Flirt, but with your Dessert!

How names affect your dessert and your bakery business.

Are you a baking enthusiast trying to impress guests or may be simply your loved ones? Or a food blogger trying to make your mark in the world of baking? Or are you a pastry chef setting up your own patisserie? Take it from the horse’s mouth that a flirty twist in naming your desserts, your baking goods or even your bakery will take it a long way in building identity and also give it what we call ‘a brand recall’. For example? Godber’s light-as-air cream puff, Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding {yes, from devil wears Prada and Sex and the City} or Dominique Ansel Bakery’s Cro-nut in New York City which is a classic combination of donut and croissant and Bakerbot’s handcrafted ice-cream sandwiches. There is a romance in the name and that’s what you’ll be looking for to make people fall in love with your pastries, head over heels.

A close friend used to tell with every dessert you sell you will be giving away a bit of your love and a bit of after-dessert-depression to the customer. He better cry for the dessert, telling its name. The logic is simple. A fabulous dessert from a fabulous bakery needs a fabulous name to make history. A name that will be thought of with longing, a name that will be remembered with drools and a name that will eventually personify the entire dish and by extension, the bakery! When it’s about who you are, you better be known with a fantastic name for what you do. No? But that’s just the place. What bout the products?

Eaton mess and Slutty brownies: Naming done so right!

The same logic applies to baked goods too and the trick is in generating curiosity! Eaton Mess is not messy, slutty brownies are not slutty. But they define the place from where they come, the characteristic of the dessert so well that if you heard once, you’d remember forever. It could have been easily called Eaton Meringue trifle considering the only replacement is meringue and perhaps no custard, but someone very clever chose to name it Eaton Mess keeping its place of origin, where it’s served and how its served all clubbed into a single name. This dessert is traditionally served at Eaton College’s annual cricket game against Harrow School. Pastry genius Lorraine Pascale did her own version of it and she calls it (Lorraine’s) neat and tidy Eaton mess. Clever naming there too and a perfect brand recall when you want Eaton Mess from Pascale.

Coming to slutty brownies, what could have been easily called a gooey brownie was named slutty brownie because its “easy” (know what we mean) and well, just a tad bit dirty in behavior (Yes, it crumbles). Such a fitting name and there isn’t a chance of getting it wrong, when you bite one.

 

But again there’s Pandowdy, Buckles, Slumps and Grunts: Why aren’t we eating them?

Of course we wouldn’t know about these traditional American all apple desserts because as Stephanie Butler from History TV writes, “Perhaps if apple slump had a better name we would still be eating it”. Sharing ancestors in the apple pie, these apple desserts had very little variations with regards to baking ingredients and had America by its collar till the late 90’s. The only thing that their inventors did wrong is keeping the most cumbersome and non appetizing names in the history of dessert nomenclature. No wonder they are all America’s forgotten fruit desserts. There is still no clarity as to why the-cobbler-like-dessert was called Pandowdy! Cobbler is so much better!

Name your desserts and your bakery
with a bit of romance and a bit of flirty fun. That’s what all that sugar is going to do to your customers- which is to make them fall in love- and with a mouthful of love they’ll say thy desserts name. It better be historic.

7 Fool-Proof ways to make your bakery business stand out.

Do you run a bakery business? Or plan to start one? These 7 important tips will make sure you take the cake and have it too!

So, you have been told that your cakes and cookies are legendary huh? Oh, wait, you’ve also been told that you should be a professional baker. And for once, you have put a stopper to your apprehensions and started that dream bakery of yours. But how will you make sure that turning your passion for pies and sincerity for soufflés is being recognized by your potential customers? Believe us, to run a bakery business requires more than just a good flaky crust. There is commitment involved, constant one, and also planning and clever marketing of your products.

Take a look at our carefully collated list of 7 fool-proof ways to make your bakery business stand out to get the best of your endeavor. Oh, and of course, a good flaky crust will help a lot too!

1. Create a niche and win in the section

Choose something- one thing- and be very good at it. So much so, that your products encounters no competition. Whether it’s those cream-puffs you cater with or your grandmother’s special black forest cake, or a key lime pie: you must decide what you want to be known for.

