A few cakes from my the first course: Decorating Basics.
This one was the cake we had to bake for the second class. We were supposed to learn about torting, icing and some basic piping. The icing we used was a special recipe that the instructor came up with. She called it Helen's "buttercream" for fondant look cakes. The icing tastes like Crisco and powdered sugar but does create a very smooth icing that mimics the smooth look of fondant. I'm not posting pictures of the cupcakes for the third class. We learned shaggy mums and were supposed to decorate the cupcakes with them. I thought they looked like cousin It.
This was the final cake. I made the roses the weekend before class using royal icing. I made over 50 roses that weekend for practice. When I showed up to class, the instructor watched me make my roses and said I did them the wrong way. I was supposed to go counter-clockwise instead of clockwise. Well...after 50+ roses done the wrong way, my brain cannot be re-trained to do them the correct way. (This cake sat on my counter for about five days before I took the picture. The icing does not rot or melt. Gross!)
The shell border that we learned in class.
Cake for the Fondant & Gum Paste Course:
And this cake was for my fondant and gum paste course. We only had to bake one cake for the last class. Weeks 1 through 3 were all about learning to make the various gum paste flowers and designs. I made the cake, covered it with fondant and then stuck all the flowers in place. My plan was to give it the finishing touches in class. I got sick so I sent the cake to class with my friend. She finished it with a rope border and covered up the fondant cracks with cut outs using the calyx cutter. (She took the two photos below and posted them of facebook. I never actually got to see the cake because it was served to my coworkers.)
It took about two weeks to complete all the flowers. I didn't work on them each night. (I had to take a break when I sliced my thumb with my Asian vegetable peeler.) I spent about an hour or two each night making the flowers. I made a total of 25 mums and averaged about 5 mums per night. Some nights were spent making and coloring the gum paste and fondant.
It took a lot of tools. I took over the kitchen table. I covered it with a vinyl tablecloth and had tools everywhere.
Some Recipes:
Buttercream for Fondant Look Cakes
2 pounds powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoon popcorn salt
1 cup Crisco shortening
1/3 to ½ cup water (lukewarm)
2 teaspoons vanilla or flavoring of your choice
Combine powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt together. Add remaining ingredients and mix at low to medium speed until smooth. Enjoy!
Royal Icing for Piping
(Stiff consistency)
yield: 3 cups
3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder
1 lb. icing sugar
5 tablespoons lukewarm water
Make sure all utensils are grease free (containers to store the icing, too!)
Place icing sugar and Meringue Powder in a bowl. Stir or mix at low speed until blended. Add water and mix 7 to 10 minutes at low-medium speed until icing loses its sheen. To prevent drying, be sure to cover the bowl with a damp cloth while working with icing.
Store in an airtight grease-free container (stainless steel bowls with airtight lid are ideal) for up to 2 weeks (room temperature). To reuse, beat on low to restore original texture.
Classic Rolled Fondant
yield: 2 lb.
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water* * or, 3 tablespoons cold water, and
1/2 cup Glucose* * 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon Glycerin
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
2 lbs. Icing sugar
2 to 3 drops liquid food colour and flavoring, as desired
• Combine gelatin and cold water; let stand until thick.
• Place gelatin mixture in top of double boiler and heat until dissolved.
• Add glucose and glycerin, mix well.
• Stir in shortening and just before completely melted, remove from heat, add flavoring and colour.
• Mixture should cool until lukewarm.
• Next, place 1 lb. Icing sugar in a bowl and make a well.
• Pour the lukewarm gelatin mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon, mixing in sugar and adding more, a little at a time, until stickiness disappears.
• Knead in remaining sugar.
• Knead until the fondant is smooth, pliable and does not stick to hands.
• If fondant is too soft, add more sugar; if too stiff, add water (a drop at a time).
• Use fondant immediately, or follow the direction for storing rolled fondant.
Storing Rolled Fondant:
Rolled Fondant dries out very quickly, so keep it covered and store properly and promptly.
If stored properly (and promptly), it will keep up to 1 month R room temperature.
