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Cake for The Knot Magazine

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Erica OBrien in brides magazine 50 most beautiful, Featured, ombre cake, vintage, vintage wedding cakes, wedding cake connecticut, wedding cake connecticut (CT), wedding cake new york, wedding cake ny, wedding cakes ct, wedding cakes new york | 4 Comments

Last year, I wrote about a cake with pleated pinwheels that I proposed to Bride’s magazine. The cake was inspired by something I had seen in Martha Stewart, and in the sketch (and my imagination) it was beautiful, with shades of peach, ivory, buttercup and pink. Once I executed it in sugar, however, it was lackluster at best, and the Bride’s editors passed on it.

I couldn’t let the idea of the pinwheels go though, and when The Knot asked me to do a cake–and left the design and colors completely up to me–I decided to revisit them. This time, I proposed a cake with more vibrantly colored pinwheels in an ombré that would pop against a white cake, as seen in the sketch below.

The Knot editors liked my idea, and so I hand-delivered the final product last spring to their offices. This time, the design really worked, and so does the photo by Devon Jarvis (to whom I am extremely grateful for sending me this high res image):
 
 
The photo appeared in The Knot magazine’s Spring-Sumer 2012 New York edition.
 
I’ll end with this: If you’ve been reading my blog for a long time (or, for that matter, a short time) or if you know me personally at all, you know I never say this, but…I love this 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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On Purple Fondant

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Erica OBrien in fading purple fondant, fondant, tips + tools, wedding cakes | 5 Comments

If you work with fondant–and since you’re reading this you probably do–you’ve likely found that purple fondant quickly fades to a shade of blue that barely resembles its formerly purple self. I was researching the issue and came across this Flour Confections blog post which I read with fascination.
The post begins:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
My purple fondant is fading
Is this happening to you?
With their permission, I’ve paraphrased the rest of “Why Is Purple Making Me So Blue?“ here:
When the FDA banned Red Dye No. 2 in 1976 after it was linked to cancer, the FDA-approved Red Dye No. 40 took its place. Compared to Red No. 2, Red 40, as it’s known in the industry, is less stable, more expensive, and requires anywhere from 30%-50% more color to achieve proper saturation. Red 40 is UV intolerant, so any UV light (including bright lights) will cause it to fade. Because purple is a mix of red and blue, when the red fades, the blue remains, and your purple fondant turns blue .
To prevent fading, store purple fondant and gumpaste out of the light, in a dark bag or container and in a cupboard. Keep finished cakes, flowers, decorations, etc. in a dark place for as long as possible. According to Lisa of Flour Confections, cakes that are airbrushed purple do not fade, so consider airbrushing your fondant purple instead of kneading in purple food coloring. You can also use a more stable colorant. SugarFlair colors are more concentrated than other food colors and their Grape Violet contains E122, a more stable red than Red 40. [Note: Sugarflair colors are not FDA approved for food use. I couldn't find them for sale in the U.S., but they are widely available in Australia and Britain.]

Finally, when the pH of your fondant or gumpaste is not balanced, the red can fade out. To balance the pH, you can add an alkali such as baking soda. A good ratio is 1 tsp of baking soda per 1 lb of fondant or gumpaste.
 
This brings me to my blog post. I wanted to see for myself the effect of baking soda on purple fondant, so I conducted a little experiment.

I used both Wilton’s Violet and AmeriColor’s violet to test whether they fade differently. I colored a small amount of Satin Ice fondant. (I specify the fondant brand because I didn’t test to see if different fondants react with the color differently and fade differently.) The Wilton (on the left) is more of  a true purple while the AmeriColor (right) is more of a periwinkle with a strong blue appearance.

I then added 1/4 teaspoon baking powder to 14 grams of each color (a much higher ratio than that recommended by Flour Confections) and left the remaining purple unaltered.

To ensure that the fondant would dry evenly, I rolled each piece to the same thickness using my KitchenAid pasta attachment.
The baking soda didn’t change the Wilton color at all at this point, but as soon as I kneaded the baking soda into the AmeriColor purple, the most fascinating thing happened! The AmeriColor turned from a periwinkle into a true purple. I couldn’t believe it!
 

