I will be doing a cake for a 15 birthday party in Sept.
The birthday girl wants white cake with blueberries mixed in and iced w./ cream cheese frosting to feed 100 people.
She wants the cake to be a 3 tier cake- similar to a wedding cake.
How much extra do you charge for cream cheese icing and fruit(blueberries) ?
I don't like the softness of cream cheese icing for tiered cakes. I'll use it as filling, but not on the outside. And I won't put perishable fruit in a cake either. Shelf stable fillings yes, but I've found the fruit can get slimey. And then the cake layers can shift. And then . . .
Did you mean she wants the blueberries in the cake batter or as the filling. I mix blueberries into cake batter all the time and my customers love it if they are wanting something different! I charge as if it were a "premium" flavor, which for me is .50 extra per serving. I, however, do agree with Leahs in that I also will not put fresh fruit as a filling.
I have used the crusting cream cheese recipe for many tiered cakes and love it. I charge an extra 0.25 per serving for cream cheese.
I think you would really have to consider your extra costs and labor. In my area, 8 oz of cream cheese is about $1.00, and 8 oz of butter is about $1.25. So to make cream cheese icing instead of buttercream is actually less expensive for me. (Although I would not reduce your price because of that!)
With the blueberries, you need to consider if they will be in season or not, and what they will cost. ARe you putting them directly into your cake batter, or using them as a filling? If a filling, you might consider using a recipe on this site (it's for raspberry filling, but you can switch to blueberries just the same) and then you can use frozen blueberries, and you won't have a problem with the cake shifting or getting slimey.
HTH!
I agree about not using fresh fruit as a filling- it really does make the cake slimy (made that mistake myself- and the cake shifted terribly) I also charge an extra $.50 per serving for "premium" flavors.
Does the crusting cream icing really crust? I did a carrot cake with cream cheese icing last weekend and had a HORRIBLE time trying to decorate with it but the customer insisted on cream cheese icing. Sorry to hijack you post but I've been wanting to ask this ? since last weekend's fiasco.
I agree about not using fresh fruit as a filling- it really does make the cake slimy (made that mistake myself- and the cake shifted terribly) I also charge an extra $.50 per serving for "premium" flavors.
Does the crusting cream icing really crust? I did a carrot cake with cream cheese icing last weekend and had a HORRIBLE time trying to decorate with it but the customer insisted on cream cheese icing. Sorry to hijack you post but I've been wanting to ask this ? since last weekend's fiasco.
I love the crusting cream cheese recipe on this site! It does not crust as must as my regular buttercream, but it does crust enough for me to get it smooth and I have had no problem using it to pipe decorations. It does tend to get soft quicker when in a piping back from the warmth of my hands, but I just stick it in the freezer for a second to firm back up.
I also feel the taste is delicious! I could eat it with a spoon!
The cake will have blueberries mixed in the batter. Not fresh fruit as a filling.
and thanks for all of your help.
Yummo!!! That will be delicious. Blueberry cake with cream cheese icing is one of my very favorites!!!
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