I'm not sure where to start, so here it goes. Please forgive me if this jumps around and I'm sure it will be long. I have been doing cakes since March 2006, that's when I took Wilton 1 at Michaels. I immediately fell in love with cake decorating. I have never been much of a baker, but my grandmother was. She mostly baked pies and the cake recipes that I have are written as she's the only one that would understand them. There are no measurements or anything. Unfortunately she's not around anymore to ask her.

My main problem is I don't like the way my cakes taste. They are alright but not knock your socks off, have to have over a grocery store cake. For the most part most of my cakes have been for family and friends, but I am about to become legal!!!! I found a place to rent the kitchen out so I just need to have it inspected and get my license. I have tried several recipes for cakes and buttercream, but I don't have anything that when other people eat it they say, "wow, that's the best cake I ever had" or "this is why you get a cake from Michelle and not Publix". I mostly use the WASC and the buttercream dream recipe. Just recently I've tried making Elisa Strauss' recipe for yellow cake and her SMBC. The cake is alright and the icing I can't get right. I've tried Martha Stewarts SMBC icing which is similar and I'm able to make that okay but it's just not like what I have had from other bakeries. I also have a problem with storing the cake because I know that fondant sweats and it can't be refridgerated so what do you do when you frost a cake w/SMBC or IMBC? what if the cake needs to be white. The longer either recipe that I make sits the more yello it gets.

I'm just so frustrated because I don't have great recipes and also a variety of flavors!!! I would love to have all of these flavors to offer but I don't know where to start. I would just love to be proud of my product.

I think my main issue is the frosting. I mostly use the buttercream dream, but I don't think it's the best I ever had. When I use it on a cake w/out buttercream I can see thru it to the cake. I would just like something lighter, yet can be smoothed easily. Also, for some reason, I can't use the Viva method on it anymore to smooth it. It sticks to the paper towel. Again, I want something more "professional" for lack of a better word. I hope I don't offend anyone that uses this or the creator. I just think it's too sweet. I almost feel like my friends and family feel obligated to have me make a cake. They don't like fondant and I feel more comfortable covering my cakes in fondant. They only want buttercream.

I pretty confident about my decorating skills, I just wish someone would hand me a book of recipes to keep people coming back. Or maybe my own pastry chef to tell me how to store things correctly and how long things can keepl. I went to a little boys birthday party of someone that we just me and she got the cake from a local bakery and it was sooo good. I told my husband, see that's what a cake should taste like. I have also tried Toba Garretts recipe for her chocolate cake but didn't like the taste of that either. I once made a cake that people raved about, it was a strawberry dh cake straight from the box! Nothing altered and they loved it!


Again, sorry if I'm rambling it's 1 am here and I can't sleep! Thanks for reading and any suggestions/solutions would be welcome.

Thanks
Michelle

This sounds just like my problem with icing . . . I have gone through a million BC recipes. The ones that taste good don't decorate well and the ones that decorate well taste like crap. I have been using the brite white B/C recipe that is here in the recipe section. I add a little butter to the recipe that I ice the cake with, and just use the shortening recipe for the decorations, borders, flowers, etc. It is the best tasting BC that I have found. Sugarshack's recipe is also really good, she has it posted in one of the forums, it is great for smoothing but I still like the taste of the brite white. I use mostly vanilla and just a tad of almond extracts. Both of these will smooth with the paper towel and a piece of paper also. The main thing about the icing that really puts it over the top, and in my opinion makes it more "professional" is using the hi ratio shortening. I would recommend trying that if you haven't already. It makes a big difference. And if you use satin ice fondant, I refrigerate it all the time and it does just fine.

thanks cassie I'll try that recipe. I did try Sharon's and it smoothed nicely, I just couldn't get the liquid flavor right.

Anyone else have any suggestions?

Is there anyone here in Florida? Do you put your cakes covered in fondant in the fridge?

I use satin ice.

