Sunday, February 11, 2018

Simple Stripe and Polka Dot Cake

This week's cake was for my nephew and his bride-to-be's engagement party.  I modeled it on a  Black, White & Crimson beauty I found on The Cake Parlour's website, but sadly my cake didn't look as striking as theirs.  I guess my teal, white, and peach colors weren't as bold and eye-catching as the black and white combo.  Oh well, such is life.


For the stripes I simply used silk ribbon which I backed with pieces of Glad's Press & Seal wrap.  I didn't want the ribbon touching the fondant, because I was afraid the dye from the ribbon would bleed onto the cake.   Using the silk ribbon is SO MUCH EASIER than fondant ribbons that pull out of shape when you try to place them. 

The positioning of the fondant dots was the hardest part of this cake.   To get the placement of each dot exactly right I tried making a templet on the computer, but it was a time consuming PITA that didn't work.  In the end I just kind-of eye-balled it.  I cut out a square of paper matching the height of the tier (minus the height of the ribbon) and put a hole in the center.  Then I just hovered the paper over the cake and placed the polka dots at the four corners.  I pricked a pin-hole in the fondant at the center of the paper square, and when I removed the paper I just placed the center dot.  When I got the the back of the cake the placement of the dots wasn't "exactly" correct, but it was close enough that no one noticed.


So I think this is the last engagement cake for a while (thank goodness).  I much prefer doing birthday cakes - so much less stressful.



Happy Decorating,

Carol


<< Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to ear fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.>>


Supply List: 

Mona Lisa White Fondant
Fat Boba Straws
Wilton 14" Cake Drum
Alligator Impression Mat
Glad Press & Seal Wrap




Sunday, February 4, 2018

Grumpy Yoda Minion Cake

My nephew, Jason, is a big Star Wars fan, so for his birthday he wanted a Yoda cake.  He didn't specify what "kind" of Yoda, so I made him a Yoda Minion!  Who doesn't love those Minions???  Well, apparently 36 year old men don't really care about Minions!!



There were a lot of pieces parts to this cake, but nothing too involved.  Including the baking of the cakes, it took about 12 hours of work.  That may sound like a lot, but for me 12 hours is quick!

I made the goggle, light saber, and ears first because they needed extra time to dry.  For the goggle I mixed a little Gum-Tex in some gray fondant, and then used circle cutters to make the shape.  I cut the outside and then used a slightly smaller circle to cut out the inside.  Kind of like a very narrow donut.  I used a stitching tool to put some markings on the outer edge; keeping the inner circle cutter in place so the soft fondant would hold is shape.


Next I added some fondant balls to the top of the goggle and pressed them down with the end of a tool.  As a final step I added some little rectangular pieces to the sides, and put some score lines on them.  I kept the inner cookie cutter in place while the goggle dried.


For the light saber I cut out some small gray fondant circles and put them on a long bamboo skewer. For the bottom "gear" looking piece I cut out a larger circle, and then used the edge of a smaller circle to cut out the arcs.


For the "light" part of the light saber I wanted to use rock candy, but I couldn't find any so I just glued coarse sanding sugar to the bamboo.  I coated the stick with glue and then just sprinkled the sugar on top of it.  The glue is not exactly edible, but, hey, neither is the skewer.


I don't show it here, but after the fondant of the goggle and light saber dried, I sprayed the gray portion with some Silver Luster Mist.  This made them nice and metallic looking.

To make Yoda's ears I started with a fat teardrop piece of fondant, and used a tool to hollow out the inside and form the cupped sections of the ears.


While the fondant was still soft I inserted two skewers in each ear.


The minion character I modeled this cake on was tall and thin so I used 6 inch cakes, and to get the height I wanted I used three 2-layer cakes.  There is a board under each of the three cakes, and for support I used plastic Boba straws.  The straws are so much easier to cut and they are just as strong as the wooden dowels.   I put eight straws in the bottom tier, and four in the middle.

And I didn't worry about smoothing the sides of the cake because Yoda is very wrinkly.  I covered the top tier with fondant, and trimmed the fondant at the location of the first cake board.  This line would later be covered with the band of the goggle.


To cover the center tier I rolled out a rectangular 4" x 19" piece of fondant and wrapped it around the center of the cake.  (Math Note:  To get the circumference of the cake multiple the diameter of the cake by Pi (~3.14) So 6" x 3.14 = 18.85".  My middle school math teacher would be proud of me.)

Next step was to use my trusty circle cutter and mark where the goggle would go.  Then I cut a strip of black fondant and placed it on the seam between the top and middle tier.  You can't see it in the picture, but I scored the black strip with my stitching tool just to give it a textured look.  The brown "shirt" went on next.  I had some Choco-Pan chocolate fondant hanging around so I just used that.


My trusty circle cutter was used to form the grumpy mouth.


Next the shoes...  Just blobs of black fondant with marks on the bottom to look like soles.


The tan/yellow robe came next.  I cut rectangular pieces of yellow fondant and draped them to look like folds in fabric.  Side note: On the top of Yoda's head I scored some lines to represent his wrinkles.  You can't see it here, but I also stuck two long skewers through the entire height of the cake and into the cake drum below.  Can't have too much internal support.


