SOMETHING SWEET
Q: We’ve outsourced desserts for the last four years. I’d like for us to make our own, but don’t know if it will be worth our time and labor cost. Which way is better for us?
Tabitha Rusk
Santa Clara, California
A: Tabitha, it really depends on how many desserts you sell per day. Are your servers and/or phone staff good at upselling them? Do you market them in-house with irresistible photos on table tents? Are you absolutely positive your staff can make desserts from scratch that are hands down better than what you’re currently buying? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then try making your own and see how it goes. Here’s one of our favorites, and it happens to be one of our most-requested dessert recipes. 0
Italian 3-Layer Cream Cake
Ingredients
½ cup butter, margarine or butter shortening
½ cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 1½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Frosting (recipe follows)
Cream together butter and shortening. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add alternately to creamed mixture with buttermilk until completely mixed. Mix in vanilla extract. Add coconut and pecans and stir in. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and fold into cake mixture. Pour into three greased and floured 8-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool on racks.
Cream Cheese Frosting
¼ cup butter, margarine or butter shortening
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Approximately 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth. Frost cake in between layers, top and all sides. Sprinkle all over with chopped pecans. Refrigerate cake when not being served.
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