I then set them directly in the blazing sun for an hour to see what would happen. (Note where the shadows from the food coloring containers are. These areas did not fade as much as you will see in the final photo.)

After an hour (give or take–I kind of forgot to time it), these are the results.

The unaltered AmeriColor purple (far left) actually retained the red (and remained more purple) than the AmeriColor with added baking soda. The Wilton fondant with added baking soda (far right) remained more true to color than the fondant without baking soda. For both brands, the fondant that was in the shadow of the food coloring containers held up way better than the fondant in the direct sun, demonstrating the importance of keeping purple fondant away from UV light.
Conclusions. Keep purple fondant away from UV light to prevent fading. Always do a test strip both with baking soda and without to determine the best way to retain the purple color. Note that other brands of fondant might react differently with purple and might fade differently. Know that some fading is unavoidable. And, of course, hope for the best!
Thanks so much to Lisa and Flour Confections for doing all the research and for allowing me to paraphrase their post. Their efforts have helped countless cake artists.
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Tricks of the Trade: Reviving Old Fondant

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Erica OBrien in dried fondant, fondant, glycerine and fondant, tips + tools, wedding cake long beach, wedding cake los angeles, wedding cake orange county | 6 Comments

Once your fondant is past its prime, there’s really nothing you can do to restore it to its formerly silky smooth state. However, while it will never be perfect, there are a few things you can try to make old, dry fondant workable again.

1. Glycerine. Glycerine is an ingredient in fondant that keeps it pliable and prevents it from drying out too quickly. (For a fascinating, scientific explanation of glycerine’s role in keeping fondant flexible, read this post on Joe Pastry’s blog.) Glycerine is a humectant (a moisture-retaining substance), so the molecules in glycerine bond with and trap water molecules, keeping your fondant moist (Source: Joe Pastry, 2008).

It’s one of those ingredients you can buy in a drug store (as a humectant, glycerine also keeps hair and skin moist) for a fraction of the price of a cake decorating store. If you’re willing to forgo the fancy branding you can get a quart-sized bottle of Essential Depot glycerine (below, left) on Amazon for $13.95; the 2-ounce bottle of Wilton glycerine (below, right) is around $5. At just .43 cents per ounce, the Essential Depot is a much better value than the $2.50 per ounce Wilton glycerine. Just be sure that if you buy glycerine that’s not specifically marketed for cakes it says “Food Grade”.

To use, simply knead a little glycerine in to your fondant. Begin with about a teaspoon per pound of fondant, and work quickly to knead it in. This will buy you some time before your fondant dries out, but not much. Re-roll and apply your fondant.

Glycerine can also be used on fondant that’s been rolled out and applied to a cake but has a dry cracked appearance, sometimes known as “elephant skin”.  Gently rub glycerine onto the cracked fondant using the tips of your fingers, taking care not to rub through to the cake.

2. Shortening.Usually known by the brand name Crisco, hydrogenated vegetable oil (shortening) is 100% fat (as opposed to butter, which is about 80% fat). Kneading a small amount in to your fondant can make it smoother and easier to work with. Be very careful: adding too much can make your fondant heavy and stretchy. (If this happens, add additional corn starch or sifted confectioners sugar and knead in until the proper consistency is restored.) Shortening, like glycerine, can also be rubbed onto cracked fondant after the fondant has been applied to the cake to remove the appearance of elephant skin.

3. Food Processor. The food processor method works especially well for smaller pieces of fondant. Simply place a small amount of fondant into the bowl of your food processor and pulse. The blades of the food processor with heat and soften your fondant, making it easier to work with. (This is also a good method for coloring fondant: Just add your food coloring along with your fondant to the bowl of your food processor and pulse.) The food processor will most likely break your fondant up into small balls which can then be easily gathered and kneaded together. Be sure not to put rock hard pieces in the food processor. (I learned the hard way that this can cause irreparable damage to your food processor.)