2. Keep Room For Customization

A lot of bakeries lose out on business because of fixed menu. If you want to win, keep a tiny room for customization. After all, we all like to feel special and when you go that extra length to make your customers happy, karma gives you business love right back. Black forest with no cherries? So be it!

3. Solve a problem with good communication

When a customer walks inside a pastry shop– and we are telling this from our experience- he/she has no idea of what he/she is to buy. Studies suggest that most customers walk in a patisserie shop to like something and buy more than buying what they like. Name your desserts well, write its main flavors on the placard and help them while they try to like your products. Explain to them the occasions and the cakes that can go with it and which cake is perfect for what event. A good salesman is half your business won!

4. Make an offer they cannot deny

Can your bakery business be known for special breads that is available only on Sundays? Can it be known in town, as that one place where you get 6 muffins free on 20? Or a 100% refund if the product is not satisfactory? Then propose! Make a window art, use social channels to commemorate the same and up-sell (at the counter). Make an offer they would come back for.

5. Have an over the top customer service

Everyone knows the success story of over the top customer service! If your bakery business has to excel, you must create an over the top customer response system to generate word of mouth advertising- which is considered to be the most lucrative form of advertising even today. How to kick start? Deliver more than you have promised. A little key chain with first delivery, a gift or even a call and a muffin on your customer’s birthday will do the trick.

6. Have a fun and witty online voice

Need we tell this to you that in this jet age, being present in the online-o-spere is more important that really existing on earth? And if you do little, wisely on social sharing platforms you’ll be surprised at the fan following you will garner. To do this, the first thing is to have a voice. Do you want your business to be known as fun and humorous, appealing to the young crowd? Do you want your business to be known as classy and elegant? Make your social channels a reflection of what your bakery business is all about. And most importantly, keep it updated with information, contests and engagements.

7. Communicate the difference

Do you know what makes your bakery business or patisserie stand out from the rest? Is it the fresh butter from your farm that makes your cakes so moist? Free range eggs? Everything made fresh, everyday? Do you bake organic or run a sustainable outlet? Communicate it to your potential customers to turn them into loyals.

But then again, nothing is worth if your crust ain’t flaky! Quality rules the roost and it is only quality that acts as the foundation for a good bakery business. All of the above is built around it! So keep it delicious to begin with. Tell us, which is that once bakery you would go back to forever? And why?

Moulds vs Hands

Who makes you the cake boss?

                                                                                

Mould vs Your Hand:

Which is that one thing you should put your faith on while aiming to make a cake you can’t take your eyes off?

Yes, this is our topic of discussion, here at Cakesmiths this arvo and not a question to be taken lightly. As a matter of fact this is one of the most important questions that you should be asking yourself before you embark on your baking journey. Should you be buying moulds for every little thing? Which is a fail-proof option? or should you be flaunting your skills by making every bit, every nook and corner, by your hand? Well, although the decision is completely up to you, we’d like to give you a bit of heads and tails about both.

Moulds or Hand-crafting: Or the perfect marriage of both?

Have you ever watched “The Cake Boss” or “The Sugar-Stars”? If you haven’t already, you should. It’ll give you a clear idea as to why a marriage of both of the above is required for making ‘that perfect cake’. From little Barbie dolls whose gown is nothing but a layer of mouth watering chocolate cake and gooey icing to famous man-made structures of the world copycat-ted in kilos of rice crispy and fondants: It is important for the hands to work magic while the moulds act as your sous-chef.

Pros and Cons of using moulds: Wow crafting but where’s the detail?

Yes. Moulds rock the baker’s boat. Without a good mould (You can check our range of baking and confection moulds here) a baker is but half. Rustic is a way of going about it but rustic is not acceptable when it comes to professional cakes unless you are Jamie Oliver!

The base of every good cake owes its perfection to a good, non-sticky mould. The most lofty, beautiful and swoon worthy patisserie begin its life in a mould. Note this, moulds made in silicon gives you that extra edge: you will never have broken ends. Speaking for moulds; when it comes to making macarons, we really think, using moulds is a better alternative than piping them. It eliminates all chances of it being irregular and you’ll never have to look for ‘a pair’ if you know what we mean. Needless mentioning, for making chocolates or cheesecakes, you will need a mould. Moulds help your dessert set better, in perfect shape which is crucial for its aesthetic. For cutting fondants in various forms too you’ll get cutters which can be classified under moulds. In a word, with moulds, you have perfection.

