Perfect Frame

The most recent cake i made was for my "grandmother" Rose. She has been bowling since way before i was born so when we heard her 80th birthday was gonna be a huge bash i instantly wanted to make her cake! Initially my idea was to do a bowling lane with a ball and pins but sometimes cake is unpredictable in the oven and you have to make due with how it comes out.

In order to make this cake i used my sphere cake pan and my 12" pan. When filling the sphere cake pan i did not put enough batter in it so i adjusted my cake theme. Originally i was going to cut the 12" pan to look like a lane but since my ball idea did not come to fruition i decided to use it to cut bowling pins. To do this i used the tip of a knife to outline pins and when they looked like pins i used the knife to cut them out. The finished pieces looked like this:

Now this isnt where i expected this cake to look like but with a little creativity you can turn anything into something wonderful.

Covering the bowling balls
I was told her ball (the one shes been using for decades) was red so i did my best to dye the fondant red. When you add red food coloring to white fondant its hard to get to the right shade but i finished with a burgundy pink. The first step to covering the cake is frosting it then rolling the fondant over the cake and smoothing it out then removing the extras.

 frosted with buttercream

Rolled fondant (bad flash)

Trimmed

Covering the bowling pins

Each pin was shaped differently so they had to be covered one at a time. The process is the same as the above.

 iced as smooth as possible so they are no lumps

 rolled in oblong shapes to cover pin

All three pins covered and smoothed

Decoration

Now this is when you take a simple looking cake and jazz it up and make it look nice. Placement was pretty easily determined. The space between the pins looked just right for the bowling balls so here is what that looked like.

 Add some finger holes and pin stripes, Happy 80th Birthday, and a rose and you have your self a cake.

The last addition was a perfect frame. I know not many people have done this but i thought shes had a great life and deserves it. The cake was a huge hit! Even some of her bowling friends where there and loved it.

This Cake Cracked Me Up!

Once again this is something i should have took more picture of but oh well. To make my easter egg caked i used two types of pans and a new technique i taught myself after reading it on cakecentral.com. I bought wilton's sphere cake pans which are about 6 inches in diameter and when they cooked they are two half circles. Heres a picture of the pans

These would be the top and bottom of the egg

I filled the spheres with a yellow cake mix and for the middle i used a 6in by 2 in cake pan to make the middle. Now i only had one 6x2 pan so i used a technique called "collaring" to make the cake as thick as i needed it with one pan. I used chocolate cake for this part. I wanted the cake to be about 4 or 5 inches tall so you used parchment paper to great a "collar" for the cake to expand into as it cooks. To do this you take the paper and out line the pan onto the paper with an extra inch for siding. Once you cut out the circle you cut in one inch tabs all the way around so that it sits flat in the bottom of you pan and the tabs fit together on the side. You use butter to secure it like glue. Next you take another piece that is long enough to stand tall all the way around the pan, making it taller. When the cake cooks it fills up through the paper and stays in your round shape. I know its hard to image with out a picture to see but trust me it works.

Now as i mentioned in my last post, if you dont put good supports into the cake, it will bulge and collapse. Now this could have also been because my bottom later was round and not a dense cake but while i was stacking i doweled and used cardboard cake boards and it still managed to collapse so i went with just using a middle and one half of the sphere for the top. Instead i took the rest of the cake and make it look like dirt for the egg to sit on as if it was in a easter egg hunt.

I covered the egg part in buttercream then white fondant for the shell. Now the concept for this cake was that a little chicky was popping out of the shell and the egg was cracking. For this i colored buttercream yellow for this chickys feathers. After the fondant had set up in the fridge, i used a star tip to pipe the chickys feathers onto the shell. I did them all over so it looked like he had popped out several places. Next i took some piping gel and colored it black to look like cracks in the eggs. I also used the gel to write "Happy Easter 2011" on the back. For the chickys wings i cut fondant out with a heart shaped cookie cutter and covered it in the yellow butter cream like his other feathers. With the left over buttercream i colored it green for the grass. I used a leaf tip to string out the buttercream so it looked grass like. I cut out some fondant shaped like tulips to add more decoration. For this i used a tulip shaped cookie cutter then i used water and food coloring to hand paint them, which i did for his feet as well. Lastly for his beak i free formed it with fondant and painted it the same was as the tulips and used googley eyes for his face.

