It's A Piece of Cake

Off Set Stacking?

2009-12-07T07:11:00.001-08:00

Okay so I have no idea if that is what it is really called but it sounds good to me so I'm going with it!
This is one of my favorite ways to stack a cake, it is as impressive as it is easy.
Below are the steps I took to stack a cake in this style.

Step 1: Start with your tiers, decorated and each on their own cake board (cardboard or foam board, your choice, I use cardboard cake boards). If you plan on a no border design make sure you tuck a little bit of the fondant around the edge and under the board for a clean look. If it is butter cream just frost all the way to the bottom covering the cake board.
These are all single layer 8" rounds, torted and filled. You can use all the same size cakes or graduating sizes, even a mix of shapes, whatever you want.

Step 2:Using a cake circle the same size as your cakes place it on top of the bottom cake where you wish the next cake to sit. Letting it hangover the edge about 1.5"-2" inches or so. You can let it hang off more if you'd like, what ever you are comfortable with.

Trace the circle lightly with a knife or toothpick, just enough so you know where to dowel and place the second cake.

Step 3: Now for the next step I doweled with 1/2 the amount I usually would for a double layer cake (8" round stacked on top = 8 dowels), some say you don't have to dowel when it is single layer cakes but I like to be on the safe side so I do. So if you want to skip the doweling then be my guest. I used bubble tea straws.
Edited to add: if you are using double layer cakes you will need to dowel your cakes. These are single layer cakes so doweling is optional.

Step 4: Using a small amount of royal I then stacked the second cake on top of the first, lining it up within the line I traced earlier.

Step 5: I then repeated the first steps and stacked the 3rd cake.

Step 5: I only needed 3 tiers but you could go as high as you wanted.

Here are the 3 cakes stacked.

I then added a 6" round and a cake topper and drove a center dowel through the entire cake.

Here are a few more examples of off set stacked cakes.

Hope that helps a few of you. It really was easy wasn't it?

Easy Gerbera Daisy

2009-11-22T08:14:00.001-08:00

Here's a slide show on how I made my gumpaste Gerbera Daisy.
I'm not an expert on GP flowers so I don't have any specialized cutters or tools, just the basic flower tools that come with the Wilton set.
So if I can make these then anyone can.
Thy aren't the most realistic flowers but they turned out a pretty and that's all I was hoping for anyways.
Happy Flower Making!

Painting With Royal Icing

2009-11-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

Oh Oh Oh I have been wanting to try this for sometime now but between all my cake orders and 4 kids that apparently have to at least 3 times a day I haven't had the time to mess around lately.

So when I got the chance to do a Coraline cake I had to use this method.

Was I sure it would work, no, did that stop me from trying ,no, did it turn out better then I could have hoped for...yes!

Ok so basically it's nothing more then painting, but instead of using water colors or acrylics which I have much experience with (been painting my entire life) I used Royal Icing, thinned down to the consistency of poster paints, or acrylic craft paints.

For this go I did the tunnel that Coraline crawls through and the moon and night sky.

So the design was pretty basic, for my next attempt I'd like to try something a little grander but we will have to wait and see.

Here are some pics of the cake and the inspiration behind it.

The tree topper is a bamboo skewer wrapped in floral wire and covered in royal icing, I was on a Royal icing kick that week..lol

Finally got THE book!!!!

2009-10-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

Ok so after 2 failed attempts to purchase this particular book on Half.com, a city wide search of all bookstores new and used and a stubbornness that just wouldn't allow me to spend 10$ on shipping... I finally found the book I've been looking for at Micheal's.

It is Annie Lang's Polymer Clay Characters by Stacey Morgan.

Super cute little critters with easy step-by-step instructions.

I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn figure building.

Polymer clay is very similar to fondant so many books/tools on polymer clay can be used for fondant.

I use polymer clay tools ,cutters and molds,lot of times they are cheaper then the "speciality" cake gadgets.

