cake decorating design classes Connecticut

Our Grand Opening and Our Grand Opening Cake!

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Erica OBrien in Cake decorating classes NY, cake decorating design classes Connecticut, cake decorating design classes Connecticut (CT), edible cake bunting, Featured, fondant, pink cake, vintage wedding cakes, wedding cake connecticut, wedding cake connecticut (CT), wedding cake farfield county ct, wedding cake new york, wedding cake ny, wedding cakes connecticut, wedding cakes ct, wedding cakes new york, wedding cakes ny | 4 Comments

There are benefits to living in a small town, such as knowing all the guys at the town buildings department by name (no lie: Bob, Bill, Jim, Joe) and that when you open a business and hold a grand opening, like we did on April 25th, the town arranges a ribbon cutting ceremony and sends the mayor. We even got press coverage! (Okay, it was this article in the Hamden Journal, but still.)

Here we are (me on the right, my sister on the left) with Mayor Scott Jackson. And the official golden ribbon-cutting scissors.
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Our grand opening turned into a little fête of sorts. Of course the cocktails helped.

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My consultation studio is now mostly finished, with the exception of the completely bare walls. My brother-in-law took this shot.

And my friend Brooke of Brooke Allison Photography took these. She is a wedding photographer and is rapidly becoming one of the top photographers in Connecticut. Keep your eye on her.

 

I created a special cake for the grand opening. I covered the cake in pink (one of my logo colors), made gold bunting for three of the tiers (I went through a serious bunting phase about a year and a half ago that thankfully passed. This was just a brief relapse.) and hand-cut the plaque and letters. (Photos by Brooke Allison Photography.)

The community has been so supportive, and we feel extremely fortunate to be in such a great place. Thank you so much to all of you who stopped by, and thank you to those of you who wanted to but, for whatever reason, couldn’t. Don’t worry : we plan to be here for a long, long time.

Special thanks to Brooke Allison, my husband and children, my mom, sister, Scott, Zachy and Kody, and Frank. Love you guys.

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Prom Cake

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Erica OBrien in Cake decorating classes NY, cake decorating design classes Connecticut, cake decorating design classes Connecticut (CT), Featured, fondant, vintage wedding cakes, wedding cake connecticut (CT), wedding cake farfield county ct, wedding cake new york, wedding cake ny, wedding cakes connecticut, wedding cakes ct, wedding cakes new york, wedding cakes ny | 4 Comments

This is Tim. He is a student at a local high school.

This is Tim and his girlfriend, Taryn.

We met Tim when he came into the shop a couple of weeks ago to order a cake for Taryn. He wanted it to say PROM in big caps with a question mark, and Forever & Always in script. (It’s the title of Taryn’s favorite song, he told us, even though the lyrics are really sad. I’m pretty sure it’s this one by Taylor Swift.) You’re probably thinking: “How cute, sweet, and thoughtful is that?” So were we.

We asked him about her favorite flavors (chocolate chip mint), colors (Tiffany blue and light green), and whether he wanted any other designs on it (completely up to us).  Here’s what we came up with:

Tim told us later (okay, after I emailed him to ask what happened) that he had it waiting on her desk in math class.

Oh, and she said yes!

Thanks Tim and Taryn. It was so much fun creating your cake.

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On Edible Gums

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Erica OBrien in cake decorating design classes Connecticut, cake decorating design classes Connecticut (CT), Featured, fondant, for the baker, gumpaste recipe | 1 Comment

My motivation for writing this post is strictly self-serving. The differences between edible gums and their uses is precisely the kind of information I can never commit to memory. So, tired of searching repeatedly through the many sources of information on gums, I decided to create an easy to understand reference guide. I did it for me. And, okay, for you too.

CMC Powder

Carboxy Methyl Cellulose or SodiumCarboxyMethylCellulose. The chemical name for Tylose. (See Tylose below.)

Gum Arabic

  • Uses: stabilizer, edible gum, binder, emulsifying agent
  • For cake design: Add to royal icing to strengthen. Create edible glue (or “gum glue”) by mixing 2 tsp. gum arabic with 2 ounces water (source: SugarCraft.com)
  • Natural or synthetic: Natural
  • Alternative names: acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska
  • Most similar to: n/a

Gum Tex

Wilton brand name for karaya gum. (See karaya gum below.)

Gum Tragacenth

  • Uses: Drying agent. Adds strength and stretch.
  • For cake design: Used in making gumpaste and pastillage. Can be added to fondant to speed drying (sometimes called “emergency gumpaste“, see recipe under Tylose)
  • Natural or synthetic: Natural
  • Alternative names: gum trag, gum elect, gum dragon
  • Most similar to: Tylose

Karaya Gum

  • Uses: thickener and emulsifier, used to adulterate gum tragacenth due to their similar physical characteristics
  • For cake design: Ingredient in some gumpaste recipes. Can be added to fondant to speed drying (sometimes called “emergency gumpaste“, see recipe under Tylose)
  • Natural or synthetic: Natural
  • Alternative names: Gum-Tex (Wilton brand)
  • Most similar to:  gum tragacanth

Tylose

  • Uses:  thickener, binder, stabilizer, and suspending agent in glazes. Helps products retain moisture and gives a gum-like texture. Also acts as drying agent in fondant and gumpaste. Tylose is said to hold up better in humidity and is whiter in color. The more tylose you use, the stiffer and stronger the resulting fondant.
  • For cake design:  Ingredient in some gumpaste recipes (including the one I use, Nicholas Lodge’s gumpaste recipe). Can be added to fondant to speed drying, sometimes called “emergency gumpaste“. To create emergency gumpaste, add 2 -3 tsp of Tylose powder to 1lb of fondant. The more tylose you use, the stiffer and stronger the resulting fondant. Tylose is said to hold up better in humidity and is whiter in color than gum tragacenth.
  • Natural or synthetic: Synthetic
  • Alternative names: Super gum, cellulose gum
  • Most similar to: Gum tragacenth
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Demystifying Cloth Covered Wire

