Ivory, Purple and Silver Themed Cake with Cupcakes
January 18th, 2010This cake was for a bridal shower. The top tier was chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, topped with ivory fondant. The cupcakes were vanilla cake with buttercream, topped with purple and silver “R” monograms.
White Chocolate Cupcake with White Chocolate Frosting
January 13th, 2010
I made two dozen of these fabulous cupcakes for a holiday party. They are white chocolate cupcakes topped off with some white chocolate frosting. To finish them off, I sprinkled red, white and green nonpareils over top.
Glycerine for baking
January 10th, 2010Glycerine is a clear, syrup like substance that you can add to your fondant or royal icing to restore its consistency. Glycerine can also be used to thin out your gel based food colors if they have thickened. Just add a little bit at a time and mix! You can purchase glycerine at your local craft store or a specialty baking shop. I recommend the Wilton brand.
Cake Dummies Are Your Friend
December 18th, 2009
A cake dummy is a non-edible piece of foam that is shaped into a cake tier. They are great for making show pieces or adding height to a smaller cake. More importantly – they work wonders for practicing your designs! They come in all shapes, sizes and heights. You can find them on ebay, at smaller cake supply stores or you can buy them from foam manufacturers. I recommend getting them from Dallas Foam. They have a great selection as well as great prices. Taylor Foam is also another good supplier.
Check out my basketweave cake! It was made using cake dummies.
Great article about rolled fondant!
December 16th, 2009I found a really nice article about rolled fondant on baking911.com. It talks about making fondant, rolling out fondant, etc. The article also offers several tips and solutions for things you may encounter while using your fondant. Enjoy!
Pretty Party Cakes Book Review
December 13th, 2009Pretty Party Cakes by Peggy Porschen – This is a really nice colorful decorating book; however, it is not for beginners. It’s filled with festive cookie ideas and unique cakes that would bring excitement to any experienced decorator. The beginning of the book focuses on recipes as well as what tools and equipment you will need to make the projects in the book. You then move into the cookie section of the book, followed by the cupcake section, the miniature cake section, and finishing off with the large cake section.
“Painting” A Cake Tier With Luster Dust
December 3rd, 2009
One of my favorite materials for decorating is luster dust. You can apply it to mediums such as fondant, gumpaste and modeling chocolate. It can be airbrushed, dry brushed or painted on. For purposes of this how-to, we’re going to discuss hand painting.
Materials:
-Fondant Covered Cake
-Lemon Extract
-Sponge Brush (you can use a paint brush but they tend to leave streaks)
Mix a small amount of lemon extract with your luster dust. You want the mix to be a paste texture. Using your sponge brush, start with the top of your cake and with even strokes, paint the entire surface. Allow the paint to dry and then you can embellish with more decorations if you’d like.
**Tip- Make sure you save a small reserve of luster dust in case you add to much extract to your mix. You can always add more but you can’t take away!
