# Strawberries, cream, fermentation?



## mar821 (Jun 29, 2007)

disclaimer: i am not a pastry chef, but the owner of a bakery.

in the past month, i have changed pastry chefs and bakery cases. in the past month, i've had an ongoing problem with our cakes that contain strawberries & whipped cream. after only 2 days in the case, the strawberries inside the cake begin to release an alcohol-like taste. i assume this is because they're starting to ferment. however, i can't figure out why. its either b/c of the new pastry chef or the case. the new case is not refrigerating quite the way it should. its at around 50 degrees (currently being fixed). the pastry chef whips heavy cream unusually slowly, otherwise she makes the cake exactly the way it was made before she came. can someone please tell me what the most probable reason is??


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## erik (Jan 23, 2006)

I would say, fairly confidently, that it is the case - not the chef


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## baddabing (Jun 9, 2007)

if you are using real heavy cream, it should be whipped as cold and as fast as possible.
berries are as fragile as you can get. Just touching one will usually leave a burn mark. Over handling and weight concentrating them will sort of make them maserate. Also adding anything will contribute to this.
Leaving the cakes in the danger zone 40+ deg. is a bad idea. 
We give the staw, cream 1 day in the case
hth


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## mar821 (Jun 29, 2007)

hi, thanks so much for responding. you say that you leave strawberries & cream only 1 day in the case. is this even when the cream & strawberries are handled properly & they are in a case below 40 degrees?


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## jessiquina (Nov 4, 2005)

its not the chef.. .and how long are you looking to storing your cakes? ew. personally i would never sell a 3 day old whipped cream cake. .. try using strawberry jam instead of fresh berries. ??


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## baddabing (Jun 9, 2007)

Mar821,
Yes, 1 day. The berries will almost always start to shrink or bleed depending on if the cream is sweetened. Are you using any type of stabilizer? If you need a longer shelflife you may want to try something non-dairy with real cream folded in.
I respectfully disagree with Jess, Strawberries require the slightest wash and a thourough drying on something absorbant without stacking and a lot of touching. It is best to use a high cream to strawberry ratio, meaning a 1/4 inch dice is better then using slices. It is also better to dice the strawberries right on to the cream layers. Pre-dicing or slicing berries into a bowl and hand grabing might seem faster, but it will certainly cut short the life of the berry.
I say all this referencing ripe berries. We don't use berries that are white on the inside.
hth


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

And there is the problem!!
mar821 I do commend you for seeking answers to the problem and I am suprised your pastry chef could not identify the faulty refrigerator cabinet as the source of your problem. (I am assuming you asked).

I would not be storing any fresh dairy in that fridge, it should be below 40f, above this (50f) is in the "danger zone".
My local food regulations stipulate that you have a maximum shelf life of 4 hours when displaying at your current temperature. Outside of this timeframe and you are risking your reputation and everything else.
Your HACCP plan should identify this risk and how to control the process.

Good luck.


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