I couldn't wait to play around with some fondant so I stayed up until 4am working on this little baby,awww isn't he cute!

I changed the design a bit but still kept it's Annie Lang cuteness.

Here is a slide show on how he is made.

Monkey Business

2009-10-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

1. Roll 2 balls of fondant, one slightly larger then the other (the exact size doesn't matter, you can make the monkey big or small)

2. Using circle cutters cut 2 circles from some light brown fondant, one for the face and one for the tummy.

3. Attache circles with some fondant glue, use a toothpick to add a belly button.

4. Cut some ears from fondant that is rolled to about 1/4" thick, it needs to be somewhat thick so it will stand up.

5. Add the pink centers and using a circle cutter cut off a small piece. This will allow the ear to sit flush on the round head. Let dry while you work on the other pieces.

6. Add the nose, mouth and eyes. I used fondant but you can use a edible marker or food color. Put 2 toothpicks in the side of the head, these will support the ears while they dry and be removed later. The head is the larger of the 2 balls.

7.Attache the ears using a little dab of fondant glue. The ears will rest on top of the toothpicks.

8. Make the tail and hair from fondant, let dry hard.

9. Roll a sausage shape and taper at one end for the legs and arms. Make 2 legs and 2 arms, the arms will be slightly smaller then the legs.

10. Make small indention's where the toes will go, this will help them stay in place while the glue dries and not roll off.

11. Roll 12 tiny balls of fondant and attached for toes using fondant glue.

12. Sit body upright and stick a toothpick into it. Make sure the toothpick won't stick out of the top of the head, you might need to trim it down depending on the size of the monkey.

13. Attache head to body by sticking it on the toothpick, you can also use a little bit of glue.

14. Glue arms and legs on the sides, pressing gently and shaping them to the body.

15. Let the monkey dry on his back, supporting his arms,legs and ears, this will eliminate the fat squished look. Once he is dry you can sit him upright and he won't sqoosh down.

Attache the hair and tail once they are dry and he is ready for your cake!

Here's my version of the Wilton Monkey .
I made this guy for my Jungle Babies cake but he can be used for any monkey/jungle themed cake.

I used mmf with some tylose powder added.

It drys hard like gumpaste but not as fast so it allows you time to work with it and shape it .

I also used fondant glue which is water and tylose powder mixed together. I keep it in a old baby food jar.

I don't have an extcact recipe for making it I just add tylose powder (1/2 tsp?) to some hot water (1/3 cup?), microwave it , stir it and let it sit until it thickens and the lumps disappear.

Lady Bug Smash Cake

2009-10-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

This tutorial is for a lady bug smash cake but the cake can be made any size.
The steps will still be the same, just use bigger cakes.
She's really easy to make, basically half a ball.
I do have the Wilton ball pan but I don't like how it bakes, the outsides are always really dark and hard and the inside is raw so I carve my own.
This tutorial could also be used for a turtle, of course it would be green and have legs but the shape it the same.

I survived the weekend!!!!

2009-09-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yippee I made it thru the weekend, whew I didn't think I would.

I have a new found appreciation for sleep, apparently you do need it!

Ok so I promised a couple of tutorials and I am here to deliver.

The first is a slide show on who to make a Gum Paste Bow.

I know they have been done a million times but I have received quite a few request on how I did mine.

I had never watched or read anything on how to make them until after I had already came up with my own method, turns out I don't make them that much different then everyone else.

But any who here's the slide show, I'm trying to figure out how to add some nice elevator music to the clip so bare with me.

And sorry again for the quality of the pictures, seems that even if you save your money and invest in a nice camera you still have to actually know how to use it, which I obviously do not ;)

I have'nt forgotten about you guys...

2009-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of tutorials I'm working on right now, Fondant Bows and the Jungle Babies from my "Jungle Babies " Cake.

I might also squeeze in a 3-D Lady Bug cake if I don't run out of time.

Whats sad is I had an awesome tutorial planned on how to make a fondant motorcycle but at about 4am I ran out of steam and forgot to take the rest of my pics.

