American Cake Decorating Magazine 2012'01

Jan./Feb. 2012

Wedding cakes from some top shows, includ-ing some of the Oklahoma Sugar Arts All-Stars Meet three sugar artists working toward 2012 CMSA certification Mixing methods and their purposes Thinking outside the plate Tutorials: Contemporary Color, Wedding Dress Wedding Cake and Stencil-Cut Spiral Rose

www.americancakedecorating.com 1

INSPIRATIONTHE ULTIMATE WEDDING FANTASIESWedding cakes are the stars of almost every cake event. Here are some amazing entries from a range 2011 shows including ICES.

OKLAHOMA SUGAR ARTS ALL-STARSMost of the top ten entries from the annual decorating extravaganza, with special thanks to all those who helped round up these images.

TUTORIALCONTEMPORARY COLORA clean, architectural wedding cake design inspired by the runways of Paris and New York. By Chef Nicholas Lodge

WEDDING DRESS WEDDING CAKEA design based on the clients wedding dressfrom the ruffled skirt to the pleated bodice.By Annie Dam

STENCIL-CUT SPIRAL ROSEInspired by a Martha Stewart papercraft project, create roses from one basic pattern and dozens of other blooms with just small variations.By Lew Churnick

CERTIFICATION 2012: MEET THE NEW CLASS FOR RENOQ&A with some of the industry members seeking CMSA status at the Reno convention.

18,000 BRITISH CAKE DECORATORS CAN'T BE WRONGBeryl Loveland shares her experience at the massive Cake International show in Birmingham, U.K.

SWEET SCIENCE: MIXING METHODS AND THEIR PURPOSESThe debut of a new column that digs into the hows and whys of cakes, sugarwork and chocolate. This issue features an excerpt from the acclaimed text, How Baking Works, on whats really happening when you make dough or batter.By Paula Figoni

THINKING OUTSIDE THE PLATEHow to create a hanging cake and other innovative cake display ideas.By Lori Sladyk Gilmore and Karen Sladyk

EVERY ISSUEINTERNET SHOPPING DIRECTORY

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FAVORITE TOOLS FROM OUR CONTRIBUTORSContributors to our wedding showcases share their top tools.

CONT

ENTS

7

46

24

52

50

40

42

34

38

4

THIS ISSUEWedding Cake Designs

SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE

662

ON THIS PAGEShown left is a detail from a Victorian hat box design by June Lynch of Ontario, Canada. Photo by Craig Mierop. Shown right is a detail fromAnnette Halas entry in the 2011 OSSAS wedding cake competition. For more OSSAS cakes, see page 24.

ON THE COVERAn award-winning wedding cake designed by Irene B. Maston, CEC, AAC, o f Ludlow,. Vermont, where the challange was to create a cake for a fictional couple using at least four concepts from their imaginary biography. Photo by Craig Mierop.

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4 January/February 2012

AMER

ICANCAKE

DECORATINGEditorial Director

Art Director

Managing Editor

Contributors

Featured Decorators& Chefs

Special Thanks

President & CEO

Vice President of Operations

Sales Manager

Editorial Advisory Board

Subscriptions:

Susan Schultz

Craig Mierop

Nichole Day Diggins

Lew Churnick, Annie Dam, Paula Figoni, Lori Sladyk Gilmore, Nicholas Lodge, Beryl Loveland, Karen Sladyk

Lisa Bugeja, Kim Bush, Joseph Cumm, Ahn gross, Annette Hala, Edith Hall, Bob Johnson, Linda Kelly, Carol Lowe, June Lynch, Irene B. Maston, Theresa McCollum, Nancy Mitchko, Earlene Moore, Kim Morrison, Dawn Parrott, Vivian Pham, Barb Sullivan, Ruth Rickey, Rebecca Sutterby, Daniel Swift, Kimbla Trahan, Pamela Tsaldaris, Joanne Wieneke

Valerie Hatton, Claire Holzman, Annette Hala, Bob Johnson, Rebecca Sutterby

Grace McNamara

Peggy Yung

Karen Griffiths

Dalila Cabrita de Pea, Variedades DalilaMary Jo Dowling, CMSA, Elegant EdiblesMichael Joy & Beatrice Schneider,The Chicago School of Mold MakingRuth Rickey, CMSA, Ruths Sweete JusticeMarsha Winbeckler, CakeSuppliesPlus.comA.J. Winbeckler Enterprises

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The staff of American Cake Decorating magazine and AIM Communications LLC have reviewed contributions and advertising materials with the understanding that the information is original, accurate, and reliable, but we cannot be held responsible for such content. Please note that some of the techniques may be suitable for private home use, but are not necessarily appropriate for cakes destined for sale.

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EDITOR

IAL For most of my adult life I have had the premoni-tion that how I felt on New Years Day would be an

indication of how the rest of the year would go. Im excited to report that I woke up feeling that 2012 will be a terrific year for not just me personally but my business, which includes all of you passionate cake decorators!

A recent survey gave us a good perspective of what you want. For your favorite section, most readers chose cake photos, followed by tutorials. When we asked what you wanted to see more of, the most popular responses were how-to tutorials and baking techniques. To demonstrate that we do listen to our readers, we introduce a new feature in this issue, Sweet Science on page 40. Each issue we will tackle a specific technique, ingredient or other aspect of baking that will make your final piece better than ever.

Because we only have so many pages that we can produce in print, we will be bringing you more of

the information and ideas that you want on our newly designed and launched website, www.americancakedecorating.com. Check out our website regularly to see new tutori-als, fabulous new products, an ingredient of the month, industry news, and coming soon, tidbits, where we ask our readers to share photos, stories and ideas. And dont forget, our monthly newsletter SLICE (you can subscribe on our website) to round out your cake decorating and baking skills.

I predict 2012 to be an exciting and fulfilling year for the cake industry. We will do our best to bring you fresh, timely ideas to inspire your passion. Please send us your thoughts and requestswe are listening!

Happy New Year! All the best,

Grace McNamaraPublisher

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

Were interested in the successes (and interesting failures!) of ACD readers. Wed like to hear from you regarding your projects, your latest discoveries, your proudest achievements and more. Its all part of the new ACD website where we invite our readers to share, inform, inspire and encourage each other. Get in touch with your photos and comments: email [email protected].

And, if you go to a cake show, let us know! Beryl Loveland shared her experience at the Cake International show in Birmingham, U.K., and we would not have had the pages of great Oklahoma State Sugar Arts Show cakes without the help of readers and participants such as An-nette Hala, Rebecca Sutterby and Bob Johnson. So please, let us knowwhere you're going and we can share more shows with readers. Email [email protected]

LOOKING FORWARD


WEDDING FANTASIESTH

E UTLIM

ATE Beautifully designed

wedding cakes are always crowd favorites at the shows and why not? Decorators go all out to create these sweet and stunning looks, following visions of their own or those inspired by clients.

Cake by Bob JohnsonPhoto by Craig Mierop


Bob Johnson, Couture Cakes, Huntsville, AL

Known for his Grand Formal cakes, Bob Johnson says one of his favorite design periods is the French Baroque and the influences can often be seen in his work, such as this seven-tier cake, left, where he uses different shapes and sizes to create multiple stages and areas of design interest. A fantastical bird, made of gumpaste shaped and sculpted over an egg form, sits on a bed of roses and hydrangeas. The head and feathers of the bird were made with gumpaste sculpted over floral wire. A gold crown decorated with a large pearl and featuring more flowers tops the cake, carry-ing the pearl and gold details from the cakeboard all the way up.

A more restrained version of his design style in shown on the previ-ous pagefive tiers with a shaped separator, all decorated with a sten-ciled damask pattern. I used royal icing, made a bit thicker than usual to create a slight stucco effect, said Johnson. This allowed me a better surface to hand paint the pattern with silver luster dust thinned with alcohol. To finish the edges of each tier he created gumpaste ribbons and pearls.

When asked how he got these towering cakes to the show safely, he gladly explained, All of my cakes are supported by a central rod, no matter what size, said Jonhson. I screw a base pipe wrapped with white tape into a 1/2" thick Masonite board. Each tier is then placed on a very thin Masonite board covered with white foam core with a 1" hole in the center for securing around the main support pipe.

