Strawberry Desserts

Strawberry Bread Pudding

Bread
Butter or margarine
Fresh strawberries
Sugar
Whipped cream

\"Cake Recipes\"

1. Toast several pieces of bread and butter them.
2. Line a baking dish, butter side down, with the slices of bread. Toast enough bread to cover the bottom of whatever baking dish you are using.
3. Cover the slices of toast with a generous layer of fresh strawberries.
4. Place a few pieces of crumbled toast among the strawberries.
5. Sift sugar all through and over the strawberries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. This dish is best when served cold with whipped cream on top.

Strawberry Tapioca

1/2 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1 1/2 cups crushed strawberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cook tapioca according to box directions.
2. Add salt, sugar, and strawberry pulp and cook 5 minutes more.
3. Serve cold with whipped cream and additional strawberries which have been sliced and sugared.

Strawberry Fruit Beverage

1 quart strawberries, crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
2 cups crushed pineapple
2 cups sugar
6 cups water

1. Cook sugar with half of the water until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add it with the remaining water and the orange and lemon juice to the fruit which has been crushed and placed in a bowl.
3. Set aside in a cool place for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Strain into a pitcher or punch bowl and serve.

Add plenty of ice. Garnish, if desired, with extra halved strawberries. The pineapple may be either canned or fresh. If canned pineapple is used, substitute one cup of the juice from the can for one cup of water.

Strawberry Fruit Cocktail

1 cup diced canned or fresh pineapple
1 cup halved strawberries
2 oranges, divided into sections
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
Whole and half strawberries for garnishing

1. Combine the pineapple and the cupful of halved berries with half of the orange sections - from which the pith and membrane have been removed - the sugar, water, and lemon juice.
2. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator for several hours.
3. Arrange in small sherbet dishes, piling up the mixture in the center.
4. Decorate with the remaining sections of oranges and strawberries.

Strawberry Desserts

~Jessica Gerald~

Visit http://www.easydinnerrecipes.org for meal ideas, recipes, and cooking tips.

Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection - Cake Decorating Without Fear

Our kid birthday cake idea collection makes cake decorating fun and fearless. You don't have to be a pastry chef to create a professional quality cake for your child's birthday or other special event. Learn unique and easy cake decorating ideas to make spectacular homemade cakes.

PARTY CAKE CONCEPT AND DESIGN

Cake

The most important kid birthday cake idea is choosing a cake concept which fits with your party theme. You can start with a simple sheet cake topped with small toys or figures, or piece the cake itself to form a unique design.

For example, a Construction Party cake could be topped with tiny toy dumptrucks and bulldozers pushing a chocolate chip mountain. Or, the cake itself could be cut, pieced and frosted to look like a dump truck.

For a Train Party, set a miniature choo-choo train on licorice tracks atop your cake, or line up several brightly colored frosted loaf cakes to form train cars.

For a Luau party, a simple round or sheet cake can be festooned with a silk flower lei, or form a string of cupcakes in a circle and adorn each one with silk or frosting flowers. Connect with a licorice string to make a cupcake "lei".

Baking cakes in an oven-safe glass bowl or in a special 3D sports ball pan is great for making any kind of perfectly round ball cake, or the dress part of a Barbie doll cake. A wonder mold cake pan makes small single serving doll cakes and other cute creations!

Think of the design you'd like to make and what shapes you need to make it - round, sheet, loaf, cupcakes, or a combination.

Peruse cake decorating books for a kid birthday cake idea which fits your needs. Many books provide templates forcutting and piecing cakes to create any number of popular designs. You decide just how simple or challenging your cake will be.

For a no-fuss kid birthday cake idea, apply an edible cake art image to the top of a frosted cake. Many popular themes and copyrighted images such as Disney are available to provide a professional looking cake design.

Themed cake pans are another popular cake decorating option. They provide the shape and visual design to follow for an impressive finished cake. Popular TV and cartoons characters are well represented in cake pans, as well as teddy bears, butterflies, pirates, Tigger,Mickey Mouse, and lots more.

FROSTING CHOICES

Homemade Frosting - Dig up that famous family recipe or check out one of the many online recipe sites and make your cake frosting from scratch. Be sure to plan ahead how much of each color will be needed for both basic foundation and decorative trim.

Canned and Tube Frostings - Easiest and quickest, prepared canned frostings are available in grocery stores in the baking aisle with the cake mixes. They generally come in white, chocolate, and a handful of other popular flavors. Keep a few ready-to-use tube frostings on hand in various basic colors to add the finishing touches.

Fondant Frosting - Gaining in popularity in this country in recent years, fondant frosting gives a beautiful smooth finish to your cake decorating creation. Fondant can be rolled out and draped over a cake, poured on as a glaze, or sculpted into shapes. It is easily tinted, and can be flavored as well. Ready-made fondant is available through party supply outlets. There are also many recipes online for homemade fondant.

CAKE DECORATING WITH CANDY AND SMALL TOYS

Cookies, candies, and other materials can be used for special and impressive effects. Frosted sugar cones can serve as the fins on a space ship cake or the turrets on a castle cake. Make a surprise cake filling with jello.

A wide variety of plastic stand-ups or cake toppers are available in craft stores. Or, simply use a toy which fits in with the party theme as a cake topper and give it to the party child when the party is over. Action figures, small dolls, animals and cartoon characters all make good choices.

Add cool candy accents with M & M's, licorice pieces, licorice whips, animal crackers, oreo cookies, paper umbrellas, pretzel sticks, tootsie rolls, jimmies, gummies such as worms, bears, etc, gumdrops, mini marshmallows, colored coconut, jellybeans.

THE LATEST CAKE DECORATING FADS!

There are many novel choices for placing the finishing touches on your party cake. Dress it up in style with one or more of these unique special effects:

Spray Color Mist - is a fun addition to your baking repertoire. Frost your cake white, then spray on edible color from an aerosol can. Available in many colors, it can be used with stencils to make unique designs, as a highlight to whipped topping - even on your child's mashed potatoes!