But you wish life was that easy! Although there are moulds to give you perfection, you will need your hands for detailing. Cakes that require color, shading, lacing is unachievable without your hands. For the sugar laces that adorn pretty cakes, you’ll literally have to “draw” on the fondant! There are no moulds for finer things in life!

Hands for hands?   

Rolling your fondant, mixing your batter, placing your tiers, cutting humongous chunks of pastry base to a desired shape, painting the dessert and adding intricate sugar-laces: Oh, a hand is what a baker should value more than his gold! Your mould can make you a perfect 9” cake but to make a peacock out of it, you’ll need strategy and your hands. Your mould can give you perfect profiteroles but to make a croquembouche you need your hands. If you are looking at a dessert that oozes details, then its your hands you should be trusting.

To be fair, this question of whether hands or moulds is quite unfair as you’d need a mix of both to get that perfect macaroon, the perfect cake or cute leaves out of your fondant. It’s like your two hands, you cannot do with one!

 

Super-handy Tips for Baking from Scratch

Welcome to reading us, you can pull a chair and lick the batter while we talk baking on this beautiful day: an affair pretty usual in Cakesmiths land. How have you been holding up in your neck of woods? Our today’s broadcast is all about making desserts from scratch and some super handy tips that’ll help you not turn cold feet when you run out of unsalted butter, caster sugar or self-raising flour! Remember, these were invented to augment your process of baking. This is not what baking relies on. As a matter of fact, none of these luxuries were available, or even invented, when baking first started!

Cheap, chic and a bit of cheat never harmed anyone

Can’t lay your hands on cream cheese? Did you know you can make it home? That you can substitute ½ a teaspoon cream of tartar and ½ a teaspoon of baking soda for baking powder and make short crust pastry at home is something we often don’t know. This post is made with the agenda that once we are over talking and you reading, you shall never take a two penny’s worth worry if you are put to bake some gourmet desserts from scratch. Ready?

We’re dividing this into two parts:

a)      Common baking substitutes

b)      Speed cheats :  What and why

 

Common Baking Subs that save you every time

While self raising flour can be made with adding 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour, unsalted Butter can be substituted with plain butter by just taking away that pinch of salt. Take a look at these quick subs that’ll make it all a cakewalk for you.

 

Speed Cheats: What and why you should be doing this while baking 1. Creaming at room temperature: The process of mixing butter and sugar is called creaming. If you have noticed, it is always advised to use butter at room temperature. So, why not cold or hot? It’s because if it is at room temperature the sugar can work its magic in the butter and aerate it to create multiple air pockets, which is further expanded by the baking powder you use to give you light, tender, fluffy pastry. If your butter is hot, the crystals of sugar just die into a caramel. If it’s hard and cold, it refuses to mix up! Moody things these sugars. 2. Cold butter for pie crust: Oh, didn’t we just talk about butter at room temperature? Why can’t that be applicable for all? Well, because you want your pie to be flaky, gorgeous and full of layers. If the butter is from the fridge and cold, it won’t completely mix into the flour and some will remain in pieces, which get elongated by the rolling pin to give you long flat sheets of butter within your dough. Most butter contains about 15 to 17 percent water: which means when your pie dough goes into the oven, the water turns to steam and creates bubbly layers in your dough which makes it flaky and gorgeous. 3. Ingredients at room temperature: Milk, buttermilk or eggs should always be used at room temperature. Why? Because imagine you creamed your sugar & butter and poured some ice-cold milk on top. The result will be little pellets of solidified butter which when goes in as a cake batter in the oven will form little holey pockets in your cake! To make sure you get that perfect cake, keep every ingredient at the same temperature: which is room temperature.

Cheating with essence and ingredients: An essential cheating process about which you must know!