After the robe was in place, I added a strip of black to represent the belt.


I added some do-dads to the front of Yoda's shirt.


Next I put on the sleeves and then rolled some green fondant around skewers and pushed them into the sleeves.  Don't they look like little Yoda arms?


Next came the eye.  Time for the circle cutters again.  I layered the pieces of the eye together and then used the cookie cutter to make sure it was the exact fit for the inside of the goggle.  Then I put the eye inside of the goggle and stuck them both onto the cake using a little vodka.  The goggle was still a little soft, so it stuck to the cake like glue.


The gloved hands went on next.  One to holds the birthday candle...


... and one holds the light saber. Before I attached the second hand, I pushed the bamboo skewer of the light saber into the cardboard cake drum to hold it in place.  Once the light saber was secure, I then wrapped the gloved hand around the shaft of the light saber.  I added some Minion hair on the top of Yoda's head too.  In fact two strands of hair are hiding where the bamboo skewers stick out from the cake.


The most nerve-racking step was pushing the ears into the cake.  For added holding power I dabbed a little bit of melted white chocolate where the ear came in contact with the head.  I was so afraid they would fall off, but thankfully they didn't move one bit.


Almost finished....


Some final touches of edible brown luster dust to give the robe, head, mouth, ears, and eyes some dimension...


And that is it.  Grumpy Yoda Minion is complete.   Happy Birthday, Jason.


Happy Decorating,

Carol


<< Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to ear fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.>>


Supply List: 

Mona Lisa White Fondant
Fondarific Black Fondant
Choco-Pan Brown Fondant
Fat Boba Straws
Wilton Strip Cutter
Wilton 12" Cake Drum
Wilton White Candy Melts
Circle Cookie Cutters
Wilton Gum-Tex Tylose Powder
Wilton Silver Color Mist
Edible Brown Powder Food Color
Wilton Sparkling Blue Sugar



Saturday, February 3, 2018

Easy Minnie Mouse Cake – Just ears and bows

I’ve have been making so many cakes lately, I haven’t had any time to blog. Honestly I’ve been getting a little overwhelmed by cake request: baby showers, birthdays, engagement parties. Cakes are just a hobby of mine, so I have to be careful not to let it slip from being an enjoyable pastime to a chore.

Anyway, here is a little cake I made from my sister-in-law’s sister’s step-grandchild. Does that make sense? Happy Birthday, Molly.


The poor little girl’s birthday fell during the height of the 2018 Mardi Gras season so her mom couldn’t find a bakery willing to make a cake. FYI: During the Mardi Gras season, bakeries in New Orleans turn their shops into King Cake making assembly lines. Apparently King Cakes are more profitable than regular cakes and pastries. Strangely in the Cajun/Creole city of New Orleans the hottest selling King Cake is made by a Vietnamese bakery name Dong Phuong.   DP went from selling 80 King Cakes in the 2008 season, to selling 80,000 in 2017.  In 2018 they won the James Beard Award for American Cuisine, and demand for their cakes sky rocketed.  People have been lining up outside the bakery and waiting in line for 2 hours to get one of their King Cakes.  No telling how many Kings Cakes they will sell this season.  Congrats Dong Phuong.

So little Molly is crazy about Minnie Mouse, and her mom requested a simple cake with ears and a bow.  For the free standing ears I just cut out circles from black fondant mixed with a little Gum-Tex. I cover the fondant with plastic wrap so that the top edge would have a rounded look instead of sharp edge.



I attached a bamboo stick to the back and let it dry for a few days till it hardened.  The letters I made using a cute Funky Alphabet cutter from CK Products.


The bow was next. I wanted a polka dot bow so I pushed white dots into the pink fondant.


 I cut out a strip about 2” wide and 11” long. Folded the ends over toward the center.


Crimped the top edges, and then stuck the crimped side to the flat bottom piece.


Instead of crimping the bottom section to make it match the top, I just trimmed the bottom section to a size that was slightly smaller than the top.


I wrapped a 1/2" piece around the center to form the “knot”, and then stuffed plastic wrap inside the bow to hold the shape as it dried.


For the little bows I just made a paper template, and stuck the fondant cutouts together.




I used cotton swabs (wrapped in plastic wrap) to hold the bow open as it dried.


The cake assembly was really easy. I just cut out some mouse silhouettes out of black fondant and stuck them to the cake. The hardest part was making sure there was an equal distance between each silhouette.


I glued the little bow to the silhouette with a bit of melted white chocolate, and used the same white chocolate to make the dots on the little bows.  Next I put the ears and the big bow on top of the cake, and finally a border and a few pick flowers to completed the cake.

So cute, and actually one of the easier cakes I have done.  Happy Birthday, Molly!


Happy Decorating,

Carol


<< Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to ear fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.>>


Supply List: 

Mona Lisa White Fondant
Fondarific Black Fondant
Wilton Strip Cutter
Wilton 12" Cake Drum
Wilton White Candy Melts
Circle Cookie Cutters
Wilton Pie Crust Impression Mold (for trim about base of cake)
Wilton Pink Food Gel
Funky Upper Case Letter Cutters
Wilton Gum-Tex Tylose Powder