Photo by Craig Mierop


Irene B. Maston, CEC, AAC, Irenes Cakes by Design, Ludlow, VT

This cake won the grand prize with a perfect score at the 2011 National Capital Area Cake Show Wedding Cake Competition. I get very few requests for string work so it is both a treat and a frustration to do it for competition cakes, said Irene Maston. I spent 12 1/2 hours just on the crossed drop strings of the lace edging. The endless knot detail under the monogram on three sides of the cake was also a bit trying. I probably made 30 or more of them, first from royal icing, but they kept breaking when I tried to move them to the cake. Then I tried SugarVeil, said Maston. It was tough piping for that long a period in one squeeze to get a nice even line. Her favorite part of the cake, in addition to the peonies which she loves to make, was the lace repilca on the top two tiers. I loved how it came out, she said. I used actual lace to make the impressions on my cut-out flowers.



Earlene Moore, Earlenes Cakes, Lubbock, TX

Using the newest versions of the lace molds she created with Dominic Palazolo of Make Your Own Molds, Earlene Moore only had a few days to create this cake. Us-ing only one color of ivory fondant for the covering and the decorations, along with nearly a dozen of the new molds, Moore designed this lace fantasy. Some molds she used as is and others she trimmed out only certain elements to use. The top tier is a three-layer cake with the bottom beveled to make a smooth transition, accented, of course, with another lace pattern. The top of the cake was also designed with molds, while hand-shaped fondant pearls were added as accents throughout the design. Everything was then painted using a flat 1/4" wide brush with pearl sheen so that only the raised areas picked up a hint of shimmer.


Nancy Mitchko, Dream Sweet, Hamilton, NJ and Joanne Wieneke, The Little Cake Patch, Robbinsville, NJ

This unique and elegant cake features a seldom-seen techniquehand-piping on wires. Nancy Mitchko and Joanne Wieneke collaborated on this design to create a cake that updates traditional Philippine-style wedding decorations, such as the white Sampaguita (Philippine Jasmine) flowers and buds. The cake structure uses a tall candlestick pillar support above the first tier, accented with cascades of floral sprays to create a dramatic, sculptural effect.

The cage at the top was made out of gumpaste. In creating a structure that appears fragile yet will sup-port a fair bit of weight from the top bouquet of flowers, Mitchko and Wieneke needed to find a way to support the roof without destroying the airy quality of the delicate cage. Their solution came in the form of a central footed pillar, covered in fondant and decorated to create a central focal point in the cage. When assembling the top tier, the cage walls were placed around the central pillar, the roof went on, and then the bouquet was placed into the pillar through the roof.

For the hand piping on wires, Mitchko and Wieneke needed to research a variety of different methods, tricks and approaches to achieve the look they wanted. In the end, they realized that the success of wire-piped flowers relies on a good recipe for royal icing.

As a display cake, the tiers were sytrofoam dummies. The team traveled from New Jersey with all the elements in pieces and, once in Charlotte, assembled the cake in their hotel room. Once it was finished, they needed to move it across the street, down the block to the convention center, and then down to the lower level of the convention center to the cake gallery. The hotel let them bor-row a luggage cart to transport the cake and both confess it was quite a site. It arrived whole and intact with no damage whatsoever.


Barb Sullivan, Barbs Cakes, Alabaster, AL

Barb Sullivans cake was fit for a queen, as indicated by the interlocking M and A gold monogram (as in Marie Antoinette) on the second tier. This all-white confection is draped in shimmering swags and strands of pearls, all accented with roses, orchids and small touches of lace. Top-ping it off is a gumpaste vase filled with even more flowers, completing a design that is rich and opulent without being overpowering.

Photos by Craig Mierop


Linda Kelly, Chadbourn, NC

Linda Kelly took advantage of her local status to create several cakes for the ICES show including these two wedding designs. The pale blue Victorian-inspired cake, left, was developed with her shop in mind. She wanted something she could look at every day and never tire of, while also incorporating several design ideas she had in mind. These included oval tiers and the use of a divider betwen the second and third tiers. The cameos were made using a mold based on one of her own pieces, while the lace and pearls used commercial molds. For the ivory cake, right, she wanted to design something that used 6" tiers. She loosely based the design on the idea of a wedding dress, combining medium ivory for the fondant covering and light ivory for the decorations. The ribbons, corner draping and the bow are all lace-im-pressed. The center of the bow is a from a mold Kelly made from one of her own pieces, while the other decorations were commercial molds.

For the floral topper, she cut a Styrofoam ball in half and covered in it fondant, creat-ing a lip and the support. The bouquet of roses, lilies and other blossoms fills the vase and gracefully spills over, accented with crystal drops.



June Lynch, Picture Perfect Cake & Art, Dundas, Ontario

June Lynch created a cake designed around a theme of Victorian hat boxes, a concept that let her include many of her favorite toucheslock-ets, pearls, cameos, tassels, lace and lots and lots of flowers. She chose flowers popular in Victorian gardens such as lily of the valley, old-fash-ioned roses, honeysuckle, stephano-tis and ivy. Lynch made her own silicone molds for the lace patterns used on the cakes, a first for her. She had also never tried making a honeysuckle before, so picked several from her garden to use as her guides.

She used a 24k edible gold paint for the tassels, the lockets and the border of the cameos. The cameos themselves were made with a mold, but she made the filagree borders for each by hand.

Anh Gross, Blythewood, SC

For her ICES wedding cake, Anh Gross decided to focus on soft, fabric effects combined with intricate piping. And although she enjoys creating realistic elements, in keeping with the fabric theme she designed her flowers to look like folded fabric and ribbon.

For the royal icing piping, she marked six equal intervals around the sides of the tiers and then traced the pattern on o the fondant, making sure that everything lined up correctly. She painted the background of the area to be piped over with a mixture of pink petal dust, lilac petal dust, super pearl dust, and vodka. The lattice was piped next with a PME #1 tip. The most challenging part of piping were curling border lines. She used a PME #2 tip and applied different pressure as she went to create different thicknesses. The fishnet piping was done with a PME #0 tip.

Gross said that the most challenging part of this cake was the drapery on the fourth tier. She had planned to have the entire upper tier wrapped with one piece of fondant, and the lower tier in another. However, without an extra pair of hands, that proved to be impossible. Instead she di-vided the draped area into three parts and covered the overlapping seams with pleated ribbons. To make that unexpected added element cohesive with the rest of the cake, she created pleated ribbon around the cake board and accented it with fabric blossoms.



Kim Morrison, Cakes for Occasions, Spring Mills, PA

This prize-winning cake at the 2011 National Capital Area Cake Show was designed by Kim Morrison. It traveled to Virginia, Maryland and then on North Carolina, with no real damage to the delicate gumpaste flowers or the over structure.

Morrison created most of the cake on dummies, except for the sec-ond tier. The sculpted shape was made with an almond butter cake that she was also making for a client. She spent an entire month working on the gumpaste flowers roses, orchids, peonies and calla lilieswith the top bouquet taking one entire day just to wire.

The floodwork monogram was the trickiest part, said Morrison. Attaching the monogram to the separator posts took some time because I wanted it to appear as if it were floating.

I also had some difficulty getting exactly the right sheen on the fabric-effect drapes. I finally resolved it by rolling the paste out on luster dust, then rubbing the dust into the paste. That gave it just the right sheen.


Photos by Stringer Photography


Kimbla Trahan, Sweet Sensations by Kim, Jennings, LA

The original design of this cake is by Sweet South-ern Ladies, Becky Guidry and Martha Hebert, but Kimbla Trahan loved the Victorian look and wanted to try her hand at the spherical tiers, so she entered this in the 2011 Austin That Takes the Cake show.

She used a variety of lace molds, but all the pearls and draperies were hand shaped. Im particularly proud of the birds, said Trahan. Each feather is hand cut and layered for a delicate, realistic look.

Photos by Adrian Williams


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Ruth Rickey, CMSA, Oklahoma City, OK

Designed for the 2011 Art of the Cake show in Ohio, which had a wedding cake theme based on mens ties, Ruth Rickey chose the bolo tie her husband wore at their wedding. I used the Make Your Own Mold product to create a mold of the bolo, the hat band from my husbands cowboy hat and of the conchos on one of my western belts, said Rickey, adding that she used a purchased mold for the ladies jewelry on the top tier.

The pieces were all molded from gumpaste and then painted with gold, silver or bronze and finished with Leaf Glaze on all the metal surfaces for extra shine. The turquoise stones were made from a marbled turquoise fondant that Rickey further enhanced with painted accent line. The necklace lines were piped with gray royal icing and then painted silver. All roses were made with Platinum Paste, then dusted with shimmers/pearl accents and steamed to set the colors. After comments from the judges in Ohio, I changed the blue roses to white ones for the Austin show and I added silver leaves, said Rickey. I thought it was more attractive and it is now the cover cake for the 2012 ICES Brochures for the Reno Conven-tion!




