We’re sorry! The course you were trying to register for is sold out. Please email us with your name and the course name to be placed on our waiting list.
Read MoreUncategorized
Some of my worst cake disasters have resulted in my most poignant cake design lessons. I won’t be posting any photos here–they’re too embarrassing– just sharing what I’ve learned in the hopes of saving you the same pain. Sorry in advance if this causes you to cringe.
1. Little Marissa was about to turn one, and her mom, a neighbor in the apartment building I lived in, asked me to make her birthday cake. This was about 15 years ago, long before my move to California, way before owning my own shop even hinted at reality, and pre-fondant. I made the cake, carefully iced it with my made-from-scratch French buttercream, and put it in the fridge for the party the next day. Marissa loved her cake (Sesame Street-themed), as much as a one-year old could love a cake, and her mom carefully sliced and plated it. I took my first bite, and noticed after I’d swallowed that there was a garlic-y after taste. I didn’t remember eating anything with onions or garlic that day that would explain the taste in my mouth, but it was there, and it lingered. Another bite, same aftertaste. A third bite, same thing. I didn’t really get it, until I returned home, opened up my fridge, and was greeting with a waft of onion-filled air from the onion I had left unwrapped in the fridge. The butter had absorbed the onion odor, leaving a palpable taste on the tongue.
Lesson learned: Don’t store onions (or garlic, scallion, salami, etc.) in the same fridge with your buttercream.
2. I admit it: I’m thrifty. (You can read more about it here.) One time I decided that the trouble I’d had in the past with the less expensive fondant was due to my inexperience. I convinced myself that now, as a more seasoned cake artist, I had mastered fondant and could easily save money by avoiding the more expensive brand and returning to the less expensive one. Wrong. What should have been an easy fondant job turned into an eight-hour fiasco.
Lesson learned: Quality ingredients, although often more expensive, are priceless.
3. One of my best clients asked me to make a cake with pink gumpaste hydrangeas for the shower she was throwing for her sister. I had just switched to a new, less expensive brand of Tylose (see Lesson #2, above) and didn’t know that my new brand would yield different results. I made my gumpaste and carefully calculated the number of hydrangea petals I would need. I allowed the petals, perfectly pink and beautiful, to dry for several days, and on the day of the shower I set about arranging them on the cake. Unfortunately, the new gumpaste was extremely hard and brittle, and all but a few of the hydrangea petals broke. I didn’t have time to make new ones, and luckily was able to compensate for the broken ones, but it reminded me of something every sugar artist knows: always, always make more than you need to allow for breakage. And just when you think you’ve made enough, make some more.
Lesson learned: Always make extra.
4. There were several lessons to be learned from this cake, but they deserve a post unto themselves. For now I’ll just say that I decided to try a new technique on the eve of a wedding. I pulled an all-nighter trying to correct it.
Lesson learned: Always do a dry run when testing new techniques, and never test them on someone’s wedding cake.
5. It was getting late, but I wanted to finish the pleats for a cake I was working on. I’d convinced myself that they needed to be perfect, but with each pass through the pasta roller the fondant became drier and harder to work with, the pleats increasingly flawed, and I more frustrated. It was 3am before I knew it, and I was getting delirious and near tears. Finally, almost at my breaking point, I decided to call it a night. The next day, after a good night’s sleep, I approached the pleats again. This time, I was able to finish them in a single pass through the pasta roller. And they were pretty darn near perfect.
Lesson learned: A clear head and a good night’s sleep are sometimes all that’s needed to execute a challenging design.
6. I’ve been designing cakes for about 15 years, but only started professionally about six years ago. By that time, I had a husband, a daughter, and one one the way. I’ve always felt hampered professionally by the demands of family, and always lamented that I’d be so much more successful if I were single. Last spring, my husband took the girls camping for the weekend. I was excited for some time alone to recapture my single days. I spent a good part of the weekend doing exactly what I planned to do–working on new techniques I’d been wanting to try–with great success. But there was something that felt lonely and empty. The house was too quiet, I missed my kids and husband, and there was no one to share my new creations with. Success suddenly seemed much less important.
Lesson learned: The greatest measure of success is happiness.
May you learn from all your mistakes.
Read MoreToday is my last day before I move to Connecticut from California after almost six. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people, and I’ll miss them all, but I wanted to say a special goodbye to some of the friends and family who mean the most to me here.
My Father-In-Law, Pat
Pat is generous to a fault, ridiculously tolerant of others, and extremely forgiving. Over the years I’ve passed no fewer than four of our pets on to Pat, and he’s loved even the most unlovable amongst them. My daughters love him wildly. I would not hesitate to call him if I were stranded somewhere, and the last time I flew back to California from Connecticut, he picked me up at LAX at 1:30am even though he had to work the next morning at 5. He’s not the type to say “I love you” or “I’m proud”, yet there is something so warm and loving about him you just know without a doubt that he does. So thank you Pat, for being a wonderful father, grandfather, and father-in-law. I love you. And what’s not to love about this?