One of our colleague’s grandmother never used essence. She used preserves and fresh fruits and the cake would turn out just as delicious! But why then essence and extracts are advised? This is to achieve an added dose of the flavor; the flavor one is using to make the cake with. So, for example, if you run out on orange essence, a cup of orange juice and orange zest will make up for it. Similarly, if you have missed out on chocolate chips, cacao nibs are perfect and also make for a good alternative. Check this sheet below which has some amazing baking from scratch substitutes and they are healthier than their traditional alternatives. These substitutes work seamlessly and do not alter the flavoring of the cake!

In addition, here are few common substitutes from us, which will help you bake perfectly. Take a look:

 

Surely, there is nothing in the world that you can’t bake from scratch, should you have that unending love for baking! But again, there is one essential ingredient that cannot be substituted or even cheated while baking. No! It’s not flour but LOVE. The best of cakes are one which is made with a lot of love. Precisely why, we lick batter! The last remaining bit of love laden gooey goodness is what makes us the sweet lot! This is us signing off: keep baking and lick the batter!

Have you met Syrup the Seductress!

Legend tales of a legendary muffin, that fell in love with Syrup the Seductress and changed how taste bud land functioned, forever. Poor, mealy muffin used to sit on a window sill looking high up at the castle wondering how would it be-life-inside the castle with all those syrup-y goodness. “Shiny, sparkling and full of fruity abundance!” thought he, “Life must be so beautiful in the Syrup Kingdom”.

And in the mean-time, while every syrup damsel was busy in their show of dross in syrup land, one soul searched for meaning. Sitting pretty beside her father, the syrup king, this damsel was in distress, perhaps waiting to fall in love and not get married.

Many a suitor {mostly breads} exhibited gallantry in front of the court but somewhere each of them expected her to be finally take the fate of a jam and be by their side, married, happily forever after. Her heart ached for someone who would compliment her just as she is; a chance to fall in love with someone who would forever love her, make her smile, be her best friend.

It was not meant for them to cross paths, if not for the common dessert high ball. Mealy muffin put on his best icing sugar in a hope that he would be granted an entry and took his best pal, oat cookie with him. Princess blueberry syrup looked like a thousand million stars and wanted to hide away from all this. It was on the farthest corner of the royal bakery they met. The rest is pure history.

And so goes the story, here at Cakesmiths, about how desserts and syrups are a match in heaven. It is only natural that we think one of the must-haves in your baking supplies or your desserts pantry is a collection of syrups.

You want to pass a plain vanilla cake off? You want to bundle in an extra texture? You want your desserts to seduce your guests? You want to make people with sweet tooth call you the goddess? You can bank on syrups to do all of the above for you. As a matter of fact- and this is a cheat-sheet worthy information- if your birthday cake turns out a little too dry, poke holes and pour in some syrup or pour it directly in the baking tin. The end result will be a moist, fragrant dessert that’ll transport you straight to heaven. And of course! How could we not mention this- If you think icing is not your cup of tea, a drizzle of syrup will be quite a dapper. It’s manna for bakers, entertainers and of course for all you foodies out there.

Considering we have the party season upon us- and yes that would mean one too many house parties- let’s decode 3 best syrups to slather your desserts with this holiday season.

Tastebuds dance with Dulce-de-leche 

Not really syrup, by measures of consistency, but a dollop of dulce-le-leche can seriously elevate any dessert and is a dessert in its own right. A caramel sauce that has the world by its taste; Dulce-de-leche {pronounced as dool-say-deh-lay-chay} is a rich, creamy, sinful, addictive and ‘you’ll lick the spoon so hard to finish the last bit that you might make the spoon thinner’ milk based sauce that’s perfect to put on cakes, breads, brownies, biscuits and more. Available in packaged bottles in super markets- tell you what? There is nothing like a homemade leche. If you are looking for a recipe, you might want to check this recipe out.

The quintessential Chocolate Sauce

Oh, where would we be if not for chocolate sauce? In drinks, in coffee, in Irish, on bread, on biscuits, on cakes, on muffins: yes, you know what we mean when we tell you chocolate sauce is probably the best invention after the oven. With an innate capability to turn anything into a spectacular dessert, chocolate sauce is easy to make, takes only minutes and is everyone’s favorite. Although there are many brands in the market which sells chocolate sauce, we’d still bank on the homemade rendition: well, if nothing else, for the brag factor. We found this chocolate sauce recipe quite similar to ours.