I have to say I am a little disappointed. I was really looking for some help and only one person has responded. It's not from lack of people reading the post either because it's had over 50 reads. I only wanted to get advice from my cake friends.

I'm still working on recipes myself so don't have much to recommend in that department. I would just encourage you to keep going and have patience with yourself. I take every opportunity I can to make cakes right now so that I can try new things...it would be great to be actually paid for some now...still working on that part!

i feel really bad. i understand your frustration, bc i am right there with you. but i wouldnt be able to offer any great receipes bc i dont have any but i hope your day gets better =)

Do you want my real opinion?

If you are opening a business you need to FIRST make sure of the product you are going to sell.

If you aren't happy with your recipes then you need to work on them before you even think of opening a store.

If you are offering an inferior product people may not be repeat customers and may give you bad reviews to their friends.

My advice is to work on your recipes. Do searches for ones you would like to try and try them..multiple times if need be. You will know when you hit on that product you are looking for.

If the cake business were that easy everyone would be doing it. I don't mean to sound harsh but if you realize that your product isn't what you want it to be chances are your customers will feel the same way and your business could fail because of it.

Keep working..keep practicing and keep baking. You WILL find what you are looking for if you persevere.

Good luck!!!

sorry you feel this way but all i can say is keep on trying out different recipes. i am still doing this all the time.hth.

I'll reply because I know how you feel. I've posted quite a bit and it seems I get only one reply too. My problem is that I don't bake from scratch and I don't have the humidity to deal with you do. So I'm sorry I can't help much. The best idea I could come up with was some of the tried and true recipes from the Cake Bible and on the message boards. I do refrigerate my fondant, it only sweats a little and that doesn't effect the colors or decorations at all.
Maybe try doctoring the recipes that work well with flavor oils to help the taste.

Sorry I couldn't help more.

Hey ~ I am in Florida. But I dont have any of my own recipes. I have been using WASC cake and Darn good chocolate cake from here. The ONLY icing I have found that I like is Martha Stewarts Buttercream Frosting. It only has butter , powdered sugar and vanilla. I dont like buttercream made with shortening I think it tastes awful. Anyway good luck. What part of Fl are you in?/ I am in Ft Myers

Renee

The only advice I can give you is keep trying recipes. There are an awful lot of good ones on here and if you search online you can find more than you can ever dream of trying out. You have to find something you like so you are able to proudly put your product out there. If you can't happily stand behind your product, your customers will sense this and you won't get many because of that.

As far as your icing, same story, try recipes till your sick of trying. One tip to get it from tasting so darn sweet is a pinch of salt. Not too much, just a lil will do. It drastically cuts down on the sweetness of it.

I am a scratch baker. My mom is an amazing cook and baker, so I suppose that it was in my genes to start with; however, I, too, have had to work hard and creating "the" perfect recipe. I took one of my great-grandma's original recipes, bammed it up a bit and from that recipe, I have derived ALL of my other flavor choices. I use LorAnn oils...such an awesome variety!...and a really good Vanilla. So many factors go into creating a great scratch recipe, but once you come up with it, it's a keeper. I have people telling me all of the time that "that was the best cake I've ever had." That's an honor, and I don't take it lightly. Consistently work to improve your selection choices. BUT, don't tamper with a winning recipe! If it ain't broke, don't fix it, pops into my head. There was a great thread last week on posting the best scratch recipes...I have many on hand that I'm just chomping at the bit to try. If scratch baking isn't your thing...keep working at it. I will openly admit that I know NOTHING about box mixes, etc., but I'm assuming that it's the same as anything else...try, try again and keep trying. There are sooooo many incredible recipes on this site. Just try them until you find your ONE that you can jump up and run with.

Good luck to you!
Amy

Why not spend some time at your local library or bookstore looking through the cake books. By using the library you can experiment with many different recipes. I think baking takes a lot of patience and practice. I have been told my many that I am a great baker.....friends will ask for recipes then complain that they didn't turn out as good. Be patient and keep practicing! Good Luck!

