Hi

I am looking at purchasing some flavourings, and was wondering how often you use them in your work.

I  made a red velvet cake once , recipe from a magazine and it was a dry ,unpalatable waste. do you need the flavouring and does it make it better?

Cream Cheese , I use the real thing, does the flavouring make it even better or do you never use it?

Princess cake flavouring when and what would you use this?

Cream bouquet, is this a really lovely flavour for butter creams etc and what flavour cake would you use it in?

I know it sounds odd to ask, but all my cakes for orders have been basic , a chocolate mud, ganache crumb coat fondant finish  or carrot, cream cheese and lemon frosting .fondant finish.

I make banana, chocolate beetroot, ginger , orange, lemon, for every day

I am wanting to expand my offerings with some special flavours and am hoping to master a true red velvet but need a reliable, tried and true recipe ( another thread )

Any must have flavourings greatly appreciated.

Thanks 

Hey thanks for that, can you describe the flavour?

Also is there a brand that stands out among the rest or are they much of a muchness?

Thanks

Lorann for me

george101:  The sky is the limit when it comes to flavors and combinations, Good Luck with your experimentation.  It's whatever YOU like that matters.

Penzey's pure extracts:

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspureextracts.html

Loran:

http://lorannoils.com/product-education/about-our-flavors

CK:

http://www.ckproducts.com/categories/298/CK-Concentrated-Flavors

AI've got a recipe that calls for cream cheese flavoring but it's a shelf stable substitute for the real thing, I haven't tried it because I've always been able to refrigerate.

Spices Etc. is a nice place for ordering flavoring. I know the princess flavor is really popular but I haven't tried that either. I've added Creme Boquet to a wedding cake with vanilla that was yummy.

King Arthur Flour is another great place to order things from. Honestly, I find myself experimenting more with different types of cocoa and espresso powders, cinnamon. Also liquors. I use flavorings too but like you said people order chocolate, vanilla, blah, blah

Oh..you have to promise me you will try Princess with SMBC or IMBC. I think it tastes gross with ABC...but then I think ABC tastes gross

Im thick when it comes to cake talk!!!

SMBC ? Swiss meringue buttercream ?

IMBC ?  Italian meringue buttercream ?

ABC ?  American buttercream ?

The one I am going to try is from Mr Brown do you know it ? any good?

Lorann are the ones Ive been looking at.

Thanks all once again!!!

http://cakecentral.com/t/760509/letters-for-short-cuts-to-words

correct on the acronyms. No Idea on Mr Brown. Just know if you are using an emulsion or oil it requires less than an extract, so add a little at a time

Thanks for the list, AWESOME, glad to see my guesses were on the mark.

Will be very helpful

A

Yes you are right with the acronyms. Warren Brown's IMBC is pretty good. If you like meringue buttercreams, you will like his. RE:LorAnn flavorings. Be careful. The good ones are great, the not so good ones are horrible. Princess Cake & Cookie flavoring gets raves because it is good, Sweet Buttery Dough gets raves too, haven't tried that one though. I like their lemon emulsion but lemon is one of those that's easy to replicate with natural ingredients. I did not like their Rum or Butter Vanilla.

Whenever possible, I advocate the pure or natural flavorings unless in cases where sourcing a natural version would be difficult-- Like banana for BCs (in cakes the banana flavor can be easily gotten using real bananas but they may not be a feasible option as BC flavoring) OR when using the natural version would be unacceptable (using real vanilla extract when you want white-white fondant). So for citrus flavors, the zest with a little bit of pure extract would work. Some flavors like Strawberry taste a world apart when comparing the artificial versions to the natural. I've gotten a number of natural extracts from Olive Nation.

If there's one place to splurge it would be with your spices: The Vanillas, Cinnamons etc.

As I continue to grow as a baker, I find myself reaching for my higher quality spices and playing with those (I've made my own vanilla extract for quite a while now). For instance, you'd be amazed what you can do with pairing any of the real vanillas. My second best selling flavor pairs Madagascar and Tahitian vanillas and folks just love that a vanilla flavored confection can be so alive with flavor.

Good luck!

Thanks so much to you all great advise

AI like Olive Nation, I'd never heard of it before. They have a great variety, I saw some extracts that I haven't been able to find where I shop.

Where is the best place to by the mexican, madagascan,tahitian 16 oz Vanilla from?

AMake your own. Buy vodka. Buy good beans from Vanilla Products USA. Split beans, scrape, chop, add all to vodka until you're out of room.Shake bottle once a week or when you remember to. 4 months later....best vanilla you could ever have. And the cheapest.

Awww.vanillaproductsusa.com Answers to all life's questions can be found there. And if not, Google can cover the rest.

AGet some paste while you're at it. It's not the foo foo Nielsenn Massey type either, it's unsweetened, knock your socks off die hard paste.

Thanks for that,

Just had a look , would a pound of A grade madagascar beans do the trick?

Is it really as good as the two fold brought stuff, seems too easy?

It is amazing the things you learn on here.

Thanks again

AAZCouture, you've inspired me to make my own vanilla extract! Which beans give the best flavor? All the extract I have is from Madagascar beans.

I have been making my own vanilla extract for 3 years now and I love it!!!  It smells devine and taste so much better than store bought.  My friends prefer it to Penzey's and some other well known brands.  I am not knocking Penzeys, because I love their spices.

and does the brand of vodka make a difference?  Which do you use?

I was told you don't need a high grade/dollar vodka. I use something (not brand specific) like $12-$15 a bottle.  I actually prefer ones with a good lid because of opening and closing it so much.  I just use that for my vanilla extract bottle.

I have a friend who just starting making it. She is using Belvedere. I was doing some research and the article said to use the cheapest you could find because the flavors of the expensive kind could drown out the vanilla flavor.

Wow! This is such a great thread. I have 2 questions:

1) I made vanilla using "Smirnoff". How long is it good for? I just found a bottle in my pantry that I'd started 2 years ago *yikes*!

2) I'm looking to make  'cosmo' cocktail cakes. Has anyone ever tried adding vodka or any other type of alcohol to SMBC?

Thanks!