Ruth Rickey, CMSA, Oklahoma City, OK

For her second cake at the Austin That Takes the Cake show, Rickey was inspired by a demo she saw at the ICES convention. I saw Dalia Weinman do Zari Embroidery and I wanted to do a cake with that style design ever since, said Rickey. I finally started to research it and learned that it often features stones or sequins, as well as metallic thread embroidery. I found some pictures online and adapted my design from a blend of those images. All the cut outs are in fondant. The details were piped with yellow royal icing and then painted with gold. For the sequins, she used a #9 tip to cut out gumpaste circles, poked them with a straight pin and shaped them slightly. These were then painted gold, given a glaze and then applied to the royal icing detail lines as accents.

This cake was originally developed for a class Rickey taught at Nicholas Lodges open house, but she felt it was too pretty not to enter. I added some gumpaste peonies and felt that it made a very sweet display.



Theresa McCollum, Florence, SC

Ruffles and lace are familiar themes for wedding cakes, but for her ICES cakes, Theresa McCollum wanted to incorporate those themes in a unique manner. For the cake topper she used an acrylic ball and applied molded fondant lace. This sits on a stand made of molded cereal treats covered in fondant. She used rock candy around the outside edge of each tier to give the same glistening effect as the acrylic ball.

Continuing the lace theme with her chocolate cake, McCollum used brush embroidery on the bottom tier, molded lace on the second tier and vintage-style buttons on the top tier. As a topper, she created a saucer rose. Using round cutters and starting from the outside working in, she cut circles of fondant mixed with gum-tex. Each circle was slightly ruffled, then added on top of the next larger layer. The saucers outside perimeter is the perfect size to make a rose that will just cover the top tier. Place some small pieces of wadded paper towl in between the layers to keep the ruffles shaped while drying, said McCollum. The result is a beautiful, full, open rose that is super fast and easy.

For the chocolate cake, McCollums husband made the custom stand, which included a stationary dow-el through the center to stabilize the cake. It was screwed from the bottom of the stand and the tiers were placed over the dowels as it was assembled.

Both cakes and decorations used my own marsh-mallow fondant, said McCollum. I did add some gum-tex to the fondant I used for the rose and ruf-fles for additional support. When I first started cake decorating, I hated fondantI did not like the taste or the texture. But then I discovered marshmallow fondant and I realized you really limit your creative abilities if you rule fondant out. I was determined to find a way to make it work. ACD


SUGAR ARTS ALL-STARSOK

LAHO

MA The theme for this years Oklahoma State Sugar

Art Show was Wedding Cakes Rock a concept that let designers imagi-nations run wild with inspiration ranging from ancient warriors to con-temporary art.


Pamela Tsaldaris, Great Bakes Cakes, Port Huron, MI

Pamela Tsaldaris loves competitions because they allow her to create cakes with the goal of pleasing only herself. For this unique and color-ful cake, Tsaldaris used a photo of a Japanese Samurai warrior shed had in mind for a while.

I love using color, and I think this makes my work stand out, said Tsaldaris. The Samurai image al-lowed me to use strong, bold colors within a theme with lots of distinc-tive design elements.

Most of the designs were handmade.Tasldaris handpainted the corners using black food color gel. A new technique she used for this cake was coiling extruded fondant around a wooden skewer. She was able to create edges and borders in two colors by wrapping the colors side by side on the skewer. When she had finished with the main design, she felt the overall cake was very bold, but almost a bit too masculine, so she added some more delicate touches such as scrolled piping with tiny blossoms, little golden embossed pulls and other little touches.


Annette Hala, Annettes Cakes, Denver, CO

Since this years theme for OSSAS was open, Annette Hala decided to create a cake that included only things she likedblue hydran-geas and piped designs. I love to do piping and came up with the idea to do piping that looked like a soft lace overlay. Lace molds are very popular right now, but they didnt suit the style I wanted for my cakea lace that was soft, light and fresh. Hala had only made hydrangeas once before and was determined to make the ones on her cake real-istic. She estimates she eventually spent more than 100 hours just on the flowerscutting, veining, drying, dusting, steaming and wiring each of the more than 600 blossoms used on the cake.

The lace pattern was inspired by a vintage lace table cloth Hala found on eBay. After covering the layers with fondant, while it was still soft I marked the basic elements of the floral design on the cake, said Hala. When the fondant was dry I did drop strings for the scallops and then filled the entire upper area with freehand cornelli lace using a PME tip #0. I stopped and started the lace at the edges of the floral pattern I had pre-marked on the fondant so that I would still be able to see where I would over-pipe the flowers and scrolls.

In spite of meticulous sifting and straining of her royal icing, a clogged tip was her greatest furstration during the 65 hours it took to complete the piping design. She then added tiny pearl drages to the center of the flow-ers for additional interest. I believe that successfully entering a cake competition has as much to do with the patience and endur-ance to complete the cake as artistry or skill, said Hala. Its like running a marathon. You dont ap-preciate the blood, sweat and tears until youve done it yourself.


Dawn Parrott, CWPC, Cypress, TX

A beautiful piece of fabric embellished with sequins and stitching served as the starting point for Dawn Parrots cake. To create the sequins, Parrott used gelatin. This was a new technique for me, said Parrott. They are amazingthey look just like the real things.I made 4000 of them for the silver leaves and when I finished them the result looked exactly like the fabric.

Another first for Parrott was the stringwork in colored royal icing. The base of the bottom tier was painted in an emerald luster dust

and the black extension stringwork created a rippling visual effect as you walked round the cake, said Parrott.

As proud as she is of this design, this is not the cake she planned to bring to Tulsa. I was planning another design, but it didnt work out, said Parrott. I decided to start from scratch two weeks before the com-petition and worked on this almost exclusively during that time.


Carol Lowe, Auburn Hills, MI

For her classically elegant wedding cake, Carol Lowe based her design on a porcelain plate handpainted with green vines, colorful butterflies and a gold rim.

Lowe is proud of her skill with gumpaste flowers and developed an overall design that showcased a wide range of blos-soms. The butterflies she made with gel-atin, a relatively new technique for her, but she felt they turned out well. The one design aspect she feels she needs to work on is her brush embroidery.


Edith Hall, Cakes with the Personal Touch, Hallsville, MO

Edith Hall called this design vintage couture where she used a differ-ent textile effect for each tier. The bottom tier features 16 panels of weaving, done with black, sliver and off-white strips. In order to keep the lines straight and keep the strips from stretching, Hall cut each on the angle before wrapping them around the tier.

Other layers feature what Hall called fantasy flowers layers of ever smaller cut-outs, in gradually lighter colors, each piped with black outlines. The narrow, black tiers have simpler versions of these flowers. A ring of stringwork surrounds the tier, with curtained openings to showcase these tiny blossoms.

The top tier includes some of the weaving technique, as well as a more elaborate version of the fantasy flow-erssome placed on wires for added dimensionality. A pearl border was added to the base of each tier as a finishing touch.


Lisa Bugeja, Flour Confections, Pickering, Ontario

During the 2011 ICES convention in Charlotte, Lisa Bugeja visted the Bechtler Museum and saw one of the Op Art paintings of Bridget Riley. Prior to the conven-tion, I had been toying with the idea of doing an Op Art cake, said Bugeja, and seeing Rileys work made it all come together for me. I love the graphic nature of the designs, how they make your eyes practically vibrate, making you feel uncomfortable yet comfortable at the same time.

Each year for the OSSAS show, Bugeja sets a goal for herself. Her first year, her goal was simply to enter. The second year, her goal was to create as clean a cakein finish and styleas she could. This year, her chosen goal was to take a classic technique and present it in a modern and contemporary design. She chose Oriental style stringwork and decided to encase an entire tier using that technique in her Op Art theme of black and white. It took over seven hours to complete the cathedral-window style stringwork and piping for that tier, while the striping of the base board and the top tier took six hours each.

Although a contemporary version of stringwork was her stated goal, Bugeja is equally proud of her gumpaste flowers. I had perviously avoided doing realistic flowers for this competition. I was always afraid they wouldnt be good enough when compared with the work of all the other talented designers who entered, but Im really pleased with the results.


Vivan Pham, San Jose, CA

Vivian Pham was inspired by Faberg eggs; she was intrigued by the delicate, jewelry-like metalwork the famous designs featured. And because she didnt want her cake to be just round, square or oval, the theme also gave her the idea to explore other shapes.

Pham describes her typical style as very intricate, with a lot of sclupting, so a Faberg-type look was something she felt comfort-able attempting, although it did require plenty of research into the design elements.