Luster Dusts - are an edible food safe "dust" which can be used on any frosting recipe that dries hard and firm to the touch. Brush it on white frosting for a metallic-like glossy sheen or layer it for interesting color effects.

Cake Stampers - can be used along with brush-on color for fondant icing. Simply stamp shapes and designs into the finished fondant and tint with brush-on color.

Cake Stencils - Place stencil on iced cake and sprinkle edible glitter, confetti sprinkles, or use spray-on color mist.

Edible Color Markers - These unique markers are used just like an ink marker. Draw fun designs on cakes, cookies, fondant frosting, even cheese, fruit slices and bread. Decorating marker kits are available for children.

Edible sugar-shape decorations,
decorative candles, themed cake picks and rings,and edible glitter are all fun tools in your cake baking arsenal.

Now you're armed with lots of great ideas for cake decorating success - without fear!

Go forth and create... and above all, have fun!

For more cake decorating information, check out our webpage: Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection

Copyright 2005 Kids Party Paradise All Rights Reserved

Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection - Cake Decorating Without Fear

Patricia B. Jensen is a mother of three and kids party enthusiast. She is the webmaster and owner of Kids-Party-Paradise.com - a complete resource for kids party ideas including invitations, cakes, decorations, games, costumes, favors, and food.

For all the latest party news, read her Kids Party Blog.

How Greek Food Can Transform a Boring Diet

So what are the main Greek Foods that the typical Greeks would Eat? One popular Greek dish is kotopoulou lemonato or Lemon Chicken this is just basically a fresh chicken with sliced roast potatoes seasoned with salt pepper Freshly squeezed lemons,oregano drenched with extra virgin olive oil roasted to perfection.

Another tasty Greek Dish is Yemista. (Peppers and Tomatoes stuffed with rice a little onion tomato sugar),roasted in the oven in olive oil with potatoes served with fresh bread from the bakery to dip in the olive oil.

Bakeries

Horiatiki is a Greek tomato salad served with feta cheese and Greek Olives sprinkled with oregano a touch of vinegar and olive oil. One of my personal favorites Souvlaki is another popular Greek Dish it is Pork marinated in a special marinate served in pitta bread. Served with some Greek salad and topped with tzatziki my favorite yogurt and garlic dip it is delicious.

Taramasalata is a dip made from cods roe breadcrumbs, lemon, olive oil which is very tasty eaten with pitta bread as a starter or with fresh bread from the baker.

Moussaka is also very popular though I would say it is one of the few less healthy Greek dishes it comprises of a layer of fried potatoes layer of minced lamb in a tomato sauce layer of fried aubergine or eggplant.Then another layer of minced lamb topped off with a bechamel sauce with cheese before being roasted in the oven for 30 minutes.

A tip for making your moussaka healthier is to fry the potatoes and aubergines in olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

My father used to make a delicious trout stew with olive oil, onions white wine potatoes fresh tomato all thrown in to the pot and some Greek herbs just simmered for an hour. Which was really tasty not to mention healthy This was some of the Greek Food I used to eat as a child and as an adult but when you look at the amount of people eating McDonalds KFC and food from a chip shop filled with cholesterol.

It is easy to feel sorry for them and think there must surely be something better than this.

So if you are looking to live longer and have a healthy diet why don't you give This Greek Cooking a try what have you got to lose.

How Greek Food Can Transform a Boring Diet

I have got more information including complete recipes with step by step instructions free recipes and a Greek cooking DVD to be released shortly for more information go to http://www.aristotlegreekfood.com

Parts of a Kitchen

What is a Kitchen?

A kitchen is where people prepare meals for themselves or other people. The parts of a kitchen are the scullery, the prep areas, bread room, store room, meat room, the lunch room and the office.

Bakery

Different parts of a kitchen.

-The scullery (wash up area, is where you wash the utensil, pots and pans).
-The prep area is where you prep the food. Vegetables prep (where you prep the vegetables carrots and cabbage etc) meat room (where meat only is prep)
-The bread room the prep area for the bakery, the bakery (where you bake all the cakes, pie and bread rolls). The storeroom (where the all the foodstuff is stored).
-The main kitchen is where the hot side is located the stoves, fridges and the tables.
-The office is (Where the Manager and supervisor work from).
-Equipment use in a kitchen stove, where the main meals are cooked, fridges freezers (where you keep cold or frozen foods, cold foods and prep foods).
-Mixers you use to cream and mix cake.

Food Preparation.

Food preparation can vary according to the business you are working in. You can prepare from vegetables to meat once you have a large freezer and the staff. You can bulk prep and store making sure you use the FIFO method, First in First Out.

Safe Food Preparation

Food preparation must be safe to produce food free from food borne illnesses, Food can be easily contaminated. Leaving food uncovered for even a short time may not seem harmful, but in that space of time, flies can get on the food and deposit their eggs. You cannot see the fly eggs with your naked eyes, but after you digest the food in a couple of hours, you can feel sick.

Everyone loves salads, but salads are one of the most dangerous and one of the most easily contaminated foods .They should be kept on ice at all times. Leaving salads that have mayonnaise or salad dressing on them without chilling can be potentially dangerous.

Leaving salads at room temperature builds toxins. The incubation period is 1-6 (meaning in 1-6 hours after eating the food you will fell sick). There will be no fever just a slight tummy ache.

In the incubation period, which is 6-72 hours, the bacteria invade the tissues and fever is present. There is also vomiting and diarrhea, you must treat these symptoms or they can result in death.

Personnel in a kitchen for a food establishment: manager, supervisors, cooks, prep cooks, general workers and porters.

Parts of a Kitchen

Angela Ellis is a Cchristian minded person who likes to be helpful to other people, I like to read and have a thirst for knowledge I am always willing to try something new .for more information on the website above visit my website for free tips on remodeling a kitchen for business or home. check me out at http://kitchenssetup.weebly.com

Christmas Cake

All over the world Christmas cakes are made in too many ways, in general cakes are variations on the fruitcake. Cakes can be spongy, light, moist, dry, heavy, dark, leavened, or unleavened.

WALNUT BANANA

\"Cake Recipes\"

Ideal teatime cake with the goodness of whole-wheat flour.

