how many choices of different cakes, fillings and icings do you have or recommend? I'm writing out a list and my DH and mom says it will overwhelm people with that many choices. Right now I have 28 cakes with 24 filling options and 14 icing options (this does not include various items like cheesecakes, brownies, and candies)

I'm doing decorated cakes too but since this is my weak point I'm mainly focusing on cakes with flavor that look good and decorated cakes will take more of a lead later when my skills improve.

As of right now we have 41 cake flavors, with six more coming out soon. I would say we have about 25 fillings also. I can't keep track. My flavors list sparks alot of potential brides interests. Most of the decorators around me have 2 to 10 choices tops. I love formulating new recipes and making all the cakes does slow me down, but for brides I think they should be given as many options. If I made birthday cakes I would defantely narrow the choices because i'd loose money on the labor of making everything. There's just a better profit margin with weddings.

Andrea

If you are focusing on mainly dessert cakes, then it's good to have many options. However as you start to offer decorated cakes, then you might want to scale down the flavor offerings, especially as you get more orders for them. You will need to store so many ingredients PLUS decorating supplies and pans etc. Unless you have adequate space and assistance, it may get overwhelming.
JMO
-Rezzy

lol, I'm already overwhelmed and I only have 1 cake order yet just kidding. Thanks for the advice andrea and rezzy! I'm more into cheesecakes, mousses and dessert cakes but I would LOVE to do more decorating cakes down the road.

I do Chocolate and white cake.
I will change the fillings out but people like it simple! I will do lemon curd, raspberry, and such but most of my clients have had my cake and just stick the basics--Go figure!

Also I only use SMBC unless it is carrot cake or Red velvet <---Not to many orders on that!

Hardly anyone here does red velvet. I have a few recipes but have not tried them yet because of how much red actually goes into the cake. (yikes) Do You recommend a scratch red velvet or a doctored box one? Something to think about adding on later I guess.

I have 17 different cake flavors. 16 different filling flavors and 8 different icing flavors. I also have cookies, cupcake combinations (26), pies and cheesecake.

Think I'm OK with all these cake options after all! Thanks for the input, you all make a LOT of cake and filling flavors too I see

would you all mind listing the flavors of cakes / fillings that you have? I'm always looking for inspiration with new flavors!

On the bottom of my price list I include "If you don't see anything you like ASK, I may be able to create something special just for you!"

I currently have 15 cakes, about as many frostings, and about 10 fillings. Most of my customers want the same thing all the time and don't want to try anything new. I bake cakes, cookies, cheesecakes and cake balls.

It may help to have a list of "standard" flavors (chocolate, white, yellow, carrot, etc . . . ) and then have a secondary list of "specialty" flavors where you list all of the fancy ones. Just splitting your list into two categories can help keep it from looking overwhelming.

good tips! so far this is what I got flavor wise...

white almond sour cream cake, lemon (poppyseed optional), vanilla chai, butter, white vanilla carmel, coconut, rum butter cream, sour cream spice, german choc., pineapple, missisippi mud, ameretto (yellow or choc.), champagne, carmel apple, carrot cake (coconut/pineapple optional) white velvet, strawberry, raspberry, choc. cherry bomb ( bundt pan cake), cinnamon, chcolate, red velvet, devils food,
choc. coconut burbon, choc. with heath, stacked cookie cake with cream cheese icing and stacked pecan brownie with sweetened whipped cream

(I did take some off the list and looking at what I just typed out some seem awful similar to some other flavors with a small difference so I'll probly take some more out)

for fillings I have lemon curd, lime curd, orange curd, carmel, carmel with toffee bits, bavarian cream, cheesecake, any pudding flavor, banana custard, carmel pecan, butter pecan mousse, bourbon custard, choc.- rasp. ganache, twinkie filling, hazelnut whipped filling, pineapple, pecan, oreo, choc. b/c, cinnamon b/c, butterscotch b/c, raspberry b/c, strawberryb/c and blackberry b/c, I also do just plain fruit preserves.


for those who see a recipe they would like I got all my recipes from this site, foodnetwork and recipezaar.

any advice on what to add or to trim off this list?

I'm willing to make someone whatever flavor they want. The ones I have made are....