4. Microwave. The microwave is the absolute last resort. If your fondant has become so dry that kneading becomes virtually impossible, 30 seconds or so in the microwave will heat it enough to make it kneadable again. (Do test your microwave first using 10 second intervals.) However, this is a one shot deal. You have to work quickly to roll out your fondant and cover the cake, for once microwaved fondant cools down, your fondant will become even drier–almost crumbly–and cannot be used again.

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On Fondant, Gumpaste, Pastillage, and Mexican Paste

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake design classes Long Beach, fondant, for the baker, gumpaste recipe, mexican paste, pastillage recipe, wedding cake long beach, wedding cake los angeles | 1 Comment

Between fondant, gumpaste, and pastillage, not to mention marzipan, Mexican paste and chocolate clay, it’s easy to get confused about sugar paste terminology. Throw in some British terms–like flower paste and sugarpaste–and it’s anyone’s guess. Below is a (hopefully) comprehensive list of the different sugar pastes used for cake design. For each, I’ve included a brief description, alternative names, suggestions for use, and my opinion as to whether it’s best to make it yourself or buy it. Note that these are the American terms. British, Australian, or other uses may be different. Know of any I missed? Please email and let me know.

Chocolate Clay
A pliable chocolate paste made from just two ingredients, chocolate and corn syrup, it has the texture of a tootsie roll or marzipan and is very easy to work with. Chocolate clay can be made with bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate (source: www.joyofbaking.com). Overhandling it will make the oils separate, causing the clay to become crumbly. Extreme heat can cause melting, so it is not ideal for certain decorations.

Alternate terms: candy clay, chocolate leather, chocolate modeling clay, chocolate modeling paste, chocolate plastic, chocolate plastique

Used for: Most often used for figurines and to cover shapes made from rice cereal treats. Also used for ropes, braids, ribbons, ruffles, flowers, leaves, and sculpted cakes.

Buy or make: Chocolate clay is so easy to make that for small batches it probably best to just make it yourself. For large batches, it may be easier (albeit more costly–$50 for 5.5 pounds) to buy. I’ve never used Cacoa Barry, but it is the most widely available commercially made chocolate clay.

Recipe:

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped + 1/4 cup light corn syrupor
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped + 3 1/2 – 4 tablespoons light corn syrup or
7 ounces white chocolate, chopped + 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons light corn syrup or
7 ounces milk chocolate + 2 1/2 – 3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir until cooled a bit. Stir in corn syrup. (The chocolate will stiffen almost immediately.) Continue stirring until completely combined. Transfer to a sturdy plastic freezer bag and refrigerate until firm (about two hours). When dough is firm, remove from the refrigerator, and knead until soft enough to work with. If it is too hard, cut off small pieces, and knead until pliable. Well wrapped it will keep for months. If it gets hard to work with knead in a little more corn syrup until pliable

Note: To prevent the corn syrup from sticking to the measuring cup or spoons, spray or grease with vegetable oil before measuring. I never use candy melts in any baking as they are not real chocolate.

Source: www.joyofbaking.com

Fondant
An edible sugar dough that is rolled out and used to cover cakes. Fondant dates to the Renaissance and was originally used in Britain to cover fruitcakes and seal in the freshness for shipping to the new world. Gelatin and glycerin keep the fondant smooth and pliable. Fondant dries firm, but not nearly as hard as gumpaste or pastillage, and therefore serves a different purpose.
Alternate terms: fondant icing, ready-rolled fondant (British), soft fondant (British), rolled fondant, sugarpaste (British)

Used for: covering cakes, appliques, braids. Can be used for other decor, such as ribbons or bows, but needs more drying time than gumpaste or pastillage, so it is not ideal for this purpose.

Buy or make: Definitely buy. I like Satin Ice. Here’s why.

Gumpaste
Gumpaste is similar to fondant, but the addition of gum tragacanth (a plant-based gum; more about gums in a future post) gives the dough added flexibility, allowing it to be rolled much thinner than fondant for realistic-looking flowers. Gumpaste dries hard, unlike fondant, and is therefore NEVER used to cover a cake. It is superior to fondant for decorations that need to hold their shape, such as the handle on this purse cake on the cover of Confetti Cakes:
Homemade gumpaste flowers can take up to two weeks to dry, and need to be made well in advance of the cake decorating event. Gumpaste flowers are best stored in airtight containers in a cool, dark place. Heat, humidity and refrigeration can all soften flowers, even after they’ve set. Placing flowers on buttercream frosting, which contains fat, can also soften them (source: http://www.ehow.com).