Everyone loved the cake! They definitely got the yoke i was trying to shell and it cracked everyone up.

Elmo Extravaganza!

For my old college roommate's daughter's 1st Birthday, i made her an elmo cake! The first thing i worked on is the elmo cake topper. I watched a video on youtube that i cant remember who put it up about how to make elmo (or bear shaped creatures) out of fondant.

Step one: Coloring him to the shade of elmo, which is a deeper red.
Step two: Molding his body, arms, head, and legs.
Step three: Piecing him together so he doesnt look deformed. The best thing to use to hold his head to his body since the head is heavier than the arms and legs is to use skewers. For his arms and legs toothpicks work well.
Step four: Making him look furry. The video i watched suggested using cake scissors but thats didnt work well for the look i wanted so i tried several piping tips until i found that a small star tip works best to give him a furry look.

Step five: Adding his eyes. I just took tiny amounts of fondant and dyed them to the colors i needed and shaped them till they looked like him.

How cute is he! i loved how he looked like a baby considering shes one 1!

Now i should have taken more pictures but my hands get so gooey that i often forget. The next things i worked on was trim decorations which were made of little rolled balls. I stuck with the elmo theme and kept them green, red, yellow, and blue. My other main decoration were star cut outs. Now all these were simple to make. Just section fondant and color with wilton food coloring paste till you like the colors. For the stars i used a star cookie cutter. I also used wiltons alphabet cookie cutters to cut out "Happy Birthday".

All the decorations can be attacked with a little bit of piped butterceam. Good thing i took extra because i got the E and I mixed up in her name : / oops

The hardest part about a cake this big (3 tiers, 2 layers to each) is that you have to stack them properly other wise you'll get bulging like you notice on my yellow layer (which wasnt to bad) or it could collapse, which ill discuss for my easter cake later. For stacking each later you have to put dowel supports in each cake and each layer separate by a cake cardboard round. With good spacing and strong wood, it will stay standing. I also hammered one all the way threw all layers to add extra stability.

Heres the final product.

As an added bonus i made a "smash cake" for her to play with. A smash cake is a little cake for the child to get messy with. I used the giant cupcake scilacone cupcake mold and covered it with butter cream and matching decorations.

Isnt she adorable!

Happy Bootday!

lWelcome Back fellow crafters!

This post will teach you how to make a cake shaped like a boot! Oh wait! There is no cake involved! This cake is made out of Rice Crispy Treats!

  Here is a little back story on the reasoning for this cake. My "Aunt" Liz is having her birthday this weekend. Liz works for Georgetown law. Now im not 100% clear on what it is she does but it involved construction, architecture, and design. Being the only woman (even the boss lady) she owns and wears a pair of Pink Timberlands to stand out! I thought this would be the perfect cake to make for her but they already had ordered a cake. Mom then told Rose (my "grandma") about my idea and fell in love. They both knew this is something Liz would love to see! So we decided i could do it anyways!

Now i watch Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, Ultimate Cake-off, and Food Network Challenge so i thought this was plenty of training to get the job done! Id seen cakes carved out of Rice Crispy Treats so i figured why not try it my self! Here in comes the project!

What you will need:
1 Bag (16oz) Rice Crispy Cereal: I used generic because im broke but you can choose whatever brand you would prefer. I dont think it makes a difference because i dont think anyone is gonna be eating this cake since there will be a real one at the party.
1 Bag (16oz) Marshmallows: Once again brand isnt that important but i use Jet-Puff since Great Value (walmart's brand) didnt have a 16 oz bag.
2 tbsp Butter: I use stick butter because its easy to measure out and melts down quicker than a spread.

Depending on the shape of your cake you can use whatever pan you want. Because i knew i was making a boot i wanted to use something that will eliminate half the trouble for me so i cut the top off a 2 liter soda bottle (plus the bottom kinda looks like a heel of a boot) for the tall part of the boot and a round pan to mold the rest.

Step one: On low heat melt down butter. If the pan is too hot it will burn the butter and marshmallows.