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 50 minutes

Servings : 6

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour 1 cup

Refined flour 1 cup

Ripe bananas, mashed 3 medium

Walnut kernels, chopped half cup

Baking powder 1 and half teaspoons

Salt a pinch

Cinnamon powder half teaspoon

Nutmeg powder a pinch

Butter 300 grams

Brown sugar 2 cup

Vanilla essence 2 teaspoon

Eggs, whisked 5

Milk 4 tablespoons

Method

- Preheat oven to 200 C.

- Grease and line a nine-inch by four-inch loaf tin.

- Sieve whole wheat flour, refined flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder.

- Cream butter and brown sugar together in a bowl till light. Add mashed bananas, vanilla essence and mix.

- Beat eggs with a hand blender till light and fluffy.

- Add one third of the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Add one third of the beaten eggs and mix with a light hand. Again add one third of the flour and one third of the eggs and mix. Add the remaining flour, walnuts and the remaining eggs and mix.

- Add milk to correct the consistency of the batter.

- Put the batter into the prepared tin and place it in the preheated oven. Bake at 200 C for 40 minutes.

- Check if it is done by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean it is done. If not, keep the tin back in the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

- Cool it before cutting into slice

Enjoy by serving this cake hot or cold.

Christmas Cake

Pritesh Das is an expert internet marketer. Pritesh also enjoys cooking and baking and preserving his family's recipes. He helps in maintaining a family owned bbq aprons online gift store.

Bakery Marketing Plan on a Shoestring Budget

Your bakery marketing plan details the brand image you intend to create and how you will communicate the message of your business to customers. These tactics often include public relations campaigns, print and internet advertising, or direct mail pamphlets or coupons. All of these techniques can be costly. Consider whether you can market your bakery through one of these low-cost tactics.

Your Product as Your Marketing

Bakery

Your product itself, given away to potential customers, is marketing. This could be through free samples given out on the street in front of your store or gift baskets sent to local businesses when you open. The cost is limited to your labor and supplies and can he high if done on a huge scale. However, if your products are high quality and will get potential customers talking, this tactic can create the buzz you need.

Your Brand as Your Marketing

Creating remarkable branding, including your store and package design, logo, slogan, business cards and other printed materials, can help to create images and ideas that stay in the customers mind. By standing out to passersby from your location's exterior you are much more likely to bring in foot traffic. By creating a unique store interior you can persuade more customers to stay and try the products. If you have a remarkable idea for a brand strategy, as well as good design sense or the ability to work with a talented designer, you can build awareness for your business with minimal investment.

Deeper Relationships Rather Than More Relationships

When customers cannot be counted on to return and growth means selling to more and more customers, the cost of marketing can be huge. When you focus instead on creating deeper relationships with the customers you have, this cost can drop significantly for the same revenue level. Loyalty programs are one way to encourage customers to keep returning to earn bonuses or discounts. However, unless you have one amazing item, you will need a variety of options to continue to interest customers to return time after time. Also look for ways to sell more to a customer each time they visit. For example, can a harried worker who buys a croissant and coffee for breakfast be interested in a bag lunch to eat on the job later? It might not be for everyone, but this is one way to make a greater claim on the customer's share of wallet - the total amount they spend on food and drinks each day.

Bakery Marketing Plan on a Shoestring Budget

Are you looking for more tips on how to start a bakery or advice on developing a business plan for a bakery? Call 877-BIZ-PLAN to learn how Growthink can help you build your bakery business.

Death by Chocolate Cake - Your Ultimate Chocolate Cake

If you are a cake lover and find it difficult to resist especially the chocolate cakes, then you must be a fan of one of the most popular cakes in the world i.e. Death by Chocolate Cake. This cake has all the ingredients, which can make it extremely sumptuous and desirable. It has several layers of different ingredients that include whipped cream, caramel, chocolate, etc. and the combination makes it very delicious and something to die for. The final layer of dark chocolate spread over the sponge cake is amazingly delicious and mouth-watering. It makes the cake more exciting. The term death by chocolate is basically an advertising term used for different desserts, made of dark chocolate.

The basic recipe of death by chocolate cake is quite simple. Anyone can make this cake by correctly following the recipe. You just need to keep in mind the layers, which would be there in the cake, their order and specific ingredients. The lowest layer is chocolate brownie, followed by a layer of chocolate ganache, layer of cocoa meringue, mocha mouse and the final layer is of brownie again. There's a chocolate paste coating, which covers all the layers. One needs to take an extra care while coating. Use of spatula is suggested as it helps to cover all the corners of the cake. After the coating, you can use some sauces or fruits like strawberry or cherry to decorate the cake. A lace border around the cake by melting the chocolate and putting it in a cone-shaped wax paper can also be made. You can then draw any shape on the cake with the cream. If you want to write a message, that is also possible.

Cake

In the end, chilling the death by chocolate cake is very important. You need to put it immediately into your refrigerator. Otherwise, it could start melting down and the whole cake can turn into a disaster. Make sure that you don't keep it in for a very long time. Thirty to forty minutes will do, and a delicious cake would be ready to eat. You need to make sure that your family members do not often overeat the cake, because the frequent intake of chocolate can cause many problems in which gaining weight and oral problems are pretty common, especially in children and people who are in their forties to sixties. If you mostly bake cakes at your home, you can use low calorie chocolates as well, depending upon the ages of the guests and your family members.

Death by Chocolate Cake - Your Ultimate Chocolate Cake

If you are searching for any type of online gifts for your loved ones then click here MyGiftShop and if you are searching for a delicious chocolate cake, then click here Death By Chocolate Cake

21st Birthday Cake Ideas

Top the cake with 21 candles: A traditional cake can be topped with 21 candles or two candles in the shape of a 2 and a 1. This leaves plenty of room and emphasizes the wonderful flavor the birthday celebrant looks forward to all year. Fill between layers with a favorite flavor like strawberry. Blowing out 21 lit candles is a whole new experience and can be fun to watch. After that, even a 21 year old, realizes they're getting old.

