Cake Hack: All-thread

Cake Hack: All-thread

In a few weeks I'll be delivering a baby shower cake to my cousin.  To match her theme, I wanted a tool that could make a texture similar to ribbed ribbon.   When I was a teenager, I used to work at Joann Fabrics ... moms would come in and buy ribbed ribbon in all kinds of sizes and colors for hair bows (typically for cheerleaders ... I don't know what that was about though).  That's what I want my next loopy bow to look like.

The first thing that came to mind was the ribbed / smocking rolling pin by PME:

$9 shipping for that???  Really?  I couldn't find any online store that could get it to me for less than $27 total.  I posted a facebook message to my cake club to see if I could borrow someone's.  The club president reminded me of a trick that was demonstrated at one of our meetings a while back: use all-thread.

All-thread is a steel rod that is threaded (like screws) down the entire length of the rod.  I'm not sure what it's supposed to be used for, but I found a section for it at my local Ace Hardware store.  There are different lengths and thicknesses (again, like screws).  After some pondering, I decided to get the 1/2" x 1' rod for $2.70 ... that's 1/10th of the cost of the PME pin.

I rolled out some fondant and then rolled the rod over it.  Remember, the rod is threaded ... not ribbed ... so it does move towards one side as you continue to roll.  The 1' length was plenty of room for what I was testing on.  This is pretty much exactly what I wanted!  I'm thrilled and can't wait to make my loopy bow.

NOTE:  This product has not been declared food-safe.  Use at your own risk.

1st DIY Dessert Stand

1st DIY Dessert Stand

For my little girl's 1st birthday party, I wanted a little assortment of desserts.  I made this dessert stand to hold cupcakes and her party cake.

Stats:

• 10" and 12" rounds made of foam board
• 4" tall x 5" diameter PVC couplers
• wrapped with gift paper and clear contact paper

There are several people who make their own cake boards out of foam board.  After some shopping, I was in a good position to become one of those people.  I got a sheet of 3/16" thick 20"x30" foam board from Hobby Lobby at $1.99.  I also bought a circle cutter for $19.99 and a cutting mat for $9.99.  

Unfortunately the cutter was intended for paper and cardstock, so the blade isn't deep enough to cut the foam board.  After the "pilot" cut (the blade only penetrate the first layer of poster board), I cut the rest of the circle with a blade.

One evening many weeks ago, I dragged my husband to Home Depot to look for separators for this stand.  We found some PVC couplers in the piping sections.  These are 4" wide (er, or tall?) and 5" in diameter.  He believed we could find an alternative solution, but I insisted if the can of mixed nuts at home worked out, I could return these ... the couplers were only $2 each.

I really liked the couplers.  They were very sturdy, had a good weight, and were a good height for cupcakes.  So from the bottom down, we've got:

• 8" cake dummy,
• 8" circle,  
• coupler, 
• 10" circle, 
• coupler, 
• 12" circle

After cutting out a strip of wrapping paper, another larger strip of contact paper was stock to the "right" side.  I rolled that around a coupler and allowed the edge to stick to itself. 

Then I cut strips at each end so they could be folded over.

Ta-da!  Nice, pretty, and re-usable separator.

Each cake circle got covered in the solid color wrapping paper and contact paper.  The bottom circle got "feet" made of baby food jar lids.

I can really imagine this stand getting even fancier with some trim along the edge of the circles.

The whole thing is hot-glued together, but it'd would be super easy to disassemble and reuse.  The only work would be to peel off all the contact paper and start over!

Decorating with a Ziplock Bag

Using a Ziplock Bag instead of a Decorator's Bag

Many cake decorating resources say you can use a ziplock bag for piping icing.  I finally gave it a go yesterday.

It wasn't bad at all.  I used HEB brand storage bags (1 pint capacity).  It was really easy to load and held a fair amount of icing.  It wasn't hard to twist or hold or to squeeze out the icing.  I didn't feel bad throwing them away after just one use.  The only drawback is that you'll want to cut out your corner carefully.  The right angle makes it really easy to snip off too big of a whole.  Use a coupler to make sure your tip is secure and all the icing goes to the it instead of spewing out the sides.