Debbie

I may be able to help with the BC issue... I use a crusting cream cheese frosting instead, and the cheese cuts the sweet a little bit, in addition to being (drumroll here) practically stark white! I've made lemon, strawberry, creme bouquet, etc. with the CCC, and all have come out great.

WRT the smoothing viva issue, are you using tranny free shortening (tranny = trans fat - and I totally stole the term from another ultimately cool chick on this forum)? Crisco just went tranny-free, and apparently this is a common problem, so it's not you.

What type of recipes are you looking for specifically? I think the Chocolate Cake recipe on the Hershey's can is pretty good, though I like Scott Clark Woolley's FUDGE BROWNIE CAKE.

For a white cake, my favorite is the King Arthur's Flour White Cake recipe. It's light and moist. For a variation on this recipe, I've subbed out the one cup of milk in the recipe and used one cup of room temp. brewed chai tea instead and it makes an awesome chai tea flavored cake.

The Freckled Mocha Cake in the Whimsical Bakehouse book is yummy and it's awesome with their Bailey's Irish Cream mousse. A lot of their recipes are good - their Orange Butter Cake has just the right amount of citrus flavor to make it refreshing.

I love the Whimsical Bakehouse House Buttercream but it does not crust so it's better used for fillings or base icing the cake. I have not piped decorations but in the book they do. It has to be smoothed with the hot spatula method since it doesn't crust.

If you are interested in any of the above recipes, let me know and I'll post them. Good luck in your quest! As cake addicts, we're always striving to make "good enough" even better. You're obviously good enough since you've got a client base and are opening a shop. I applaud you for just wanting to put the best product out there.

ckkerber could you please post those recipes? I too have been trying out different recipes and I read a thread from someone who was doing a taste test with customers and the King Arthur white came out on top.
I have tried the WBH buttercream mixed with oreos as a filling and it was so good! The actual bc is not very sweet but I haven't tried decorating with it. I think as the other posts have mentioned you just need to keep trying different recipes...then there is the problem of not fitting into your clothes afterwards! DO you have enough people that will give honest opinions if you did some taste testing? I think this would be a great way to see what everyone likes. Good luck!

My best advice is to keep on trying recipes until you find the one that you love (it's out there, I promise)! Then get your family, friends, neighbors, mail carrier, plumber and whoever else you can find to taste test & give you their opinions (make them promise to be honest). Once you find the right basic cakes you can experiment from there by varying the flavors, playing with simple syrups, etc. Same goes with icing - just keep trying several until you find what you like. It will take some time, but it will be worth it when you end up with a product that you love & that you're proud of!

Oh, I also agree with "ihatefondant" - you should definitely try to find recipes you're happy with before you start your business. If you don't like the quality of the product you're selling, there's a good chance your customers won't either. You don't want to hurt your reputation before you even get started!

Good luck & hang in there - I'm sure you'll end up with great recipes & a successful business!

Bec

PS - Check out the thread on "scratch recipes" that's going on right now. There are some great recipes there, including the first one listed (the white cake that uses cream of coconut). Good luck!

I have to agree with everyone DONT BE DISCOURAGED You have a wonderful gift and an incredible opportunity with this shop opening up! Congrats!

Now down to business..

As far as cake recipes go....I use the Magnolia Bakery Birthday Cake recipe that is on here...its realyl good, bakes up well and is pretty moist. Also Martha Stewarts white cake is good as well. And someone mentioned the Hershey chocolate cake on the cocoa container-delish

For frosting...I use the Wilton Snow White Buttercream recipe-crusts BEAUTIFULLY, makes a decent amount in one batch (about 7 cups) and has a wonderful flavor...I take out the almond and use a french vanilla blend instead...or I use the Decorators Cream Cheese...again..crusts like a dream, tastes wonderful and is not too "cream cheesey" or too sweet...

keep taste testing recipes...one will pop out at you taht you will love...and in the meantime...keep baking

Cheer up...
Good Luck

Now, for everyone else that responded..