Make the cake in the shape of the numbers for 2 and 1: Everyone loves cakes made in special shapes. Large numerals made of cake really say it. Years later, it will be easy to tell what birthday it was from the photos. Since a great deal of the cake will be cut away to make the numbers, you should use a full sheet pan or two half sheet pans. Make sure you have plenty of frosting ready because the cut sides of the numerals will gobble it up like crazy.

Cake

Make the cake in the shape of wine bottles or a beer mug: 21 is the legal age for drinking. I don't promote drinking, but a cake in the shape of a wine bottle or beer mug can be fun for the right person. The shape may have to be oversized to have enough to serve party guests. The label on the wine bottle provides an opportunity for some humor. You can use the year of birth as the vintage and a play on the birthday celebrant's name as the name for the wine. Some wine glasses with ribbons can be set nearby to share a toast. Serve sparkling cider to those under 21 at the party.

Make the cake in the shape of a car: Driving is important to a 21-year old. A cake in the shape of his or her favorite car is a great way to celebrate. Use at least two layers, one for the body of the car and a smaller one for the passenger compartment. Tires are easy if you use dark chocolate cookies frosted and pressed on the side of the car (cake) body. Silver or black are very difficult frosting colors for the car body. Use wild colors like hot pink or lime green for the car body frosting and have fun. The glass in the windows can be done with light blue frosting and a few white highlights to indicate reflections. Very little detail is needed to make it look like a car once you have the basic shape and wheels. Soon your 21 year old will be driving away with a tasty piece of cake. Have fun!

21st Birthday Cake Ideas

Leefe Poche is the founder of http://www.cakes-you-can-bake.com

Easy Cakes to Make at Home

Everyone loves a delicious homemade cake. Many people tend not to make cakes because they think it is a difficult and time consuming task. Fortunately, there are easy cake recipes that are perfect for the novice baker and one who has a busy life.

The following are a few easy cakes to make at home:

\"Cake Recipes\"

1.) Sponge Cake: This cake is very easy to make and is light, tasty, and perfect for the family or when entertaining guests.

Ingredients: 4 oz (110g) self raising flour, sifted, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 oz.(110g) soft margarine, 4 oz (110g) sugar, 2 large eggs, 2-3 drops vanilla

The entire baking time from start to finish takes less than an hour.

2.) Ice Cream Cake: A delicious treat children will love.

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes. Freezing time: 8 hours or overnight.

For one 8 inch ice cream cake you will need: 3 c. chocolate ice cream, slightly softened 5 Heath bars or 5 oz. English toffee, coarsely chopped 4 tbsp. chocolate syrup 3 tbsp. coffee liqueur 3 c. vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

3.) Chocolate Cake: Preparation time takes only a few minutes. The result is moist and delicious chocolate cake.

Ingredients: 4 oz (110g)self raising flour, sifted, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 oz (110g)soft margarine, 4oz (110g)sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tbs. cocoa powder. Filling ingredients:

2 oz (55g) butter or quality margarine, 4 oz (110g) icing/confectioners' sugar, 1 rounded tbs cocoa powder, 2 tsp of milk.

Preheat the oven to 170 deg C, 325 deg F.

Sift the baking powder and flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients to the bowl and beat until everything is mixed together. Put half the mixture in each of the prepared pans and place on the centre shelf of the preheated oven for about thirty minutes.

4.)'Fruity' Cake: A delicious and fruity treat for the whole family

Ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 c. salad oil, 2 c. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 2 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon, ground, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional), 1 can pie filling (apple, cherry, peach, etc.)

When mixed, stir in can of fruit with its syrup. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Cool.

5.) White Birthday Cake: This is an easy and delicious cake for anyone's birthday.

Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), 1 cup whole milk, 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), 2 teaspoons almond extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces), 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon table salt, 12 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and bake for about 25 minutes.

Easy cake recipes are great for parents on the go. You will not only enjoy eating this delicious treat, but have fun making it. Try making an easy cake today and make sure you share it with friends and family.

Easy Cakes to Make at Home

A wholesome ingredient to include in your breakfasts for high nutritional value is eggs. These healthy components are very common in easy recipes for any meal of the deal.

Guide to the Best Bakeries and Boulangeries in Paris

In Paris, bread and the baking of bread is an art form. While most American bakeries sell bread, pastries, and other goodies, many French boulangeries sell different kinds of bread. Pastries are usually sold in pastry shops called patisseries.

Many Parisian bakers are true craftsmen who study their trade for decades and experiment constantly to make a superior product. Some of the best bakers in the city are the fourth or fifth generation in the family.

Bakeries

The most ardent take a three-day exam given by the French government for a title given to only the best -- Meilleur Ouvrier de France or MOF.

Many of the bakeries in Paris have a specialty like rye bread or sourdough. If you're not sure what a boulangerie is famous for, just ask. But go early because the most popular products sell out.

Poilane is the most famous bakery in Paris. It was founded in 1932 by Pierre Poilane, who passed it down to his son, Lionel. When Lionel died in a helicopter crash in 2002, his daughter Apollonia took over the business. She still bakes the bread the old-fashioned way -- in a wood-burning oven. If you come here, order the sourdough miche or the little butter cookies known as punitions. There are two Poilane shops in Paris.

Christophe Vasseur used to be an executive in the fashion industry, but he always wanted to bake bread. So he became an apprentice, leased an old bakery, and opened his bakery -- called Du Pain et des Idees -- in 2002. Vasseur won the Gault Millau prize for best boulangerie in 2008. In addition to baguettes, which take him seven hours to make, he sells croissants, multi-grain bread, and paves filled with veggies or fruit and cheese.

Basile Kamir is a well-respected baker in Paris. He opened Moulin de la Vierge 30 years ago and today he has four locations. He shapes the loaves -- which are made with organic, stone-ground flour -- by hand, and bakes them in a wood-fired oven. The interiors of the shops are really pretty. He also sell pastries -- one of the best is the custard-filled Pain au Raisin.

With 16 shops in Paris and bakeries all over the world, Eric Kayser is something of a phenomenon. His combining of traditional baking techniques with the latest technology allows him to produce 60 types of bread, 50 varieties of cakes, and dozens of kinds of pastries each day. His croissants are some of the best you'll ever eat. And you can buy a ready-made sandwich to eat in the park.