Alternate terms:Flower paste

Used for: Flowers. Also used for decorations that need to dry bone-hard, such as three-dimensional decor and plaques. The plaque on top of Mia’s cake was made of gumpaste.Buy or make: Make. I never knew how easy it was to make gumpaste until I was introduced to Nicholas Lodge’s recipe. Two things to know are:  (1) You must follow this recipe exactly for best results and (2) Use ONLY the CAI–Confectionary Arts International–tylose. I have found that other tylose yields different results.

Recipe:4 Large Egg Whites
2 lbs 10x powdered sugar
12 Level teaspoons Tylose 

4 teaspoons Crisco

1. Place the egg whites in a Kitchen Aid mixer bowl fitted with the flat paddle.
2. Turn the mixer on high speed for 10 seconds to break up the egg whites.
3. Reserve 1 cup of the powdered sugar and set aside.
4. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add the remaining sugar. This will make a soft consistency royal icing.
5. Turn up the speed to setting 3 or 4 for about 2 minutes. During this time measure off the tylose into a small container.
6. Make sure the mixture is at the soft peak stage. It should look shiny, like meringue and the peaks fall over. 
7. Turn the mixer to the slow setting and sprinkle the tylose in over a five second time period. Next, turn the speed up to the high setting for a few seconds to thicken the mixture.
8. Scrape mixture out of the bowl onto a work surface that has been sprinkled with some of the reserved 1 cup of powdered sugar. Place the shortening on your hands and knead the paste, adding enough of the reserved powdered sugar to form a soft but not sticky dough. You can check by pinching with your fingers and they should come away clean. Place the finished paste in a zip-top bag, then place the bagged paste in a second bag and seal well.
9. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours if possible before using to mature the paste.
10. Before use, remove from refrigerator and allow the paste to come to room temperature. Take a small amount of shortening on the end of your finger and knead this into the paste. If you are coloring the paste, add the paste color at this stage.
11. Always store the paste in the zip-top bags and return to the refrigerator when you are not using the paste. Will keep under refrigeration for approximately 6 months. You can keep the paste longer by freezing. Be sure to use zip-top freezer bags. If you will be freezing a batch of paste, allow it to mature for 24 hours in the refrigerator first before placing into the freezer.

Yield: About 2 pounds

Mexican Paste
Mexican Paste is ideal for cutting out shapes and modelling. It does not contain any glucose, glycerin,or gelatin, and therefore does not stretch or lose its shape when transferring the cut out shapes to the drying board. Similar to gumpaste. Not recommended for the easily frustrated.

Alternate terms: None that I know of.

Used for:Letters, patchwork cutters, plaques. Patchwork cutters are available at globalsugarart.com. Here’s (a rather gigantic view of) my favorite:

Buy or make: According to http://www.cakefrills.co.uk/, Mexican paste is “very easy to make as it is basically [fondant] with Gum Tragacanth. Patchwork powder is commercially available, but it is so easy and much cheaper to make your own.”
Recipe: Note: I have not tested this recipe.8 oz (or more) confectioner’s sugar
3 teaspoons gum tragacanth (DO NOT USE A SUBSTITUTE)
cold water

In a small bowl, mix confectioner’s sugar and gum tragacanth. Add 6 teaspoons of cold water.
Stir until mixture becomes crumbly but damp enough to bind together. Add a little more water if too dry, or confectioner’s sugar if too wet. Turn out onto a worktop and knead until pliable. Place into a plastic bag and leave at room temperature for 12 hours until firm. (The paste will feel very firm.) Break a small piece away and knead between your palms. Continue kneading between your fingers and repeat until all the paste is softened. Cut the paste into small pieces after it has been softened. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place all of the pieces into a plastic bag and place in freezer. Remove only the quantity required for defrosting. (Smaller pieces will defrost quicker.) Once defrosted, remove plastic wrap and store at room temperature in a plastic bag only. Never store the paste in a fridge. Knead the paste every third day to keep it pliable and to prevent the corners from drying out.