Step two: Add marshmallows. Make sure to stir continuous so that the bottom doesn't burn. Stir till all mallows are melted.

Step three: Remove from stove. Add rice crispys! Stir mixture together until its mixed well.

Step four: CAUTION!!! The mixture will be hot so be careful! Coat the pan you are adding the mixture to with vegetable shortening to avoid having trouble getting it out once its harden up.

Let mixture cool for about 2 hours

Use a knife to cut the bottle off. Be careful not to cut your self! It will be slippery from the shortening.

I thought it was to tall so i cut it up. The next few pictures are that process.

Now i have a starting point. This makes the Ankle part and heel part of the boot.

I cut the round next to start on the foot part of the boot.

The next few pieces are free hand cut based on which piece was gonna fit with which.

This piece serves as the bottom of the boot. I used it as a starting point to build up on. It was cut from the middle part of the circle pan.

I then took the rounded edges from the circle pan and lined them up on the base of the boot. I used spare pieces of treats to help mold the pieces together and make it as symmetrical as possible.

 

Here you will notice i added a lip to the top of the boot to serve as a cuff and i carved an arch into the bottom to look like a real boot.

To cover this cake with fondant i covered the rice crispy boot in butter cream frosting. I already had butter cream left over from a cake i made previously so i used that. Its chocolate mocha flavored.

This serves several purposes. First being that it acts as an adhesive for the fondant. Next it acts as a hole filler. Since the treat is holey the butter cream fills in those little gaps so that when you add the fondant it lays smooth. Its important to try and cover it as smooth as possible. Refrigerate until harden and then you can cover it with your fondant.

I made my own fondant to cover it. You can see how to do that  here. For this project i colored my fondant different shades of purple because Purple is Liz's favorite color. Piecing this cake together takes different techniques so do what works best for you. Here is a brief description of how i did it.

Step one: The inside of the boot. I tried to color the fondant black but its hard to get it the fondant that dark so i used the food coloring and water to paint it.

Step two. The cuff of the boot. This will also act as a place to adhere the ankle piece of the boot.

Step three: The foot of the boot. 

Step four: The ankle of the boot. Used water as an aid to adhere this to the cuff and foot of the boot.

Step five: The laces details. I used a marker lid to cut of the circles of the shoe laces and added them to the boot. I also rolled out "shoe string" and laced up the boot. Again using water as an aid to adhere it to the boot.

Step six: The heel details. I rolled out the heel and added it to the bottom of the boot. Again using water as an aid to adhere it to the boot. I used my shell tip fondant/gumpaste tool to indent the grooves in the heel.

Step seven: The stitching detail. I used my quilt roller tip fondant/gumpaste tool to add stitching. This not only lets it look like a real boot, but i used it where i pieced together the different pieces of fondant to hid the imperfections.

And Now you have a Boot!

How to make Marshmellow Fondant!

Hello fellow crafters! I know its been a while since ive blogged but ive been busy with my new hobby:

CAKE DECORATING!!!

In this post i will walk you through how to make your own fondant to cover cakes to decorate on!

I found the recipe on Cakecentral.com and Wilton.com and went from their inspiration.

Ingredients:
1 Bag Marshmallows (16oz): Depending on the size of the mallows the bags come in either small (10oz) and large (16oz) puffs. Both websites recommend using a high quality marshmallow, I used Jet-Puffed Large Marshmallows (16oz)
2lbs Confectioner Sugar: Or for us plain folk: Powder Sugar. Now both the websites i mentioned above say that 2lbs is close to 8 cups. Depending on the process it can take anywhere from 6-9 cups.
2-5 tbsp water: for convection in the microwave
2 tbsp Flavoring: for this i used CLEAR Vanilla extract, if you want your fondant to stay white use clear!
1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening: Give or take, you could need more or less. This is used to coat your tools to avoid sticking and to package and store.

Directions:
Step one: Coat your bowl with shortening! DONT FORGET THIS!!!! You will need two bowls. One microwave safe and one large enough to knead the mixture in. Coat these thoroughly to avoid problems and sticking.