Philippe Gosselin is the place for baguettes. He won the Best Baguette in Paris Grand Prix. He has a special method for making the bread -- kneading the dough, resting it, salting it, kneading it again, and then resting it for three hours. The loaves are hand-shaped and delicious. Gosselin is a fourth-generation baker who also makes sweets, including macarons, cakes, and tarts.

Thierry Dubois is the owner of Pain d'Epis which is not far from the Eiffel Tower. He has a dough made with several kinds of flour that he calls Royale. He uses it to make baguettes, ficelles, and fougasse, which is a flatbread from Provence. If you're in the mood for something sweet, his almond croissants and pain au raisin are excellent.

Guide to the Best Bakeries and Boulangeries in Paris

Find more Paris bakeries here. And Paris pastries here.

You Need A Cake Marketing Plan!

Are you passionate about cake decorating and are ready to take it to the next level? Are you finally up to starting a cake business from home? Starting this business from home will be an amazingly fun adventure but you need to prepare yourself from day one.

Starting a cake business from home is just like any other business, you need a plan. You have your business plan and a crucial part of that includes a marketing plan. You can ask any business owner and they will tell you that marketing is going to be one of the most crucial elements of running your business. You have to reach customers to sell to, without these people; your business is nothing but equipment.

Cake

Before you start your cake business, let's get the marketing aspect under control. A budget is crucial but sometimes frustrating. Most people don't have thousands of dollars to throw into their new company so budgeting is absolutely necessary. If you have your market strategy in place, stretching your budget will be much simpler.

So, your question is? How can I market for little or no money? Good questions, let's answer it...

1. Ask local schools, churches, YMCA's, Boys & Girls Clubs, Recreational Centers and libraries if you can post some flyers. Make these flyers at home for relatively no money. You just need paper and a printer.

2. Take photos of the finished products and place them on these flyers.

3. Offer some free or reduced priced cakes to your friends and family for their events. Ask your neighbors and people you work with or your spouse works with if you can use there event as a stepping stone.

4. Ask for testimonials from your customers, friends or family. Use these testimonials in your flyers or website.

5. Search for local events in your area and ask if you can sponsor or participate in the event. Offer samples or demos of your product for free. You will be surprised at the results you get.

It is very difficult when starting a cake business from home or any business for that matter to spend NO money. You are going to have to invest money in your marketing. Once you get out there and get noticed, the possibilities are endless. Offer cakes for all types of occasions and soon you will notice your calendar is never empty! Just remember, you must have a marketing plan in order to be successful in your new cake business! So, start planning, good luck and have fun!

You Need A Cake Marketing Plan!

Vondre' Whaley is a marketing director with Sell Cakes Like Crazy. This company specializes in helping cake bakers get more customers. You can visit their website at http://www.sellcakeslikecrazy.com or get a free cake book at http://www.freecakebook.com

How to Run a Bakery

Running a bakery requires a lot of things all coming together at once.

I prefer the term, "The Daily Operational Requirements of a Bakery" rather than "how to run a bakery".

Bakeries

The word "running", is a term used in the sports field and though we as bakers do a lot of fast movements and it might seem to some that we are literally running from place to place. It is structured and designed to make as much use of our production time as is humanly possible.

Also running in a bakery business is one of the top reasons for professional accidents. The only time anyone should be running in a bakery business, is in the event of an emergency!

Now as far as the heading is concerned we are running a bakery but of course as I have explained my preferred term is the day to day operations of a bakery.

For some, it is also going to be a headache. It is certainly going to be a fun and rewarding experience to others. But it can also be your worst nightmare!

I am telling you this right up front...

...NOT to scare you into giving up your business venture, but to open your eyes, so you can see outside the box.

You have heard that statement many times i am sure. But, if you can think outside the box then many of the challenges will seem like an easy crossword puzzle. (Unless you hate crossword puzzles of course).

YOU!

YES you!

Whatever you do will be imprinted onto your business and whatever your employee does will also have a bearing upon "YOUR" business. It is therefore up to you to know as much about that business as is humanly possible.

What you don't know can be purchased, such as managers, accountants and lawyers.

You will need to oversee every aspect or employ someone with whom you have complete trust and I do mean complete trust. This person will be spending YOUR money. They will be operating YOUR business. They may not be writing the checks, but they maybe designing the production flow and controlling your staff so that is where I say they are spending your money.

So, just what is involved with how to run a bakery?

Or as I have already said, arrange the daily operation of the bakery production.

One of the first operations is to cost your purchases and then cost the recipe's you will use to acquire a sale price to pay all the expenses of your business.

Of course I am assuming here that you have already written your business plan and you have arranged an ingredient supplier, these are the steps to become a profitable bakery business.

The daily operations of the bakery are going to change every day. This is because production will change daily. After-all the chance of selling out every product every day is unrealistic - NOT impossible, but not likely.

We of course strive to produce just enough so that few pieces are left over. That way the product is at its freshest.

In the bakery we produce bread dough's, and some of those bread dough's require a bench time and some bread dough's are what we call "No-Time" dough's. So it is important that we arrange our time to work all these productions times into a standard operation for optimum use of every piece of equipment as well as utilizing our oven space appropriately.

Besides the bread dough's we also make cakes and cookies, pies and other products that require different operational procedures. They also bake at different times and temperature.

Breads bake at a temperature of 400 to 450 degrees. But if you were to put a sugared top puff pastry product into that same oven, three things will occur.

1. The sugar will burn
2. The puff pastry will not cook correctly

3. The time, ingredients, labor and product are wasted!

Similarly, if you make meringues, the oven temperature will be 150 - 175 degrees so trying to bake a sponge

cake or bread at that temperature will be the same result of number three above.

In most bakeries, that is a small bakery with just a few employees will use a system called "baking down".

Baking down is a way to run a bakery by baking all the highest temperature products first then the cake production then the cookie products and finally the meringues.

The products are then cooled, decorated, packaged and sold.