Tips for using Mexican paste with Patchwork Cutters:

  • Grease the rolling board with vegetable fat. Roll out the Mexican paste, but DO NOT LIFT THE PASTE OR TURN THE PASTE OVER WHEN ROLLING. The paste must stick to the board.
  • Grease the cutter well. Press firmly onto the paste.
  • Remove the cutter by flicking the edge. Always remove the cutter before peeling away the excess paste.
  • The paste should be cut cleanly. If the edges are ragged the paste is probably too thick.
  • The smaller the cutter the thinner the paste should be and the more vegetable fat should be used and spread over the smallest parts of the cutter.
  • Hot soapy water and a small brush will remove the fat once the cutter has been used.

Pastillage
Pastillage is rolled fondant without any of the softening ingredients (glycerine, corn syrup or shortening). It is used mainly for three-dimensional shapes because it dries bone-hard and crusts more quickly than fondant (source: Rose Levy Berenbaum, 1988.) It can also be colored or painted. You have to work very quickly with pastillage because it dries very quickly (source: http://www.baking911.com/). Below, a pastillage sculpture.

Depending on the mix, pastillage can be formed and sanded to remove any rough spots after it has completely dried.

Used for:sculptures, showpieces, three-dimensional shapes, ribbons and bows

Buy or make:Pastillage is relatively easy to make. I haven’t experimented much with recipes other than Rose Levy Berenbaum’s (below). Different recipes will obviously yield different results.

Recipe:
1 tablespoon gelatin scant
1/3 cup water
4 cups (lightly spooned into cup) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (lightly spooned into cup) cornstarch
optional: pinch cream of tarter

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 2-cup heatproof glass measure and let stand for 5 minutes. Set into a small pan of simmering water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. (This can be done in a microwave on high for a few seconds).

Combine the sugar, cornstarch and optional cream of tartar in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a lightly greased wooden spoon until blended. Mix lightly with greased hand and knead vigorously in the bowl until most of the sugar is incorporated. Turn onto a smooth, lightly greased surface (such as Formica or marble) and knead until smooth and satiny. If the Pastillage seems dry, add several drops of water and knead well. If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The Pastillage will resemble a smooth, well-shaped stone. When dropped, it should not spread.

Rolled Pastillage may be used at once but seems to work more easily when allowed to rest for several hours. It is important to keep Pastillage covered to prevent it from drying. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. It will firm slightly upon standing.

When ready to roll out, spray the work surface and rolling pin with nonstick vegetable spray.

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Fondant Reviews

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake design, fondant, fondant review, for the baker, for the bride, wedding cake, wedding cake long beach, wedding cake los angeles | 6 Comments

Sylvia Weinstock, the Queen of cakes, once said “I don’t do fondant.” Well I guess she’s changed her tune, because I see a lot of her work around and it’s all fondant.

Let’s face it: When it comes to achieving a perfectly smooth finish on a cake, nothing beats fondant. Nothing.

Some people object to the taste of fondant. In his book Ace of Cakes, Duff Goldman states that fondant is meant to be peeled off, not eaten. I disagree. If it’s not meant to be eaten, why put it on a cake? My objection is to the gumminess of the fondant with the crumb of the cake. It’s the two textures that I dislike, not necessarily the taste.

Fondant is the only component of my cakes that I don’t make from scratch. I’ve been using the same brand for years, but I wanted to find out if there was another that would work better for me. So, I conducted a decidedly non-scientific study of five brands of fondant. Here’s what I rated them on:

Consistency. It is important that your fondant look, taste, feel, and work the same every single time so you know what to expect. (Which is exactly why I purchase my fondant. Homemade fondant is completely unpredictable.) Every batch should yield the same results. If some batches are overly stretchy while others are completely dry, it makes for a very frustrated baker (and sometimes a very sad looking cake).

