do you use one base recipe for all your cakes and simply add ingrediants to customize the flavor. Our do you have an arsenal of recipes, tailored for each flavor you offer.
TIA
Wow Leah. I've never heard of icing fruit, so I googled it. I've been baking a long time, and now that I know about this I'm thrilled.
Thanks for opening my eyes to what the pros use. This old dog just learned a new trick!
Kat 
I do some of both. I have my white cake recipie that I adapt to a variety of fruit flavors. I have my spice cake that I use as a base for 3 flavours. My vanilla that I use as a base for a good chunk of flavours. And than my chocolate, and butter pecan.
I do some of both. I have my white cake recipie that I adapt to a variety of fruit flavors. I have my spice cake that I use as a base for 3 flavours. My vanilla that I use as a base for a good chunk of flavours. And than my chocolate, and butter pecan.
Ditto with the some of both. My yellow cake is the most adaptable, but I also use my spice, chocolate cake, and gingerbread cakes for flavor variations and line extensions.
When I had a shop I used the icing fruits but now that I'm back in my kitchen it's harder to access some ingredients. I know I can order online but the prices give me the shudders. I surely miss those days when I could order anything from the suppliers' catalog.
I have a small arsenal of go to cake recipes (vanilla buttermilk, black forest, chocolate, yellow, red velvet. coconut, spice, etc). Of course I find that every cake is unique, so I alter these base recipes with flavors, liquours, & extracts. Then I customize each filling flavor (berries, hazelnut, buttercream, ganache, pistachio, passionfruit, mango, mocha, etc) to complement the client. Works for me!
I have a small arsenal of go to cake recipes (vanilla buttermilk, black forest, chocolate, yellow, red velvet. coconut, spice, etc). Of course I find that every cake is unique, so I alter these base recipes with flavors, liquours, & extracts. Then I customize each filling flavor (berries, hazelnut, buttercream, ganache, pistachio, passionfruit, mango, mocha, etc) to complement the client. Works for me!
An arsenal - Pretty much any flavor...I have a recipe. I do however, have a basic (delicious) pastry cream which I adapt with many flavors and fruits, a basic vanilla cake which easily takes on "add-ins" and a chocolate "ganache" which can be used in it's liquid state to pour over cakes, semi-thick for frosting of filling and whipped to pipe around cakes. These "go to" recipes make me more efficient!
Be careful from whom you buy "icing fruit". My first purchase was from a certain company and the raspberry icing fruit made my buttercream taste like stale bubblegum. Horrid stuff. Had to throw it away. (Incidentally, the modeling chocolate I bought from them had to be thrown away too. And I emailed them about it with no reply.)
I think fruit compounds are probably better....expensive, but very tasty.
Be careful from whom you buy "icing fruit". My first purchase was from a certain company and the raspberry icing fruit made my buttercream taste like stale bubblegum. Horrid stuff. Had to throw it away. (Incidentally, the modeling chocolate I bought from them had to be thrown away too. And I emailed them about it with no reply.)
I think fruit compounds are probably better....expensive, but very tasty.
I would rather pay more for quality, than to have to throw something out. Can you recommend a good place to purchase the fruit compounds Suzy?
I was able to try some by Amoretti and it is delicious..... I know the caterer I worked at had some very delicious ones as well but I can't remember where they were from.
Fruit compounds are pretty expensive but they are concentrated and very good. I just got turned off of icing fruit (sorry those of you who use it) but having to throw out my order of it as it tasted so terrible.....
I too ordered several different flavors of icing fruits, they went straight in the garbage. I don't know if it was the brand I got, but they were nasty and so full of artificial stuff it made my head spin. There are probably better brands out there. I am intrigued about fruit compounds.
But to answer your question, I have 4 base recipes. I have a chocolate, red velvet, carrot ginger, and then I use my yellow cake recipe to make every other cake flavor like lemon, coconut, banana, espresso etc.
Funny you ask this question! It seems that I should have go to recipes... and to some extent I do.. but there's something I love about finding the "perfect recipe" time and time again... in terms of cake batter. I do not however sway from my buttercream recipes, which I use from the Cake Bible book because they are so solid.
I have never heard of icing fruit... after googling it, ... it does seem alluring, but I prefer in season ingredients and making my own.
Cheers to baking 
have a few recipes that are tried and true that I never turn away from..I also use icing fruits.. The CK brand icing fruits are delicious. Have recipes that I've tweaked and perfected to my taste whith numerous..numerous trial and error and testings..
I have an arsenal, but just because it is a passion. I have as many as five recipes for the same flavor... light, dense, supermoist, able to accept syrup or liqueur. The recipes are also priced differently, from basic to pricier ingredients. For chocolate, I have Hershey's (cheapest), Stout, Guittard Dutch Process, dark chocolate, dark cocoa, German Chocolate (with no German Chocolate), etc.
