Well, we’ve reached the 2013 halfway mark. Thought I’d review my list of 2013 Design Goals to see how far I’ve come (or, more likely, how far I have to go).
Here’s a list of my goals and my progress on each.
1. White-on-white.
Check! I actually achieved this one recently and will be sharing the entire cake shortly. Meanwhile, here’s a teaser shot.
2. Show my girly side.
I guess this one is sort of subjective. I would argue that I have in fact shown my girly side. I did a super girly, lacey, pastely cake for Bride’s Magazine (the issue comes out in late August) , so that counts, right? I made a seriously pink-and-purple cake for a party last week, and although by “girly” I meant sort of classically feminine in an adult, women-who-take-lavender-scented-baths type way rather than a six-year old girl way, I’m counting it for this goal.
3. Use a lighter touch.
Nothing comes to mind here, so I guess it’s a no. Six more months to work on this one.
4. Use my lace molds.
Check! Not only did I use my lace molds on Ava’s baptism cake, it’s so girly I could probably use this cake for Goal # 2! Double check!
5. Sugar dahlia.
Negative, but I did buy a new dahlia cutter (that I don’t think will work, but still).
6. Juliet rose.
Nah. Kind of forgot about this one until just now. Will have to remind myself to remember this goal.
7. Further explore what interests me as an artist.
Nope. Haven’t had time to “explore” anything. I’ll try to work in some exploration time soon.
So, out of seven goals, I’ve achieved three, and I still have six months to go. I think perhaps I can do this! Thanks for checking in on me. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Carrie Sellman of The Cake Blog does an annual (this being its second year, so I guess it’s officially annual) series called The 12 Cakes of Christmas in which she features 12 different Christmas cakes from 12 different artists. This year, she asked me to create a cake for the series.
Now, there are two directions in which one can go when creating a Christmas-themed cake: the literal route or the interpretive one, and although I like to stray a bit from the beaten path with most of my designs, I went straight-up mainstream with this cake. I was inspired by a few images I found on (where else?) Pinterest, and decided to go for it: American mistletoe, winterberries, kraft hang tags, and gold string. The only difference is that mine were all edible.
My original plan was to go around the base of each tier with the mistletoe, but it began looking very ancient-Greek-Olympic-headpiece, which is fine if you’re doing an ancient-Greek-Olympic-headpiece-themed cake. I, however, was making a Christmas-themed cake, so I scrapped the original design and changed it to more of a mistletoe spray at the front of each tier.
Brooke Sforza of Brooke Allison Photo was kind enough to spend an entire rainy afternoon photographing my cake, graciously ooh-ing and ahh-ing the whole time. I can’t say enough good things about her.
I made the hang tags out of fondant and impressed the letters using metal alphabet stamps. I then shaded them with a bit of brown petal dust. The gold string was also fondant.
Callan, my most talented assistant, made all the berries. She also assembled the sprays by attaching the wired berries and leaves to heavy gauge wire using florist’s tape.
Special thanks to Carrie Sellman for inviting me to contribute. And to Brooke Allison, without whom I’d have far fewer photos of my cakes.
Sunflower Sugar Art is having a fantabulous sale, and they want everyone to know about it. I really like their quality metal cutters and silicone veiners. A few must-haves include their giant rose cutter set, large multi-purpose petal veiner, and hydrangea leaf I cutter set (which I use for just about everything). I’m sure you’ll manage to find a few other items you just have to add to your collection.
Here’s the offer:
30% off everything at Sunflower Sugar Art USA with secret code ’HOLIDAY’ until December 2nd at midnight.
40% off everything from midnight Monday, 11/26 until midnight Tuesday, 11/27 with secret code ‘MONDAY’.
Plus free shipping on all orders over $150 worldwide until Sunday, December 2nd.
I started decorating cakes in 1995 and have picked up some really great tricks along the way. Some I learned from other cake artists, either by reading their books, taking their classes, speaking with them directly, or even watching them on t.v., and some I figured out on my own. I’m happy to share them here with you.
