ICE CREAM CAKES
Walk into most ice cream or frozen dessert shops these days and you will find more than just ice cream. Many business owners are capitalizing on using their products in different formats to create similar but parallel revenue streams in their businesses.
It may not be the easiest, but one very effective way to add revenue without any capital expense is to start a cake program. Ice cream cakes have been loved the world over and adults and children alike can’t resist tucking into two of their favorite food groups combined – Ice Cream and Cake.
Starting or refining your cake program is very easy to do and you will be surprised by the profitability and the interest a good cake program can provide for your business. Let’s look at some elements.
Molds
Ice cream cakes are easy to make. Now as always, when I say “ice cream” I mention it generically. You can make great quality cakes out of soft serve, gelato, frozen custard, and premium ice cream. You don’t get much traction out of water-based products such as water ice or sorbet, so we will leave those out of this conversation.
Most ice cream cakes consist of two layers of different flavored frozen desserts with a layer of something in the middle. You will need to start off with some kind of mold. In the old days, many business owners used round or square steel baking pans or similar products that had a spring or quick release to get the cake out. These products necessitated quickly dipping the finished frozen pan in hot water or the use of a hair dryer to warm up the pan to allow the cake to release. This was problematic to the end product as you would undoubtedly get some form of meltage on the sides of the cake.
Now, most of the industry is used silicon molds to easily freeze and then release the cake. A mold designed for ice cream cakes will peel easily off the frozen product, leaving you a “blank” that is still very much frozen with clean crisp edges. Companies like Cold Molds and Silikamart make these kinds of products.
Production
Once you have your molds, it’s as simple as placing a pliable layer of frozen dessert in the bottom of the mold and filling to about halfway. You cannot place already frozen, scooped product into the mold as the appearance would be woeful. After that is placed in the freezer to harden, take it out, and put a layer of something on top. Some retailers squeeze a later of variegate or fudge with a crumble of some sort. The defines layers of ice cream make a better end product for the customer.
Some retailers put a little layer of cake in the middle to make the end product easier to cut and consume. Then apply the last layer of frozen product, generally another flavor, and place a piece of wax or parchment paper over the top before returning to the freezer to harden.
After it is frozen all of the ways through, pop it out of the mold, and bobs your uncle, you have an ice cream cake blank ready to decorate.
Collaboration
I find that cakes are a great way to collaborate with other popular food businesses in your area. Talk to a local bakery or cake shop about utilizing some of their “scrap” products in your cakes and advertise that your products feature cake from “Sally’s Bake Shop”
These small business collaborations are great for business and can piggyback off each other’s social media and other marketing strategies.
Decorating
There is honestly no point in starting or continuing a cake program if you are not committed to putting some resources into decorating. A beautifully structured and tasting cake is only as good as the decoration that goes on top of it. You may think you are a master decorator, but honestly, anyone tasked with icing cakes should get some kind of training. Many local baking supply houses offer courses on decoration cakes with all manner of ingredients from buttercream to fondant.
Invest in yourself or a couple of your employees and send them to a class to ensure your cakes not only taste great but look great as well.
Packaging
Now that you have a delicious and visually memorizing cake on your menu, don’t spoil the party by sticking it in a cheap box that hides the beauty of the product. That’s like buying a Versace ball gown to go to the Oscars and wearing a trench coat over it all night. It’s your time to shine.
Invest in packaging that allows customers to visually see the cake in the box. Yes, it may be a little more expensive, but cakes are very profitable, and building the expense of a visual display container into the cost of the cake will result in selling more in the long run.
Orders
Many customers would like to order custom cakes to suit their own culinary desires, however, you should always have some decorated cakes consisting of the tried-and-true vanilla and chocolate combo. These are for the forgetful dads who were asked to bring a cake home and only remembered as they were driving past your shop.
For those that have a little more time, you can place an order form on your website, at the shop itself, or allow customers to call in their orders. Some businesses allow customers to order a combination of any ice cream flavor your office in the business. Obviously, you will need some time to make sure these flavors are in production so a week or two lead times is always preferable. Make sure you advertise this lead time on your website or order page.
Ancillary supplies
Some ice cream businesses will also offer a small supply of products that complement that cake selling process such as candles, press-on messages, and other cake paraphernalia and decorations. These add-on products are very popular if you have a cake program that is very successful. At one of our shops in Australia, we invested in a smaller printer that used rice paper and edible ink to print whatever images the customer wanted for an upcharge.
Ice cream cakes and similar type products are a great way to feature your ice cream products in another way to provide a different revenue stream with no real other capital investment. Some cakes can be made for a little a couple of dollars and then resold for between $20 and $30.
Add a little celebration to your business and see how a profitable cake program can benefit you.