I decided to open another Basket Class since the one in March was getting
too full. We had so much fun at the March Class, I can't wait to see my new students in April. Here is the info
on the class: http://www.designmeacake.com/id141.html
I am working on my Michigan Class May 3 & 4.
This will be a great class. I love everything about this cake. Astromelias, roses, leaves, triple bow, drapes and details that can help with
your wedding cakes.
I love keylime
cake and I have been tasting recipes for awhile. This cake is delicious and it has a pound cake texture. I use margarine
because it turned out to be tastier, but if you are into real butter and hate margarine go for it. If you
decide to use margarine, make sure it's a good one. Some margarines have too much water content, so it would be
better to stick with butter then.
I added photos of the products I used for those who like that
info. It works wonderful by following the directions, so if you decide to do your own thing and it doesn't work.
Try it again. It will be worth it.
1 Cup Orange Juice 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 1/2 cup Sugar 12 ounces bag of Cranberries 1 tablespoon cinnamon
In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Add
the cinnamon. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop.
You can exchange some of
the orange juice for Grand Marnier and add other spices like nutmeg to it.
Once you add the cranberries, when they get start getting softer you can pop them using
a fork or a potato masher. If you don't do this they will pop on their own.
This is the way the sauce will look. You can let them cook for around ten
minutes or more depending how thickyou want it to be. Keep in mind it thickens once it cools down.
You can choose to have the chunks of food or grind it to a smooth consistency. After this, you can
put it in a jam can to cool down. The flavors intensify once it cools down.
This
tutorial is a good way to get started playing with Fondant. Marshmallow Fondant or MMF, is a type o Fondant that
it's a bit easier to make than regular fondant.
Make sure to follow directions and if something goes wrong
while you are making it, watch again. In doing this recipe, following the recipe instructions is best to have a
good outcome.
Work with it fast so it doesn't dry. And always cover it well.
As for me..I buy
my Fondant. This is a good mix but I still prefer Fondant better. There are some good Fondant recipes out there but it's a bit harder to make than MMF.
Hope you enjoy that! Until next time Ta ta! Edna :)
Some of you have been asking
for a contest. So I decided to do one that it's easy and fun. It's basically a sharing contest. All levels and skills of decoration can join. Here are the rules: 1. Go to my Facebook page and like it. The FB button on the right will take you there.
2. Look for the photo I posted below in my Facebook page and share it with your other friends
in FB. Press on the photo below for a direct link to it. 3. Then last but not least, share a photo of your own cake creation in my Facebook page. It doesn't matter what level of decoration skills you have.
This is all about sharing!
Anybody can participate in this contest. The winner will win a DVD from my collection
of DVD's. The winner will be announced next week!
Have fun and participate! Until next time...Ta
ta! Edna :)
I made this tutorial
for those who like to make gumpaste flowers and like to know my favorite gum glue. I always use this glue, not
only for flowers but even to glue things to my cake. Keep in mind that the glue you use might change depending on what you are doing.
For buttercream if I am doing small pieces I will use tylose glue,
water or vodka or some extract. If am doing heavier pieces, I will use buttercream.
If I am working over
fondant, I can use tylose glue, water, extract or vodka. For heavier pieces I will use buttercream, royal icing
or melted chocolate.
Sometimes for smaller pieces of fondant you can lay them over a moist kitchen towel
paper and that will be enough to stick the piece over buttercream or fondant.
Too much liquids and the piece
will slide down, so make sure not to use too much glue.
Try it all and find out what works for you but keep in mind all things works if used properly.
I use only Tylose glue for my flowers. I like it because it can
be made in a thicker consistency. In the video below I explain how I make it. I have Tylose available in the website for those who can find it locally.
How to work with Lace Molds I love working with lace on cakes. This one is one of my favorite laces I have ever worked with. Molds for laces can vary a lot. Some are all silicone, some are one sided. This one in particular has 2 sides. Click on the lace to find more information on it In this video tutorial I explain how to work with it.
Hope you enjoy
the tutorial, until next time Ta ta! Edna ;)
I have been asked for this
tutorial for awhile. I finally was able to get it done. There are many ways to do buttercream roses but to me this is
the most basic one. Remember, practice is key with making these. They can be difficult to learn for some people
but once you learn them you will never forget them. Hope you enjoy. Ta ta! Edna ;)
Magnolia Cake I did this cake a few weeks ago and a lot of people asked me about it. The flower is a specimen of
Magnolia called "Magnolia X Soulangiana". A beautiful flower with pink tones in it.
The cutter I used is available at the webstore. Press on the photo to get to
it. At the base of the cake I used a mold. I don't have the mold available in the website but here is a photo
of it: I had to mold each square to make the ribbon at the bottom of the cake.
To finish it I use the extruder on top and bottom of the ribbon
I created.
The cake was covered in fondant. I started with a base of purple and used a brush to
handpaint it with some luster dusts. For more photos of the cake go here: http://www.designmeacake.com/id122.html
On another note, The Central Florida Fair is coming soon. March 1-11, 2012. Here is the link to their
website: Central Florida Fair
I just posted some photos that were taken the day of our
Challenge!
Challenge started with a trip to Denver. Our episode was filmed April 1, 2011..April Fools day!
We arrived 2 days earlier and started by doing some shopping and getting ready for the Challenge.
We had a
meeting where we met the other contestants and the judges. We were competing against: Jennifer Matsubara (3 time
winner) with Mariella Ortega Lorie Burcham with Jason Burcham (their second Challenge) Burton Farnswoth with Sandy
Sheppard.
