| Pastries and Baking General General discussion forum for all pastry and baking topics. |
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10-29-2006, 02:47 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: At home cook | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rome, Italy
Posts: 825
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Simbebe60  in many bakeries I find that their buttercream frosting really just tastes like a chunk of butter creamed with granulated sugar, it's as hard as a chunk of butter and crunches when you bite into it, makes me gag. | Maybe that was royal icing - it's great for decorating but is hard and dry and tastes only of sugar. Made of eggwhites beaten with powdered sugar. |
10-29-2006, 03:23 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Cook At Home | | Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 23
| |  Buttercream
Well it wasn't really dry and it actually tasted like salted butter. |
10-29-2006, 03:56 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Owner/Operator | | Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,104
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There are many things to consider when you evaluate the retail bakeries.
We have a couple of formulations based on shelf-life, delivery, etc. We prefer Italian, but being in the South, we have to tweek everything. I can't hand a cake to someone in the shop and they put it in there 110 deg. car, transport home, maybe making a stop to pick up the kids. It's DOA.
The most popular frosting out there is called BetterCream. A Riches product. This is usually what the grocery use. It's non-dairy and mostly chemicals.
This is an everyday fight for small independent bakeries. It's dirt cheap from the large brokers and being the most popular, it's hard to compete with. There sometimes is no way out for the independant. He has to go with it. My butter, cream, prices have doubled over the last couple of years. If I did not have the customer base I would probably using the krud.
It took us approx. 6-7 years to educate the local palete to where we now have established clientele, I can pass on the increases.
pan  |
10-29-2006, 07:04 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Line Cook | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The Carolinas
Posts: 1,189
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m brown I sold my cakes at a primium because they were made with BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Butter cream at many commercial bakeries is a frozen liquid, thawed and whipped. or Super Hydroginated shortening with sugar and vanillian.
Sad really that we as a nation accept that horrible horrible junk!
Demand real food!  | M, the bakery I worked in left their buttercremes out did not freeze them but gosh darn I forgot the name of the stuff they were using. I like buttercreme but just about all the recipes I have has crisco in it and I do not like the greasy taste.
Rgds Rook |
10-30-2006, 09:23 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: I Just Like Food | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: USA
Posts: 843
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Simbebe60 I love a well made buttercream frosting(except for the guilt that comes after it) but in many bakeries I find that their buttercream frosting really just tastes like a chunk of butter creamed with granulated sugar, it's as hard as a chunk of butter and crunches when you bite into it, makes me gag. Has anyone tried a french buttercream with maple syrup reduced instead of plain syrup? I think it might make a cake taste like pancakes lol | You've encountered "crusting buttercream". It's supposed to be easier to decorate with if it crusts. The Wilton recipe is just butter-flavored shortening, sugar and some imitation vanilla (or other imitation flavor, as long as the added ingredient is clear to preserve the bright white of the frosting). I won't go near the stuff and most people who do say that their clients simply peel off the pretty decoration (frosting) and eat just the cake. |
11-01-2006, 07:19 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Owner/Operator | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Gainesville Florida
Posts: 190
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I can't remember the last time I purchased a cake at a bakery. I find cakes fairly simple to make, and I enjoy doing it.
The buttercream icing I have been using is made by incorporating sugar syrup into beaten and cooked egg yolks, whipped until fluffy, and then whipping in the softned butter. Its a little tricky keeping the temperatures and texture right, but I am usually successful. |
11-03-2006, 08:53 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Culinary Student | | Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 10
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wow that nike shoe cake is some amazing work, gives nike a run for its money  |
11-03-2006, 08:32 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 55
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Free Rider, I could not get the link to Cake Central to work. Was it the one with two interlocking fish with shells and a big starfish?
__________________ ***
Inside me is a skinny woman trying to get out.....I usually shut the witch up with chocolate!  |
11-04-2006, 06:04 AM
| | ChefTalk Moderator Culinary Experience: Professional Pastry Chef | | Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: norwalk, CT USA
Posts: 3,754
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Quote:
Originally Posted by siduri But when you get to the level of buying cakes shaped like shoes, or babies or some other horrendous thing, then you are spending lots of money, and what on earth would make them choose shape over taste? | I understand what you're getting at by saying this, but lots of bakers use high quality ingredients to make sculpted cakes. These cakes can be done to look good and taste good too. |
11-05-2006, 09:18 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: At home cook | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rome, Italy
Posts: 825
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Hi Momoreg,
i'm sure there are many who do make these thigns with good ingredients, and it's not their fault if the customers want them. I wasn't really directing it at the bakers, and i never saw one of those cakes over here so i don't know. I just can't understand why anyone would save on a kid's cake, and feed him a bunch of chemical stuff, when maybe they would be glad to spend it on some weird shape instead. | | |
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