Wishing everyone a Prosperous and Happy New Year!

Tutorial for Wedding Cake in Edible Artist Network Magazine

LIDED BOX:

1.  Clean seams on Styrofoam and prepare dummies by filling in any holes or uneven spots with royal icing or spackle.  Let dry completely and if necessary sand any rough spot with a fine grade sand paper. 

2.  Using a Styrofoam Cutter (or bread knife), slice 1”off the top of the rounded dummy creating the lid, thus leaving 3” for the bottom of the box (Make sure the rounded edge is up when you cut the dummy).

3.  Apply piping gel to the 3” piece of Styrofoam and cover with ¼” thick fondant.

4.  Immediately, emboss the 3” layer with the Quatrefoil Cutter while fondant is still fresh to prevent cracking.  Set aside.

5.  Apply piping gel to the 1” piece of Styrofoam and cover (top and bottom) with fondant creating the lid.

6.  Dust both the lid (both top and bottom) and the bottom of vessel with pearl dust.

7.  Using a ball tool press into the center of the Quatrefoil shape creating a small indentation.  Secure sugar pearls in indentation (as shown below) with edible glue.

8.  Using royal icing, glue the white decorative trim around the base of the 3” box.  Place gold decorative ribbon around 1” lid edge and secure with royal icing.

9.  Push gumpaste into clasp mold and paint gold.  Attach to center of gold decorative ribbon on the lid.

10.  Arrange pre-made flowers, leaves, and berries on the top of the 3” tier.  Once arranged, secure the lid on top.

11.  Push fondant in Fashion Rose Mold.  Dust with pearl luster and gold highlighter dust and secure to top of lid with edible glue.

GATHERING FOR PEDESTAL SPACER:

1.  Roll out fondant and emboss with Swirl Impression Mat.  Brush a thin layer of piping gel onto pedestal spacer and cover pedestal spacer with embossed fondant.

2.  Using a mix of 50/50 Gumpaste/ Fondant, run the 50/50 mix through your pasta machine on setting #4 (or about 1/8” thick).

3.  Measure circumference of pedestal spacer and divide into equal sections.

4.  Create ruching using dowels (as shown below) gather 50/50 paste.

5.  Measure your 50/50 paste to fit each section once gathered.

6.  Using a small paint brush use edible glue to attach the first section of gathered panel in place. 

7.  Repeat steps 5 and 6 until every section of the pedestal spacer has symmetrical panels.

8.  Brush entire tier with pearl dust. 

9.  To create the rope, run a small amount of fondant through greased clay gun (with the small hole disk inserted at tip) to produce thin cord approximately 24” long. 

10.  Cut cord in half and lay both cords side by side.  Using a twisting motion, wind two cords together to create a rope.

11.  Cut resulting rope into equal sections and apply in middle of gathered drapes as shown below.

12.  Repeat above procedure until all gathered drapes have centered rope.  Paint rope with gold highlighter dust.

13.  Create the tassels by using “hair” disk insert in clay gun.  Run a small amount of fondant through the clay gun producing hair/thread affect. 

14.  Measure desired length of desired tassel and using an xacto knife, cut to size.

15.  Cut small 1”x1/4” piece of fondant and place threads from step 13 onto it.

16.  Wrap small fondant piece around threads to produce your finished tassel.  Glue in position (use tweezers to handle tassel) as shown below.

17.  Use 4-piece rose mold to create roses for border of gathered pedestal spacers.

JEWELED GARLAND TIERS:

1.  Roll out gumpaste on #4 setting on pasta machine.

2.  Measure circumference of pedestal spacer and divide into equal sections.

3.  Use “Tiffany Cutter Style A” to cut out various pieces.

4.  Use a small skewer to “roll” the bottom of tiffany cutter shape and secure into place using edible glue. 

5.  Place gumpaste into Pendant Lace Mold.  Unmold and paint with gold luster dust.  Pendant Lace detail will alternate with the “tiffany cutter” curl detail. 

6.  Create small roses using the 4-rose mold and glue in position with edible glue.

7.  Using your fingers, create tear drops by rolling gumpaste between thumb and forefinger.   Place teardrops below roses and secure with edible glue as shown below.

8.  Dust entire tier with pearl luster dust.   Secure white decorative ribbon on bottom of tier with royal icing.

PEARL & RIBBON BORDER:

1.  Cover tier with fondant and measure circumference.  Divide into equal sections.

2.  To create pearl garland, press gumpaste into pearl mold.  Remove from mold and put in place onto cake with edible glue.