Because she is self-taught, Pham often experiments to get the results she wants. For example, she wanted a metallic look that was neither silver or gold, so she mixed several different combinations of these dusts together in order to finally achieve the warm, aged silver she had in mind.

To create her silverware platter, she mixed tylose with water to cre-ate a very thick paste and applied this in only certain areas. She let this set, but not fully dry, and airbrushed it in this still-tacky stage to create an antique finish.

The purple fondant sphere does not touch the encasing crown, which necessitated some tricky wiring. Pham, who said that it felt like she worked on the cake forever, admits she has no idea how much time the design took in total, but says the the 26-hour drive to Tulsa was the most nerve-wracking part of the whole experience.


Rebecca Sutterby, Sugar Creations, Uniontown, KS

Before she became a professional cake designer/baker, Rebecca Sutterby studied commercial graphics in college. She worked for several printing companies doing typesetting, logo design, dark-room work, plate burning and proofreading. As a result, shes still a bit infatuated with fonts and typography. Her inspiration for this cake was an ornamental character font called Calligraphia Latina that she was drawn to for its gracefulness and complexity. In working to get the designs to fit exactly to her cake sizes, she discovered that the characters werent as symmetrical as they seemed at first glance. They may have looked fine printed on a page and at a smaller scale, said Sutterby, but I needed them to be perfectly even. To correct and manipulate the characters, she eventually needed to re-draw each one while trying to maintain the overall elegance. She used a clay gun to extrude all the finished typography designs. As the cake design began to come together, I added as many of my favorite things as I could to the cake: elegant bows and pleats, a lacy cut-out edge detail, beautiful shades of purple, some sparkle, and flow-ers lots and lots of flowers, said Sutterby. The flower designs include hydrangea, hellebore, peonies, ranunculus, anemones and berries. With all the work that went into the typography design, Sutterby was most exited with how the butterflies turned out. Gumpaste wings were hand-cut, wired and veined, then dusted with five shades of pink and purple and finally painted each wing was then individually wired to a body for finished positioning. ACD


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MEET THE NEW CLASS FOR RENOCERR

TIFICA

TION 2

012:

Throughout the course of the year, ACD will once again follow the plan-

ning and preparations of some of those dedicated cake decorators who

have signed on for certification testing at the annual ICES show and con-

vention. Well look into their motivations and goals, check in with their

training progress and follow up with them after the test. Here are three

prospective CMSAs, all working toward CMSA accreditation in Reno.

ACD: How did you get started in cake decorating and sugar arts? Whats your background?

Chef Joseph Cumm, Philadel-phia, PA: My daughter was born 11 years ago and when I finished her first birthday cake, I realized that I was in the wrong field. I began making cakes for friends and family. The cakes turned into pastries and I soon found myself catering for many weddings and special events. This was the beginning of my pastry/cake

decorating career.

I graduated summa cum laude from Johnson and Wales University with a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts. Upon graduation, I worked two years at Bank of America corporate center as As-sistant Executive Pastry Chef. In October of 2008, I took the position of Department Head of Pastry Arts at Southeast

Culinary and Hospitality College in Bristol, VA, and was nominated for Outstanding Faculty Member 2010 for two-year Virginia state schools. Currently, I am a Pastry Chef Instructor at The Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts, a Division of YTI Career Institute. I have been an active member of ICES for the past three years.

Kim Bush, Tacoma, WA: When I was young, I never wanted to play sports or take dance classes, I just loved to cook and bake.

There was a small cake shop in a little white house near where I lived growing up. When-ever we drove by I begged my mother to let me take classes and, in 1986, I took my first Wilton classes thereI still have my original Wilton instruction books!

I made cakes for friends and family off and on and eventu-ally moved on to candy making as well. Life takes over as we all know and cake decorating un-fortunately was put on the back burner. But I had always wanted to attend the Wilton School in Darien, IL, and the only person stopping me from going was me. So I scheduled a vacation from work and flew to Chicago. Then, in 2009 I graduated from the Baking & Pastry program from the Interna-tional Culinary School at the Art Institute in Seattle. Over the years I have taken numerous classes from some of the best in the industry such as Nicholas Lodge, Bronwen Weber, Debbie Brown, Lorraine MaKay, Kathleen Lange, Kasey Lackey, Lauren Kitchens and Ron Ben Isreal.

Chef Daniel Swift, Las Vegas, NV: My background with baking started when I was 19 and took a job as a baker at The Sand-piper restaurant in Boise, ID, my home town. I did not have any experience so I went and bought a book on baking and started to read and learn as much as I could.

After I started school at Boise States Culi-nary program, I knew I was going to make

baking a part of my life forever. My first busi-ness was making wedding cakes for friends at church; they were standard Wilton-style cakes with lace and ribbons, etc. None of the fondant and fancy stuff for me back in the day.

I began entering cooking competitions and won a scholarship to Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island, so I took their pastry arts program. There I learned more of the classical cake decorating, chocolate and sugar work. Leav-ing JWU, I was well rounded as a cook, baker and pastry chef. Over the next 10 years I traveled and worked at some of the finest hotels, restaurants and private clubs from Rhode Island to Hawaii, including the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, So-noma Mission Inn and Spa and Stars Seattle, among others. In 2007, I opened my own bakery, the Pomona Baking Co., with my wife Alice, running it for three years before selling it in 2010.

I received my Masters in Educational Founda-tions from the University of Hawaii in 2005 and have taught hospitality, culinary, baking and pastry courses for the last 11 years at such institutions as Kapiolani Community College, The Collins College of Hospitality Manage-ment at Cal-Poly Pomona, and most recently as the Executive Chef Instructor at the Univer-sity of Nevada, Las Vegas.

I am currently in my third year of my doc-toral studies at the University of La Verne,

Editors NoteIf you have registered for the 2012 Reno test and would like to be included in future issues, please contact [email protected]. If you previously responded and received no reply, I apologize. I had a com-puter crash in October and lost some data, including emails from just before the crash. So please, get in touch with me again!


working on a Doctorate in orga-nizational leadership and focusing on leadership theory as it applies to Master Chefs.

I am a Certified Master Baker through the Retail Bakers of America and hold certifications with the American Culinary Federation (ACF) as a Certi-fied Executive Chef and a Cer-tified Executive Pastry Chef.

ACD: Why are you taking the test for sugar art certifica-tion?

JC: I am constantly trying to challenge myself in all aspects of my field, so I suppose this is the main reason for trying for certification. I need to prove to myself that I can do it.

KB: Obtaining the CMSA/CSA title has been a personal goal of mine. Its one thing to be told by your friends and fam-ily that your cakes and sugar work are good and that you have talent, but actually being tested on a set of skills with specific adjudication standards is completely different.

DS: I chose to go for the certification in Reno because I very much believe in profes-sional development and lifelong learning. The test is very complex and thorough and will prove to be a great challenge for me. I am a new member of ICES so this is sort of jumping into the deep end, but having just completed my certification as an executive pastry chef with the ACF and having owned my own bakery from 2007-2010, the timing seems right.

ACD: Given your overview of the certi-fication handbook, what do you feel are your strongest skill sets?

JC: I have not completely decided on all my technique choices but I am getting close. I feel my strength will be in intricate pip-ing work, such as Oriental stringwork and bridge and extension work. I also feel quite comfortable with cast, pulled and blown sugar work.

KB: Im still working on which skill sets I want to be adjudicated on. There are so

An example of string work by Chef Joseph Cumm.

A flower-filled wedding cake by Kim Bush.

many different skill sets to consider in order to not only receive the highest point value, but to also complete an aesthetically pleas-ing and cohesive piece of sugar art in the time allotted.

My absolute favorite things to make are sugar/gumpaste flowers. I love all different kinds of flowers. Gumpaste flowers will most likely be one of the skill sets I choose. Im also a fan of what I call old style cake decorating. I love buttercream cakes with roses, swags, stringwork and borders. I think piping skills are becoming a lost art. Lambeth is truly a favorite of mine, in addi-

tion to pulled sugar.

DS: Looking at the handbook it is hard to say what exactly I will create, as the guidelines very detailed. I have always done well with marzipan, pastillage, chocolate work and sugar, working very fast, clean and organized, but now that I am 44 and just got my first pair of glasses, all that detail work requires a bit more attention than when I was younger!


ACD: Which skills do you feel you need to devote the most time to?

JC: I plan on developing all of my skills to my utmost ability. Ill work on master-ing each skill, practicing them over and over, and will do several test runs over the next several months.

