Gum Paste & Fondant Figures

Taking a break to let gum paste dry and get ready to go teach - not quite turning out the way I had envisioned! It's a work in progress for cake due tomorrow!

Sugar Class continued

Just a few more photos from the sugar class to show the set up and some of the techniques and, of course, Keith Ryder. He is a wonderful instructor, although he makes it look so easy and it is definitely not. Keith is extremely knowledgeable, generous, talented, has great way of teaching and sharing, and a sense of humor. Can you tell I liked the class, even though my thumbs are still slightly burned and sore? Here's a shot of the set-up

Sugar Class!

Had a great day today playing with sugar. Went to a class about pulled and blown sugar with Keith Ryder - so informative and fun. He makes it look so easy! It's all just sugar! 

During the class we were able to really get a feel for working with sugar and isomalt. Learned the correct consistency, temperatures and texture for pulling, blowing and shaping the sugar. It's one of those skills that takes much practice to get it right.  So I have a ways ahead of me, but it was fun! Here's a sampling of what I made in class.

November Cake Decorating Classes start next week!

Classes start next week at AC Moore, Montgomeryville, PA. Come have some fun, bring a friend and get ready to bake for the holidays.

Birthday Cake!

What's baking?
A birthday cake for a very special person celebrating a special birthday!

Halloween Cupcakes

Student Cakes from Gum Paste & Fondant

A couple of cakes that my students made at the end of the Gum Paste

October Cake Decorating Classes start Tuesday Oct. 12

I am teaching Decorating Basics and Flowers & Cake Design starting

Hazelnut and Chocolate Meringue Cake

What's baking?
Recipe from October issue of Food & Wine magazine, Hazelnut and Chocolate Meringue Cake.  All of my favorites: chocolate, hazelnuts, whipped cream.  Taking it to friend's house tonight.  Can't wait to try it!

Display Cake

What's baking?

Actually, not this cake!  It's a display cake made with a styrofoam base covered with fondant and gum paste flowers.

Cake Decorating Class - Gum Paste & Fondamt

I'll be teaching Gum Paste and Fondant Cake Decorating Class starting this Wednesday - not too late to sign up!

The School of Essential Ingredients book Cake

What's Baking?
Hosted book club and author chat here.  We read Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients to mixed reviews.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book because it was about food and sharing!  All appreciated the author's insight in our discussion with her.  Although there are no recipes in the book, as students are encouraged to understand the essential ingredients and go from there, Erica does have a few posted on her website.  I baked, of course, and chose Carl's White on White Cake.  I often use recipes loosely and so in this case, I added Fiori di Sicilia

Support Icing Smiles thru Pepsi Challenge

Please Vote!
Follow this link
http://www.refresheverything.com/icingsmiles
and vote for Icing Smiles to receive Pepsi grant to provide custom celebration cakes to children with critical illness.  Please continue to vote everyday until the end of the month.  Thanks!

September Cake Decorating Classes

I will be teaching a Gum Paste and Fondant class in September at AC Moore in Montgomeryville.  This month the cost is 40% off the $45.  So it's only $27 for 8 hours of class plus supplies (lesson book, kit, cake stuff!)  Classes begin the first week of September so stop by the store to register or call (215) 699-7224 for the schedule or let me know if you have any questions.

Decorating Basics, lesson 4

Tonight was the last night of class and my students did a great job.  Here are some of their cupcake and cake creations

Bead Mosaic

Took a break from the kitchen to play with another passion of mine: jewelry making.  I went to a workshop at the Phila Bead Fest and learned a technique for bead mosaics.  Joan Babcock demonstrated and then we worked with a one of her patterns before making one of our own.  This is what I did!  Lots more ideas that I would like to try now.   I might be tempted to clean up my shop and light up the torch soon again!

Golf anyone!

cake to serve 100

What's baking?
This was so much fun to make!  One marble, one chocolate chip cake, both with chocolate filling, iced with buttercream.  Figures and decorations are gum paste and fondant.  (Everything's technically edible except flagpole and canopy supports on golf cart.)

Decorating Basics Class, lesson 2

It was a fun class tonight!  I taught a couple of more things with a star tip and dimensional decorating.  Students brought in their cakes
and then iced

support Icing Smiles for the Pepsi Refresh Grant

Icing Smiles is a great non-profit organization with a mission to provide custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by critical illness of a child.  Their website is

cupcake info

What's baking?
Didn't get to describe the cupcakes in the last post.  These were so much fun to make!  Most of the ideas were found while browsing the web including the cake recipe.  It is Billy's Vanilla cupcakes posted on

Summer Fun Cupcakes

What's baking?

August Cake Decorating Classes only $27

I will be teaching Cake Decorating Basics and Flowers & Cake Design classes in August at AC Moore in Montgomeryville.  Wilton has recently refreshed their courses and there is something for everyone from beginner to advanced.  Courses meet for 2-hour sessions and run 4 weeks. AC Moore-Montgomeryville offers morning, afternoon and evening classes.  This month the cost is 40% off the $45.  So it's only $27 for 8 hours of class plus supplies (book, kit, cake stuff!)
Classes begin the first week of August so stop by the store to register or call (215) 699-7224 for the schedule or let me know if you have any questions.