I only suggest this is you're using a small amount of icing (like for piping messages).  Larger tasks (like borders) will require more space and control over the icing, which the decorator's bags are excellent for.

Funky Tappits

Funky Tappits by FMM

Note to self:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-670574-0-days0-orderasc-.html

Try the plastic wrap method described in thread.

Cake Calculator!

I've noticed a lot of people on the cakecentral.com forums asking about cake sizes and serving amounts.  I've been using the Wilton charts:

http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-wedding-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm
http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-wedding-cake-3-inch-pans.cfm

Earlene has another popular chart:

http://www.earlenescakes.com/ckserchart.htm

But wouldn't it be nice if there was a chart that could do the work for us?  It's been too long since I've dabbled in web page programming.  Here's what I got so far.  It's ugly, but functional.  It's using the Wilton chart data for 2" pans.

http://shinymetalobjects.net/cake/calculator/cake_calculator.cgi

It's a work in progress, but I have high hopes that I can incorporate some more functionality in my spare time.  And maybe make it pretty.  Don't expect too much ... I'm a programmer, not a graphic artist.

Gift Wrapping a Cake Board

Gift Wrapping a Cake Drum

This weekend I'll be delivering my cousin's daughter's 1st birthday cake.  I wanted to decorate the cake drum with something special.  After the tidal wave of babies in my family last year, I had some baby-themed gift wrap paper left over.  Hopefully I can get the cake colors to match this!

Stats:

• 14" round cake drum
• gift wrap paper
• clear contact paper
• paper cement

 

Using the drum as a guide, I roughly cut out a circle (probably 18" in diameter) out from the wrapping paper.  I smeared paper cement to one side of the cake drum.  Paper cement is just like rubber cement but a little thinner.  The gift wrap was firmly adhered to the surface.

  

Putting aside the drum, I made another rough cut circle out of clear contact paper.  This is my first time using contact paper, and it went well.  I do realize that this is not necessarily food safe (I know some brands are).  My cake will have a cake board in between it and the drum, so I'm not worried about it.  It was tricky to peel off all the paper.

  

The gift wrap and drum were flipped on to the sticky side of the contact paper.

  

At regular intervals, I made cuts into the over-hanging contact paper with some scissors.  The slits were folded over to the other side of the drum and smoothed out.

  

I need to find something to hide the 1 mm (~1/2") ugliness on the side now.  At some point I'll go to a craft store and try to find some matching ribbon.  I guess I can glue the ribbon down on to the side.  Ya ... I'll update this when it's finished.

 

UPDATE (02/18/2010):
I researched covering a cake drum with wrapping and contact paper on cakecentral.com.  Here is an interesting post about the food safety-ness of contact paper:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-659738.html

To summarize, clear contact paper contains no lead, but the chemicals used to make it flexible can leach out to greasy or acidic food.  They do not recommend exposing food directly to the surface, but you're not gonna die if it happens.  So I've got the right idea of planning on putting a food safe barrier between that and the cake.

Another post explained that you can stick the wrapping paper to the contact paper first, then adhere them on to the board.  It's easier to get all the bubbles out that way.  I did have some bubbles in mine, but I eventually forced them down.  Their way seems easier ... next time I'll do that.

Filling a Decorator's Bag: Plug or Plastic Wrap Method

"Plug" or "Plastic Wrap" Method

for filling a decorator's (i.e. icing) bag

 

This is a fantastic way to cut down on the mess that can happen when filling a decorator's bag with icing.  My co-worker learned this while he was taking Wilton Course 1, and we looked it up on cakecentral.com.  Here is the post we found with photos:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-588591.html 

While I made my BMW cake, I took a few photos of my own.

First, tear off a square of plastic wrap on to a flat surface.

Spoon out your icing on to the middle of the square.

Fold 2 opposite sides in, making a little burrito.

Twist one end until it is sealed shut.

I twist the end with the most plastic sticking out.

Leave the other end open.

Take your decorator's bag and put your coupler and tip on.  

I like to fold down the back end so it can stay wide open.

Insert your icing burrito with the open end down.  

The twisted end should be nearest the open end of the bag.

 

With the bag upright, give it a little shake so the icing burrito can shimmy down all the way to the tip.