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Erica OBrien in Cake decorating classes NY, cake decorating design classes Connecticut, cake decorating design classes Connecticut (CT), Featured, for the baker, gumpaste recipe | Leave a comment

Cloth covered floral wire is used in cake design for wiring large petals on gumpaste flowers and for arranging edible flowers and leaves on cakes. If you’ve ever been utterly baffled by the way wire is sized, here’s a good way to remember it. Picture a very small ring, about a quarter the size of a wedding band. Now imagine sticking cloth-covered floral wire through it. You would obviously be able to fit more smaller wires through it than larger wires. That’s what the wire gauge indicates: the number of wires that would fit in a small ring. So, a wire gauge of 26, for example,  indicates that you would be able to fit 26 wires in the ring. A smaller gauge wire, like 18, is a bigger wire, because you would only be able to fit 18 of them through that same ring. The bigger the gauge, the more you can fit in the ring, so the smaller the wire. And the smaller the gauge, the fewer you can fit in the ring, so the bigger the wire. I hope that helps.

Floral wire can generally be found in gauge 16 – 32. I find that use 18 – 24 most frequently. I I always sort of grabbed at wires randomly, until I purchased one of Scott Clark Woolley’s flowermaking DVDs. In it, he outlines the various size wires and their uses. I find it very helpful, so I’m sharing it here.

16, 18: heavy flowers with many petals such as roses, ranunculus, peonies

20, 22: stem work

24: medium flowers, single-cut larger flowers

26: small flowers (individual hydrangea petals, jasmine), petals (such as rose petals)

28: small petals, leaves

30, 32: fine work, such as baby’s breath and small leaves

Happy caking!

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Things Just Got a Little Sweeter Around Here.

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Erica OBrien in Cake decorating classes NY, cake decorating design classes Connecticut, cake decorating design classes Connecticut (CT), Featured, peony cake, petalsweet, sugar magnolia cake | 1 Comment

We are pleased to announce that Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes will be guest teaching at our Hamden, CT cake studio this spring. Jacqueline is a world-renowned sugar flower artist who has travelled as far as Australia to share her techniques. In addition to her technical skills, Jacqueline demonstrates a restrained and refined use of color (as opposed to using color with reckless abandon like I do) that I greatly admire. She is gifted not only as an artist but also as a teacher (I took a class with her two years ago), and is now coming to share her gift with us.

To register for one of Jacqueline’s classes, please visit our website: www.ericaobrien.com

The fine print: Note that full payment is required on registration, and refunds for withdrawals will be honored only if your space can be filled prior to the class. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation and accommodations. We are not responsible for any transport or accommodation costs should you be unable to attend class.

OPEN PEONY and PARROT TULIP

Thursday March 22 – Friday March 23, 2012

10am – 6pm both days. Light lunch (with vegetarian option) provided.

Class fee:   $600

In this two day hands-on floral workshop, students learn to make two of Petalsweet’s signature flowers: the beautiful, over-sized Open Peony (with stamens) and the fun and  fabulous Parrot Tulip. Corresponding buds and leaves will also be covered where  appropriate. Students will use modeling techniques to make flower centers, and then use cutters, veiners and specific techniques to create buds, leaves, and the many wired petals needed to form their large blooms. Once all of the components are dry, students will also learn Jacqueline’s signature coloring and dusting techniques, as well as taping, assembling, and finishing touches to complete their flowers. Class limited to 10 students (8 minimum). Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class. Cutters will be available for sale at the end of the workshop.

Images courtesy Petalsweet Cakes.


THE SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA and GARDENIA

Saturday March 24 – Sunday March 25, 2012

10am – 6pm both days. Light lunch (with vegetarian option) provided.

Class fee: $600

In this two day floral workshop, students learn to make two beautiful Petalsweet favorites: the Southern Magnolia and the Gardenia! Corresponding buds and both flowers’ gorgeous, dark and glossy leaves will be covered as well. During the course, students will use cutters and creamy white paste to create the petals needed for their fabulous Gardenias. In addition, students will also use modeling techniques to create a Magnolia center, and then make numerous, large petals to finish their oversized flower. As time allows, Jacqueline will also share her techniques for making dainty pulled filler flowers. Once all of the components are dry, students will also learn dusting and coloring techniques, as well as taping and assembly to finish their flowers. Class limited to 10 students (8 student minimum). Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class. Cutters will be available for sale at the end of the workshop.


We hope to see you in class!


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New Classes Just Listed!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Erica OBrien in cake decorating classes Boston MA, Cake decorating classes NY, cake decorating design classes Connecticut | Leave a comment

We’re excited to announce our first classes at our new location! As of Wednesday, we’ll be the official lessees of 1242 Whitney Avenue in Hamden, CT 06517. We expect it to take at least two months for our official opening, so we’ve listed our classes beginning in late January, 2012.

Our first course will be our Tier I, Introduction to Cake Design Class.

We’re also excited to offer a Fondant Intensive for the first time. In this class, I’ll share all the tips and tools that give fondant-covered cakes a flawless finish. Students will learn various fondant techniques (ruffling, simple flowers, bows, etc.), practice covering real and faux cakes, and engage in a troubleshooting session. students are encouraged to come with lots of questions. This six-hour intensive is perfect for students who live in New York (1.5 hours away) and Boston (2 hours away).

Our classes make fabulous gifts (plus, chances are you’ll get lots of cake out of the deal), so please contact us if you’d like to give a class as a gift.

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