Monday, March 28, 2011

Krazy for Kabobs

Today, Donut YOUniversity is celebrating Something On a Stick Day.  Yes, there really is a National Holiday dedicated to skewered vittles.  So, we're going to show you how easy it is to make your favorite edibles portable. 

What you'll need:

  • Your Favorite Mel-O-Cream Donuts Donut Holes
  • Finishing Sugars or Cinnamons
  • Glaze
  • Icing
  • Sprinkles
  • Wooden Skewers
  • Scissors
  • Wax Paper

We'll show you 3 different ways to prepare Donut Kabobs. 

First, prepare a batch of your favorite donut holes by warming them in the oven at 375 degrees for no more than 30 seconds.  Once the donut holes are thawed, select one of these options to prepare them:
And remember, once you've created your kabobs, you'll need containers long enough to store them properly for your customers.  So enjoy your poppable pastries on a stick today!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Caramel-Glazed Butter Pecan Donuts

National Pecan Day is March 25, and to celebrate this wholesome nut of the Mid and Southwest, Mel-O-Cream Donuts makes every March its Butter Pecan Cake Donut Month.  These rich cake donuts have smooth, creamy taste and a hint of pecan on the pallet.  It’s as comforting as comfort food can get.

If you want to add a little more decadence to these donuts, why not try topping them with caramel icing?  Your distributor can provide you caramel icing, or you can contact Mel-O-Cream Donuts.  In past entries, Donut YOUniversity has shown you how to top your donuts with icing the good-old-fashioned way.  Now, we’re going to show you how to drizzle icing onto your cake donuts.

Our experts agree that glazing your donuts before you drizzle caramel icing is the perfect accent.  The glaze provides a sugary-sweet base, followed by a slightly more savory caramel dappling: this choice accompanies the Butter Pecan donut in an ideal concert of flavors.

First, while you wait for a tray of Butter Pecan cake donuts to thaw, prepare your glazing according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Once the donuts have thawed, coat the top of each with the glaze by brushing it onto the face of the donut or dipping it into the container of glaze.  We recommend glazing all of the donuts before you move on to drizzling the caramel icing.

Next, prepare your caramel icing so that it is the correct consistency.  You can tell it’s ready if you can make ribbons of icing by lifting your mixer or spatula.  If it creates lines or “ribbons” from your utensil back to the bowl, then you can create the drizzle pattern on your donuts. 

NOTE:  According to food preparation laws and regulations, all food products sold to the public should be prepared with gloved hands. 


Take your gloved hand and place your fingers into the container of caramel icing.  Your fingers should be slightly spaced apart.  Keeping your fingers still, pull your hand out of the icing.  Notice how the icing ribbons off of each of your fingers?  This is the effect you want to create on your donuts.  Move your hand (not your fingers!) approximately 6-12 inches over the donuts in a rocking or circular motion.  Remember, your fingers should remain steady: think of them as a paint brush that you guide over your edible canvasses.

And in case your customers may have food-specific allergies, it would be a great idea to let them know that although our Butter Pecan donuts taste like pecans, all of our items are 100% peanut and nut-free!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Lucky Four-Leaf Donuts

Looking for a way to make your donut case more interesting this St. Patrick's Day?  Not looking to spend a lot to do it?  No problem!  Make four-leaf clovers from yeast-raised donuts! 

Here's what you need:
  • Heart-shaped, yeast-raised donuts -- If your distributor does not carry them, contact Mel-O-Cream for information
  • White flat icing
  • Green food coloring
  • Other food coloring or different colored gel icings (optional)
  • Colored sugars (optional)
  • Sprinkles (optional)
  • Piping bag
For the Pot of Gold, we used yellow round jimmies.  You can substitute gel icings for flat icing if you do not have piping bags or other food colorings.

The clovers should fit in most dozen-donut boxes; however, a cake box will also provide enough room for this design. 
 
So enjoy your Lucky Four-leaf Donuts!  And did we mention that they are the perfect compliment to your mug of green beer?

Friday, March 4, 2011

Kick-Up Your King Cakes


Fat Tuesday is quickly approaching, ladies and gents.  Have you been thinking about how to decorate your King Cakes?

For those of you who have never participated in this New Orleans tradition, the King Cake originated from a Catholic festival.  The King's Cake (as it was called) symbolizes the journey of the Three Kings to Bethlehem.  According to the story, they traveled for 12 days, arriving at Bethlehem on the day in which we celebrate Mardi Gras.  French and Spanish settlers introduced this custom to the New Orleans region, and this sweet and spicy confection has been a mainstay of Carnival cuisine ever since.

Not sure how to decorate a King Cake?  It's very simple -- and a lot of fun!  Mel-O-Cream provides customers with everything they need in a King Cake Kit, complete with multicolored sugars, beads, and the obligatory plastic baby.  If you don't have the kit, here's what you'll need:

  • King Cake dough
  • Flat White Icing
  • Sugars in traditional Mardi Gras colors, such as gold, green, purple, and magenta
  • Strands of plastic beads
  • The Plastic Baby

Note:  The Baby is the quintessential decoration of the King Cake.  In some traditions, finding the baby inside the cake is good luck and the recipient is granted a wish.  Others consider the plastic baby to connote the Baby Jesus.  While others insist that this is just the most interesting part of the King Cake.  So beware - no baby could mean dissatisfied Mardi Gras enthusiasts!




The most important thing to remember about Mardi Gras is that you are encouraged to indulge that sweet tooth.  So get carried away with your King Cake: slather on those sugars and embellish with beads!  After all, it's only once a year, right?