Question directed at HIC, But if anyone else is/was brave enough to try "Pandoro", what would be a good starting percentage?
Disclaimer first - it's from FA's Kitchen Magic line and contains 2% diacetyl.
Disclaimer to the disclaimer - that's less than most Capellas, many Flavor West, and some popular TFA flavors, and you'll need very little of it
Last disclaimer - if you want to avoid custard notes, don't buy Pandoro. It's seriously delicious and you'll vape it all.
Now then.. It's strong - start at just 0.5% standalone and move up 0.5% at a time. I doubt anyone would ever need as much as 2%. Standalone, it's a lemony pound cake. As an ingredient, just 0.25%, often less, turns the other ingredients into a cake.
Two example recipes:
Vanilla Cream Cake (far stronger flavor than 2.5% total flavoring would lead you to believe!)
0.5% each: Catalan Cream, Vienna Cream, Vanilla Tahiti, Fresh Cream
0.25% each: Meringue and Pandoro
Strawberry Shortcake
5% FA Strawberry
2% FA Fresh Cream
1% FA Pandoro
In Vanilla Cream Cake, Pandoro turns all the cream and vanilla flavors into smooth, sweet vanilla cake. Adding premixed Vanilla Cream Cake to other recipes will turn
them into cake, too (add about 1/3 of it to 2/3 of the other recipe, or 1/2 and 1/2)
In Strawberry Shortcake, Pandoro is a main flavor, mellowed with Fresh Cream, covered in berries. That recipe is pretty near 'commercial strength' - strong enough for near anyone. Half-strength would be a little washed-out, though.
Curly, I know you're chasing Twinkies. Twinkies do have a little lemon flavor, and Pandoro is going to be great for your project. If you start with Vanilla Cream Cake, omit Catalan Cream, boost Pandoro to 0.5-0.75%, I think you'd have a really great start. You'd probably want an extra .25% of Fresh Cream and of Meringue to get more 'filling' flavor. Those two combine with Pandoro to make a taste you'll find familiar. (edit: Twinkies would use Vanilla Classic instead of Tahiti.)
Please nobody copy those recipes anywhere without mentioning the warning on Pandoro!