Texture. I want my fondant to be smooth and pliable, but not too smooth or pliable. It has to have a good amount of elasticity, but shouldn’t shrink back when it’s rolled out. It has to stand up to kneading and can’t be too buttery soft in my hands, but it has to be easy to work color into.

Working Time. Quality fondant gives you a significant amount of time to work with it before it becomes too dry. Cheaper fondant dries out too quickly.

Taste. I mean, come on, people are eating this stuff.

Here are the results in order of best to worst. I must emphasize that this is strictly subjective and based on the criteria that I feel are most important. I recommend conducting your own test to determine which fondant works best for you.

#1: Satin Ice Fondant. There are several reasons Satin Ice is the fondant of choice for many bakers. It’s consistent and easy to handle with a mild taste and superior working time.

#2: Bakel’s Pettinice. A close second to Satin Ice, Pettinice is reasonably consistent (although I once got a batch of their gumpaste that never dried) with a pleasant taste. It can be difficult to find in large quantities (Pfeil & Holing sell a 15-pound bucket) and was somewhat softer than I prefer.

#3: MASSA. A relative newcomer on the scene, Massa is distributed exclusively by Albert Uster Imports and was developed in conjunction with Nicholas Lodge. I would describe Massa as a bit gritty but with good flavor. Perhaps it was because their sales rep gave me a sample in a plastic bag (rather than an air tight container), but I found it a bit dry and therefore hard to smooth.

#4: Fondx. I know Fondx is Bronwen Weber’s fondant of choice, but I thought it had a chemical-like taste and was just way too stretchy. (Of course, she might like that quality in a fondant.) Have you ever made your own pizza dough, and no matter how you roll, pull, beat, or stretch it, it just keeps going back to its original shape? That was my experience with Fondx. It was just too elastic for me.

#5: Wilton. Although Wilton’s Ready-to-Use Fondant is easy to find and very consistent, it dries out way too quickly. I actually really like the bubble gum-like flavor and sugary crunch of the Wilton fondant. However, while it can be significantly cheaper than some of the professional brands, it becomes excessively dry and crumbly, rendering it unusable, so any savings is quickly lost.

Not tested: Fondarific (which claims to have an “unlimited worktime”) and Choco-Pan (made with white chocolate). According to their website, “Choco-Pan® covers at a rate nearly double that of traditional rolled fondants at a competitive price.” Sounds like a must-try to me.

Many people ask me whether or not fondant can be refrigerated. A while ago (and more recently than I care to admit) after a particularly harrowing delivery, extremely high temperatures, and my first unhappy bride, I contacted my friend Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop to tell her about the ordeal. She mentioned that she refrigerates her fondant cakes. I had always learned that you can’t refrigerate fondant, but Melody said it was fine, and she was right.

Today, I refrigerate all my cakes after they’re covered in fondant. To avoid condensation, I set my refrigerator to the lowest possible temperature to minimize the difference between the refrigerator temperature and the air temperature. Ron Ben Israel, my culinary hero (and boyfriend, unbeknownst to him), actually had a custom humidity-controlled refrigeration system built in his studio (which is why he’s my boyfriend). That said, condensation will form on the cakes when they’re taken out of the fridge, particularly on warm days, but I find that it evaporates rather quickly. It is imperative that you not touch the cake while it’s still wet or your fingers will stick and you will see fingerprints, even after it dries. (Note: I don’t refrigerate my sugar flowers. Because the petals are often very thin, any amount of water or condensation would weigh them down and cause them to wilt.)

I would love to hear your thoughts on the different fondant brands. Please feel free to share.

 

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Zoo Animal Cupcakes

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Erica OBrien in birthday cupcakes, CA, first birthday, fondant, for the baker, Long Beach, Papyrus, wedding cake connecticut, wedding cake connecticut (CT), wedding cake farfield county ct, wedding cake new york, wedding cake ny, zoo animal cupcakes | 2 Comments

This is a lengthy introduction to the zoo animal cupcakes I recently made, but here goes. My daughter Mia was born with hip dysplasia. For the first several months of her life, she had to wear a brace that kept her legs splayed out like a frog. So, we called her The Frog. The name took on a life of its own: She became Froggie, then Frogalina, and even had her own Froggie theme song. The nickname sounds callous, I know, but the best nicknames usually are. (Take for instance, my 6’8″ brother-in-law, “Stubby”, who earned his nickname as a teenager after blowing off three fingers with a homemade bomb.)