How to Run a Bakery

The Crusty Baker http://www.how-to-start-a-bakery.com 53 years of successful bakery operations

Making a 3D Cake At Home

Making a 3D cake at home can be as simple or complex as you like. For my daughter's birthday, she wanted a dinosaur cake, and I didn't think the simple pan cake with a picture or figurines would do. I researched different cake styles, pans, ideas and came up with building my own cake.

Using simple box cake mix, with a few tweaks to make it stand up to a lot of icing and a little imagination, I was able to come up with a real hit for her birthday celebration. It all comes down to cutting basic round cake layers and I make a rectangle pan cake and have found that the small egg shaped pan works very well to add some shaping to the cake for legs, facial features etc. A crumb coat layer is essential in building the cake and using the icing to stick the layers together.

\"Cake Recipes\"

I actually get something to look at for the shape like a toy or picture for inspiration and draw out a sketch of how I am going to use the cut pieces and put them together on my cake board. I then actually put the pieces together and move them around until I get exactly the scale and shape that I want.

When that is done, glue them together with the icing and prepare to frost, which is the most time consuming aspect. Using a basic butter cream frosting recipe, frosting bag and basic tips (star tip and round tip), color gels for coloring and a lot of patience you can bring your shape to life. There are many resources online for inspiration and help.

Making a 3D Cake At Home

My favorite is http://www.coolestcakes.com

Angie Kennedy

From Traditional to Trendy, Bakery Crafts is #1 in Wedding Cake Kit Sales

Believe it or not Bakery Crafts® has put together an easy system to help in decorating wedding cakes. This system has the ability of one wedding kit to be transformed into literally, hundreds of wedding cake designs. Each kit will contain everything necessary, while leaving no excess inventory or missing pieces.

Cake decorators will take advantage of the complete library of wedding kit photos to customize their presentation of inventoried Bakery Crafts Wedding Kits. They even have a wedding cake making video which is an instructional video showing techniques used to decorate wedding cakes. The video is about twenty minutes long.

Bakery

Presentation Manual: The Presentation Manual includes a things to consider list. Future brides and grooms can browse through tips from how to pick the perfect wedding cake to which accessories will accentuate their personal wedding centerpiece. Bakery Crafts has a variety of cake jewels, gum paste flowers, figures, and ornaments to adorn any design. Other helpful information includes a serving's guide for cakes with or without a top layer to plan for any size gathering.

Instruction Manual: The coordinating Instruction Manual includes pictures of each cake with step-by-step instructions in both English and Spanish. Other instructions include: Stacking and separating a cake, making scallop and other design features on the cake sides, cutting the cake, boxing the cake, using Fondant, and adding bow details.

The Assembly Kit: Everything you need to build the cake comes in the kit, except the cake! No need to figure out what plates, columns, boards or wedding boxes to order. Ordering extra pieces creates excessive inventory. Delivery and set-up are worry-free with no equipment to be returned. I suggest to build the cost of the wedding cake kit, directly in the price of your finished cake.

Single Plate Separators (SPS) plate system and columns make assembly a breeze: One-time use concept, Simply and accurate centering of supporting tiers, Adjustable columns height, Easy dismantling of stacked cake on boards for cutting slices, Eliminates unsafe pegs and wooden dowels, Selections using our Single Use Stands (SUS) benefit from:

Strong, durable, and recyclable tubing, Extremely stable construction, Disposable Styrofoam plates, White drape and ivy accessories included, 3, 5, and 6 tier designs, 1, 2, 3 assembly.

The Bakery Crafts unparalleled Delivery System consists of boxes with templates that secure the cake tiers in place for transportation. Use the fold away sides for easy cake removal and a smooth, undisturbed placement. Delivering the cake is most important. After all the time and effort that you put into the making and decorating of the wedding cake, you'll want to make sure that it is delivered in one piece!

From Traditional to Trendy, Bakery Crafts is #1 in Wedding Cake Kit Sales

Oasis stands for Ornaments and Specialty Ingredients Source. We represent all major manufacturers of cake decorating supplies. We are your personal purchasing agents and act as a one stop shopping source for all your cake decorating and candy making requirements including holiday cake decorations, edible cake decorations, specialty cake ingredients, Edibles. Rolled Fondant, & more http://www.oasisupply.com

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Bakery

The title asks a question and of course it begs an answer, but we cannot give a straight answer to that particular question as it is too vague at this moment. So how can I answer the question "How much does it cost to start a bakery"?

I cannot today tell you that your bakery will cost one hundred thousand dollars nor can I say it will cost a million dollars. But both dollar amounts are quite reasonable depending upon your definition of the word bakery.

Bakery

The word bakery can be and is used to define a business that produces food for public consumption. But again we have used a generic term in the word "Bakery". You can see that just using the word bakery is like opening and umbrella. It covers a large area.

Let's start by saying we are going to start a bread bakery. We can also define the word as a cake bakery or donut bakery and even a bagel bakery. Plus there are other types of bakery that we can define that question too. Now we have defined our term bakery.

Can you see where I am going here?

Your business plan is going to define "YOUR" bakery! This is where you answer your own question of how much does it cost to start a bakery.

Another question I have to ask is, "Will I be starting a franchised bakery"? Because here again is the question, "how much does it cost to start a bakery"?

When I can answer to the type of bakery, I can say to some degree the total price of that bakery.

I can tell you that there are a number of pieces of equipment that are almost standard in every bakery. The type of equipment and the size of that equipment is again going to decide for you as to, "how much does it cost to start a bakery"?

In today's employment standards acts, there are rules and regulation that have been put in place to prevent some types of equipment from being used. So again we have a problem here to answer your first question.

Notice too that I did not say; "prevents that equipment from being sold". This is because pre-owned equipment is still for sale and some of this equipment is in today's market requires upgrading to today's employment standards. The equipment still works and still does that job it was originally designed for, and very likely the price it is offered at, is extremely attractive. Meaning; it peeks our interest, because it is such a great price.

There are food equipment auction houses that offer all kinds of equipment that can do the job we are looking to do, so we could get that equipment at perhaps as little as ten percent, or less, of buying the same piece of equipment brand new.