Student's Decorating from July Class

Some of the cakes, cookies and cupcakes that students created in July Decorating Basics and Flowers & Cake Design classes!

40% off Cake Decorating Class at AC Moore stores for July classes

I will be teaching Cake Decorating Basics and Flowers & Cake Design classes in July at AC Moore in Montgomeryville.  Stop by the store to register or call (215) 699-7224 for the schedule or let me know if you have any questions.

Last class of June Cake Decorating Basics Course

Students have come a long way in just four short weeks!  Today was the final lesson for two Decorating Basics courses and here are the cakes they made during class incorporating things they learned in class. I think everyone had as much fun as I did, especially the kids!  Be sure to click through to see everyone's cakes!

Teacher Retirement

Fondant to go on top of cake (party was canceled due to extenuating circumstances!).

Even More from Cake Decorating Basics Class

In lesson 3 I taught shells. drop flowers, pompom flowers shaggy mums and filling and icing cupcakes.  Here's what my students made today:

More from Cake Decorating Basics Class

Here are photos of my students cakes from Cake Decorating Basics, Lesson 2.  During class the students leveled, filled and iced their cakes in addition to learning to color the icing and different ways to pipe buttercream.  The students practiced transferring images onto cake.  One class has three kids - can you tell which are their cakes?  All the cakes look great and everyone is doing a great job!

Cake Decorating Basics Class

Classes are so much fun to teach.  I have two classes of Decorating Basics and all of my students are great!  Here are photos of my students cookies and my demo cakes from Cake Decorating Basics, Lesson 1.  During class I demonstrated how to make buttercream icing, how to level, torte, fill and ice a cake.  I showed how to do a piping gel transfer and how to use the star tip to pipe stars.  The students practiced making stars on their cookies.  Don't they look wonderful?

Teacher End of School Year Cake

What's Baking?

Had a request from a teacher for a cake to share with her fellow teachers at the end of the year.  They teach at The Young Women's Leadership School in NY and I used their logo/emblem in their school colors for the cake design.  It's cream cheese icing and a (not-so-red) Red Velvet Cake with fondant accents.  The color is a little off in the photos- it's blue and gray on white.

Another Birthday Cake!

What's Baking?
Always great to bake for happy occasions!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

There was a bunch of mint in our CSA last week so we tried making Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.  First, we washed and cut up the mint leaves then steeped them in heavy cream to infuse the mint flavor.

Another Thank You Cake!

What's baking?

 


A cake to thank retiring committee members.  Yellow Cake recipe from The Cake Bible cookbook, filled with chocolate buttercream, covered with vanilla buttercream.  Decorated with fondant/gum paste button flowers.  Learn this fun flower in the Flowers and Cake Design class I will be teaching next month.  As always you can click on the photos for larger images and click on the links for the recipes.  Let me know if you'd like to see the text of the recipes here on my blog or if the links to websites are good.  Thanks.

Cheesecake and Ganache!

What's Baking?

Cheesecake with Oreo cookie crust covered in chocolate ganache.  White chocolate writing and fondant flowers.  Tried putting some favorites together for my daughter's birthday cake-- my favorite mini-cheesecake from Epicurious first time made as a large cake and first time making it with a crust.  First time combining chocolate ganache and cheesecake.  Delicious!!!

Cake Wreck!

What's Baking?

A white cake with raspberry filling. 

Gum Paste Flowers

Fondant and Gum Paste class - gum paste carnations and fantasy flower.

Wilton Class Descriptions

Wilton Classes   I will be teaching cake decorating classes at AC Moore in Montgomeryville.  Stop by the store, call for the schedule or let me know if you have any questions.  Below is Wilton's description of the "refreshed" courses. 

Class Descriptions

Each course is four sessions. 

Decorating Basics

The Wilton Method® Decorating Basics Course is the perfect place to start! Your Instructor will show you the right way to decorate, step by step, so that you experience the excitement of successfully decorating your first cake in a Wilton Method Course. You’ll understand how to bake a great cake, see how to make and color icing and learn the best way to ice the cake. You will also practice the three fundamentals of

A Thank You Cake!

What's baking?

 
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Cake recipe from Bakerzjoy on CakeCentral again  with chocolate buttercream filling and icing and buttercream roses.

$10 Wilton Cake Decorating Class at AC Moore stores

Special this week only - $10 for June courses (that is $10 for a series of 4 two hour classes held weekly - full price is $45 and will be 50% off after this week).  I will be teaching Cake Decorating Basics Class in June at AC Moore store in Montgomeryville (route 309, 978 Bethlehem Pike). Stop by store to register or email me any questions. Use advertised store coupon for 40% or 50% off for supplies!  Have some fun, tell a friend!
Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day!

What's baking?

Wilton Fondant and Gum Paste Course-  covering a cake board with fondant, marbleizing fondant, draping fondant, gum paste daisies.

Wilton Fondant and Gum Paste Course

Gum paste daisies