KB: I wont be giving away any of my secrets for my design plans, but I will share my plan in the coming months. Ill be working on some mold-making designs and skills, new flower designs and some new skills Ive never tried. Mostly, Im going to practice to make my dad proudand have a lot of fun in the process. My dad, who just died this past December after a long struggle with cancer, was so proud of my sugar work and wanted me to be happy. Cake decorating is the one thing that has always made me happy! Its the absolute best feeling in the world to watch a persons expression and excitement when they see the special cake for the first time that you made uniquely for them.

DS: Planning is critical from start to finish in competi-tion and certification tests. One needs to be precise and focused and practice a great deal. As I choose my specific areas, I will let you know as much as I can (gotta keep a bit of a surprise for the judges) but we do submit our drawings in April. Fine piping and fondant work will be an area to practice, as will flower making and airbrushing.

ACD: How to you plan to put your MSA/CMSA title to work in your future?

JC: Certification can only lead to a bigger and brighter future, and I can take what I learn through the process and share it with my current and future students. It will also give me the opportu-nity to perhaps travel and teach sugar arts around the country at local and national cake shows.

KB: Due to my fathers health, Ive put my profes-sional goals on hold for the past two years. Ive been taking baby steps with my cake career, but now its time to take the leap. My goal is to make 2012 my best year ever. Im hoping that the CMSA accredita-tion will open new doors for me. I would love to have my own bakery, teach classes the skys the limit.

I want ACD readers to fol-low my story, be inspired, and know they can do it too!

KB: Professionally adding CMSA certification will enhance my marketability as a teacher and allow me to introduce more people to the benefits of membership in ICES and the great net-working opportunities that exist when you participate in an organization focused on a craft/art that you love. In the end, I would also like to explore the connections between great organizations such as ICES, the RBA and the ACF, as well as other trade-related organizations. There does not seem to be much going on between them and with a little effort, I believe that many win/win outcomes can be created for all members. ACD

Gumpaste decoration by Chef Joseph Cumm.

Lambeth piping designs by Kim Bush.


Jorg AmslerTruly Jorg's Patisserie, MA

Jorg AmslerTruly Jorg's Patisserie, MA

Ron Ben-IsraelRon Ben-Israel Cakes, NYC

Ron Ben-IsraelRon Ben-Israel Cakes, NYC

Elisa StraussConfetti Cakes, NYCElisa Strauss

Confetti Cakes, NYCAnne Heap

Pink Cake Box, NJAnne Heap

Pink Cake Box, NJ

Cake design provided

by Mercedes Strachwsky

Americas Leading Rolled Fondant Cake IcingCall 845.469.1034 | www.satinfinefoods.comCall 845.469.1034 | www.satinfinefoods.com Join Our Email ListWatch our video tutorials!

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Buddy ValastroCarlos Bakery, NJBuddy ValastroCarlos Bakery, NJ

Pulled sugar rose by Kim Bush.


CAKE DECORATORS CANT BE WRONG18,00

0 BRITISH In the past two years the number of visitors to Cake International, the huge and hugely popular

British cake and sugarcraft show, has grown by 72%. Beryl Loveland, owner of Beryls Cake Decorating & Pastry Supplies, attended the most recent Cake International, held in Birmingham, from November 4-6, 2011. Here she shares her experience, as well as some of her favorite photos.

The first thing you notice is the crowd. The exhibit hall is the size of three football fields and features more than 100 exhibitors, but even with all that space, the aisles were packed! There were more than 18,000 pre-sold tickets and many additional registrants at the doors for three packed days of decorating and molten sugar demonstrations, com-petitive judging, vendors from around the world and prize winning displays.

For cake decorators and sugar craft practitioners of all skills and ages, it was a wonderful place to be. When we left for lunch, they stamped our hands, just like at a dance. As I put my program down to present my hand, the guard jokingly told me to watch it carefully as all the programs had sold out the first hour the show opened.

This is truly an international cake show. Vendors, attendees and par-ticipants come from not only the U.K., Europe, the U.S. and Canada, but from as far as Australia, South Africa, Korea, as well as most of the South and Central American countries.

I saw new products including cutters, fast-acting silicone molds, new col-ors of disco and luster dust and many new books. One of the best parts of the show for me was being able to meet some of my favorite authors and celebrity cake decorators including Massie Parish, Carol Deacon, Marion Frost, Ann Pickard and Debbie Brown.

Cake International has become so popular that the show producers have decided to add a spring show, to be held in London. So mark your calendars now for April 27-29 and November 9-11, 2012. And for any-one who might be worried about driving on the wrong side of the road to get to these shows, we never needed a car. We took public transport everywhere, from London Heathrow to the London Underground to the railroad to the bus right to the entrance of the exposition in Bir-mingham. There is even a railroad station at the NEC and (I checked) a stop by the London venue as well. ACD

Weblinks: ichf.co.uk/cake/Beryls.comFacebook.com (search for Beryls Cake Decorating) Twitter.com/BeryLoveland

PICTURES FROM AN EXPOSITIONSugarcraft is alive and well in the U. K. Perhaps its because they start them young. There were competitive displays for ages 8-9, 10-12, under 18, and of course, adults. The adult competitions included International (outside of the U. K.), novelty cakes, Christmas cakes, wedding cakes (more than two tiers), figurines, miniature sugar flower displays, floral sugarcraft and much, much more. At top, thats me in the pink shirt with Ann Pickard, the author of An Idiots Guide to Christmas Cakes and many other books.


CHARACTERS WELCOMEI admit I love character cakes and Cake International was filled with amazing examples whimsical, humorous, romantic and charming. These particularly appealed to me because of the skill and subject. It was difficult to choose from the incredible array of cakes on display but I felt these were quite spectactular.


MIXING METHODS AND THEIR PURPOSESBaking is chemistry, and the key to success for any baker is an under-standing of the principles that make baking work. In How Baking Works, Third Edition, author Paula Figoni thoroughly covers the entire bak-ing process. She takes the user through the major ingredient groups, explaining how sweeteners, fats, milk, leavening agents and other ingredients affect the appearance, flavor and texture of the end prod-uct, emphasizing the whys at work behind basic techniques. Here she explains some of the reasons and results of various methods of mixingand why water is so important.

Mixing distributes ingredients evenly throughout batters and doughs. While this is the obvious reason to mix ingredients, other important events occur during the mixing stage. For example, during mixing, batters and doughs trap pockets of air as paddles and whips push through them. This lightens the batter or dough, making it easier to mix and handle. With continued mixing, large air pockets are reduced in size to many more smaller ones, providing the nuclei that expand during baking into full-sized air cells. This means that batters and doughs must be mixed properly if the baked goods are to rise properly.

Because batters and doughs contain trapped air, they are sometimes referred to as foams. When batters and doughs bake, they transform from foams that trap air to porous sponges that dont. The term sponge is used whether the product has a springy, spongy texture or not. It simply refers to the open, porous structure of baked goods, where air and gases move freely in and out.

Water: The Universal SolventThroughout the mixing process, the friction of the mixer on the batter or dough wears down large particles, layer by layer, allow-ing them to dissolve or to hydrate faster in water. As particles such as flour hydrate, water becomes less able to move freely and the batter or dough thickens. The ability of

Excerpted with permission from How Baking Works, Third Edition by Paula Figoni. Copyright John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2011. All rights reserved. ISBN- 978-0-470-39267-6

SwSweet

1

ScScience

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Editors NoteWere introducing a new column with this issue based on comments and requests from our read-ers. The goal of the Sweet Science column is to explain the hows of baking in a technical but approachable manner. This could be a discussion of different flours, or sugars, or fats, or the role of leavening agents, or even a discussion on weight vs. volume measurements.

Were thrilled to have Paula Figoni as our first con-tributor with her great book, How Baking Works. If you have ideas for topics youd like covered in future Sweet Science columns, or are interested in contributing, get in touch with me: [email protected].

water to dissolve or hydrate particles and molecules is a very important part of the mixing process.

Until molecules either dissolve or are hydrated in water, they do not act as expected. For example, undissolved sugar crystals are not able to moisten or tenderize cakes, to stabilize whipped egg whites, or to taste sweet. Undissolved salt is unable to slow yeast fermentation or to preserve food. Undissolved baking powder does not produce carbon dioxide for leavening. Eachthe sugar, salt, and baking powdermust first dissolve in water before it can act.

Many larger molecules, such as proteins and starches, do not dissolve completely in water, but they do swell and hydrate. Layers of water form liquid shells around hydrated molecules, swelling and suspend-ing them. Just as sugar, salt, and baking powder must dissolve before they act, so, too, must large molecules hydrate.