I also have a few recipes that I can adapt. For example, My Bailey's recipe can handle a variety of liqueur changes. White chocolate can handle any zest.
I'm planning a retail shop sometime this year. In that scenario, I will have a separate go-to recipe for each flavor with some flavor adaptions for the impulse buys, and all of my others as a special order.
Right now, everything is made to order, so I have some luxury with the many favorite recipes I love to bake.
I have an arsenal, but just because it is a passion. I have as many as five recipes for the same flavor... light, dense, supermoist, able to accept syrup or liqueur. The recipes are also priced differently, from basic to pricier ingredients. For chocolate, I have Hershey's (cheapest), Stout, Guittard Dutch Process, dark chocolate, dark cocoa, German Chocolate (with no German Chocolate), etc.
I also have a few recipes that I can adapt. For example, My Bailey's recipe can handle a variety of liqueur changes. White chocolate can handle any zest.
I'm planning a retail shop sometime this year. In that scenario, I will have a separate go-to recipe for each flavor with some flavor adaptions for the impulse buys, and all of my others as a special order.
Right now, everything is made to order, so I have some luxury with the many favorite recipes I love to bake.
Hi
How are you doing? Do you have a white cake recipe that you are willing to share with me?
Thank You So Much!
I am a low level hobby baker and generally use different recipes for different cakes but recently have tried experimenting with modifying one recipe for different flavours.
It's probably the best way to get exactly what you want it to be like but you sort of have to know what you are doing for it to work I feel. I'm getting a science of baking book soon as a present so hope that will help me!
I have 2 or three chocolate recipes I like and use depending on the situation. I also have a separate spice cake, pumpkin cake, and lemon pound cake.
my issue continues to be white/yellow cakes... I still haven't found my "go-to" recipes for those, so I just keep experimenting. Fortunately, I don't sell cakes (not legal from home in my state), so consistency doesn't matter in terms of "customers" when I keep trying out new recipes.
kkitchen, I have two. One is not a white cake at all, as it has a bunch of yolks. But because of the amount of white chocolate in it, it looks creamy white. I think my coconut cake is a white base. I'll look that up. I don't have a go-to on that. Each one has an application... one pastry cream, one lots of simple syrup and liqueur, and the other is the white chocolate. So my white cake may not be the best without it's companion component.
I'm not a fan of white cakes, but I know the wedding industry needs them.
I have a better idea on white. I'll be happy to get either recipe for you, but FromScratchSF has a comparison on her blog on white cake recipes. Go to her on white, not me. She really is the expert and it will be all white. Just google her.
kkitchen, I have two. One is not a white cake at all, as it has a bunch of yolks. But because of the amount of white chocolate in it, it looks creamy white. I think my coconut cake is a white base. I'll look that up. I don't have a go-to on that. Each one has an application... one pastry cream, one lots of simple syrup and liqueur, and the other is the white chocolate. So my white cake may not be the best without it's companion component.
I'm not a fan of white cakes, but I know the wedding industry needs them.
I have a better idea on white. I'll be happy to get either recipe for you, but FromScratchSF has a comparison on her blog on white cake recipes. Go to her on white, not me. She really is the expert and it will be all white. Just google her.
Hi scp1127,
Thank you for your reply. I would love to try your recipe. But, I understand what you say. I will look at fromscratch'w own.
Thank You!
kkitchen, if I needed a pure white cake as a base recipe, I would go to her.
Thank you so much! I did make those cakes and they baked up LOVELY! Very even and no sinking, Thank GOD! They baked Very level with the 2" pans and well a bit lower than the top with 3" pans ~ but beautiful!
I will use them this weekend for a wedding cake.
I did try to put fresh whole raspberries in it. I will take a pic of the inside to see how that worked out.
Thanks do much for your help. Oh, I am waiting for your recipe to try! They sound soooooo good!
My white chocolate cake is no secret. It's RLB's Woody's cake. It has been published on the web. Just google it. But here are my added notes:
Weigh the eggs. You need much more than six to get the weight9 more like eight).
Leave out the zest for a white chocolate cake.
Coat the sides and bottom of the parchment lined pan with spray or homemade release.
Don't underbake... it will fall. The cake gets pretty brown and does not come away from the sides while baking. Use the touch test.
DO NOT test with a toothpick. It will deflate.
Even with all the yolks and the butter, this cake is an antique white color. It adapts well to additions and is a great base cake for any filling and frosting. Freeze for 1/2 hour at least before torting.
For the other white cake, I'll share in a pm.
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