among the professional and experienced. It is scary to look at the realities but I have many things that simplify things for me a bit. Partner and a husband who is a great manager, but believe me, because I've heard my mothers complaints, it just hit me one day that I was in charge....and as Pam R. said, what ever went wrong, I would have to be responsible. But all my partners, my husband and brother and his wife are dedicated to family and wise business people, so its not just me going out on a limb. The only place I am going out on a limb is to send my 17 month old and 3 1/2 year old to a babysitter for the first time I am actually going to get a salary, besides any dividends from the profit we hope to make, so I can't go too wrong. This is such a unique thing where I live that the coffee house alone will cover our overhead. I just want to create and bake away. Weeee I'd just like to scream how blessed I am! So, if you don't mind, I will continue to share my progress and let you know how I work things out in my kitchen...love the pics on here, what a great education! I love snapping up the best of recipes. I got my King Arthur white cake recipe here when I'd been struggling to find a moist white cake. I use those for my specialty cakes and then a doctored cake mix with the sour cream for my birthday sheet and wedding cakes. My next experiment is a Tres Leche Cake. I'm hoping it is really good. We have many hispanics in neighboring towns and maybe just one of those niches I can fill. Thanks all for your comments and advice!

You definitely need to follow your dream, Celenes. Dreams are never easy or they wouldn't be dreams. I was a little miffed at first with the negative responses. I am not naive, but maybe just naive enough to follow a dream. I think once you become cynical and negative, you've lost it. My cup is always half full. I may get overwhelmed and worried at times but I know that in the end it will turn out all right. (That's truely because I have faith in more than just myself ) I didn't hire an experienced baker who applied because she was cynical. Had seen places like mine fail. I'd rather struggle teaching someone with a good attitude and a desire to be a part of something than someone whose just there to do the job. Call me a dreamer but even the Bible says that with out a vision, the people will parish. I have great vision and optimism and hope that you do too! God bless you and good luck!

Thanks Celenes. I figured nothing could be more stessfull than homeschooling. I felt I was running a 3 ring circus Though I loved the whole idea of it and what we were doing....wow, is it hard with so many kids! For the past year I've done it while baking cakes....not much sleep! I figure that if I can make a profit and stay with a 40 hour week, I will do great. We have a low overhead and the rent for the building with equipment is only $500 a month. My mom has been in the restaurant biz for 30 years, but she is a one woman show....owning and managing and practically lives it, but she loves it. I just can't wait to create special things for people. There reactions when they see their cake or after they've eaten it is what I love. I think you do have to create enough income though, when you go out on your own with a cake shop that you can hire someone to help, or you will burn out fast. I will not be relying solely on custom cakes to pay the bills, but the corporate accounts and the coffee house. I can't wait to post pictures of the coffee house! It had a low ceiling and ugly walls and counter area and we discovered that it had a tin ceiling with some hidden windows above the 3 large front windows. We gutted the place and painted the ceiling red and had a custom service area built. It's really fun to WOW a small town. We exposed the top windows. I must add that I did have a financial backer, but we haven't used his $$ yet. That just got the ball rolling. I had a banker that was very interested in my business and he helped us right a business plan, plus got us a line of credit for $25,000, then we presented the plan to the town development committee, who gave us a $5000 grant and $10,000 interest free loan that we don't have to pay back for 18 months. The person we leased the building from even put in central air at no charge How cool is that! I've joined eGullet just for the purpose of gaining wisdom and experience where I don't have it. Where else can you consult the experts! Thank you so much! I will keep you posted as to how things work out. We open our shop in 10 days! Yikes!

Thanks for the link to Wendy's blog. It is great! I love seeing pictures of kitchens and the things they create. It's a great education when you can't get out there yourself.

I grew up on the restaurant business so I know what it can become, but I'm in this with 3 other people with the same values and it will not take over my family. I won't let it. It is here to serve us, not us be a slave to it. That's why I want to be choosy about my menu, not have a ridiculously huge selection and that's only part of the business. The coffee house will not be run by me and I will have a baking assistant. I definitely want to make money, but not become rich. I started this for a creative outlet as well and if I'm not having fun, then what's the point? I'm glad to here you can freeze muffin dough. I wasn't sure about that! I have been definitely thinking about this. Care to share any recipes? No walk in, just to large commercial freezers. Thanks for your tips! They are greatly appreciated!

Hi I've been lurking here for several months, using the posts to educate me as a baker. I am a newly self taught baker. About 15 months ago, I came up with an idea to sell cakes from my home, thinking made from scratch specialty cakes to market to restaurants and locally. I found out that the lady who did all the wedding and birthday cakes around here for the last 30 years (unlicensed) was retiring from it, so I jumped into the decorating end. I bought RLB Cake Bible and Pie and Pastry Bible and a few other books and proceded to learn to decorate cakes, bake pies and cakes with great results. I sell carrot cakes to a few upscale restaurants and make cakes for people in our surrounding area ( I live in a town of about 2000 with a nearby city. Well, I've been very blessed and also very popular , which just amazes me since I am so new at this. Well, now, my brother has decided to invest in my business and we looked into a commercial kitchen which has a store front. So now, opening August 10, we have Dragonfly Desserts, LLC Cakery & Coffee House. It is a totally cool little place that we have completely renovated and I will continue to sell carrot cakes and market more restaurants, as well, to the best of my ability, sell gourmet desserts out of the front end of the shop. I am hoping to become a unique little place that people from far and wide want to stop in. People like to go on drives to little towns and we are just off the interstate. Well, the thing is, I have no experience in bakery production...not that I want to have a huge line of items. I just want things to be fresh tasting, with out having to bake them at 4 am every morning. Up to this point I have been a homeschooling, stay at home mom with 5, yes 5, kids. I still have to small ones at home. So, I am going to hire one baker to help me and plan to work 8:30 to 3 plus other hours as necessary for getting custom orders done. I want to sell muffins, scones, cookies, brownies, pies, quiche and cakes. I've already copied of the best blueberry muffin recipe from the other thread and the blueberry buckle, that I can't wait to try. I'm not going to have a dozen different flavors of everything, but rotate them weekly. I'm looking for a few unique items and looking for somethings that people may stop in at my shop just to get. What I really need is tips, from those who work in the pastry profession, and I feel honored just to be able to question and be among the pros on this gullet. I'd love to have culinary degree but am just a simple baker, though I actually know more than my mother through one year of doing this I need tips on freezing and preparing ahead of time. How long things last....like muffins and scones. Cookies, I know I can freeze the dough and bake as needed and they stay fresh for a few days. Any tips for organizing my kitchen, great computer software for the bakery, etc. Pricing. I know its a little low right now but trying to see what this midwest market will bear. What would you do in your own place? Thanks for your help!