So I have pics on how to start a fondant motorcycle but not actually finish one :(

>>>>That's the finished motorcycle and rockin navy dude riding it!

I might post the few pics I have though and just write the rest of the instructions.

I also have some pics on how to make gum paste character plaques but alas they are stuck on my cameras memory and not on the card so I don't know how to get them off.

Apparently I need to use some sort of magic "cord" that came with the blasted thing but seriously who saves all that electronic stuff that comes with everything?

OK that's it for now, I have a ton of work to do this week but I will do my best to sneak in a tutorial by this weekend.

Thanks,Jessica

Sheet Happens...

2009-09-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

...haha get it sheet happens...ok I need more coffee. Anyways if and when I have to do a sheet cake (which just between you and me I don't like doing) I prefer to decorate them with a FBCT (Frozen Butter Cream Transfer) to cover the whole thing. This way it's one shot decorating and I'm not left with any of those sightly seems you get when just doing a single image, plus its all butter cream which is yummy.

So here's how it goes, basically it's the same as a single image but you do it in the shape of the cake.

1. Start by gathering your colors , I like to work with #3 tip for large areas and a #2 tip for the smaller ones.

2. Ice you cake, the top doesn't have to be completely smooth because your putting the FBCT on top. Here I have a 9X13 cake.

3. Using a piece of foam board trace your cake pan on to it and then draw your design. Make sure the foam board will fit in your freezer.

4. Cover it with wax paper, tape it on the back and make sure there are no wrinkles.

5. Start by tracing the picture with the color you will fill in with. You can trace the whole thing in black if you want to , but for his one I used the colors I was working with.

6. Fill in the smaller spaces first.

7. Then the larger areas,if the area is really big (like the light pink area) you can spread it on with a spatula to save time.

8. Let the butter cream crust over enough so it doesn't stick when you touch it.

Using a foam roller gently roll it smooth, being careful not to push the icing to far past the outline. Don't worry if the roller picks up some color and rolls it onto another, this is the back side and it won't be seen. Rolling it ensures that the icing on the other side is smooth and has no holes.

9. Freeze for at least 30 mins or until frozen. Using a Xacto knife cut the wax paper off and flip over onto cake. Don't worry if it's not on straight, you can adjust it and line it up perfectly. Gently peel off the wax paper, if the transfer starts to stick just put it back in the freezer cake and all and wait a few minutes and peel again.

Once the wax paper is peeled off let the cake sit and crust over, it will take a bit longer then before because it was frozen.

Once it is crusted roll it smooth with the roller again, rolling out all the piping marks.

Trace and add detail with more butter cream.

All done.

Hope it works for everyone!

MMF using new evil 10 oz bags

2009-09-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

As my Dooms Day stockpile of 16 oz marshmallows quickly dwindles I began to except the fact that I will have to use the new 10oz bags.
Being a creature of habit I knew the switch would not be easy ,once I find something that works for me I stick with it and very rarely step out of my box.
My box is comfortable, it keeps the rain out and most importantly I don't get lost in my box.
But in the end it wasn't that big of a deal and I escaped unscathed and with 2 batches of yummy marshmallow fondant in tow.
It was as simple as 2 bags of 10oz marshmallows and 1 1/2 bags of powdered sugar,4 tsp of water , 1tsp of clear vanilla and 1 tsp of butter flavor .
I started adding the butter flavor a while back and it really tastes good, I got the idea when I was making rice krispie treats for the boys, I love the melted marshmallow and butter combo.
It cuts back on the sweetness and marshmallow taste a little bit and seriously who doesn't like butter!
So here is a the recipe and instructions, So far the results have been perfect and consistent .

