a small little fondant cake

For the last "Fondant and Gum Paste" class I made a small little cake for the class project.

This past week had been slightly hectic, so I wasn't able to dedicate some time to making flowers for my cake. I only had the flowers made during class time, which weren't many.

As I was about to bake a cake for the class, I thought, maybe I should just bake a small one, so I don't have to use too many flowers to decorate it.




The cake was just over 4 inches in diameter, and about 1.5 inches tall.

I covered it with green fondant, and cut out circles of brown fondant, along with rolled green, brown, and white fondant balls to decorate the side and bottom of the cake.

I tried to place ALL of my flowers on the cake, but it just didn't look right, so I only used a pink rose and a small leaf I made in class last week.




I really like how this cake turned out. Now that all three cake decorating courses are finished, I am ready to utilize what I've learned and hopefully make cute cakes all the time! :D

gift box cake

For the second "Gum Paste and Fondant" class the instructor had us bring a squared cake. She was going to teach us how to cover it with fondant.

We had made a bow the week before with a gum paste and fondant mixture. Since I had a white bow, I figured I'd just make my gift box white, too.



I didn't have enough fondant to make ribbons or decorations for the four sides of the gift box, but I thought the cake turned out pretty cute anyhow. :D


At least Yama thought so.


Details on the bow.


Yay for fondant-covered gift box cake!

flower basket

For the last session of my Flowers and Cake Design class, I made a flower basket cake!

Each of us baked a cake at home, and brought it to class to decorate for the final project during class. I only baked half a batch of my cake batter because I didn't want to make a tall and layered cake. The thing was, as I was removing the cake from the pan, the bottom of the cake stuck on the pan and I lost a thin layer of cake, and that resulted in my cake being really short.

And because the cake was already short, I didn't even level the top of the cake before I iced it and brought it to class.

The main technique the instructor taught us to do was to make basket-weave patterns on the side of cakes. The idea was that we would make the side of our cakes look like a basket with buttercream icing, and then decorate the top of the "basket" with flowers we made with royal icing.

Since my cake was so short and round-topped, I couldn't make a more conventional flower basket cake. Instead, I made my version of flower basket cake...



My basket is on the bottom half of the top of the cake, and there's a handle on the top rim, and then flowers in between. A very rounded and puffy flower basket on the top of the cake if you may. I actually kinda like it!


The colored flowers were the ones I made in advance with royal icing.


And I added a few buttercream icing white roses when I was finishing up the cake.

Overall the cake turned out fine! Yay!

roses

I don't think roses are my favorite flowers, but I have been really enjoying making roses with both regular icing and royal icing.


Up until this Tuesday I had been making ribbon roses (no separate petals) with regular icing for some of the cupcakes I make for the shop.


I was able to make "(almost) Wilton roses" using royal icing after the instructor reviewed the techniques Tuesday!

I'm thinking for my class project next week I want to make roses for the cake we have to decorate. Lots of roses.

royal icing flowers

I almost forgot to blog about my "Flower and Cake Design" class! During this class, the instructor showed us how to make a few different flowers using royal icing. Royal icing is pretty much just powdered sugar, water, and meringue powder, and dries soon so users can make flowers or decorations in advance and use these hardened flowers whenever they need them.


My practice royal icing flowers.

I still can't make really pretty ones, but it surely is fun trying.

Plus these little royal icing flowers taste pretty decent, too! :D

flowers

I started the second cake decorating class course this past Tuesday, and this class is focused on flowers and cake design.

For the first class we learned about gum paste and fondant, and how to mix and utilize these two ingredients to make simple flowers.



Apparently this was the only class during this course that we were going to use gum paste and fondant to make stuff. For the most part we are going to learn to make different flowers and cake designs using royal icing.

Fun!

cake with ribbon roses

John and I have been really busy with remodeling the shop... after 6 years we've decided to change the interior look. The remodeling is pretty much finished and we're back in business after a few days. Been kind of busy, which is good, and I shall post some before-and-after photos soon!

Yesterday I started another cake decorating class! This one is all about flowers and cake designs. I think I'm going to really enjoy it! Last week, for the fourth and last basic cake decorating class I made a golden butter cake, iced, and decorated with ribbon roses and put little balls around the base.



I like it!

flower cupcake

For our third basic cake decorating class we learned to use the different flower and cupcake nails, and to do a few flower designs.

I decorated a few cupcakes with little flowers.



My colored icing was having problems for some reason. The icing itself and the colors seemed to be separating as they sat in the piping bag. When I mixed them on Sunday everything looked fine, but Monday I noticed the slight color separation in the bag. I wonder what happened. I will make another batch and see.

Will play with decorating cupcakes this week.

cupcake cake

For the second basic decorating class we learned to ice a layered cake, use round decorating tips to make designs, and use piping gel to transfer a design onto a cake.

And to put all these techniques to practice we were to choose to make either a fish cake (a cake with a fish design on it,) or a cupcake cake. I was planning on making a fish cake because I thought most people in class were going to make the cupcake cake, but then when the instructor asked, most people (I think it was everyone but me!) were making the fish cake! I switched to the cupcake design at the last minute.


It was a 9-inch cake.

I was slow at decorating the cake, so I layered my cake, iced it (without too much of smoothing), and made the cupcake design on it (while my classmates decorated their fish cakes with the fish, borders, and such).


Whoa! My first iced cake! Gonna use the color gel more sparingly next time, though.

icing stars

I started taking the Wilton basic cake decorating class last Tuesday, and it was a lot of fun. I actually knew the instructor back in college when I worked at the University of Utah post office!

Before the first class I was given a syllabus, with a list of tools I needed to bring. I could get a "student kit" for the basic class, but I also read if I got the Ultimate Decorating Set I would have all the tools I needed for all three cake decorating classes, plus a cool carrying case, and some extra stuff.

I went back and forth for a while, and decided to get the Ultimate set because I got a 50% off coupon from Michaels! What a deal! I just couldn't resist it. Plus I really would like to take all three classes in a row. This expense should get me motivated.


(photo from Wilton official web site.)

The first class I learned the basic stuff about the tools, cakes, different icings and such, and the first decorating action I learned was to make little stars.

And I went home and decorated some sugar cookies with little stars.



I think I'm really gonna enjoy these classes!

cakes in a van

I had been thinking about registering and taking a cake decorating class for a while, but still couldn't decide if I really want to take the time to go to classes.

The other day I went to the kitchen supply store and saw a couple vans in the parking lot with pretty cakes in the back!




I stared at them for a while, and made up my mind that I would learn how to decorate cakes because I want to make pretty cakes myself.

I registered for the Wilton basic cake decorating class, and the class starts tomorrow!