My friend Christina
Christina has a very special talent that enables her to complain about just about anything. Comment on the beautiful weather, and she’ll complain that she can’t wear her hoodie. It’s actually a rather endearing quality and she has a good sense of humor about it. She’s the most dedicated teacher I know, and I have tremendous respect for her professionally. Plus, her husband is on my highly regarded Top 10 Funniest People I Know list. She has twin boys now, and I have two kids, so things are a little different, but she’s been a really good friend. We couldn’t be more different, but I love her just the same. I’ll miss you so much Christina.
Right: Christina–wearing her hoodie, of course–with her twin boys.
My friend Megan
Megan pushes me creatively and challenges me intellectually. She’s the Lucy to my Ethel (albeit a post-Little Ricky Lucy who couldn’t get into too much trouble), and she’s way more hip than I’ll ever be. Her house is sort of like a museum, filled with interesting things you’re just not cool enough to have in your own house. She and her equally hip husband have a cat, Abigail, whom they’ve not only assigned a very human personality but also a very human voice. It’s too bad I’m moving, because although Megan currently refuses to do the Abigail voice for me, I’ve been inching closer and closer to persuading her to do it. All I needed was a few more months and the aid of a few margaritas, and I’d be having a very intellectual exchange with Abigail.
Frank
Frank is the guy you call to ask if he knows a guy that knows how to: fix a dishwasher; replace an alternator; repair termite damage; move your entire household across the country; etc., but instead of referring you to someone else, he’s over in an hour to do it himself. He’s one of the warmest, most generous people I know. He’s got two solid, grounded sons and a baby granddaughter who is sure to adore him and incredibly lucky to have him. He’s everything you would want in a friend, in a dad, or in a repairman,. My husband and I are eternally grateful to him and will miss him immensely. Thank you Frank, for everything.
I get lots of my supplies and tools at cake design stores, particularly online stores where products are often less expensive. But I also use a lot of tools that you won’t find in any cake design store. Here are four I can’t do without:
1. Vodka. I buy the cheapest vodka I can find in the largest quantity. Vodka evaporates much more quickly than water and therefore won’t dissolve the sugar in fondant the way water will. I mix vodka with luster dust to liquify it and use in my airbrush. I also use vodka rather than airbrush cleaner to clean my airbrush. Simply fill the color cup with vodka and spray until it runs clear. For cleanups on fondant-covered cakes, lightly moisten a paper towel with vodka and gently wipe away stray marks.
2. Non-slip shelf liner. An indespensible tool, non-slip liner is worth its weight in gold, although it’s very inexpensive. For about $5, you can buy a large roll at Target. I place it under my cakes and my commercial cooler to prevent them from sliding around during transport. It can also be used under a cutting or rolling board so that it won’t slip on the table surface.
3. Sandpaper. I use sandpaper to soften the edges on dummy cakes (where the side meets the top) so that my fondant won’t tear as easily. I also use it to smooth the seams on the sides of the dummies. Sanpaper works perfectly on dried sugar decorations. Rather than risk cracking them by applying the pressure of even the sharpest blade, I smooth rough edges on dried gumpaste and pastiallage pieces with sandpaper.
The trick is to know what grit to use. The lower the grit the rougher the sandpaper and conversely, the higher the grit the smoother the sandpaper. 100-grit sandpaper is rougher than 200-grit sandpaper. “Grit” referes to the number of abrasive particles per inch of sandpaper (woodzone.com). An easy way to remember is to imagine a 1″ square. Think about how small and fine the particles would have to be to fit 300 into that square inch, and how much bigger (and rougher) the particles would be to fit 50 particles. I tend to use finer sandpaper on my sugar pieces (300 or 400) and slightly rougher sandpaper (150 or 200) on my cake dummies.
4. Easy Cutter. I use 1/4″ wooden dowels (be sure to buy them at a hardware store rather than a crafts shop) to support my cakes. To cut them, I use the Midwest Easy Cutter, a tool specifically designed for cutting small wood strips. It has a guide so that you can ensure your cuts are exactly 90 degrees. Some of the larger Jo-Ann Fabrics stores carry them in their woodcrafts department, or you can purchase them at the online art store, Dick Blick. 
.
Have a favorite cake design tool that’s not intended for cake? Please feel free to share it here.
I see the world in cake. I can’t help it! Everywhere I look I see fabric prints, magazine covers, china patterns, chandeliers, gift wrap, pillows, purses, greeting cards, labels, and logos all begging to be translated into cake. When I saw this photo in the Lowes Creative Ideas newsletter, I knew it had to be my next cake design. (The fact that there’s a slice of cake pictured is strictly coincidental. I swear.)
I really liked the idea of round objects in different shades of berry, and immediately thought of fabric flowers. I’ve been collecting random images for inspiration for years now and thought this one would work well:
See how this one has tiny words in the center? I imagine it on a wedding cake with words like love, honor, and dream. I hope to incorporate it into the design.
Below, the pencil sketch of the cake I plan to make using all of these elements as well as the paint chips I picked up for color swatches.
The design process is something that really interests me. This is the first post in a series (if two counts as a series) that will document my design process from start to finish. Check back soon (but not that soon) for Part II.