 

Berries and Booze make the best syrup ever Yes, there! We said it. Berries and booze magically work together to give you syrups that not only gets you high on taste but also drunk in sugar love. Now there are two kinds of syrup you can make with booze and berries. a)     Coulis b)     Fruit syrups Coulis is a form of thick sauce made from puréed and strained fruits, and is often used with strudels, puddings, pannacotta et al. Typically, a coulis is made by boiling and blitzing fruits with sugar and later straining it through a fine mesh. The consistency is of a sauce, not syrup.

A boozey-fruity syrup on the other hand would be a coulis but thinner.

Both of them make wonderful dessert partners and we think you should totally see how a simple fruit syrup here, takes another simple Belgian waffle to great heights. This recipe can be used with ice-creams and strudels too!

It’s a shame how quickly the length of the article increases while talking about syrups. There’s this whole, wide world full of yummy syrup-ey goodness and all you can talk in one space is 700 words {and that’s quite lengthy for a post, no?} Ah! Shame! Maybe we will do a part two and three and four, but for now, this is our favorite list of syrups that you must try in your cakes and pastries to round the year up.

Bon Appétit!

 

The Dark Sides of Cake!

A sweet tooth doesn’t always come with a keen eye for details. Similarly, passion for baking isn’t always backed with adequate knowledge on the must-haves or even some of the processes involved. Whether you are baking for the family or at a more commercial level, a cake that has gone terribly awry is any baker’s nightmare.

A good cake is the result of the right ingredients in adequate proportions followed by a step-by-step baking route sans shortcuts. Yes, there are plenty of such shortcuts you don’t want to tread on and that’s exactly why you need to read up on this “beware list” to help you figure out what’s a cake and what’s a fake.

The Eggy wonder

Agreed there are cakes without eggs but there’s no denying that eggs add a charm of their own to your cake while they also hold baked products in place. Make sure your cake has whole eggs instead of just egg whites, which are known to make cakes very brittle and dry. Whole eggs are best used to bind the cake together and its fat adds the necessary moisture.e.

See through the sugarcraft

How often have you fallen in love with the cake only to take back those emotions when you bite into it? A lot of cakes come with extensive butter cream and sugar craft on it, sometimes to an extent that gets annoying and nauseating. If you have to bite into a never-ending layer of this to reach your cake, well, that’s a big turn off in itself.

Also, using home-whipped sugar granules for your frosting is an idea you shouldn’t harbor even as a quick fix solution to your baking. The purpose behind using icing or powdered sugar is to do away with the grainy texture of coarsely ground sugar. Your fondant, sugar craft or icing dust on confectionary is more like the finale to the piece. You wouldn’t want to compromise on that. Read up on this piece to get more ideas on how to select your icing sugar.

Watch your bite

While ordering cakes for a particular occasion and a specific guest list, you need to be certain how much of your cake is edible and how much of it is all looks. If your edible portions don’t match your guest list,there’s aproblem in hand. Similarly, as a baker, you don’t want to puff up your cake more than is required and have your customers wonder how deep their bite needs to be to reach some cake.

Take the fizz out of your cake

An increasing trend to use coca cola to bake your cake is a slightly unnerving one for those who swear by the conventions of baking. While those using it are of the opinion that the cola drink serves as a substitute for eggs and keeps the cake soft, moist and acts as a raising agent, to even picture the drink being mixed with a multitude of other ingredients and eventually baked on a high temperature is neither appetizing nor healthy.

But naturally

Go aunaturale when flavoring and coloring your baked confectionary. You score brownie points that way with those who are at the receiving end. For instance, get a fruity flavor with a blend of raisins, dried cranberries or dried apricots and ground cinnamon. For an orangey twang, add the zest of an orange to your cake mixture. The idea is to do away with added preservatives and coloring. For a touch of red, use fresh pomegranate juice or pure blueberry juice for a fancy blue colored cake instead of using artificial colors. Agreed such cakes come with a shelf life and it’s vital to specify the ‘Consume by’ date to your customers but the sheer delight of biting into anything natural is simply priceless. Some great ways to create natural flavorings can be found here.