Try to get rid of as much air and slack as you can.

Close up the end of your bag (either twist or tie it). 

Give the back end a squeeze.

You can now see the icing escape out of the plastic wrap and into the bag.

Now pipe away!  I've been told these plastic disposable bags can be reused a few times ... up until now I've been too lazy to clean them out.  With this method, clean up is much easier.  

Hope you enjoyed!

UPDATE (4/19/10)

What I like most about this tip is that you won't get any big air pockets in your decorating bag.  Sometimes when I just load icing directly into the bag, it traps air in between the globs that I'm putting in one at a time with my rubber spatula.  When piping, I can hit one of those air pockets and icing will blow out the tip ... making for one ugly cupcake topping!

Baker's Joy

Baker's Joy

There are a lot of methods for getting a cake to not stick to the pan.  Up until today, I've been doing it the old fashion way: smear shortening all along the inside and dust it with flour.  Up until today, my cakes have come out ugly.  Today, I used Baker's Joy.  

It was first suggested to me from a cakecentral.com forum post that I had made about cake spackle.  I bought a can of this stuff at Walmart for under $3.  Today I baked a 10"x3" round, 2 8"x3" rounds, and a 6"x2" round for to kick off my busy busy February caking.  Every single one of them baked up tall and looked gorgeous.  The only thing I did different was reduce the heat a smidge and use Baker's Joy.

Here's what my past 6"x2" rounds have looked like ... these were 2 rounds that were leveled and stacked:

The Duncan Hines Red Velvet can be a little delicate.  The sides stuck to the pan mercilessly ... a chunk of the bottom even ripped off one of them.

Today, this is what I pulled out of the oven:

Before I flipped the cake out of the pan, I used a butter knife to make sure the sides weren't sticking.  That was completely unnecessary.  I flipped the cake pan with the cake resting on my left hand.  I'm used to banging the edge of the pan against the cooling rack to "coax" the cake out.  Today, it fell right into my palm.  It wasn't crumbly or delicate.  It was perfectly formed.  

The cakes in the 3" pans baked up so tall, I'm now considering torting those instead of making new layers.

 

For the 10"x3" round, I put a flower nail in the center of the pan sprayed with Baker's Joy.  After I flipped the cake, it was plucked out without consequence.  Not sure why the middle of the cake looks like brains, but I assure you, it's cooked thoroughly and smells delicious.

 

I've seen the light!  Baker's Joy it is from now on!

UPDATE (02/01/2012)
It's been almost 2 years since I posted this.  I've long stopped using Baker's Joy, but there are still a couple cans of it in my pantry.  Nowadays I cut out parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan and do nothing to the sides.  After my baked cake has cooled slightly, I run a knife along the sides and out it pops.  Why did I stop using Baker's Joy?  Well, it was messy.  I would run out.  It formed a weird film on my pans that was hard to scrub off.  I suppose Baker's Joy and I have grown apart!  Oh well, at least we have this post to remind me.

Cake Spackle: Technique

Cake Spackle Technique

I finally tried "cake spackle", a concept from Toba Garrett's book The Well-decorated Cake (http://www.tobagarrett.com/meet.html).  I'm thoroughly impressed!  See for yourself!

I baked 2 6" rounds of Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake (Wilton 6"x2" pans). 

The left pan did not have baking strips, but the right did.  There's a pretty noticeable difference there.  The cake with the baking strips baked more level and to the edges.  The non-strips cake domed and cracked.

The cakes were so delicate!  The sides are all ugly and part of it stuck to the pan as I was taking them out to cool.

After leveling and stacking them, it was clear that something needed to be done.

Cake spackle looks a little gross, but it tastes fine.  It was difficult to get it to stick to the cake at first, but I got the hang of it after a while.  With a little TLC, my little cake became awesome.

Here it is iced (I wasn't done with the top at the time though):

From now on, I'm a spackle-girl!  Thanks, Toba!

