Austin Or Houston Area Bakers - I Am In Need Of Chocolate
Decorating By mbt4955 Updated 12 Jun 2009 , 7:36pm by mbt4955
I am doing another wedding cake in July. 3rd wedding in 4 months and I only do this for "fun" ... She wants fondant and I don't "do" fondant, but I do love a challenge. I read a thread about using ganache instead of buttercream under the fondant - tried it this weekend and it turned out great!
On to my question. I am looking for a source for white chocolate - someplace close enough to have it shipped and not take 3-7 days OR for me to drive and get it. Austin or Houston would probably be my only options for driving, but it should be able to be shipped from almost anywhere in Texas. I had looked into ordering online, but I would be paying $40+ for 2 day shipping and that is just too expensive for me.
Advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. BTW, I posted this in the candy forum too, so I apologize if you are reading it twice. 
TIA!
Look for a local fruit & nut company like this one:
http://www.tropicalfoods.com/flash/main.htm
Or a candy shop maybe. You local cake deco store would have it too.
Okay you can make ganache out of really expensive chocolate or you can make ganache out of chocolate chips. when I worked at this huge hotel monstousity we used chocolate chips with heavy cream. But if you must have great chocolate central market in houston sales a wide variety of chocolate. Also Euromid its a local small food distributor in houston sales chocolate. Oh amazing cakes a cake supply shop off of bissonet sales good chocolate and I can't remember if make-a-cake sales chocolate too. I have to go to the supply store this weekend and I can check them out for you if you like...
Hope that helps
Okay you can make ganache out of really expensive chocolate or you can make ganache out of chocolate chips. when I worked at this huge hotel monstousity we used chocolate chips with heavy cream. But if you must have great chocolate central market in houston sales a wide variety of chocolate. Also Euromid its a local small food distributor in houston sales chocolate. Oh amazing cakes a cake supply shop off of bissonet sales good chocolate and I can't remember if make-a-cake sales chocolate too. I have to go to the supply store this weekend and I can check them out for you if you like...
Hope that helps
Thanks, lazlo. I've read that you shouldn't use chips because of whatever they add to make them keep their shape, but I know that lots of people do. I really would like to find a source in Houston, but I may use Ghiradelli chips for this one since I'm footing the bill. I just wanted to make sure that the ganache would taste okay.
I'll check out the sources you named and I would really appreciate you checking this weekend - if you remember - and do not go to any trouble. I've been wanting to come take some cooking classes at Sur la table, so I would be in Houston anyway. Maybe on the way back from IAH if I would ever book a flight to arrive during the daytime.
Thanks so much!
Oh amazing cakes a cake supply shop off of bissonet sales good chocolate and I can't remember if make-a-cake sales chocolate too. Hope that helps
I just looked at both of these websites and I can only say that it is a good thing I'm not closer. I would probably need a week just to see what they have, but how nice not to have to pay shipping for every single thing that can't be purchased at Hobby Lobby or Michaels!
lazlo, do you think one of these is better than the other ... if I were to make a trip to Houston just to check them out? Thanks!
mbt4955, Once when I used ghiradelli chips it was horrible. so I just use tollhouse chips. To avoid the hassle.
Well amazing cakes and make-a-cake are like two blocks from each other. I always go to both. Because they sell the samethings for the most part. But like amazing cakes has better sanding sugar colors and chocolates. And they usually sell things from albert uster. 
They are sometimes cheaper, but not always. Make-a-cake will help you with any technical problems or questions about cakes or things. And make-a-cake has classes that you can attend for a price that is.
There is also a place called the craft shoppe in sugarland about 15 mintues from those stores. I haven't been to yet but I want to go visit and see what they have to offer. I am just to lazy to go look for it.
There was one place and I can't think of the name but it was by hilcroft and richmond wasn't that great but they are insightful.
you can't book a flight in hobby airport. IAH is so far...
Just remember make-a-cake is closed sunday and mondays and amazing cakes is closed sundays.
Oh if you want I can probably find the number to my friend who is a sales rep at euromid and he can help you get some of their products for when you come into town rather then pay cheaping.. Great stuff at euromid..
Like the dutch processed cocoa powder or the chips or extracts etc. If you need anymore help just pm me and I will certainly anser any questions.
Thanks for the advice about Ghiradelli. I have to buy everything, so I'll try Nestle or Hershey. I'm doing square cakes so I need lots of fondant practice anyway. I'll make a batch of each and compare them ... and take the chocolate off my CountryKitchenSweetArt order. I was thinking about Callebaut real white chocolate - $6.25/lb which isn't bad by itself but then you add shipping plus cold pack plus stress of wondering if it will be melted when it gets to me. 