Cute frogs are hard to come by, but when Mia was about six months, I found this card at the Papyrus store on 2nd Street in Long Beach and bought it thinking I might use the design for Mia’s first birthday. We ended up going with a very different theme, but I kept the card in my inspiration file. So, when a client called and asked for zoo-themed cupcakes for her son Dante’s 2nd birthday, I knew exactly what design I would use. Here’s the card:

And here are the cupcakes:

PS: Mia no longer wears the brace, and has earned a new nickname: The Maniac.

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Silver Anniversary Cake

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Erica OBrien in fondant, metallic, piping, silver anniversary, wedding cake long beach, wedding cake los angeles | Leave a comment

Teresa contacted me about a cake for her parents’ 25th wedding anniversary. She wanted to use the invitation below for inspiration. I knew I would have to pipe it to get the fine lines on the invite, and I wanted to use some small 3-D flowers. I learned to pipe way before I learned any techniques with fondant or gumpaste, and I really enjoyed it. I don’t get to do much piping now, but when I do, it’s like visiting an old friend.

Quick Tip for the Baker: Whenever I want to paint using metallic luster dust, I always start by coloring my fondant, gumpaste, or royal icing a similar color. In other words, if I know I want to paint a fondant ribbon silver, I’ll start with gray fondant. That way, I don’t have to worry about white coming through. For gold, I color it a similar golden yellow, and for bronze, I use a matching brown.
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Buttons and Brides

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Erica OBrien in bridal shower, buttons, cake design, fondant, for the baker, for the bride, inspiration, Jessica Claire, wedding cake long beach, wedding cake los angeles | 9 Comments

I am very visual. Give me a picture, and I’ll create a cake to capture the feel, flavor (no pun intended), and design of the image. I recently collaborated with Carter and Cook, an event styling company in San Diego, to create a cake for a bridal luncheon photo shoot around this inspiration:

Several artists worked on the shoot: Amy, from the Wedding Chicks, coordinated the project and Jessica Claire took the photographs. Leigh Ann, from The Floral Lab, designed the flowers and Lori, the artist behind Paper and Thread, created the invitations. Ink and Button provided the hair accessories for the shoot.

The team met at Cafe Mimosa in San Clemente, California to scout out the locale and finalize the design concept. We agreed to incorporate some tangerines and buttons into the design.

I love making cakes for photo shoots. I love the freedom to create anything I want within a given design framework and to interpret the concept in whatever way I choose. Here, I created a centerpiece cake and four miniature versions of the centerpiece cake.

I made everything you see on the cake–from the flowers to the buttons to the lemons and kumquats–out of fondant.

And here are some other cute shots.

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Mia’s First Birthday Cake

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Erica OBrien in 1st birthday, birthday cake, cake design, first birthday, fondant, for the baker, tips + tools | 4 Comments

This is Mia. She turned one on February 2nd, 2010.

This is Mia’s room.

This is Mia in her room. Well, actually, this is Mia in the dresser that’s in her room after she decided to take out all of her pajamas and climb in the drawer. (Photo of her falling out of the drawer and hysterical crying not included.)

This is Mia’s name hanging on the wall of her room.

This is the birthday cake that was inspired by Mia’s room.
And this is Mia about to eat the fondant topper from the birthday cake that was inspired by her room.

Now, for the bakers out there, here are some tips, tools, and tricks of the trade:

1. For easy, even fondant stripes, use a ribbon cutter. Also, use fondant that is on the drier side. If your fondant is too stretchy, knead some cornstarch or Tylose Powder into it. Allow the stripes to dry ever so slightly before applying.
2. For perfect lettering, try FMM Tappits. Just be sure to roll your fondant or gumpaste extra thin. Again, slightly drier fondant is best.
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