Step two: Add marshmallows into microwave safe dish (already coated in shortening) and add 2tbsp water into the dish. Heat approx. 60 seconds then stir. Its smart to coat your spoon in shortening as well. After stirring heat for 30 seconds more then stir. The websites recommend this interval until melted which they estimate 2 1/2 minutes. I heated mine till it was smooth and it looked like one giant mallow.

Tip: You can add the vanilla in before you start folding in the powder sugar or you can wait till you need water. Make sure you add 2 tbsps so that the fondant has good flavor!

Step three: Take 1/2 (4 cups) powder sugar and place in your other bowl (already coated in shortening). Add mallow mixture in and fold together. For the next 3-5 cups add one at a time and fold. If you add to much powder sugar at a time it will puff up on you and make a mess! Once the mallow has cooled i just used my hands but its VERY IMPORTANT TO COAT YOUR HANDS WITH SHORTENING!!!!! It wont help 100% but it helps way more than if you dont. Its simpler just to work your way up. The way to tell if your getting close to the right consistency is if it looks like a kneaded loaf.

Tip: If it starts to dry out between cup additions add a half tablespoon of water. I say half because if you add to much at a time it gets to wet!

Step four: Once kneaded and all cups have been added take out and place on a well coated mat or counter top to continue kneading until it looks right and is pliable with out being too dry or tearing when played with.

Step five: You'll notice in the above picture the fondant is really shiny. This is because i coated it with shortening for storing and setting up. Once you coat the outside wrap the loaf in plastic wrap. Make sure you get the most air out as possible. Once wrapped up store in a plastic bag.

Now you have fondant!
Both the above websites suggest that if you only need one color then add the coloring before you mix the mallow and powder sugar. If you want many different colors, color as you work!

For the colors i choose look forward to my next blog!

Sugar Flowers

Now if your anything like me, watching the food network channel is one of my favorite things to do. More than that anything related to cake making : Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, Ultimate Cake-Off, etc. Id love to make half the stuff they do to decorate cakes. So i tried!

For Christmas i got some great silicone baking sheets and it reminded me of what i saw on several TV episodes. I looked up some recipes for poured sugar and i went for it. Here is a step by step account of how to make sugar flowers. Keep in mind the sugar gets EXTREMELY HOT!!! TAKE CAUTION!! and of course practice makes perfect.

Step One: In a pot over medium to high heat add 1 1/4 cup sugar and about 1/4 cup water, more if needed. I found directions at http://www.ehow.com/how_5651999_make-pulled-sugar.html but for the most part i flew of the hinge. After the sugar starts to boil add in your choice of food coloring. No need to stir the boiling will do it for you.

Use a candy thermometer to determine temperature. Heat the Sugar to exactly 298 degrees F otherwise if its undercooked it will recrystallize and if over cooked burn. This took me 4 tries to get to the right temp but dont give up.

Step Two: Once the sugar as reached 298 degrees F remove from heat and pour on to silicone baking sheet.

Make sure to wear rubber gloves. The sugar is EXTREMELY HOT!!! and you will even feel the heat through the gloves but will help shield some of the heat. I dont know what experts use to handle hot sugar but i found them to work well.

Step Three: The sugar will continue to cool every second it is off the heat so you must work quickly in order to get the sugar to a pliable material. The best way to start this is use your fingers to roll in the edges of the sugar into the center. This should be worked around the circle until the material is now in a ball shape.

The consistency should be similar to playing with gum. It till stick to its self but pull apart. I would caution waiting at least a minute or two before attempting this step to avoid burning yourself.

Step Four: Once pliable you will be able to pull the sugar, much like taffy. From this point you can take pieces of the of the sugar and mold them into the shape you are looking for.

This picture was taken from a previous attempt when i actually pulled the sugar but this is what the sugar looks like when burnt and pulled.

Step Five: Pull sugar pieces into the shape of your petals. In this case i was making a sugar poinsettia flower.

While it may not be perfect i think i did a pretty good job! For the stamen in the middle of the flower i dipped the sugar balls into sprinkles to add the yellow effect.

The task is a long one. Dont give up and be patience while attempting this. After you finish you can try and have a little fun. We tried to blow sugar in to shapes. Now i didnt know what the experts used to do this. From the shows ive watched i assume some type of plastic tubing but in our case i used a baster. I took the pump off and attempted it that way.