How to Carve and Ganache a 3D Cake

I found a great video on how to carve and cover a 3D cake with ganache from www.how2cakes.com:

http://www.how2cakes.com/converse.html

I've never used ganache before, but I thought it was supposed to be pourable.  In the video the consistency looked more like buttercream.  I submitted an inquiry to their site about their chocolate to cream ratio.  Meanwhile I'll comb the internet for a better answer.

www.baking911.com explains a lot:

http://www.baking911.com/chocolate/ganache_truffles.htm

Here's an easy ganache recipe from www.baking911.com ... I'm going to give this one a try:

http://www.baking911.com/recipes/chocolate/ganache_easy.htm

This site explains the chocolate to cream ratios well:

http://my.opera.com/Rhiga/blog/back-to-basics-chocolate-ganache

UPDATE (12/03/09):  Hurray!  I got a response back from how2cake:

Chris
For dark chocolate you use one part cream to two parts chocolate, if you use a really good quality chocolate like Callebaut, you'll need one part cream to 1.5 parts chocolate.
You need to let it cool so it becomes spreadable.

Have fun
Nati

Cheat Sheet

The following are recipes, charts, or methods I find myself using frequently.

Acronyms:

• MMF: Marshmallow Fondant
• IMBC: Italian Meringue Buttercream
• SMBC: Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• NFSC: No Fail Sugar Cookies
• FTW: For the WIN!
• LFMF: Learn from my Fail
  

Recipes:

• Warren Brown's Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC) from Cake Love (video here)
• for fun, substitute 5 egg yolks for the 5 egg whites
• for fun, substitute 1 cup of brown sugar for the 1 cup of granulated sugar
• for fun, substitute 2 whole eggs for the 5 egg whites
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) from Martha Stewart
• Indydebi's Shortening-based Crusting Buttercream from cakecentral.com 
• Marshmallow Fondant (MMF) from www.easy-cake-ideas.com
• Michele Foster's Fondant from cakecentral.com
• Toba Garrett's Fondant from cakecentral.com
• Pound Cake by Paula Deen
• White Almond Sour Cream (WASC) cake from cakecentral.com
• No Fail Sugar Cookies (NFSC) from cakecentral.com
• Costco Mousse from cakecentral.com
  

Charts:

• Cake Calculator
• Earlene's Cake Serving Chart: some people prefer this over Wilton

Methods:

• Smoothing with Parchment Paper from www.monkeysee.com
• Cake Balls by the Pioneer Woman
• Several Tutorials with Fondant by Satin Ice

Informative Websites:

• http://cakecentral.com
• I get answers and inspiration from this site on a daily basis.  It's an excellent free source of cake decorating information.  They also have a magazine.
• http://www.baking911.com/
• Extremely informative site on particular food topics, recipes, and styles.  This also has a paid-subscription portion that I haven't experienced yet. 
• http://capitalconfectioners.com/
• Capital Confectioners, the greater Austin, TX area cake club
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer Adjustments
• Adjusting tilt-head models
• Adjusting bowl-lift models
• "Dime Test": determining the correct beater-to-bowl clearance

My Tutorials:

• "Plug" or "Plastic Wrap" Method
• easy and clean way to fill a decorator's bag
• MMF
• make your own marshmallow fondant with a KitchenAid
• Ganache
• spreadable ganache with semi-sweet morsels
• Modeling Chocolate
• just 2 ingredients!
• Homemade Gummy Candy

Cake Dividing Wheel: Review

Though not as cool as it sounds, the Wilton Cake Dividing Wheel is pretty handy.

Measures equal sections of your cake for precise placement of garlands, stringwork and other designs. Cake Dividing Wheel marks up to 16 divisions on cakes up to 20 in. diameter. Garland Marker adjusts to 7 widths. Instructions included.

This was included in my Wilton Course 3 Student Kit.  I assumed we'd use it for measuring decoration placement, but instead we used it for fondant.

Coat the wheel with a thin layer of shortening.  You can roll your fondant directly on to it.  Roll out until you reach the measurement that your cake needs (e.g. if it's a 10" x 4" round, roll to the 18" mark).  When your done, pick up the wheel (the fondant will stick to it) and lay it across your cake.  Peel the wheel away and BAM ... fondant covered cake.  This is MUCH easier than repeatedly powdering a smooth surface and fondant.  Since the fondant sticks to the mat, you don't have to drape the fondant on a rolling pin or quickly transfer it to your cake.  Take your time!