I probably need to stay out of the cake supply stores because I am about out of room as it is. If I ever go through and clear out, I'll be ready to shop again! I'm still wanting to go to Cake Camp and I know I will be spending money there, so ....
Whoa whoa there!!! what is cake camp and where is it at? Sounds interesting 
I like calibute chocolate. I hadn't had much problems with it with the exception I usually burn any white chocolate for lack of paying attention.
Hey didn't HEB open up a central market in Austin somewhere?
you know when I used to do cakes for practice for weddings I wou8ld always tell tell them that I wouldn't charge them as long as they can buy the products that I need. So I would either give them a list of the exact things I need or give thema guessitmate of how much that list would cost. People never minded that because they figure they are getting a way better deal then buying one from a bakery. Which case you aren't breakingany laws..
I always feel as if I don't have ebough stuff but am to cheap to buy the things i want.. unless absolutely necessary. I guess thats why I always push people to have a cake that I need something for so that way I can rationalize me buying it... hahha
www.cakecamp.com
If you skip through the registration process, it will pull up a list of classes and instructors - it is amazing ... Nicholas Lodge, Collette Peters, Debbie Brown, Norm Davis, James Rosselle, both Winbecklers, Toba Garrett, Marina Sousa ... I'm going to stop because I can't possibly name everyone. Honestly, the only reason I haven't registered yet is ... getting there with supplies or (if I take all gumpaste classes) getting my flowers back home on the plane.
I think there are two Central Markets in Austin, but I'm a good 90 miles from Austin and from Houston, so I have to justify the trip.
mbt4955, Once when I used ghiradelli chips it was horrible. so I just use tollhouse chips. To avoid the hassle.
Well amazing cakes and make-a-cake are like two blocks from each other. I always go to both. Because they sell the samethings for the most part. But like amazing cakes has better sanding sugar colors and chocolates. And they usually sell things from albert uster.
They are sometimes cheaper, but not always. Make-a-cake will help you with any technical problems or questions about cakes or things. And make-a-cake has classes that you can attend for a price that is.There is also a place called the craft shoppe in sugarland about 15 mintues from those stores. I haven't been to yet but I want to go visit and see what they have to offer. I am just to lazy to go look for it.
There was one place and I can't think of the name but it was by hilcroft and richmond wasn't that great but they are insightful.
you can't book a flight in hobby airport. IAH is so far...
Just remember make-a-cake is closed sunday and mondays and amazing cakes is closed sundays.
Oh if you want I can probably find the number to my friend who is a sales rep at euromid and he can help you get some of their products for when you come into town rather then pay cheaping.. Great stuff at euromid..
Like the dutch processed cocoa powder or the chips or extracts etc. If you need anymore help just pm me and I will certainly anser any questions.
The cake shop she's referring to in sugarland is called Cake Craft Shoppe, their website is cakecraftshoppe.com and they ship things as well. They do sell chocolate, it's those round discs, but it's not like wilton crap it's real chocolate. I love the other two shops she mentioned as well - best luck!
PS - I'd totally check HEB, they have a pretty good variety and would save you the traveling.
check HEB for chocolate? The selections they have on the candy aisle?
Ours may be a bigger or fancier store because it's only about 5 -6 yrs old, but they have the round chocolate and white chocolate discs I mentioned earlier. Don't know what brand they are, but they are real chocolate/w. chocolate and they come in little round tubs. They're not on the cake/baking aisle, usually on a table around the bakery/deli area or where the fresh nuts are.
HTH.
Thanks, yellobutterfly. We have two - one is about 6-7 years old and the other is 3-4. The older one is closer to me, but I'll check. That would be much better than driving to Houston or Austin or paying a fortune to have it shipped. 
I thought about checking World Market too. I know that they get chocolate in around Christmas time, but I don't know if they keep it year round or not. They have dark and milk chocolate on their website, but not white.
mbt - HEB in Cypress sells the chocolate discs in the tubs, it's in the area where they sell the bulk candy/nuts/dried fruits. Cypress won't be as far for you as Sugarland or the south side of Houston where the other two shops are(still a trip, but not AS far).
If you have an HEB that calls itself a "Central Market" you should find it there.
I was just at World Market and I don't know that they have chocolate other than just the bars, I don't recall seeing any, but I wasn't specifically looking either.
Thanks, mgwebb68. Cypress would be much closer and HEB wouldn't be nearly as hard to resist as the cake supply stores! I'll look at ours here first and I will definitely take the Callebaut out of my shopping cart. Hmmmm, now what should I put in there to get up to the discount numbers ... maybe some square Magic Line pans?
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