Flour contains hard chunks of protein that must hydrate before being transformed into gluten, a large, flexible web that is important for proper volume and crumb structure in baked goods. Mixing helps slough off the protein, layer by layer, from the solid chunks in flour, to speed up hydration and formation of gluten. No matter the amount of mix-

ing, without water to hydrate the chunks of protein, gluten would not form.

Besides dissolving and hydrating food molecules, water performs several other important functions that begin during the mixing stage. For example, water activates yeast and allows fermentation to occur. Without sufficient water, yeast cells remain dormant (inactive) or die.


Water is a convenient means for adjusting the temperature of batters and doughs. Using cold water in pastry dough, for example, keeps fats from melting and ensures a flakier crust. Likewise, carefully controlling water temperature in bread-making ensures that mixed dough is at the proper temperature for fermentation. Heavy doughs, in particular, generate frictional heat from mixing. A small amount of frictional heat is acceptable, even desirable, but with yeast doughs, too much heat warms yeast above the ideal temperature for proper fermentation.

The amount of water in a batter or dough affects its viscosity or consistency. In fact, the consistency of a flour mixture defines whether it is a batter or a dough. Batters are unbaked flour mixtures that are relatively high in moisture, making them thin and pourable or scoopable. Examples include

Common Mixing MethodsMethod Description Example

Straight dough All ingredients combined and mixed until dough is smooth and well developed Yeast-raised breads

Sponge and dough Liquid, yeast, part of flour, part of sugar mixed into a batter or dough (called a Yeast-raised breads made with sponge or pre-ferment) and allowed to ferment; added to remaining ingredients poolish (liquid sponge), biga and mixed until dough is smooth and well developed (Italian sponge, usually stiff), levain (naturally fermented sponge), or other sponge

Creaming or conventional Shortening and sugar creamed; eggs added, then liquids (if any) added alternately Shortened cakes, coffee with sifted dry ingredients at low speed cakes, cookies, cake-like muffins

Two-stage or blending Sifted dry ingredients blended on low speed; softened fat cut in with paddle; liquids High-ratio cakes added slowly to blend in two stages (eggs added in second stage); beaten to aerate

Liquid shortening All ingredients blended on low speed, then whipped on high, and finally on High-ratio liquid shortening cakes medium speed to aerate

Sponge or whipping Warmed whole eggs (or yolks) and sugar whipped until very light and thick; Sponge cake (biscuit), genoise, liquids added; sifted dry ingredients gently folded in, followed by melted butter ladyfingers, madeleines (if any) or whipped whites (if separated

Angel food Egg whites and sugar whipped until soft peaks form; sifted dry ingredients Angel food cake gently folded in

Chiffon Sifted dry ingredients stirred or blended on low speed; oil and other liquid Chiffon cake ingredients added and lightly blended until smooth; egg whites and sugar whipped until soft peaks form and folded into flour-oil mixture

Muffin or one-stage Sifted dry ingredients stirred or blended on low speed; liquid fat and other Muffins, quick breads, liquid ingredients added in one stage and lightly blended just until moistened quick coffee cakes

Biscuit or pastry Sifted dry ingredients stirred or blended on low speed; solid fat rubbed or cut Biscuits, scones, in by hand or with paddle; liquids stirred in gently pie pastry, blitz puff pastry

cake, crpe, and muffin batters. Doughs are unbaked flour mixtures that are relatively low in moisture, making them thick and mold-able. Examples include bread, pie pastry, cookie, and baking powder biscuit doughs. Batter and dough consistency is important for proper shaping and for proper leavening of baked goods.

Unlike many ingredients used in baking, fats do not dissolve in water, nor are they hydrated by water. Rather, solid fat breaks into small chunks, and liquid fat (oil) breaks into tiny droplets during mixing to form an

emulsion. These small chunks and tiny drop-lets spread throughout batters and doughs, coating particles that they are attracted to. Anything coated with fat or oil cannot easily absorb water. In fact, that is one reason why fats and oils are effective tenderizers. Fats and

The Special Role of WaterEven when water is not an ingredient in a formula, it plays a part during the mixing of all batters and doughs, because many ingredients are significant sources of water. Ingredients do not need to be fluid to contain high amounts of water. Sour cream and ba-nanas, for example, are over 70 percent water, cream cheese over 50 percent and butter over 15 percent. Paula Figoni is a food scientist and associate

professor in the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. She also has more than ten years of experience in product development and food science at The Pillsbury Company and Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.

oils coat structure builders such as gluten proteins and starches, and interfere with their ability to hydrate and form structure. ACD


THINKING OUTSIDE THE PLATESugar artists Lori Sladyk Gilmore and Karen Sladyk are known for their innovative approach to cake presentations. American Cake Decorating spotted their hanging cake (shown below right) at the 2011 ICES show and conven-tion in Charlotte, NC. We asked for more information and the pair gladly shared information on where they look for inspiration and some how-to advice for creating your own hanging display.

Whether you are a serious hobbyist or a career professional in sugar arts, you are likely looking for something new to impress friends or clients. We like looking for cake ideas in everyday items, so shop-ping is always a cake adventure, whether its in a garden shop, home improvement store, thrift shop or a store known for home decor.

Inspiration EverywhereIf flowers can be displayed on a stand, so can a cake, which is why we love shopping at garden centers. Look for stands with varying support heights to set off different tierscheck out the bird baths,

solar light posts and decorative lanterns as options for pillars or bases.

After checking out the garden shop, try a home improvement store. There you can purchase decorative chains often used for ceiling fans and hanging plants. These col-orful chains can be used to hang individ-ual tiers of cakes from the ceiling or from an arched trellis. Consider glass blocks for use as a base, or as a separator between tiers. Some big box stores also have home dcor sections where you might choose a decorative birdcage to display your cake. Similar wrought iron pieces, shaped as bicycles or carts, can be used. And while Christmas lights are a popular addition to table edges, consider also that a revolving Christmas tree stand is sturdy enough to hold and light your cake.

The thrift stores can always provide interesting, although inconsistent ideas. Look for retro items such as a record player, which can be used as a base and as a way to make your cake revolve. And dont ignore the toy section which might provide an idea for a cake on wheels!

HANGING CAKESStands designed for hanging plants work great for cakes. When evaluating them for use, look for a wide base to reduce the possibility of tipping. Choose materials such as wrought iron, strong enough to support a layer cake. On the left, an elegant tapered structure supports one tier on the bottom and another hanging from a chain. On the right is the mirror image hanging cake we showed in Charlotte.



A walk in the woods can result in another type of inspiration. A tree stump is an obvious plate from nature, but what about a tiered stump with several protruding branches accommodating three or more tiers? For one event we positioned a stump under a tree so that we could have falling leaves suspended by fishing line floating just above the cake.

And who isnt drawn to a swing hanging from a tree? So just imagine a well-placed cake anchored on a swingthat will really turn some heads. Winter brings a new set of ideas: Create your own decorated ice base by using a large plastic bin filled with distilled water and float some pine cones, pine needles and holly berries frozen into place. For one of our winter events, we made a battery operated snow machine which gently dispensed wafer-punched snowflakes falling from the sky.

Many clients are looking for a traditional cake, while others are hop-ing to have something new and unique. Wed like to report that all of our risks have paid off but the reality is, some experiments were just that. Others, like our first hanging cake, were only successful in that we managed to deliver them! It certainly wasnt a financial success, as it took about twenty hours to produce. But with each successive one weve been cleaner and more efficient. And even though our ideas sometimes dont come off the way we hoped, we believe its best to be armed with a variety of options and what ifs to stay competitive and to keep ourselves fresh and excited.

How to hang a cakeYou will need the following supplies: Two wood plates the size of the bottom layer One wood plate the size of the middle layer 1" diameter wood dowel, 36" long One drywall screw at least 1 1/2" to 2" long, narrow enough to fit in the 1" dowel 12" of decorative chain (75 lb. hold)Note: Your decorative chain must be 75 lb. support weight, the standard for hanging a plant or ceiling fan. This chain is available in many colors at most hardware stores. Choose a color to match or compliment the cake and the hanger. One hook with a screw end to join the dowel to the decorative chain Wood dowels or your preferred cake supports Cordless drill with a 1" bit and slightly smaller bit as well Saw to cut the 1" dowel to size

First, plan the finished height of your cake, taking into account all the different tiers. For a 12" finished cake, cut an 11 1/2" section from the dowel.

Using a drill bit smaller than the dry wall screw, carefully drill a guide hole in the center of one end of the dowel. Do the same for the wood plate which will be the bottom of the cake. Screw the bottom plate into the wood dowel.