3.  Create jeweled bow detail but pressing gumpaste into mold.  Remove from mold and dust with pearl luster and highlight with gold luster.

4.  Dust entire tier with pearl luster dust.   Secure white decorative ribbon on bottom of tier with royal icing.

ART DECO BORDER:

1.  Cover tier with fondant.  Place gumpaste in Art Deco mold and highlight detail with gold luster dust.  Secure in place with edible glue.

2.  Paint detailing with Gold Highlighter mixed lemon extract (creating an edible gold paint).

ROUCHED CAKE DRUM:

1.  Begin by attaching the ½” fingerboard to the cake drum using a hot glue gun.  Make sure that the fingerboard is attached securely. 

2.  Create a 30/70 mix of gumpaste/fondant.  Run paste through pasta machine on setting #3 (or roll out fondant 1/8” thick).  Create ruching, using dowels.

3.  Attach ruching to cake drum using edible glue.  Continue making ruching until the entire circumference of the cake drum is covered.

TIPS AND HELPFUL HINTS:

COVERING TIERS:

1.  Brush piping gel on Styrofoam Dummy before covering with fondant in order for fondant to attach firmly to tier.

2.  Make sure you knead fondant thoroughly until soft and pliable before rolling out.

3.  Dust your work surface slightly with cornstarch to prevent sticking.

4.  Roll out fondant and immediately cover dummy to prevent cracking.

5.  Smooth fondant with fondant smoother to prevent any uneven surfaces or bubbles.

*Keep in mind tiers that need to be embossed need to be coved and embossed immediately.

USING MOLDS:

1.  Dust molds with cornstarch using a pastry brush (or apply a small amount of Crisco) to prevent sticking. 

2.  Always knead fondant/gumpaste until soft and pliable and insert smooth side into mold. 

3.  Use an off-set spatula to remove excess fondant from mold. 

4.  Unmold onto clean work surface.

*If the mold is detailed or deep, place mold in the freezer for 3-5 minutes prior to unmolding to ensure the shape comes out clean and isn’t distorted during unmolding.

Meeting of the Minds

Look who I ran in to???

November 25, 2014 by RWT

The lovely Lisa Mansour New York Cake Academy. It’s that time of year to start purchasing my holiday cookie needs and  I ran over to her store for a few cookie baking things.

Of course chatting all things cake, she shared with me that she took home Best in Show for her cake at the annual Societe Culinaire Philanthropique at the Javitz Center in New York City.  Believe me it was well deserved!!!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday.