The age of these pieces being sold pre-own, also has a bearing on the sale price as does the condition. For instance on a mixer it is possible that the oil seal of the spindle is cracked or has stood un-used for some time and so could break when the machine is placed into regular use.

If you were to purchase an oven from a pre-owned operation, that oven will quite often have to be dismantled and rebuilt. The rebuild could be faulty or rebuilt without installing new components in the proper place, or rebuilt on uneven ground.

I can go on but we haven't answered your question of "how much does it cost to start a bakery"?

I have tried to answer you as best I know how. We could do more if you want to know how to start a bakery then we have a program in our book where we go into all the different types of equipment that is used within a bakery.

Not to scare you too much your bakery could cost you as little as a few thousand dollars to well over two million dollars. This of course will depend upon you and your business plan.

That is where the answer as to how much does it cost to start a bakery will come from!

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Bakery

The Crusty Baker
John Taberner
http://www.how-to-start-a-bakery.com

Baptism Cakes

When you're preparing for a Baptism party, one of the most important items to remember is the cake. Whether you choose to make the cake yourself or order it from a bakery, there are some important questions to keep in mind.

· How many people do you need to feed, and will you be serving a full meal or just dessert? If cake is one of the only food items you'll be having, you may need a larger cake to ensure every guest receives a piece.

Bakeries

· What flavor Baptism cake would you like? If you choose to have just one flavor, you may want to consider a marble cake, which is a blend of chocolate and yellow cake. Or a cake that is half chocolate and half yellow or white allows each person to choose which flavor they'd prefer.

· Do you want one large Baptism cake or a number of smaller ones? Having more than one cake allows for more creativity in decorations, as well as more flavor options for your guests.

· If you are going to have many children present, would you prefer to have cupcakes or individually sized desserts? These may be easier to carry around and would thus eliminate the need for plates and silverware.

· How do you want the cake decorated? It should match the colors of your party decorations. Some bakeries also allow you to put a picture in the middle of the cake. Also keep in mind whether you'd like the cake to be very formal and elegant or more festive and party-oriented.

Before you cut into the cake, be sure to take a picture of the finished product. You'll want to add this to your Baptism album and create a lasting memory!

Baptism Cakes

Joyce Kreger is a party planner and recommends these Baptism Favors offered at Cool-Party-Favors.com

Sample Strategic Planning and Analysis For Panera Bread Company

Panera Bread has an opportunity for growth within a challenging industry in two key areas - increased sales of specialty drinks and opening international locations - that will enable the company to spread its mission of fresh bread for everyone while increasing the bottom line for shareholders. By utilizing many frameworks for thought and projecting the estimated financials of the company, we are able to empirically show that these two strategies will be beneficial to the customer.

Utilize Historically High Margins on Specialty Drinks to Drive Bottom Line Growth

Bakery

While Panera's core business revolves around fresh bread, the style of the locations suggests that there is substantial revenue in selling coffee and related drinks, similar to Starbucks. Looking at the coffee market, estimated real growth is 2.7% or roughly 5.7% given a 3% inflation rate while the number of establishments, the actual coffee shops, is expected to grow only 1.6%, meaning that each shop on average will see increased revenue, due in part to a 3.5% growth in domestic demand (See Appendix A). Further, profit in specialty drinks is estimated at 19.8%, much higher than Panera's 6.4% profit margin. This means that increasing the sales of specialty drinks will have a positive impact on Panera's bottom line - clearly the industry is growing and is a good industry to be in for Panera. According to Buffalo Wild Wings' franchise disclosure document, more than 40% of revenue is generated via alcohol and specialty drinks sales. If Panera were able to generate this level of sales with a 19.3% profit margin, its bottom line would increase by nearly 7.8% to 14.2%, abnormally high for the restaurant industry (which averages 4-5% margins). Though this profit margin level is likely not sustainable, the short-term boost in profit margin will help Panera expand its operations internationally to capture economies of scale with its suppliers.

Look to Industry Incumbents for Knowledge and Re-arrange Menu Locations

Visually, the layout of a Starbuck's, Dunkin' Doughnuts, or Caribou Coffee are much more fluid than Panera Bread with respect to the coffee ordering location. This analysis draws heavily on the Eden Prairie Mall and Downtown Minneapolis Nicollet Mall locations. The customer flow for Eden Prairie and Downtown is awkward; the customer must enter the store, walk past the bakery and coffee areas, and then order at the registers. The issue is that the coffee menus are located above the bakery items, not in clear view of the customer at the time of ordering. By the time the customer is ready to order, he or she has forgotten what drink to order; furthermore, the drinks are creatively named which is positive for brand identity, but awkward for the average male customer to order. At the very least, the coffee and specialty drinks need to undergo the following changes:

· Move the menus to the same wall face as the meal menus to ensure customers know what coffee is offered when ordering

· Arrange the bakery display cases nearer to the registers to entice more impulse purchases

· Remove queue line markers during non-rush times, especially in front of the bakery display cases

· Increase the offerings of specialty drinks, including researching alcoholic beverages, to attract coffee shop regulars into Panera

By focusing on combining the café design with a coffee shop atmosphere, Panera can become a "chill out" spot as well as a premier location for both lunch and dinner. Furthermore, this change can be carried to the international markets where café atmospheres, such as those in France, are more prevalent.

Expand Internationally to Build Brand Image and Diversify Economic Risks

Given that Panera is pursuing Canadian locations, it is safe to assume that the international market for fresh bread is growing. Indeed, the international market breakdown of industry revenues can be found in Appendix B. Clearly, the European market is a large market for fresh bread. However, IBIS World estimates that 135,000 bakeries operate in Europe, meaning the market is fragmented. A brand with a large marketing budget behind it could quickly enter the market and take a key position (See Appendix C). Given that the culture and preferences of European customers may differ from Americans, it would be best to test new products in Canada prior to the overseas launch of the Panera brand. An interesting facet of the European market is the strong relationship between the industrial agricultural and milling companies and the industrial bakeries. The largest bakeries are owned by the largest milling and agricultural firms in the U.K., Sweden, and Austria. This may cause supply chain issues in these countries, though Panera could pursue a partnership or joint venture approach to these markets.