Our Judges were: Keegan Gerhard Kerry Vincent Ashley Vicos (Guest Judge)
The
day of the Challenge is a long hard day. We had to be there by 4:30 am. Usually, Challenge gives contestants 8 hours
to finish the cake, but with filming, time can be cut to almost 7 hours.
Our Challenge was intense. We had
to do Extreme Aliens. Paul and I decided to combine both our strengths in the design. His sculpting abilities with my
finishing touches. I was supposed to do a mini-tiered cake with flowers in an hour and a half, while he sculpted. We both met our time-line well, but the unexpected
twists were insane.
The first twist was at the 2 hour mark. I already had done the mini cake, and was helping Paul
with covering the cake in Ganache, when they took the time clock away from us. They took our watches and phones away,
too, so ther was NO way to know the time. All we could do was keep moving.
While I kept finishing, smoothing and
texturing the skin, Paul kept covering arms, legs and head. Time came for the SECOND twist! NOT FAIR! There is never
more than one twist in Challenge, but guess what? We were in for another one!
For the second twist, they took
all of the assistants away. One thing that people forget is that this is a Challenge that needs 2 people. Food Network gives
us the name "assistants" but, in reality, we are teammates. Each teammate has steps to follow for the piece to be
finished. Taking me away was the worst thing they could have done to Paul and I. Paul had never worked with
my tools, so while we did the the "Mini-Challenge" twist, he wasn't sure what to do with my stuff.
The Mini-Challenge took around 1hour & 15 minutes. We had to make a UFO and fly it across the room with cables.
That UFO was heavy! Imagine flying a wedding cake..not nice! Talk about having a heart attack! I had to get back to
Paul, so did the other teammates, so we worked as fast as possible to accomplish the goal.
As soon as
I returned to Paul we got moving with the piece again. Still, we didn't know the time remaining, so we were rushing. Paul
was putting the head on the body while I was finishing the aliens attire. We both started airbrushing like crazy.
We were almost done with the airbrushing and applying the hair when they stopped us to tell us we had one hour
left...ONE HOUR! After the airbrushing was done, there was not much we could do!!! Had we known we still had a
full hour left, we could have done much more with her attire, then airbrushed.We decided to add a few more strands
of hair and a few more details.
Finally time was up and it was time to move the cake to the judging
table. Burton and Sandy moved their cake. It was leaning a bit already, their piece fell. I couln't believe it. What if that
were to happen to us?
Then is was Lorie and Jason's turn. They moved the piece and activated their extreme
elements. The head didn't move, but they had other elements.
It's our turn next. We had 4 people help us move
our cake. It was hard to be even and straight with so many people helping. One toenail fell off! Oh No! The judges noticed.
We had to take our piece back to the table to fix the nail, per the rules. Not doing so would mean that the judges would take
away points, but moving the piece was dangerous. It could fall.
We decided to move it. As Paul fixed the nail,
I noticed the head move a bit sideways and had a hairline crack formed around the nose. We asked if we could fix it, but it
was not allowed. We moved the piece back to the judging table as I kept saying "straight, straight, straight"
with every step we took.
It's was on the table, the face still there, the mini-wedding cake was straight,
but the plate it was on was a bit sideways. Our piece was safely on the table. The extreme elements worked well. The
Alien's arm with a scanner in hand moved up and down. She talked and fog came out of the small volcanoes on the board.
Finally, Jennifer and Mariella moved their cake and did their extreme elements. We where done, except for judging.
Now we wait. It's been a long day with no food, so we ate and went to a room off the set with the other Challengers.
Every competitor wass called one a time to go in front of the judges, while the rest of us waited and talked about
what happened.
Everybody was dead tired. Finally we were called out to hear the decision. WE WON! The day was hard, but the outcome was great. We left the next day to go home to Orlando and couldn't tell the outcome for
6 months. That was hard.
Paul Joachim is a great Sculptor. We complement each other skills so well. I am
glad that I was his teammate. People were calling us the "Dream Team." As it turned out, we were.
This past Sunday, the
Cake Challenge episode was aired on Food Network Channel. We can finally talk about it. I've been really busy the past few
weeks. I Just came from Oklahoma where I was a Judge for the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show (OSSAS). Then the Episode aired
the day after I arrived home.
I have lots of photos to post! For today, please enjoy the Challenge
Episode "Extreme Aliens." I will post photos on the next blog.
This week I decided to play with SugarVeil®.
Here is the result of my playtime.
Many people asked me "What is Sugarveil®?"
SugarVeil® is
almost like a sugar plastic. It's not a dough, like Fondant or Gumpaste. It comes in a powder form and you mix it with water. It
has a Royal-icing consistency at first, with a bit more elasticity to it. You spread it over a silicone surface and let
it dry. As soon as it's dry, you can pull it off and play with it. It can be shaped into a lot of things and it doesn't crack
as easily as gumpaste.
Spreading it over the Silpat with a spreader or comb is an easy way to get started playing with the product
and learning it's consistency. It may be used in a piping bag, as well.
SugarVeil® Company has added their own line of silicone mats that have beautiful designs that can be used with this product. I actually used the back side of their silicone mat to do my sheets of SugarVeil® for this cake.
Here is a video
tutorial where Michelle Hestner, the creator of SugarVeil®, shows how to do the lace mats.
I love SugarVeil®! I can't wait to play with it more! Of course, when working in sugar, practice
makes perfect. I'm excited to find new uses for this great product in my future cake designs! I will post more photos
of this cake in the New Photos link of the website.