Be it a special occasion or simply no occasion, a wow cake can set the mood right. Bake up a sweet treat that’s high on indulgence and quality avoiding the major baking blunders a baker can ever experience. After all, you don’t want a sweet ending to end on a not-so-sweet note.

SCRATCH IT OFF THE LIST!

Welcome to the baking authenticity.

In this day in age, a business has to abide the laws and play by the rules, and the rule is clear — the healthier, the better.

Health is wealth and taking care of your greatest wealth can be tricky. They have those addicted taste buds and them eyes attached, who desire the delight of looking at pretty things.

When it comes to baking, there is so much that is available in terms of flavors, colors, decorations, essences however, how much can you recognize amongst all that — which one of them is authentic and which ones are synthetic.

Here we have put together a list of ingredients to be scratched off of your list now, to help you remedy your baked delights so you can experience the world of healthy baking.

1. Scratching off of the list, our 1st contender: Artificial Colors

“Synthetic colors have been suspected of triggering behavioral problems in children since 1970s”, The Dark Side of Food Colors, 2013 [Online], Foodmatters.tv. To name a few, blue dye number 1 & 2 are associated with cancer whereas red dye 3 & green dye 3 are linked with thyroid and bladder cancer, respectively. Even a 2007 study commissioned by the British Food Standards Agency states that food dyes in cakes, cupcakes, baked good, desserts etc. increases the level of hyperactivity and lowers your kids’ IQ level.

Without any further ado, let’s scratch off the synthetic and bring in the natural colors to our baking process. A healthy substitute and another skill of art for you to master.

2. Scratching off of the list, our 2nd urgency is: Artificial Flavoring/Emulsifiers

While picking these up, they may say Natural Flavoring but beware of their side-effects. Artificial flavors are no less of a menace than the synthetic colors. Making you prone to depression, dizziness, aches and allergies, these wrong ingredients are not as harmful as the colors but better to stay off of them and opt to go natural. Try using fresh fruits and syrups & jams made out of fresh fruits to add that authentic flavor and taste to your baked delights.

For vanilla flavor, you may use actual vanilla pods, for rose extract go for the real rose petals instead. Bottom line is to use the actual fruit or vegetable to extract the flavor, which is stronger, absolutely natural and moreover, the safest.

3. Scratching off of the list, our 3^rd & most dangerous of all: Decorations

“All that glitters is not edible”, Daily Mail, 2012 [Online], Dailymail.co.uk.

Glitters and dusts on cakes/cup-cakes may just easily be finely ground-up plastic or brass.  They say non-toxic on the packaging, however, that still doesn’t qualify them as edible. Make sure to check the packaging for whether it is actually edible or not and what ingredients have been used to make them. Moreover, scratching it off of your list would be a better idea. Try decorating your cakes with violets or primroses. If you wish to get more creative, you may go for even colorfully varied fruits or dry-fruits.

That is only one part of the decorations, plastic figurines, wired gum paste flowers, pillars in a tier cake, one must be informed about such non edible decorative accessories before the cake/cup-cake is displayed for consumption. Bottom line, the less decorative the cake is the better it is for your health.

4. Scratching off of the list, our last runner-up: Low-quality Equipment

They may appear alright and they may work absolutely fine, but how toxic they are, do they ever consider mentioning that! Moulds and tins used for baking may appear to be a minor cause of worrying however as a responsible baker, you should be worried to know how healthy the material used to manufacture the same actually is. Especially silicone moulds, using cheaper substitute saves you some money but health is your biggest wealth. Make sure to check that your moulds have undergone at least 7 hours of thermal procedure to eliminate any possibility of residual toxic substance. Scratching off the cheaper substitute not only saves you money in the long run but also helps you stay fit.

To enjoy the multifold of baking, a baker must relish the joy of baking from scratch and so scratch these hazardous ingredients off your list and bake yourself a cake that you savor every bit of.

Happy Baking!

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