11/28/2023
Stage 1: Order Discussion
• If planned in advance, there’s ample time to choose and deliberate.• For orders within 2-3 days, everything needs to be expedited because the work should have ideally started yesterday.
Stage 2: Biscuit Preparation
• It takes 1.5-2 hours to weigh and prepare ingredients, containers, molds, and to make the dough plus baking time.
Stage 3: Biscuit Cooling• Room temperature cooling takes 1-2 hours, depending on size/type.• Then, the biscuit is wrapped in film and refrigerated for at least 6 hours.Stage 4: Filling
• Ingredients need to be weighed, the filling prepared, and at least cooled, with some requiring stabilization for 2 to 12 hours, depending on the type.
Stage 5: Cake Assembly
• Prepare and cool the soak, prepare the cream (also by weight).• Some fillings include two types of cream or ganache which may need to stabilize for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 8 hours. Cut the biscuit, process the base…Stage 6: Cake Assembly
• Probably the fastest process. However, our cake then goes into the fridge for stabilization for at least 6 hours.Stage 7: Cake Covering• Prepare the cream or ganache, apply the base coat -> refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, apply the final coating and leveling -> refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (total time ~4 hours)Stage 8: Decor, Velvet• Prepare velvet, mix the required color; even the covering takes time if a colored cream is needed to mix the right colors. Additional decor takes from 20 minutes to 4-5-6 etc. hours. Some elements need to be made in advance, which also takes time.
Stage 9: Berries, Flowers, Edible Printing• Berries and flowers need to be purchased, which rarely happens in the first shop you visit.• Wash, dry, process, and fix on the cake. For printing, you need to find an image, or if a specific one is not available, agree on another, prepare the layout, go/print in a pastry shop, and come back. In the best case, this takes 1.5-2 hours.
To save time, I make preparations to expedite the process. Often, if I have a spare cake, I can offer it to my customers.