MMF

2-10 oz bags of marshmallows
1 1/2 bags of powdered sugar (3 lbs)
4 tbs water
1 tsp clear vanilla
1 tsp butter flavor

Big plastic bowl
Strong Plastic spoon
Vegetable oil spray (Pam)
Shortening

1.Spray bowl and spoon with veg. oil spray

2. Put both bags of marshmallows in bowl, add water, stir and microwave for 45 secs on high.

3. Stir after 45sec and continue microwaving in 45 sec intervals until completely melted, this usually takes about 3 mins total.

4. Add flavors and stir.Pour one whole bag of powdered sugar into bowl, using spoon (this is where the strength of the spoon will be tested) stir/fold/mix in as much as the powder sugar as you can. Most will be mixed with just a little at the bottom.

5. Grease counter with spray, spread remaining 1/2 bag of sugar on counter, making a sugar barrier around the perimeter, this will hold in the marshmallow mixture and keep it from spilling out onto ungreased counter. Pour marshamllow mixture unto sugared counter, scrapping bowl if needed.

6.Grease hands with shortening, began by folding in the remaining powdered sugar, the mixture is hot right now so be careful. By folding in the sugar instead of kneading it in you don't burn your fingers and it mixes more sugar in, don't worry about lumps or pockets of unmixed sugar those will get kneaded out later. At this point just try to get all the sugar incorporated. Since the majority of the sugar was mixed in the bowl this step only takes about 2 mins.

7. Once sugar is mixed in start to knead. The purpose of kneading is to work in all the sugar, get rid of lumps and remove air bubbles. This step takes about another 3 mins. If the fondant sticks just sprinkle a little bit of the remaining sugar underneath it (there will be a little left on the counter). I only use shortening on my hands in the beginning, once you mix in the sugar you won't need to continually grease you hands.

8. Once the fondant is smooth you can coat it in shortening and double wrap it with plastic wrap.
All done.

Tips and Tricks:
-If you need a large amount of one color you can add gel or powdered colors to the melted marshmallow mixture, keep in mind though that too much of any color can break down the mmf and give you "elephant skin" fondant. You can always add more color but you can't take color away. Some colors such as red, black and blue will develop over time, so what started out as grey, pink or baby blue will develop into a rich red, pitch black and deep blue after sitting a few hours or over night.
-If the fondant is dry and cracking when you are done kneading you might need to work in some shortening or water. I live in a humid place so dryness is rarely a problem,but for those of you in dryer climates might want to add a tsp of water, in addition to the 4 tbl.
- I use GV (Wal-Mart brand) marshmallows and powdered sugar. No not because I am cheap but because after much trial and error those are the 2 that I think work best for me. The marshmallows don't have that greenish tint that Jet-Puffed do and they aren't as elastic, which to me is a good thing. If I roll the fondant out it doesn't shrink up on me. The powdered sugar never needs sifting , and has never been gritty, unlike the other name brands I've tried.
Give them a try , you never know.
-I do 45 sec intervals instead of the 30sec because I am impatient and that seems to be the longest it can go with out burning or boiling.

Ok here we go, drum roll please....my 1st tutorial!!!

2009-09-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a slide show I made a while back showing step-by-step how to make a fondant elephant figure.
The quality of the video isn't very good, it might have something to do with the fact that I had no idea what I was doing.
Computers aren't my strong point, now if you asked me to make a computer out of cake well then now you're talking!
But to have me successfully operate a "real" (opposed to a fake I guess?)computer is a separate matter.
Seeing as this is a instructional blog about cake... my computer skills or lack there of shouldn't pose a problem.
In theory :)
Now please enjoy the video and don't hesitate if you have any questions.

Now where's that darn button thingy......

Welcome!

2009-09-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Good Morning and Welcome to It's A Piece of Cake.

A blog on cake how-to's.

I've received several requests on how to make particular cakes and how to achieve certain looks. Well this is my answer.

I will post what I know for whomever would like to know.

Keep in mind I am self taught so my methods may not be the "right way" but they work for me :)

I plan on covering the basics of cake making and decorating all the way to 3-D sculpted cakes.

If anyone has any suggestions or requests just speak up.

Thank You for visiting and hope you enjoy!!!

Jessica