Mine came all folded up with creases.  My Wilton instructor suggested throwing it in the dryer for a few minutes.  I actually just rolled it up along with my long fondant rolling pin and taped it (I had no idea how else to stow and store it anyway).  That got rid of all the wrinkles.

It is a little unwieldy, especially when you've got a lot of fondant stuck to it.  Practice makes perfect, I guess.  Now, I don't know if this is a problem with rolling out fondant with this method or if it's a problem with MMF ... but these past few times I've been doing this, I'm ending up with not so smooth fondant.  There are little holes and imperfections that I can't really smooth out after I put it on the cake.  I'm not sure if I rolling out on a cornstarched surface would alleviate this.  I'll have to try it and let you know.

Maybe one day I'll use it for what the description says it's for!

Oh, speaking of cake dividing, I found this ridiculous thing at Bed, Bath, & Beyond:


Deni® LED Cake Tray

What's fair is fair. You just input the number of slices of cake you want to cut and LED lights around this equity-oriented cake tray illuminates the exact spots where you should cut, so each piece is evenly cut and nobody but nobody gets a bigger piece than anyone else. The tray will even play "Happy Birthday" (with volume control!) to the guest of honor. So let the party begin - with equality for all. Requires 2 AA batteries, not included. Measures 15 1/4" x 1 1/2" x 21 1/4". Spot clean only. One-year warranty.

Really?  You need an LED lit tray to help you cut cake?  I'm skeptical.  Maybe this thing is totally awesome.  Someone let me know.

Popcorn & Ice Cream

I found this darling cake posted on www.cakecentral.com that has a carnival treats theme:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1465231.html

She gives the following tips for making popcorn and ice cream scoops:

I just used mini-marshmallows and cut an "X" into the top of them. I painted the butter with yellow food coloring that was thinned in vodka. The ice cream- just let my bc crust a bit and then mixed it up so it had that texture. Used a mini-disher to scoop it out.

Cream of Tartar

I've noticed a lot of meringue buttercream recipes have an optional cream of tartar ingredient. Here's some more info on cream of tartar:

http://www.ochef.com/933.htm

Cream of tartar is best known in our kitchens for helping stabilize and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder. It is also used to produce a creamier texture in sugary desserts such as candy and frosting, because it inhibits the formation of crystals. It is used commercially in some soft drinks, candies, bakery products, gelatin desserts, and photography products. Cream of tartar can also be used to clean brass and copper cookware.

YouTube: Covering Cakes with Fondant

I figured I needed to watch some videos of how people cover cakes with fondant without getting any pleats or wrinkles.

This chick totally pwns the cake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We26gwKS_tw

This chick is less awesome, but she does mention the tip of "Don't pull down on the sides of the cake. Pull up to prevent cracking on the top."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vecmy4nKT-A

This one shows her releasing the air bubbles while rolling the foodant and also while smoothing the fondant against the cake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bLp3B-mFus

Marshmallow Fondant

I made some marshmallow fondant. It was pretty easy to follow the Wilton recipe except that they say a bag (16 oz) of mini marshmallows but the bag I had was 10.5 oz. I used my food scale to help out making a half batch instead of a full. I figured why waste food if it doesn't turn out well? My lump of stuff is resting overnight in the fridge. I should have snuck a taste before I put it up ...

Shopping!

Have you seen how pricey the cake decorating stuff is at Michaels or Hobby Lobby?!? This is getting to be an expensive hobby. An expensive delicious hobby. But I hope to strike gold at Ace Mart Restaurant Supply (http://www.acemart.com/) in North Austin. If their storefront is anything like their website, they have everything I need for much cheaper. Bed, Bath, & Beyond had only 1 kind of icing spatula ($9.99) but Ace has an actual selection and for less $$$. I'm hoping to get:

• cake pans
• food coloring
• parchment triangles
• spatulas
• cake turners (I had to look these up...they are for lifting cakes)
• decorating comb
• fondant
  

And if they don't have what I want, there's another place close by called All in One Bake Shop (http://www.allinonebakeshop.com/). I'm planning on hitting this place up early Saturday morning so I can get everything I need for making a cake for my parents and for my first class.