bake - July/August 2023 - 48

What Makes a
Great Frosting
C
reated to honor the simple recipes and baking traditions of
her two grandmothers, SusieCakes was founded by Susan
Sarich in 2006, and today delivers baked-from-scratch, lovely cakes
including Vanilla Celebration, Red Velvet, Old-Fashioned Chocolate
and more nationwide and via its stores throughout California and
Texas.
Sarich, who is also chief executive officer of SusieCakes, shares
valuable insights on what makes a great frosting. Her bakery's specialty
is buttercream.
" To make a delicious and quality buttercream frosting, you want
to make sure you always source the most fresh and highest quality
ingredients you can find, " Sarich explains. " At SusieCakes, we make
our buttercream from scratch, using only the finest, real ingredients,
including European-style butter. "
Sarich has achieved great renown for her cake creations. She
shares a few secrets to making and working with buttercream
frosting.
" First and foremost, it's important to know there are various types
of buttercreams you can work with, such as American, Swiss and
Italian. Across all of our bakeries, we use American buttercream for
our cakes and cupcakes, " she says.
" My first tip for making buttercream starts at the very beginning.
You want to assure that the butter is at room temperature when you
start mixing it with the other ingredients, and I also recommend that
you sift your confectioner's sugar to avoid lumps. "
If you plan to reuse your buttercream, she adds, always mix it
again to soften it and prevent the buttercream from breaking, which
can sometimes happen as a result of ingredients separating.
As for flavor trends, Sarich explains that menu changes/rotations
shift throughout the year.
" During the summer season, we traditionally see an uptick in fruit
48 2023
BIRTHDAY CAKES
flavored buttercreams, like strawberry and lemon, which are fan
favorites. Another delicious flavor that is also quite popular throughout
the warm season is rose wine buttercream, " she explains.
" We plan our seasonal specials and limited-edition offerings a
year in advance, to ensure we have ample time to work with our
suppliers and get the appropriate ingredients stocked up before we
launch the product. "
SusieCakes has noticed that guests are now ordering for all types
of holidays, such as St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras,
etc., whereas before, spikes came with the more conventional holidays,
like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.
" We love that our classic baked goods bring people together and
that guests are making every holiday a cause for celebration, no
matter how big or small, " she says.
Over the past few years, SusieCakes has had to navigate and overcome
the continuous labor shortage that practically every industry
has faced. To combat this, they moved to a more simplistic menu,
with many seasonal features sprinkled in throughout the year.
" We're thrilled that our loyal fans have responded well to these
changes, " Sarich points out. " We've had many special edition offerings
this year, including collaborations with well-known alcohol
brands and chocolate companies. Looking ahead, we're excited to
continue adding new items to our menu that are great-tasting and
help our customers celebrate life's special moments. "
DAILY DELIGHTS AND MORE
The intersection of Daily Delights and Mindfulness Matters opens
the door to an amazing opportunity for retail bakeries today. Dawn
Foods identifies four transformative trends in its new Global Bakery
Trends, and two - Daily Delights and Mindfulness Matters - can
be viewed through a single prism that sheds valuable light on what
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bake - July/August 2023

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