Ok I know it's expensive, but although it's worth it (at least from a taste standpoint), and I've bought it twice (using the people who get my cakes to buy it for me in lieu of payment)...I think I need to re-think using it in my chocolate cake!
I FINALLY broke down the costs for my scratch recipes (well 2 of them anyway) and the cocoa powder accounts for $9.72-$15.36 of EACH recipe ($36 cc's), depending on if I buy it in bulk...holy 
I know u think I'm adding incorrectly...but I used Scott Wholley's recipe which requires 1.5 c, so 6.6lb at $86 (incl shipping) is .81/oz...so $9.72/recipe..and that's the bulk price!
My vanilla cake is only $3.97/recipe (36 cc's?)
omg what was I thinking? I need to ad a hefty surcharge just for my choc cake...or start looking for cocoa brand alternatives...yeesh
I know, I feel your pain. It's worth it's weight in gold though, and I use it as a staple in my chocolate buttercream.
I was hoping I wasn't the only crazy paying up the butt for it...
sigh 
You got it! 
I get mine from NYCake -- where do you get yours from?
Chefshop.com since I can't get hubby to sign off on a $90 bag of cocoa from worldwidechocolate.com 
I guess I am another crazy person. I adore Valrhona chocolate! I make a layer bavarian cake (which is a mousse that has been set with some gelatin) that is white chocolate on the bottom, milk chocolate in the middle and dark chocolate on the top. It is heavenly!!! I get mine from The Chef's Warehouse.
Wow. Over here the cocoa costs $52.50 for the 3kg (6.6lb) bag. I guess you win some, you lose some! Satin Ice here costs an arm and a leg, for example, because of the high shipping charges involved I assume.
I haven't tried the cocoa yet, but LOVE the chocolates. So glad I have made the switch to Valrhona!
Ok I know it's expensive, but although it's worth it (at least from a taste standpoint), and I've bought it twice (using the people who get my cakes to buy it for me in lieu of payment)...I think I need to re-think using it in my chocolate cake!
I FINALLY broke down the costs for my scratch recipes (well 2 of them anyway) and the cocoa powder accounts for $9.72-$15.36 of EACH recipe ($36 cc's), depending on if I buy it in bulk...holy
I know u think I'm adding incorrectly...but I used Scott Wholley's recipe which requires 1.5 c, so 6.6lb at $86 (incl shipping) is .81/oz...so $9.72/recipe..and that's the bulk price!
My vanilla cake is only $3.97/recipe (36 cc's?)
omg what was I thinking? I need to ad a hefty surcharge just for my choc cake...or start looking for cocoa brand alternatives...yeesh
8 ounces is in weight and you are talking about a cup and half. In my experience of weighing a cup of cocoa powder is that a cup weighs 3.9 ounces not 8. Based on that weight measurement, I get 4.74 for the same amount of cocoa powder. Assuming the same amount of cupcakes that is .13 per cupcake. If we, for grins, add that to the vanilla, it does take it to .24 per cupcake vs .11 per cupcake. But because cocoa is an extra ingredient, it would probably be better to price out the recipe with another cocoa powder rather than comparing it to a vanilla cake. Then you will be able to see the price difference while comparing a taste difference at the same time. It is a much better comparison than using a vanilla recipe.
I use a very high quality cocoa from Penzyes spices. The taste is exactly like Valhrona but much cheaper. I pay about $7.95 per 1 lb.
www.penzeys.com
I just decided to take a look at World Wide Chocolate since I've never used Valhrona and just saw that they are offering a 15% discount on Valhrona this week.
15% Off All Items with No Minimum Order.
Use Coupon Code: SPECIAL15
(Valid through June 13, 2011)
http://worldwidechocolate.com/shop_valrhona.html
I thought some of you might want to know. 
I really don't think it's worth the price, honestly. It cuts into the margin way too much, or the price has to be too high to make your margin.
Personally, I use either Guittard or Albert Uster. They are just about as good in taste and are far more affordable.
8 ounces is in weight and you are talking about a cup and half. In my experience of weighing a cup of cocoa powder is that a cup weighs 3.9 ounces not 8. Based on that weight measurement, I get 4.74 for the same amount of cocoa powder. Assuming the same amount of cupcakes that is .13 per cupcake. If we, for grins, add that to the vanilla, it does take it to .24 per cupcake vs .11 per cupcake. But because cocoa is an extra ingredient, it would probably be better to price out the recipe with another cocoa powder rather than comparing it to a vanilla cake. Then you will be able to see the price difference while comparing a taste difference at the same time. It is a much better comparison than using a vanilla recipe.
I agree, but I don't have the bag anymore to weigh it or see how many cups are in it...I'm sure my numbers are way off but I wanted to get a rough idea.
So if you don't have a recipe that calls for weight vs. volume (oz/g vs. cup) how do you convert? do you change the entire recipe and it therefore evens itself out? I've heard going by weight is more accurate but I'm clueless as to how to take a recipe that says 1 c of this, 1 tsp of that, etc., and convert it all to weight...???
What I do for the products I use is weigh a cup of the product. So for cocoa powder I weigh it about 3-5 times and take an average of the amount. If I weight it three times and consistently get the same amount, then I know that is a good amount. The I multiply that amount by the amount needed for cups. Cocoa weighs 3.9 (close enough to say 4 ounces) and I need a cup and a half. Then 4 x 1.5 = 6 ounces of cocoa powder.
I don't bother for tsp measurements. I go by volume.
What I do for the products I use is weigh a cup of the product. So for cocoa powder I weigh it about 3-5 times and take an average of the amount. If I weight it three times and consistently get the same amount, then I know that is a good amount. The I multiply that amount by the amount needed for cups. Cocoa weighs 3.9 (close enough to say 4 ounces) and I need a cup and a half. Then 4 x 1.5 = 6 ounces of cocoa powder.
I don't bother for tsp measurements. I go by volume.
ooooooohhhh, makes sense. So u don't bother w/ tsp measurements and it doesn't create enough of an issue for u to convert those? I'm so trying this, TY for your explanation!
I get my valrhona for home at a local store, surfas, a pound at a time for $12.95. Their bulk is even better at $68.95 for 6.6 lb (about $10.45 a lb). They also have a shop online for a lot of the stuff they carry at http://www.culinarydistrict.com, but I'm not sure what their shipping cost is like.
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