JANUARY 2014 NY Cake Club Newsletter

HAPPY NEW YEAR  NY CAKE CLUB MEMBERS! We would like to wish you a very Happy New Year and a prosperous 2014!  We have a lot of exciting things planned for our NY Cake Club Members in the coming year.  Look for another "NY Cake Club Members Only" event this Spring as well as the 2nd Annual NY Cake Show in May and of course the latest products and classes listed in the newsletter each month.      As always we want to hear from you: what your interests are and what topics, questions or trouble areas you'd like us to cover in the newsletter.                * Please submit any comments, suggestion, or topics you'd like covered to nycake1@yahoo.com.    New Products for Valentine's day!  We strive to bring you the latest merchandise available in the cake decorating world. Here are a few items we've just added to our shelves.  Get them while they last!   ____________________________________________ 1. First up we have a variety of Wilton baking pans and cups for all of your sweet creations!  Whether you want to bake your love an amazing surprise cake or make cupcakes with your kids, we've got what you need!   ____________________________________________ 2.  Next is our lovely selection of Valentine's Day sprinkles!  Anyone who has ever been in NY Cake knows that our selection of sprinkles and sugars is like a wonderland for any cake decorator or cake enthusiast. ____________________________________________ 3. Most bakers have fallen in love with (or a tleast heard of) the amazing Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of the Cake Bible.  You know her recipes and books, now check out Rose's all-in-one double boiler for both melting chocolate and for use with savory items.   ____________________________________________    4.  Looking for some molds to add amazing detail to your cakes, cupcakes and cake pops?  Look no further!  Use our silicone molds to create amazing details for any sweet lover.  *For use with fondant, gumpaste, marzipan, isomalt or chocolate.   Who doesn't love to #Hashtag?! We are jumping on the bandwagon  (like most of America) & have gone #hashtag #crazy!  Will you join in?     We are dying to see what our NY Cake Club Members are making!  Start  using the hashtag #NYCakeClub with your Instagram photos and show off what you've been baking!  We can't wait to see your sugar and baking creations!   BAKING TIP OF THE MONTH Garnishing with Chocolate! Wow your friends and family with these quick creative ways to add chocolate accents to any dessert! Shards: How to:   Use a chef's knife to cut 1/8" shards from a block of cold chocolate.  Using cold chocolate will allow the chocolate to naturally break apart as you cut. Tool Used:   Sharp Chef Knife Decorating Tip: Pat onto side of cake or sprinkle on top of cupcake.  _____________________ Curls: How to:    Use a peeler with room temperature milk chocolate.  For longer curls, peel from a larger block of chocolate using a long fluid motion. Tool Used:   Vegetable Peeler Decorating Tip: Use atop cupcakes or chocolate mousse   _____________________ Ribbons: How to:    Use a ribbon grater to grate room temperature chocolate.  Grate directly over dessert or onto a piece of parchment as touching the chocolate after it has been grated will cause it to melt. Tool Used:   Ribbon Grater Decorating Tip:   Use on top of pudding or ice cream   _____________________ Dust: How to:   Use chilled chocolate and a fine grater to create a dusting of chocolate.  Work directly over dessert or onto parchment and chill before transferring to dessert.  Tool Used:   Fine Grater Decorating Tip:   Sprinkle on tiramisu or to garnish whipped cream SIMPLE TRUFFLES! Ingredients -12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped -1 tsp vanilla extract -1/3 cup heavy cream Directions:  1.  In a medium saucepan, combine chopped chocolate and cream and heat over medium heat. 2.  Heat stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. 3.  Remove from heat and whisk in any flavoring (liquor etc).  Pour into a small dish and refrigerate until set, but not hard (approx 1.5-2 hours).    4.  Use a spoon to scoop small balls or truffle filling.  Coat with chopped nuts or roll in coco powder. 5. Enjoy!

HOW DO I USE...?  PETAL DUST, LUSTER/PEARL DUST, & DISCO DUST

DECEMBER 2013 NY Cake Club Newsletter

NY CAKE CLUB's First Members Only Event! As a thank you to our cake club members, come join us for a free demo from Lisa Mansour and an afternoon with fellow baking enthusiasts.  Lisa will demonstrate how to use Marina Sousa's cutters to create gorgeous holiday cookies.                      RECIPE EXCHANGE: NY Cake Club will also be hosting an optional recipe exchange.  If you would like to participate if the recipe exchange please bring 12 copies of your favorite holiday recipe to share.  Participating in the exchange is a great way to expand your recipe collection with tried and true recipes! Members must present NY Cake Club Membership Card to enter event.   RVSP to nycake1@yahoo.com by December 7th WHEN? Saturday December 14th   2pm-4pm WHERE?  NY CAKE 56 W 22nd STREET NY, NY10010 212.675.2253  Please submit any comments, suggestion, or topics you'd like covered to nycake1@yahoo.com.    We are proud to announce the December Issue of Bon Appetit Magazine features gorgeous hand- painted sugar cookies by using luster and petal dusts from NY Cake.    Try creating your own edible pieces of Artwork with the Bon Appetit Sugar Cookie Recipe! ULTIMATE SUGAR COOKIE *3/4 tsp. kosher salt *1/2 tsp baking powder *3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling) *1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter               cut into 1/2 inch pieces *1 cup sugar *1 large egg *1 large egg yolk *1 tsp vanilla extract 1)  Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 325 degrees.  2)  Whisk salt, baking powder, and 3 cups flour in a small bowl.  3)  Using electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until well combined (butter does not need to be fluffy), about 3 minutes.  4)  Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla; beat just to combine.  Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; mix just to combine. 5)  Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; mix just to combine. 6)  Form dough into two 3/4 inch disk; wrap in plastic.  Chill at least 2 hours. 7)  Let 1 disk of dough sit at room temperature until softened slightly, about 5 minutes.  8)  Roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper until about 1/4 inch thick, dusting with flour as needed (if dough gets soft or sticky, chill on parchment until firm). 9) Cut out shapes with floured cookie cutters; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. 10)  Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12-16 minutes, depending on size.  Transfer to wire racks and let cool.  Repeat with scraps and remaining dough.  Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Make Ahead:  Cookie dough can be made 1 month ahead.  Cookies can be baked (left undecorated) 2 weeks ahead; wrap tightly and freeze.  Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on size. FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT THE DECEMBER 2013 ISSUE OF BON APPETIT MAGAZINE.   How'd you do that?  DECEMBER  Edition ___________________________________  Create your own stunning Snowflake Cake   can be easy as 1.2.3!   1.  Dust your work surface and snowflake plungers with cornstarch to prevent fondant from sticking. 2.  Roll out fondant and use plunger to cut out snowflakes. *pro-tip: wiggle cutter first to cut shape and then press down on plunger to emboss details. 3.  Use piping gel to glue snowflake onto cake. Snowflake Plunger Silver Dragees Sugar Pearls Super Pearl Luster Dust  _____________________________________ Christmas Border Impression Mat 1. Roll out fondant. 2.  Cover cake with fondant. 3.  Press impression mat onto cake to add a detailed border to your cake. 4.  Use royal frosting or luster dust to add detail to your cake Christmas Impression Mat

