Steven Lopez11 said:27 - I’ve looked into chocolate fountains at several different places; usually, you can only find them at high-end chocolatiers or large dessert boutiques. Hershey has one, though I'm not sure about the exact cost, and there's also one located Downtown in that specialty chocolate shop, but expect to pay around $550. Since I eventually gave up on trying to find a permanent fountain, my husband went on a bit of a hunt and tracked down a guy who rents them out for $100. He handles the delivery and pickup, though you are required to purchase the chocolate directly from him.
Our total comes out to $100 + 2 kg of milk chocolate = $207.
If you need any more specifics or his contact info, just let me know—I'm happy to help.
Best,
It might be a rather trivial question, but what is the actual purpose of a chocolate fountain? 🤷 The melted chocolate flows continuously, but is it intended to be consumed, or is it merely a visual centerpiece?
restlessdrifter15 said:Well... it all started with me whipping up custom cakes for the kids—mine and some of our local celebrity neighbors—but now, somehow, it’s grown into this halfway successful little venture...
Jacob White37, was that cake covered in buttercream with those bright purple flowers and ribbons made of fruit leather? The photo is a bit blurry, so I can't quite make out the fine details....
It was frosted with whipped cream, featuring lilac lace ribbons and actual purple daisies.
Here is a photo of the cake; the quality is somewhat lacking.
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The cake was quite sweet, and aside from the shape, I left all the creative decisions to my decorator. It was truly lovely. 🙂 I must offer my compliments to Sugar rules, who performed admirably by including plenty of Princess donuts and fruit baskets, and even sourcing lilac satin ribbons for each tier despite claiming they didn't have them; their effort did not go unnoticed. 😍
The cake was entirely consumed, leaving nothing behind for those who wanted more, and there was hardly any dessert left—just a single tray. The servers kept replenishing everything constantly, so credit goes to them as well. 🙂
There is another cheerful shop in Atlanta that carries those kinds of items. I have yet to visit, though I suppose I will if my search in Suburban Chicago proves fruitless.
Regarding the square cakes, I find the pastry chefs' reasoning quite baffling. My own baker insisted on them solely because they offer cleaner slices, though some old superstition suggests such shapes invite misfortune into a marriage 😛 which might be their true motivation. I have decided to proceed with a square one anyway 😉
As for the variety, I am opting for everything except coconut, and I am still considering adding some crescent cookies to the mix. There will likely be sixteen different types of sweets in total. If you require inspiration, here are the photos and varieties—which I happen to have personally selected
dustyorca33 said:Hey everyone, I was wondering when you all typically bring out the desserts? I’m curious if they sit on the table the whole time, or if you wait until after the main course is cleared. My current menu includes a hot and cold appetizer, soup, and then the entree, so when would be the best moment to serve them? (Just so you know, I'm planning on having about 20 different varieties per person)
Despite my preference to serve them after the main course, the women in my family insisted they would much rather enjoy the desserts from the very beginning, so that is how it shall be. We ordered 37 pounds of dessert for 150 guests, which averages out to roughly 4 ounces per person.
ironrider20 said:Well, I actually got them at the bakery where I ordered my cake, but I guess you could probably pick some up at an Odds and Ends shop—I think they have a website or something where you can just order them online if you don't feel like driving out there.
Right, I noticed they carry those, along with a few other shops in Green Valley. The selection is significantly better if you shop in person, but I simply lack the inclination to order delivery. Thanks. 🙂
Prices fluctuate quite significantly, ranging from $60 to $40 per pound for pastries, while slices of cake typically run between $10 and $6.00. That is the general reality of it.
The sentiment is mutual. Most people who have sampled them share the exact same dissatisfaction, and we certainly weren't the only ones to lodge a complaint with the chef; she insists the profile is due to the lemon and orange zest in the batter, yet that explanation fails to account for such an unsettling flavor 😛
As for the style, I cannot say, though we eventually opted to purchase everything from a local bakery instead 🙂
I find myself favoring the first option as well; its distinctiveness and unconventional nature make it far more striking. It possesses a certain singularity.
First of all, they shouldn't have even charged you for that cake, given that you couldn't carry it away and your entire plan went sideways. Frankly, the matter should have ended there, seeing as they lost a customer permanently due to the dissatisfaction. On the other hand, the fact that they asked you to delete your post changes nothing. If you refuse, then so be it; there is no need for such agitation. Calling them a third-rate dive is an exaggeration, as they are certainly far from that level of mediocrity.
I sampled some cakes from a local boutique bakery—essentially just a Hershey’s chocolate bar experience. They weren't bad, per se; quite moist, but they felt heavy and I could definitely detect margarine in the frosting. I wasn't impressed, and frankly, my wedding cake needs to be absolutely flawless. 🤣
feralmoose32 The assertion remains unchanged. Ladies, don't take this the wrong way, but I find these kinds of cakes to be utterly exhausting. Between the structural pillars, the fountains, the rings, and those sprayers, there is simply far too much going on. 🤷 It has truly become quite overwhelming. 😕 What is the point of any of this?
I once attended a wedding where they featured a cake like that—a literal fountain with water leaking everywhere. As someone who values simplicity, I found the whole display utterly grotesque. One has to wonder what people actually pay for such gaudy excess.
placidridge15 said:cookies are $27/lb, and cakes are $3.25 per slice if they have whipped cream on top, and $4.00 per slice if it's just plain. Same thing, call ahead for the cookies. If you're looking for those homemade-style cookies where every single one tastes exactly how it's supposed to, then they are definitely your best bet. I'm a total sweet tooth myself—I eat them and bake them too! The price is awesome because they're only $40/lb at Piece of cake, whereas at MM it's $37/lb, and this place is a little pricey. It's classic, honestly, once something gets popular they just hike up the prices! You can't really sample their cakes there since they don't operate like a traditional bakery and don't have a storefront, but you can try their chocolate cakes over at the Hershey's chocolate bar or whatever it's called, at 15 Fifth Avenue (from the square towards Gundulić, on the left side, you can't miss it). They're sitting in a glass display case right in the middle, on the left side. You'll see for yourself that the labels say The Londoner, sljez 24, which is the Charlotte small house. There, they cost $5.00 per slice. I was there on Saturday and grabbed two slices of everything, and oh my god, I seriously can't decide which one was better!!
It seems pointless that they don't make the cakes themselves, as it makes choosing based solely on those two options 🤷 somewhat illogical. Still, they are remarkably inexpensive, so I will certainly head over to Rockefeller to try them, and we shall see...
feralmoose32 said:Oh man... I really hope they don't screw us over here—I mean, we do know each other, after all... 🤷
I am not suggesting the media isn't telling the truth, but we have never encountered any issues ourselves; in fact, it has always been quite the opposite, especially since we've always just gone out and bought our own desserts on our own terms.
I suppose I will eventually visit that bakery given the constant praise, though I have other avenues to consider. If my goal is simply to acquire something from cake and that, I could just as easily find pastries elsewhere at a much more reasonable price.
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