Standard Flavors:
White
Yellow
Chocolate-all variations(devils food, fudge, triple, etc.)
Lemon
Strawberry

Speciality Flavors:
Neopolitan
Caramel Apple
Red Velvet
Peanut Butter Silk
Pumpkin
Banana

Fillings:
Whipped Chocolate Ganache(my all time favorite)
Buttercream Icing(sometimes mixed with jams)
Mousse
Peanut Butter
Oreo Filling
Baked Apples

i only do 4....

and 5 fillings....

they'd be standing there all day dumbfounded if i had that many choices.

i do alot of cakes on the weekend...and i find 95% usually want white or half and half.

I am working on getting a list with more flavors, but even when I tell people a few different options, my biggest seller by far is chocolate and white marble. Second is a toss up between white and chocolate.

that's actually what my DH is concerned about: people not being able to decide because of too many choices.
fmandds, where did you find the peanut butter silk recipe if you don't mind me asking?

In "Betty Croker Ultimate Cake Mix Cookbook", my dad bought me awhile ago(3 years ago?). Barnes and Noble had them on clearance. Its has a lot of doctored cakes to make a whole bunch of different things. Here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Silk Cake

1 BC yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil(I sub this out for applesauce)
3 eggs

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl combine cake mix, water, 1/2 cup peanut butter, oil and eggs. Pour into pans. Bake 30-38 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and refrigerate 10 minutes. Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Beat 1/2 cup peanut butter into the brown sugar/butter mixture until smooth and creamy. Add whipped cream to peanut butter mixture and beat until smooth and creamy.

Use the whipped cream/peanut butter as the filling/torte on the cakes.

i only make my red velvet from scratch the box is not good to me..unless someone is willing to share their secert on how to get a red velvet to taste like a scratch cake

I believe this was a Martha Stewart recipe, but I wanted caramel in the cake,not just as an icing, so I added some when I added the apples.

Caramel Apple Cake

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking SODA
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 medium apples (preferably Granny Smith), cored and peeled
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (3sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup apple butter
2 tablespooons vegetable oil
1/2 cup caramel

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat cake pans with cooking spray; cover bottoms with parchment, and coat again. Set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Shred apples on a box grater. Transfer to paper towels; press gently to drain. Transfer to a medium bowl, and toss with 1/2 cup flour mixture to coat completely.

3. Put sugars and butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add remaining flour mixture; mix until just combined. Mix in vanilla, apple butter, and oil. Add shredded apples and caramel, and mix until combined. Divide batter among prepared pans.

4. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks; let cool in pans slightly. Invert cakes onto racks. remove parchment; reinvert to cool completely.

Baked Apples

I have the apple peeler/corer/slicer from Pampered chef. I don't know if you know what that is but to me its a godsend. I put the apple on the contraption and twirl it. I pull the peeled, sliced, cored apple from it and cut in half. Place into oven safe bowl. Throw flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg on apples and toss to coat. Bake until tender. Cool completely and arrange onto cake.

Its basically apple pie filling that I let cool and arrange on cake. Since I use the pampered chef tool it make the slice the same thickness so I don't have to worry about it being lopsided.

wow, fmandds, that sounds SO GOOD! I am going to have to try your recipes. I love the baked apple idea. Brilliant!

This reminds me of the story about the kid that walked into Baskin-robbins ice cream shop and asked the clerk what flavors do you have? So, the clerk very patiently recited the 47 flavors. The child thought very hard, and without any reservations said.... I'll have vanilla. My thoughts, are, the KISS method(and for those of you that may not know this phrase, Keep it Simple Stupid. The philosophy has worked well for me. I will do anything a customer asks for, just don't advertise it. When it comes down to it people aren't in to complex choices.

ckkerber, would you mind posting (or pm) the recipe for the Freckled Mocha Cake with the Baileys Irish Creame Mousse? It sounds really good! Just wanted to thank fmandds for posting those 2 recipes also. Trent (by the way I love this name, it's also my sons name) I have not found a good way to doctor a red velvet cake yet, I'm trying some scratch recipes posted on here this week.

I'm specializing in dessert cakes so I think I'll be OK with all the choices for right now, but if I was doing just decorated I would keep it more simple. Thanks for the advice though, I do appreciate it and I really don't want to get burned out.

Wow, I need to print this thread! I've been trying to work on my flavors list for a while now. I can't tell you how many websites I've looked at ot see what they offer!

thanks for the recipe post ck! I have a lot of recipes to try soon just from this thread! Jen, I've already saved the recipes to my computer too.