CAKES FOR THE BIRDSBird baths and decorative bird cages can be fantastic pieces to use for display and presentation and can be adapted to many different themes and events. When using any non-typical stand or display, be sure to select foodsafe, non-permeable materials, or use a cake board. All photos by Conway Chuong, except where noted.


Drill 1" holes in the center of the two other remaining wood plates, checking to make sure the holes are large enough to accomodate the wood dowel. Screw the hook into the top of the dowel. If the wood dowel should split for some reason, begin again.

If you plan to decorate the bottom of the cake, frost or place fondant on the plate now. You can also hide small teacup hooks on the bottom plate to make flowers stay securely after the cake is set up.

Begin putting the display together by cutting a 1" core from the center of the bottom tier and placing this tier centered sround the dowel. Then, using small wood dow-els or your favorite cake supports, add several supports to this tier of the cake to nearly the edge of plate.

Place the next wood plate on top of the tier you just as-sembled, remembering to frost the bottom if it is going to show. Add the cake and supports as with the bottom tier, then repeat for the last tier. The core dowel should now be hidden but the hook visible just at the top.

Transport the cake as you usually do but do not hang the cake until the final set up. If you are using any dummy tiers, these should be on the bottom as the cake can be cut while hanging.

Note: We also hung a cake using plexiglass instead of wood. This enabled us to have a photo sheet on the bot-tom of the cake, which was then reflected in mirrors placed below the cake. ACD

Lori Sladyk Gilmore is a high school culinary arts teacher who also teaches various adult ed classes. She is par-ticularly interested in working with, and eating her share and your share of chocolate.

Karen Sladyk is a creative sugar hob-byist who teaches food crafts in the community and at a local college. To finance her cake decorating purchases, she works as a college professor teaching Occupational Therapy. They both live in northeastern Connecticut.


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Cake and Sugar art Show & Competition

February 25 & 26, austin, tX Judged Divisional Competition Themed Showcake Competition Onsite Decorating Contest Celebrity Demonstration Panel Vendors and more!

Celebrity Classes before and after the show with:Lauren Kitchens, Kaysie Lackey, Kathleen Lange, Nicholas Lodge, Mike McCarey, Roland & Marsha Winbeckler

Mini-Classes during the show with:Lisa Berczel, Lisa Bujega, Amy Eilert, Mike Elder, Burton Farnsworth, Debbie Goard, Diane Gruenberg, Yvette Humbert, Lauren Kitchens, Ewald Notter, Lourdes Reyes, Ruth Rickey, Janet Rosebeary, James Rosselle, Marina Sousa, Wayne Steinkopf, Michaelle Stidham, Peggy Tucker, Eric Woller and Sharon Zambito

North Austin Event Center 10601 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX

Competition rules, online registration and information:

www.ThatTakesTheCake.org

Sponsors:


Photos by Scott Ewing


COMPONENTS:One 3" x 3" square cake or dummyOne 4" x 2" square cake or dummyOne 6" x 4" square cake or dummyOne 8" x 5" square cake or dummyOne 10" x 2" square cake or dummyStress-Free Cake Support System or doweling method of choice1 kg Massa couture orange rolled fondant750 g Massa Americana white rolled fondant250 g Massa white gumpasteChef Nicholas notes: Massa products are available at auiswiss.com.

FORDESIGNANDASSEMBLY:Large white square pedestal cake plate 10", 8", 6", 4" and 3" square corrugated cardboard (only if using real cake)Kitchen Aid mixer with pasta attachmentClay extruderCarved-end toothpicksFun Foam sheetsTuscan tile impression matFMM straight frill cutter (Set No.1)FMM geometric cutter setFMM patchwork cutter setPatchwork trellis/lattice cutterPatchwork large alphabet and key setPatchwork Christmas rose setStyrofoam disc (covered in plastic)ISAC foam formerISAC flower drying cupPatchwork/Tap-It mat3 1/4" fluted square cutterSilk toolMini palette knifePME cutting wheelMetal knife toolLarge stick (or ball tool)Small parchment paper cone for piping gelConfectioners glazeSemolinaGel colors in leaf green and lemon yellowPowder colors in yellow and orange or Harrisons YellowSuper pearlCornstarch

ShorteningEgg whitePiping gelTylose powderCosmetic sponge with a hole in the middle

HOW-TO:Chef Nicholas notes: When designing contemporary themed cakes, add-ing visual interest by alternating colors, varying the height of the tiers, and offsetting their position will really make the cake pop. This cake was stacked directly onto a modern white cake stand, securing the layers with a mixture of fondant softened with piping gel.

1 Roll out the fondant both orange and whiteto cover the four largest cake tiers; dowel as needed (if using real cake), and stack, so the creativity can begin.

2 On the bottom 10" cake, roll out some white 50/50 paste (50/50 paste is made by taking equal quantities of Massa Americana and Massa gumpaste, combining them together with a little vegetable shortening). Feed the paste through the pasta attachment on setting two. Rub a little shortening onto your work surface, and lay your paste on top. Cut out eight sections of the border design using the straight frill cutter. Trim to 3/4" wide, lay face side down onto a strip of foam.

The vibrant orange and bright white color combination for this cake by Chef Nicholas Lodge is taken straight off

the European fashion runways, while the design was inspired by a mix of contemporary and traditional ceramics

and fabrics.


3 Brush a little piping gel over the back and flip up to attach to the base of the cake. Repeat this process on all sides. Extrude some orange fondant using a small plain round disc through the clay extruder to create a strand border, and attach with small dots of piping gel at two or three points on each side.

4 For the 8" cake, roll out some white 50/50 paste and modified orange fondant. (This is done by mixing 150g of Massa orange fondant with 3g of tylose powder and 3g of shortening. Place in a zip-top bag to firm up for approximately 10-15 min. before using). Roll out both pastes on the pasta machine on set-ting three. Cut out using the 1" square from the geometric cutter set. Place on foam to firm up for a few minutes, then attach around

the 8" cake with a little piping gel, starting in the back corner and continuing around the cake.

5 Extrude and attach an orange fondant strand border as for the 10" tier.

6 For the 6" cake, roll out some white 50/50 paste and run it through setting two on the pasta machine. Cut out using the small decorative cutter from the patchwork cutter set. Trim the pieces for the top and bottom rows as shown in the photograph using a mini pallet knife and attach to the cake using a little piping gel.

7 Extrude and attach an orange fondant strand border as for the other tiers.

8 For the 4" cake, roll out some white 50/50 paste, followed by the previously modified orange fondant on setting three on the pasta machine. Rub some shortening on the cutting edge of the patchwork trel-lis/lattice cutter. Press the handle of the cutter into a Styrofoam disc covered in plastic wrap. Roll the paste over the cutter and remove the trellis, leaving the squares. Tap the cutter on your work surface to re-move the squares, or press out with a modeling tool. Transfer squares and allow to dry on the foam for ap-proximately five minutes then attach as per the larger squares on the 8" cake. Extrude and attach an orange fondant border as for the other tiers.


9 For the 3" cake, take 100g of orange fondant, roll out to a 7" by 3" wide rectangle and run through the pasta machine on setting one. Emboss with the Tuscan tile impression mat. Cut a 12" by 3" strip, roll up and attach around the 3" cake, starting in the back corner. Trim as needed.

10 Roll out white 50/50 paste, 1/8" thick and cut out using a 3 1/4" fluted square cutter. Attach to the top of the 3" cake.

11 Roll out some orange modified fondant, 3/8" thick, and cut out a 1 1/2" square using the medium square cutter in the geometric cutter set. Make a slit in the paste to accommodate the monogram frame (see photograph for placement).

12 Remove an offset 1 1/2" square from the white top of the cake using the same medium square cutter, to accommodate the orange square. Attach. Extrude and attach an orange fondant border as for the other tiers.

13 For the monogram frame, roll out white gumpaste, using the setting three on the pasta machine. Cut out a frame using the large and medium square from the geometric cutter set.

14 Roll out some orange modified fondant, using the setting four on the pasta machine. Rub a little shorten-ing on the yellow side of the Tap-It mat and on the cutting edge of the letter. Cut out the letter of choice from the large alphabet and key set.

15 Attach in the frame with a few dots of pip-ing gel. Allow the monogram frame to dry on the foam for three hours, then turn over and allow to dry for several hours or overnight.

16 Once dry, secure in the prepared cavity with white 50/50 paste softened with piping gel.

17 For the flowers, take a ball of gum-paste, about the size of a corsage pin head, and color it with the leaf green.

18 Dip the carved end of a toothpick into egg white and insert into the ball of paste. Form into a 3/8" long teardrop shape. Mark eight vertical lines with the metal knife tool.