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I must be pms'ing. I really appreciate it. everyone says they like my cake but, maybe I just read too much into their lack of responses.

I hate fondant, thanks for being honest. I don't want to get out there yet because I'm not completely comfortable with the recipes, it's just I'm tired of waiting, however I have never been the most patient person. I'm also a virgo and very particular about things.

To ckkerber a huge thanks for the recipes. I will try them. It's too bad that it costs so much money to try out recipes.

I'll try keep trying and hopefully sometime it will all come together.

For those that use IMBC and SMBC how do you care for it? Like store it and what if you need it to be white?

Once again thanks for everyone putting up with my breakdown.

I just used Toba Garretts decoraters BC on dd wedding cake it is AWESOME. I think the hi ratio shortening makes a big difference crisco sucks

Hi! Just chiming in. I hate red velvet cake nor do I care for italian creme (or cream...who knows) but my customers like it. I'm saying this because sometimes, you have to lend your tastebuds to someone else to judge. Now the quality of the cake, I can understand that too. Right now, I'm using doctored box mixes with homemade icings and fillings. If I was to change right now, I might have cake on my car.
When I'm trying something new, I usually use my family and friends as test dummies (I tell them they are LOL). I am in the process of digging into my cake books (and I have some old cookbooks) and getting me some new/old recipes 'cause I do weddings now and I want to offer a variety of things. You'll find what you're tasting for....there are soooooo many great people here that will guide you. You're already successful, just stay positive. You can do it!! (Waterboy (the movie)....LOL)

mnmmommy

you are not the only one with this issue, I'm also practicing to find the perfect recipe.

I looked at your pictures and your cakes are beautiful and I think that is the harder part of making cakes. I'm sure that you will find the recipe that you love.

I use the Buttercream Dream that is posted here on CC. I've tried many buttercream recipes and it's the only one that works for me. I use all salted butter and still find it a bit sweet but haven't found anything that I like better. I tried the IMBC a few weeks ago and it was disasterous for me. I also use Rhonda's Marshmellow Fondant recipe which is in the recipe section here. Unless I am going to mold figures and then I use the Wilton stuff because I had more body to it.

Have you thought about having tasting parties? I've seen this mentioned a couple times here on the forums. Invite family and friends, make a couple different recipes of each type, give them a score sheet so they can rate each one. I'm going to start doing those here pretty soon, so I have have my recipes set for whenever I can start up my business. Just gotta get more decorating practice, lol.

People love my BC, and I've been using the old Wilton Recipe. I did however just switch to Hi-Ratio, and discovered the flavor emusions Creme Bouquet, Princess, Butavan, and Creme Royal. They really do add a new level of flavor to the BC. I personally cannot stop eating the Creme Royal flavored batches...

Have you thought about having tasting parties? I've seen this mentioned a couple times here on the forums. Invite family and friends, make a couple different recipes of each type, give them a score sheet so they can rate each one. I'm going to start doing those here pretty soon, so I have have my recipes set for whenever I can start up my business. Just gotta get more decorating practice, lol.

People love my BC, and I've been using the old Wilton Recipe. I did however just switch to Hi-Ratio, and discovered the flavor emusions Creme Bouquet, Princess, Butavan, and Creme Royal. They really do add a new level of flavor to the BC. I personally cannot stop eating the Creme Royal flavored batches...

Hang in there and keep trying, I'm sure we all go through this at one time or another.

Like most already said, find recipes you love and experiment when you can.

As far a the Whimsical Bakehouse book, I tried the golden yellow cake, choc butter cake and the banana. I got nothing but compliments from these recipes. For red velvet I use Sarah's red velvet here on CC.

When I am home on vacation around X-mas time, I use this time to experiment with diff recipes. Last year I learned red velvet, the year before caramel icing from scratch. I had so many customers asking for RV and caramel, I had to learn how to make them.