Leverage on Existing Assets to Increase Shareholder Return and Expand

According to Panera's 2009 10-K, the company had an interest coverage ratio of 200.9x, with EBIT of 0m and interest payments of 0k. Additionally, distance-to-default, a key metric for risk of debt, is quite large (larger is better) as the cash on hand of Panera is .1m and the debt/equity ratio is 0.0%. Retained earnings and total equity are 6m and 5m, respectively. This suggests a large cushion prior to debt default in an extreme situation. In Appendix D, the large difference between Panera and its rivals in terms of debt load is clearly seen. Given that Panera has 3.2m in FCF, it is safe to assume that Panera could issue at the very least 1.0x FCF, though a safe debt load for a company can be as low as 2x EBITDA, or 0m in debt. With the average café costing .6m, Panera would be able to finance the expansion of its brand across approximately 250 corporate-owned locations internationally. As seen in Appendix E, Panera would be in the top three of its main competition with these new locations.

As with all public companies, Panera must return value to its shareholders while not ignoring the broader array of stakeholders with whom it interacts. FactSet estimates Panera's 2010 sales growth at 10.4% with EPS of .41 per share, a 20.6% increase over 2009. Our proposed strategy would benefit the company both in the short term and long term. In the short term, sales would be increased and profit margin would increase by 500 bps to 770 bps based on specialty drink sales. If the international expansion plan is pursued, Panera would see sales growth in 2011 beyond the estimated 10.3% and EPS well beyond the projected .98. Though the increase in debt may force management to pay more attention to the cash flow of the company, the increased leverage will allow Panera to increase its ROE substantially. If Panera wishes to remain competitive, it must utilize its economies of scale to grow faster than competition and continually innovate, becoming the "fast follower" by utilizing adjacent industry innovations in its café atmosphere.

Appendicies can be found at Liekos Group's website.

Sample Strategic Planning and Analysis For Panera Bread Company

Adam Link is an avid follower of the financial markets and constantly looking for the next arbitrage opportunity. He has written on topics ranging from debt markets to Internet start ups to complex financial transactions. His passions include his company, Liekos Group (found online at http://www.liekosgroup.com), and traveling when his schedule allows.

His website is http://www.liekosgroup.com, an online holding company that specializes in website management, capital management, and is venturing into real estate.

Bread Bakery - 10 Tips on How to Start a Bakery Business

Nothing smells (or tastes!) quite as delicious as a freshly baked loaf of bread straight from the oven. So it's hardly surprising that bakery businesses flourish no matter what the economic conditions - bad times or good, people still need their daily bread.

But running a successful bakery requires more than just good bread-making skills. As a business owner, you also need to have the necessary skills to establish and maintain a business, so let's look at the most important points you will need to start a thriving and popular bread bakery business.

Bakery

1. Qualifications. You need to have the appropriate bakery qualifications. While you may be a whizz at creating a gorgeous sourdough in your home bread maker, those skills won't get you far in a commercial bakery. Quality bakery courses not only teach you how to make mouth watering breads and pastries, they also teach fundamental business skills to equip you for the real world.

2. SWOT. Whether you are going to start a bakery business from scratch, purchase an existing business or buy a franchise, you'll need to do a SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats - Analysis. You may need to discuss the legal aspects with a solicitor as well as consult an accountant who will help you formulate strategic plans and forward projections to assess estimated current and future costs and profits.

3. Location, location, location. Running a thriving bakery business requires a steady stream of regular customers. Look for newly established or newly developed suburbs, high traffic locations, and little competition. Also look at areas that may not be well serviced, like industrial estates or high density office blocks where you can draw eager customers.

4. Cash flow. Most business advisers will tell you that you need enough available cash funds to support your enterprise for at least 3 months. Set up costs for a bakery can be considerable, particularly if you are starting from scratch, so you need to factor leasing costs for equipment, shop rental, staff wages and food preparation costs into your budget. Know how much it is going to cost you on a weekly basis for the first 3 months and ensure you have sufficient liquid funds to cover all outgoings.

5. Equipment. The quality and size of the equipment for buy or lease will be determined by how big your bakery is going to be, how many customers you have forecast on a daily basis and, of course, the amount you have to spend. Don't over-capitalise on equipment at the outset if you can't afford it. Look for good quality, pre-owned equipment or a satisfactory leasing agreement for the time being until you are well established.

6. Pricing. Your pricing depends on a number of factors, so it makes good sense to consult a business adviser or accountant to help you at the outset. Your prices need to be set at a rate that provides you with an acceptable margin but not so expensive that you drive customers away. The prices will also be determined by the quality of your produce.

7. Products. The quality of your bakery goods can make or break your business. A bakery business relies on a high turnover to make a profit, so it's important you research your market demographic to assess what type of bakery goods are likely to sell well. For example, are you located near schools? Factories? Retailers? The type of customers you expect to service will help you determine the type of products you bake.

8. Marketing. A clever and responsive marketing campaign can get your bakery business up and running in no time. You can start advertising before you've even opened the doors with a letter-box drop or pamphlets delivered in local neighbourhoods. When you initially open for business, use special offer coupons or provide samples of your breads and pastries to encourage higher sales and plenty of returning customers.

9. Décor. Although the quality of your bread bakery is more important than the quality of your décor, it's important to make your customers feel relaxed and comfortable. Covered display cases which present a yummy assortment of delicious pastries and breads will encourage patrons to come back time and time again. And while it goes without saying, clean, hygienic surroundings are a must.

10. Staff. As they say, a smile is worth a thousand words, so encourage and train your staff to be as pleasant and helpful as is possible. A happy customer is a customer who will keep on coming back.

If you get the fundamentals of your bakery business established from the outset, you can build a thriving business that is a recipe for success for both you and your customers.

Bread Bakery - 10 Tips on How to Start a Bakery Business

Academia International is a leading international college providing cooking courses, hospitality management training, hairdressing courses, and beauty courses. For a free brochure please visit English School.