Check out our latest posting in In Style Magazine on how to create beautiful and elegant Gilded Tortes with NY Cake's gold luster dusts. sparkle gold luster dust BAKING TIP   OF THE MONTH TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST YOUR OVEN ...That is the question! We've all been there!  You follow your recipe perfectly, you set your oven to the correct temperature, you bake for the correct amount of time and your cookies are burnt or your turkey is overcooked and dry. Long story short, sometimes you do everything right and it still turns out wrong! Here are a few helpful hints to help see your oven behaves itself! 1) GET YOURSELF AN OVER THERMOMETER! It is really worth the money to get a thermometer and be able to tell if you oven is underheating or overheating compared to the what you set the dial at. 2) ROTATE, ROTATE, ROTATE! Nobody's perfect and neither is your oven.  It has hot spots and cool spots.  The only way to ensure that your items bake evenly is to turn your items and rotate between lower and upper shelves. 3) DON'T TRUST YOUR TIMER! Okay that's not entirely true... rather don't trust the time your recipe says to bake.  Check your items often and trust your instincts.  If your pie looks done, it probably is.   featured   DECEMBER CLASSES Cake Pop Decorating Classes with Fabiola Scarbrough Learn how to make cake pops from Fabiola Scarbrough, owner of Fabipops-a gourmet cake pop shop located in Brooklyn, NY! In this two-hour class learn how to make cake pop like the pros.  Each student will leave with 6 custom cake pops and the skills to recreate them again at home.  Don't miss out as this is a limited time only class. *All supplies included WHEN? December 6, 13 and 14  11AM-1PM  WHERE? NY CAKE 56 W 22nd STREET NY, NY   Click HERE for more information    _____________________________________________    Holiday Celebration Cake Class with Joelle Mahoney   Join Joelle Mahoney for a fun filled class focused on a making a gorgeous cake you will be proud to take to any celebration! In this class each student will cover their cake dummies and cake drums with fondant.  They will learn proper usage of plunger cutters as well as silicone molds, the "interlocking" technique to produce a 3-D affect in sugar work, measuring and layout of garland, and design and balance of finished piece WHEN? December 16  10AM-6PM  WHERE? NY CAKE 56 W 22nd STREET NY, NY Click HERE for more information    _________________________________________   Pulled Sugar Poinsettias Class with Chef Kathryn Gordon   Join Chef Kathryn Gordon for a special introduction into sugar work!  During this hands-on demo, Chef Kathryn will take you through the process and theory of working with sugar.  Techniques for cooking sugar will be demonstrated as well as how to pull flower petals and leaves (using silicone molds). By the end of this hands-on demo you will learn the skills of how to pull petals and leaves in order to create your own special sugar flower to top your holiday cake or adorn your table as a centerpiece. WHEN? December 19 1PM-3:30PM  WHERE? NY CAKE 56 W 22nd STREET NY, NY    Click HERE for more information   For more information all all classes and to register visit www.nycakeacademy.com    Who doesn't love to #Hashtag?! We are jumping on the bandwagon (like most of America) & have gone #hashtag #crazy!  Will you join in?     We are dying to see what our NY Cake Club Members are making!  Start  using the hashtag #nycakeclub with your Instagram photos and show off what you've been baking!  We can't wait to see your sugar and baking creations!