bake - April 2016 - 46

Graduation Cakes
Graduation is a celebration of both an ending and a beginning.

Products and Amounts

It's a time each year when millions of graduates across the coun-

Every graduation party is different, but there are some general

try reach a crossroads between their past achievements and fu-

rules of thumb to keep in mind as you prepare your bakery for

ture adventures, and it's perhaps for this reason that graduation

this busy season.

parties are so important; they give graduates a chance to pause
between all this chaos and change and just "be."

First is dessert type. "While sheet cakes are the most common
dessert for open houses, there are other great options gaining

Central to these graduation parties, of course, is cake! As such,

popularity, including cupcakes, cake pops and donuts," Liva said.

graduations represent an excellent opportunity for your bakery
to not only create and sell occasion cakes, but also to build

Mini dessert bars are also a growing trend, as customers are

meaningful and lasting relationships with your customers.

drawn to variety in products and flavors.

Timing

The second important consideration is quantity. "People tend

Graduation parties are popular at the grade school, high

to get overzealous when ordering desserts," Liva said, "so

school, and college levels, and the graduation season reaches

we recommend a simple equation to estimate the amount of

its prime in late-spring and early-summer.

dessert customers can count on their guests to eat at their
graduates' open houses."

According to Jessica Liva, decorating manager at Ryke's Bakery in Muskegon, Michigan, "The busiest time of our graduation season is from the last week in May through the first week

BY THE NUMBERS

of July. Customers start asking for graduation cakes as early

August. "Off to college" parties are growing in popularity, oc-

3.3 million: Students expected to
from high school
952,000:
Students expected to
associate's degrees
1.8 million: Students expected to
bachelor's degrees
802,000:
Students expected to
master's degrees
179,000:
Students expected to
doctor's degrees

curring almost as often as graduation parties themselves.

SOURCE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

as January and usually stop asking around the middle of May.
We do get a few last-minute orders, but not too many."
Nancy Newsom, owner of That's The Cake Bakery in Arlington,
Texas, added, "I get calls off and on all year long-probably the
most around April, May, and June. We occasionally get orders
in December, too."
Another, related occasion to be on the lookout for happens in

46 < APR 2016 | bakemag.com

graduate
receive
receive
receive
receive



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bake - April 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake - April 2016

bake - April 2016
Editor's Note - The Design Issue: The Premium Experience
Table of Contents
News Bites - Barry Callebaut Completes Expansion
FDA to Delay Labeling Rules
Wisconsin Names Bakery of Year
Lawrence Foods Earns Award
Caterers Impress with Desserts
Pretzel Brand Seeks Franchisees
Personality - Thomas Keller
Management - Raises vs. Benefits
Labor Front - Minimizing Safety Risks
Ingredients - A Passion for Passion Fruit
Equipment - Ensuring Compliance
Sharp Image
Display Elegance
Food Photography
Migrating Millennials
Local Connections
Tim Hortons on the Move
Graduation Cakes
Nontraditional Holidays
Cafe - Salad Days
Cold Brew Coffee
Products
Product Showcase
Classifieds
Ad Index
Online - BakeMag.com
bake - April 2016 - bake - April 2016
bake - April 2016 - 2
bake - April 2016 - Editor's Note - The Design Issue: The Premium Experience
bake - April 2016 - 4
bake - April 2016 - 5
bake - April 2016 - Table of Contents
bake - April 2016 - 7
bake - April 2016 - Pretzel Brand Seeks Franchisees
bake - April 2016 - 9
bake - April 2016 - Personality - Thomas Keller
bake - April 2016 - 11
bake - April 2016 - Management - Raises vs. Benefits
bake - April 2016 - 13
bake - April 2016 - Labor Front - Minimizing Safety Risks
bake - April 2016 - 15
bake - April 2016 - Ingredients - A Passion for Passion Fruit
bake - April 2016 - 17
bake - April 2016 - Equipment - Ensuring Compliance
bake - April 2016 - 19
bake - April 2016 - Sharp Image
bake - April 2016 - 21
bake - April 2016 - 22
bake - April 2016 - 23
bake - April 2016 - 24
bake - April 2016 - 25
bake - April 2016 - 26
bake - April 2016 - 27
bake - April 2016 - 28
bake - April 2016 - 29
bake - April 2016 - Display Elegance
bake - April 2016 - 31
bake - April 2016 - 32
bake - April 2016 - 33
bake - April 2016 - Food Photography
bake - April 2016 - 35
bake - April 2016 - 36
bake - April 2016 - 37
bake - April 2016 - Migrating Millennials
bake - April 2016 - 39
bake - April 2016 - Local Connections
bake - April 2016 - 41
bake - April 2016 - Tim Hortons on the Move
bake - April 2016 - 43
bake - April 2016 - 44
bake - April 2016 - 45
bake - April 2016 - Graduation Cakes
bake - April 2016 - 47
bake - April 2016 - 48
bake - April 2016 - 49
bake - April 2016 - Nontraditional Holidays
bake - April 2016 - 51
bake - April 2016 - 52
bake - April 2016 - 53
bake - April 2016 - Cafe - Salad Days
bake - April 2016 - 55
bake - April 2016 - Cold Brew Coffee
bake - April 2016 - Products
bake - April 2016 - Product Showcase
bake - April 2016 - Classifieds
bake - April 2016 - 60
bake - April 2016 - 61
bake - April 2016 - 62
bake - April 2016 - 63
bake - April 2016 - 64
bake - April 2016 - 65
bake - April 2016 - Ad Index
bake - April 2016 - Online - BakeMag.com
bake - April 2016 - 68
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