1. Smooth first. Rolling fondant smoothly is a skill unto itself, and it can be difficult to avoid minor irregularities when you roll by hand. If you use fondant, you most likely already use smoothers on your fondant-covered cakes, but you can also smooth fondant before you apply it. Once you’ve rolled the fondant, while it is still lying flat on a hard surface, use your smoothers to work out any bumps and eliminate any air bubbles. Source: Melody Brandon (www.mysweetandsaucy.com)
2. Set color by steaming. When used correctly, petal dust can really bring sugar flowers to life, but it can also give them a chalky, matte appearance. To reduce the dusty look and work the color permanently into your petals, boil some water and gently wave your sugar flowers over the steam for a few seconds. (I’m very accident prone, so I always set a strainer on the pot so that if I drop my sugar flowers they don’t end up in the water.) At first the flowers will appear quite shiny, but the sheen will almost completely disappear. Note that this method will also slightly deepen the color, so be sure to experiment first. Source: Jacqueline Butler (www.petalsweetcakes.com)
3. Keep a paint fan deck handy. Most brides have pretty definite preferences when it comes to color, but “peacock blue” can mean different things to different people. I’ve found computers to be unreliable for color matching, since colors on computer screens can vary greatly. Instead, I keep a paint fan deck in my office so that clients can tell me on the spot what color they want. This also saves them a trip to Home Depot for a paint chip. You can purchase Benjamin Moore fan decks online for about $15. Source: Erica OBrien
4. Refrigerate fondant. Whoever said fondant can’t be refrigerated obviously never traveled to Malibu, CA via the 405 Freeway on a blazing hot summer afternoon. (You can read more about that cake fiasco here.) Although some condensation might appear on your fondant cakes when they’re taken out of the fridge and exposed to warmer air (making them quite tacky to the touch), the condensation eventually evaporates and the fondant returns to its original matte finish. Just be sure not to touch it during the sticky stage or you’ll leave fingerprints. Source: Melody Brandon (www.mysweetandsaucy.com)
5. Use convoluted foam mattress pads to absorb shock. That’s right: I said convoluted foam mattress pads. You know exactly what it is–that egg crate-shaped foam used to add extra cushioning to your bed–you just never thought to use it with your cake. Since bumps, pot holes, or bouncing during cake delivery can all cause damage to cakes, it is important to minimize the shock. Placing foam padding beneath your cake board will help cushion the blow and protect your cakes from damage. Source: Nancy Kay (http://www.nkconfections.com/)
6. Try scalpels. X-acto blades are great for cutting fondant, but the sharpest blades available are the scalpels that surgeons use. You can purchase disposable scalpels online. They come in all different shapes and sizes and are quite inexpensive, so you can experiment until you find one that works for you. Source: Elisa Strauss (www.confetticakes.com)
7. Use blue painters tape on fondant. When I need to apply a horizontal band to my fondant, I first apply blue painter’s tape just below where I want the band. If the tape is not straight, simply take it off and start over. The tape acts to guide the application of the fondant band and ensure that it is level. It adheres just enough to remain in place, but peels off easily without pulling the fondant beneath it. Source: Mary Maher (www.thecakegirls.com)
8. Use vodka. Because of its high alcohol content, vodka evaporates very quickly and won’t dissolve the sugar in your fondant (unlike water), making it ideal for liquefying powdered food color and diluting paste coloring for painting on cakes. Vodka can also be used to wipe away stray marks and mistakes on your cakes. Moisten a paper towel with vodka and gently take away dirt and marks. For smaller areas, wrap paper towel tightly around a toothpick. I buy the largest, cheapest bottle of vodka I can find. Source: Charm City Cakes
9. Use foamcore instead of cardboard. Although convenient, pre-cut cardboard rounds absorb a lot of fat from cakes, weakening the cardboard’s structure. I use foamcore instead. It’s pricey, rough on blades, but nothing beats its sturdiness. Source: Colette Peters. (colettescakes.com)
Somewhere around the late ’80s, I swore off gold. No more gold earrings, gold bracelets, or gold necklaces for me. I also renounced pastels. Pinks and lavenders, mint and seafoam green, and especially mauve and peach were now officially anathema to me.
Then, almost overnight, I love gold and pastels again. I’m not sure when it happened or how, but I took a look at my cakespiration pinboard, and the majority of my pins were pastels and gold. Check these out and you’ll see what I mean.
And then it’s full speed ahead, with a new pair of gold earrings, a pastel duvet cover, and this cake with a gold chevron and pastel sugar flowers inspired by my Pinterest boards.
Special thanks to Brooke Allison for the photos. Damn, she’s good.
Growing up, we usually got ice cream cakes for our birthday parties. (My mom was always really good about ordering them in advance so we could special-order the flavors we wanted rather than having to settle for the pre-made ones.) Although I remember not liking cake much–it wasn’t until I was much older that I understood how good a cake made from scratch and filled with French buttercream can be–you couldn’t tell from this picture of me in 1973 at four years old:
Okay, so I started cake design with Wilton, and I was pretty good. (You can read How I Got Started Part I here.) I got a really solid foundation from the Wilton classes, but I was well aware that Wilton is sometimes frowned on in the cake industry as somewhat amateurish, and, truth be told, it made me self-conscious. So I went on to take more professional-level classes at various schools in New York City. I remember once, at a gumpaste flower class at The New School, the instructor asked us to introduce ourselves and tell a little about our cake design backgrounds. I sheepishly mentioned that my only cake design experience thus far was with Wilton, to which she replied–and I’ve always been grateful she said this–”Everyone starts with Wilton!” I never felt self-conscious about my humble beginnings again.
I was introduced to fondant at a store in Jackson Heights, Queens, where I bought a lot of my supplies. Fondant had already gained popularity in South America, and was widely used in England and Australia. I liked the look of fondant and took the class. This was my first fondant cake (again, very Wilton), for my sister’s baby shower. My nephew (my sister’s first ”baby”) is almost 10 now, so I guess I did this about 11 years ago.