1. Roll it into smooth ball, disc, or log shape.
2. Coat it with solid white vegetable shortening.
3. Wrap with plastic food storage wrap (microwaveable), twice.
4. Wrap with aluminium foil.
5. If freezing, put it in a resealable plastic food storage bag or airtight container.
Gum Paste
This recipe is the one on the back of the Wilton can of Gum-Tex (with minor modifications to make life easier). The texture of is really nice. I like to mix the gum paste with equal parts fondant when making flowers or bows.
1 tablespoon Wilton Gum-Tex
4 cups (1 pound) sifted powdered sugar
1 heaping tablesspoon Glucose or light corn syrup
4 tablespoons warm water
In a large bowl, combine Gum-Tex with 3 cups of powdered sugar. Make a well in the center and set aside. Combine water and glucose in a glass measuring cup. Heat in microwave on high for about 30 seconds. until mixture is clear. Pour into well of sugar and mix until well blended. Slowly knead in the last cup of powdered sugar.
Wrap with plastic wrap and place in airtight container. Allow gum paste to rest at least 8 hours. Keep well wrapped. Knead in shortening to keep gum paste soft and pliable.
Buttercream for Fondant Look Cakes
2 pounds powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoon popcorn salt
1 cup Crisco shortening
1/3 to ½ cup water (lukewarm)
2 teaspoons vanilla or flavoring of your choice
Combine powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt together. Add remaining ingredients and mix at low to medium speed until smooth. Enjoy!
Royal Icing for Piping
(Stiff consistency)
yield: 3 cups
3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder
1 lb. icing sugar
5 tablespoons lukewarm water
Make sure all utensils are grease free (containers to store the icing, too!)
Place icing sugar and Meringue Powder in a bowl. Stir or mix at low speed until blended. Add water and mix 7 to 10 minutes at low-medium speed until icing loses its sheen. To prevent drying, be sure to cover the bowl with a damp cloth while working with icing.
Store in an airtight grease-free container (stainless steel bowls with airtight lid are ideal) for up to 2 weeks (room temperature). To reuse, beat on low to restore original texture.
Classic Rolled Fondant
yield: 2 lb.
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water* * or, 3 tablespoons cold water, and
1/2 cup Glucose* * 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon Glycerin
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
2 lbs. Icing sugar
2 to 3 drops liquid food colour and flavoring, as desired
• Combine gelatin and cold water; let stand until thick.
• Place gelatin mixture in top of double boiler and heat until dissolved.
• Add glucose and glycerin, mix well.
• Stir in shortening and just before completely melted, remove from heat, add flavoring and colour.
• Mixture should cool until lukewarm.
• Next, place 1 lb. Icing sugar in a bowl and make a well.
• Pour the lukewarm gelatin mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon, mixing in sugar and adding more, a little at a time, until stickiness disappears.
• Knead in remaining sugar.
• Knead until the fondant is smooth, pliable and does not stick to hands.
• If fondant is too soft, add more sugar; if too stiff, add water (a drop at a time).
• Use fondant immediately, or follow the direction for storing rolled fondant.
Storing Rolled Fondant:
Rolled Fondant dries out very quickly, so keep it covered and store properly and promptly.
If stored properly (and promptly), it will keep up to 1 month R room temperature.
1. Roll it into smooth ball, disc, or log shape.
2. Coat it with solid white vegetable shortening.
3. Wrap with plastic food storage wrap (microwaveable), twice.
4. Wrap with aluminium foil.
5. If freezing, put it in a resealable plastic food storage bag or airtight container.
Gum Paste
This recipe is the one on the back of the Wilton can of Gum-Tex (with minor modifications to make life easier). The texture of is really nice. I like to mix the gum paste with equal parts fondant when making flowers or bows.
1 tablespoon Wilton Gum-Tex
4 cups (1 pound) sifted powdered sugar
1 heaping tablesspoon Glucose or light corn syrup
4 tablespoons warm water
In a large bowl, combine Gum-Tex with 3 cups of powdered sugar. Make a well in the center and set aside. Combine water and glucose in a glass measuring cup. Heat in microwave on high for about 30 seconds. until mixture is clear. Pour into well of sugar and mix until well blended. Slowly knead in the last cup of powdered sugar.
Wrap with plastic wrap and place in airtight container. Allow gum paste to rest at least 8 hours. Keep well wrapped. Knead in shortening to keep gum paste soft and pliable.
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