19 Roll out some gumpaste and color it lemon yellow. Press the handle of the stamen cutter from the Christmas rose set into a Styrofoam disc covered in plastic wrap. Rub the cutter with some shortening, lay the paste on top and roll over the top with the large stick to cut out. Remove the paste with a straight pin and place on foam.

20 Brush the base with egg white and attach the two layers separately around the center. Mold to secure at the base. Separate the points with a toothpick and brush the tips with confec-

tioners glaze and dip into pollen (semolina colored with a mix of yellow and orange powders) or Harrisons yellow dusting powder. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.

21 Roll out some white gumpaste, setting four on the pasta machine, and cut out a Christmas rose on the yellow side of the mat. Transfer to the foam and roll over each petal with the silk tool. Soften the edge of the petals on the back side with the large stick.


22 Turn over, place on a cosmetic sponge with a hole in its center, and using the rounded end of the large stick, hollow out the center

of the Christmas rose, then brush with the pearl dust.

23 Brush egg white around the base of the stamens and thread through the center of the petals. Mold to secure and place into a the former and flower drying cup to set.

24 Once dry, attach to cake. ACD

Chef Nicholas Lodge was inducted into the International Cake Explora-tion Societe (ICES) Hall of Fame in 2001, being the youngest person ever to receive this honor. In 2010, Dessert Professional magazine named Chef Nicholas one of the top 10 cake artists and top 10 pastry chefs, making him the first to receive both awards in one year.

Chef Nicholas divides most of his time between teaching at his retail store and school in Norcross, GA, The International Sugar Art Collection, and the French Pastry School in Chicago where he is a chef instructor in the LArt du Gateau program. When not teaching , Chef Nicholas spends his spare time searching for new and innovative ideas that can be introduced and adapted into cakes and sugar art. Part of this inspiration comes from his love of gar-dening , fashion and interior design.

Weblinks: NicholasLodge.com


COMPONENTS:Two 6" round vanilla cakesOne 8" round vanilla cake Three 10" round vanilla cakes 12 cups buttercream

FORDESIGNANDASSEMBLY:One 6" round cake boardTwo 8" round cake boardsOne 10" round cake boardOne 14" round cake drumRolling pinLarge pastry brushSharp knifeSerrated knifeOffset spatulaDowels and shearsDough scraperFondant smootherPizza cutterPlastic wrapMedium leaf cutterPiece of thin foamRound stick

PaintbrushFondant ribbon cutter Pencil sharpenerIvory satin ribbonGlue stickPiping gelRoyal icing100 oz. white fondantCornstarch Fine and medium silver drages or fondant beads Medium pearl drages or fondant beads Gumpaste

HOWTO:1 With the pastry brush, spread piping gel evenly over the cake drum. On a cornstarch-covered surface, roll out 10 ounces of the white fondant to 1/4"thick and cover the cake drum. Trim the excess with the sharp knife.

2 Prepare the 6" and 8" tiers by leveling their tops with the serrated knife, splitting them in half horizontally, and filling between the layers with buttercream. Place each tier on its corresponding cake board. Cover both tiers with a thin layer of buttercream. You will have one 4" high tier and one 2" high tier.

Images and information from Cake Couture: Modern Sugarcraft for the Stylish Baker by An-nie Dam. Copyright Firefly Books 2011. Reprinted by permission of Firefly Books. All rights reserved. ISBN-13: 978-1554079490

In her recently published book, Cake Couture, Annie

Dam demonstrates a variety of decorating ideas and

techniques, from basic to fairly advanced, including

figure modeling, stenciling and more. For our wed-

ding issue, we chose a cake she designed based on

the brides wedding gownpleated bodice, beaded

waist, ruffled skirt and all. The only thing missing is

the bouquet!


3 For the 10" tier, level all three cake rounds and split them in half horizontally. Fill between the layers with buttercream. Stack just two of the cake rounds (four layers of cake in total) on the 10" board. Cut six pieces of dowel to 3" long, and insert them vertically into the filled 10" cake. Spread a layer of buttercream on top.

4 Place the remaining 8" round cake board in the center. Take the two remaing 10" cake rounds and fill between the layers with but-tercream. Stack this on top of the 8" cake board. The result will be a 10" tier measuring 6" high.

5 Cut another six pieces of dowel to 3" in length. Insert the dowels vertically into the top half of the stacked 10" tier. 6 Spread a thin layer of buttercream on all three tiers. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cover the top and sides with a second, thicker coat of buttercream. Smooth with the dough scraper and refrigerate for one hour.

7 Roll out all the remaining white fondant to 1/4" thick and cover all three tiers. Smooth with the fondant smoother and trim the excess with the pizza cutter. Save the trimmings, wrapped in plastic wrap. Transfer the 10" tier to the cake drum, securing in place with a dab of royal icing.

8 Roll out the leftover fondant to 1/8" thick. Using the medium leaf cutter, cut out medium-sized leaves.

9 Working on one leaf at a time, place the leaves on the thin piece of foam and thin the edges with the round stick.

10 Starting from the base and working your way up, attach the leaves to the side of the 10" tier with water.


11 Cover the entire tier, leaving an 8" diameter opening on the top, where the second tier will sit.

12 Mix 1 teaspoon of gumpaste with 1/4 cup of water to make an edible glue. Brush the side of the 8" tier with this glue. Holding the tier at an angle, sprinkle the side with the fine silver drages or fondant beads. Try to coat the sides as thoroughly as you can. Fill in the gaps without silver drages with the pearl drages or fondant beads.

13 Roll out the remaining white fondant to 1/8" thickness. With the fondant ribbon cutter, cut 1" wide strips that are long enough to wrap around the 6" tier. Moisten half of the strip lengthwise with water. Fold it over so that the strip is 1/2" wide.

14 With the seam facing out, attach the strip to the top of the 6-inch (15 cm) tier with a little water. Allow the ends to overlap and trim the excess with a knife.


Annie Dam was born in Saigon and grew up in Canada. She currently owns and operates a cake boutique in Edmonton, Alberta. She has written about cake decoration for a range of publications and has had her wedding cakes and cupcakes featured on blogs and in magazines around the world.

Weblinks: FireflyBooks.comCakeCouture-edibleart.ca

15 Roll 1/2 teaspoon of fondant into a ball to form a button. Attach with a little water where the ends of the strip overlap.

16 Repeat steps 13 and 14 until the entire tier is encircled with strips of fondant and you have a row of buttons down the front of the tier.

17 Cut six 2" pieces of dowel and insert them vertically into the 8" tier, approximately 2" from the edge.

18 Place a dab of royal icing on top of the dowels. Set the 8" tier on top of the 10" tier. Then, set the 6" tier on top of the 8" tier.

19 Sharpen one end of a 12" long dowel. Drive it vertically into the center of all three tiers. Cover the hole on top with some royal icing.

20 Using royal icing, attach medium silver drages or fondant beads to the top edge and base of the second tier.

21 Finish off the cake drum by attaching the ivory ribbon with a glue stick. ACD


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FORDESIGNANDASSEMBLY:PhotoFrost Cut-N-Frost Sheets in green PhotoFrost Cut-N-Frost Sheets in red (or your choice of flower color)Foam cutting matStencil for rose pattern (included upon request with PhotoFrost Sheet order)Leaf cookie cuttersNon-toxic food-safe felt tip highlighter markerNon-toxic food-safe felt tip black markerScissorsSpatulaTylose-water gel for glueApplicator wand for tylose

HOW-TO:1 Remove the green PhotoFrost sheet from the backing, lay on the foam cutting mat. Firmly press the leaf cookie cutter to cut the edible sheet.

2 Repeat using multiple size leaf cutters if available, creating two or three leaves for as many flowers as you plan to make. Use a non-toxic marker to draw veins on leaves.

3 A standard spiral stencil has been modified with mild scallop pat-tern to create a rose petal effect. Lay the stencil over the red Photo-Frost sheet and use the non-toxic felt highlighter to trace the pattern resulting in a faint line on the edible sheet to guide your scissors.

Lew notes: If you have an electronic die cutter we can supply the file to import into the program for a perfect cut via your computer. The rest of us cut by hand. The result is a spiral with irregular outer edges.

4 Turn the shiny side of the sheet upward. Curl and roll the spiral into a cone-shaped coil.

This simple rose by Lew Churnick is an adaptation of a coiled paper rose ornament. I am told the original

method may have been shown by Martha Stewart many years ago he said. If so, thank you Martha!


5 At the end of the coil strip apply tylose

American Cake Decorating Magazine 2012'01

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Transcript of American Cake Decorating Magazine 2012'01