Once I had the designing down, I had to tackle the baking. At first, I used box cakes. Real cakes seemed too intimidating, and besides, everyone told me they liked my cakes better when I used Duncan Hines. (With all those yummy artificial flavors and preservatives, could you blame them?) I finally took a cake baking class at ICES, and realized that the problem was both my technique and my recipes. Cake baking, unlike cookie baking or other types of cooking, is a true science. There’s no such thing as eyeballing measurements, adding a pinch here or a tweak there. All of the ingredients in a cake interact in very specific ways, each causing different chemical reactions, so it is absolutely imperative to follow a cake recipe exactly and measure accurately. That said, just because a recipe is in print, doesn’t mean that its been tested or is even very good. It took a lot of experimentation to find recipes that worked for me. I didn’t invent my own (although my carrot cake does have a secret ingredient), and I am happy with the recipes I now use.
I specifically remember that this cake, from 1996, was a Duncan Hines yellow cake.
An old boyfriend bought me my first KitchenAid, and it served me well until, at age 35, I met my soon-to-be husband. He was 25, lived with his dad, worked only part-time, and owned his very own KitchenAid. I fell in love and moved to California to be with him, bringing my KitchenAid along with me. (We eventually sold mine for fear that it would bring bad karma.) I got a job teaching at a high school in Los Angeles and made the mistake of announcing to my students on the first day that I was from New York, thinking they’d find me cool. Instead, things rapidly deteriorated into a Biggie Smalls vs. Tupac style rap war, with me representing the east coast and my students the west. You’d be amazed how often our coastal difference surfaced, and my focus on New York history only confirmed their suspicion that I thought the east coast superior. (The fact that I was teaching early American history and most of it takes place on the east coast was a moot point.) I went home crying almost every day.
This is where the zaniest, craziest thing I ever did for cake comes in. You can read more about it here.
I’ve been at it for about 15 years, and I’ve come a long way. At first, I did cakes for free, for $10, for coworkers, for family, and for friends. I practiced for 10 years before I had the confidence to do it professionally. Once, when a magazine contacted me and asked if I had any designs inspired by family heirlooms, I lied and said yes. I made four cakes in a day, had my husband photograph them, and got three of them published. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never had a disaster befallen one of my cakes (more about that in a future post), but I’ve learned so much from every single one. And the best part is, I’m still learning.
Well, that didn’t take long. I tweeted only one clue–female cake designer–and Nicole correctly guessed the author (Margaret Braun) and title (Cakewalk) of the book I’m giving away.Like the last giveaway, this book traveled all the way to California from New York with me and lost its jacket in the move. Other than that, it’s in perfect condition.
Congratulations Nicole! Please email me your mailing address and I’ll get your book to you. And, if you could, kindly let us all know how you guessed with just one clue!
I’m giving away another book from my personal collection (you’ll really want this one), but this contest has a twist: I will be tweeting clues about the book over the next week (or until someone wins). The first person to correctly guess the author and title will win. Want to get in on the action? Here’s how:
My mom tells me I’ve always been good with color, and I think she’s probably right. Give me a paint chip and I can pretty much guarantee I can custom color fondant to match. There’s a lot to know about color theory (my mom recommends StepenQuiller’sColor Choices), but I tend to rely on my instincts.
When I do need help with color, I turn to the online Color Scheme Designer. I use it a lot when I’m creating new designs.
When you first arrive at the site, you see a monochromatic color scheme:
By moving the dot (indicated by the blue arrow below) around the wheel, you can change the base (or primary) color, also called the hue.
If you’re using the color scheme generator for technical purposes, say, for website colors, and need the hex color code, simply click on the color list tab at the bottom of the screen. Let’s say I am making purple flowers and want to find colors that best compliment it. I can select the compliment, triad, tetrad, analogic, or accented analogic tab.
Complimentary colors are opposite on the color wheel:
Triadic colors are three colors spaced evenly apart on the color wheel:
Analogic colors are next to each other on the color wheel: I tend to like bold and vibrant (some might say bordering on obnoxious) colors, but if you want a color palette that is darker or brighter, or more or less saturated, click the Adjust Scheme tab at the bottom. Here, the same analogic colors as the color palette above were used, but I adjusted the saturation and brightness:
I hope you find this tool as useful as I do. Please feel free to share any creative applications for it that others may not have thought of. Best of luck!
We would love to answer all of your questions! Feel free to contact Erica OBrien Cake Design. We’ll either email you directly or post your question on our blog.
Ready to step up from my old Rebel. Want to stick with Cannon. Obviously not a pro photog. What's my next camera? Recommendations?04:33:36 PM June 09, 2013from web
5. Sugar dahlia. 
I made the hang tags out of fondant and impressed the letters using metal alphabet stamps. I then shaded them with a bit of brown petal dust. The gold string was also fondant.
