I have a restaurant that wants to give their cutomers complimentary mini bday cakes when they eat there on their birthday. We have agreed on the size and look of the cake but I need to get back to them with pricing info. That is not my primary question but would love any advice on that. Keep in mind the restaurant will not be making anything on these cakes directly. I know they sell most of their desserts for $5-6 though. The hope is that the mini cake is just for the bday person and will encourage the others dining with them to purchase another dessert for themseleves. As opposed to one large dessert that in the past has been shared by the table.

Sorry, I am veering here.

Ok, so they will be ordering by the week and plan to keep the BC cakes in the refrigerator. I know this drys the cake out and I am afraid that the served product will not be good. Everywhere I go though, grocery stores and even bakeries have their cakes in a cooler. Is there a recipe that is better than others for this type of thing? Should I be trying to convince them to keep it out of the refrigerator? That also stresses me because they make their own carrot cake and keep that cold (cc frosting) and it is not dry (I have had it) so how will I look when I tell them my cake will dry out?

So sorry, this post is looong

This is my first post but I have loved using this site as a reference for about 2 years now. Thank you everyone for all your pics and info.

Toshia

Do you know your cake will dry out in the fridge? Most of the time if its covered in buttercream and boxed, the cake is fine.

Could they freeze them?

My personal experience with my *original* WASC recipe is it will keep well in the frig for a week - especially if it compeltely covered in icing.

Yes I do which is why I am concerned about them wanting to refrigerate them. I don't want them to be refrigerated but they, like most places, are addicted to refrigeration.

I would opt to freeze them. If they are tiny, one serving cakes, then they can set them on a wire rack when the meal is ordered. By the time the meal is cooked, served, and eaten, a small cake with good circulation around it ought to be thawed. Especially in a warm kitchen.

My cakes are never dry when refriged (covered with buttercream). Whether they are butter based or oil based, they will always come out moist once thawed.

Maybe you can try out new recipes to overcome this prob, OR you can freeze your cakes PRIOR to icing them, as this will result in moistier cakes. So even if refriged later on, the moistness will be retained.

Is this a planned situation or will people just come in and tell their waitress that it is someone's birthday? This will greatly influence if there is time for a thaw.

I have the same question as scp1127. Bc, sometimes ppl (like myself in the pass) have forgotten or were delayed in telling their waiter/waitress that there is a bday to celebrate. This could cause a problem if the cake needs to be thawed, which requires some time.

I know they would prefer to freeze them and logistically I am not sure how they plan to handle that in terms of when the cake comes out (good point and I will have to discuss) but, maybe this is a silly question, how does that impact the bc decorations? I have only ever frozen undecorated cakes and have wrapped them in both plastic and foil and then freezer bag. I don't see how you can wrap a decorated cake?? As you can tell I am a newbie here. Until now I have only done custom orders and always make my cakes fresh. Anything I freeze, although moist/good, always becomes cake pops.

I can tell you this much, they are not going to wrap yr cakes. They wb either placed on the shelf in or out of the box in the freezer. Your BC decorations won't be affected. They will thaw out just the same as the icing on the cake.

When we freeze decorated cakes we always put them in a snap-together plastic container and wrap them in plastic wrap.

For example:
http://plasticcontainercity.com/round_cake_dome_containers.htm

Thanks everyone for all your help. I will def recommend freezing them and price out the plastic snap containers.

Toshia

I agree with Jason; the plastic containers make a lot of difference, whether in the fridge or freezer. They block moisture wicking/humidity issues both ways, they'll help protect the cakes from trauma while in storage as well. For storage beyond delivery protection, plastic containers are the way to go.

(If you have a Sam's Club nearby and they're still selling those 'bistro' cakes or small cakes, inquire about purchasing your packaging through them. The Sam's Clubs near me sell any packaging they actually purchase to package items from bags and boxes to paper and plastic. Just keep in mind, you will have to buy an entire case and if they have a low on-hand quantity, they may require you to pre-order it)