Sayings for Your Holiday Cakes!

Cake created by member Dianna Lopez

Stumped for sayings for your holiday cakes? Here are some crafty messages:

December Magic
It's Mitten Time
Have a Joyous Season
Let It Snow
Seasons Greetings
'Snow Much Fun
'Tis The Season
Winter Fun
Wrapping Up The Holidays
Yule Ya'll

Happy Decorating!

Holiday Baking & Decorating with Chef Fougere

Chef Jean Fougere's class was a blast! Chef gave tried and true tips and techniques of the trade as we measured ingredients and baked delicate pumpkin and chocolate cupcakes at kitchennyc commercial kitchen. Chef demonstrated the basics of how to crack and separate eggs correctly, which butter to use in baking, why measurement by weight is better than measurement by volume, how to select the finest baking chocolate, how to make and roll out chocolate "clay" and more! We made silky swiss meringue buttercream to top our cupcakes--yummy. We also had the pleasure of meeting Tricia, the owner of kitchennyc, who is gracious and a real pleasure to know.

Members learned how to create chocolate "clay" and handcraft deliciously beautiful chocolate roses like the example shown here.

December 2008 Cake of the Month

Vicki is crazy about cake decorating and sugarcraft.  She has taken classes with the best and has been designing cakes for twenty years.

Create a Suitcase Cake with Sugar Couture

Photo and Design Courtesy of Chef Penny Stankiewicz

Join the NYC Cake Decorators and create your own leather suitcase cake with Chef Penny, owner Sugar Couture. Class is scheduled for January 18, 2009 in NYC. Contact Dina for details.

Blue Ribbon Awarded at Salon of Culinary Art

Natalie Johnson won a blue ribbon and Felicitations from the Jury at the 140th Salon of Culinary Art. Congratulations, Natalie!

NY Chocolate Show 2008

Member Dianna (right center) had the honor of assisting chocolate show models Vanessa & Deena with their superhero-themed NY Chocolate Show outfit "Storm" modeled by Sophie. It was an AMAZING experience!

140th Annual Salon of Culinary Arts Show

Members were eager to attend the 140th Annual Salon of Culinary Arts at Jacob Javits Convention Center this weekend. We all had to purchase badges which we later learned gave access to the Culinary Art Exhibit, and the Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Expo for three days. Four NYC Cake Decorators entered the Cake Competition. Hopefully more members will compete next year.

Natalie's (member) outstanding black and white wedding cake features intricate extension work, brush embroidery, and gumpaste peonies.

Irene Likokas' (member)mosaic white on pale blue wedding cake is stunning. Irene is a fine artist and noted for her cake toppers. The sweet love birds are handcrafted.

Stephanie's (member) cake is a great choice for a fall/winter wedding. The cake design is elegant and traditional with a twist, and earned Stephanie her first blue ribbon!

Chef Benny and Chef Marc's architectural masterpiece featured stunning gumpaste flowers and pearls. Their entry won First Place and a gold medal! Chefs Benny and Marc are co-owners of Diverse Desserts located on W.18th Street in Manhattan and members of NYC Cake Decorators Meetup.

Have you figured out how this cake was made?

Some of our favorite non-member entries.

Additional favorite non-member entries.

After taking pics of all the beautiful cakes and congratulating Natalie and Benny, Vicki, Sharrella, and Dina wandered over to see the rest of the Hotel and Restaurant Expo. They fell absolutely in love with the Hobart 20qt. --made in America--table top mixer. Whisper quiet with an automatic scrapper attachment, could this be heaven?

Cake Decorators may also be interested in Packaging Specialties, a gem of a packaging company that offers a variety of professional cake and cupcake boxes. No pic here but well worth an online visit.

Organic chocolates were on display and offered for tasting. Several booths also offered bonbons, kettle corn, gelato, and icecream tastings. Yummy!

Vicki, Sharella and Dina had a lovely time at Dorothy Prentice Aromatherapy booth. Cake decorators always need to take time to de-stress after a hectic week of baking and decorating. They had the pleasure to meet Dorothy Prentice (who is a gracious and warm individual), and treated themselves to some of Dorothy Prentice's terrific products. Among the personal favorites are her pink grapefruit soap and "sleep well" massage oil, which is composed of essential oil of french lavender in a base of jojoba oil.

Stephanie's stunning wedding cake was entered into the Societe Culinaire Philanthropic wedding cake competition. Several members of the group will attend the show tomorrow. Good Luck, Stephanie!

Confetti Cakes' New Book Launch November 5th!

Elisa Strauss' book Confetti Cakes for Kids launches in bookstores on November 5th! However, if you just can't wait to see the fabulous fun cakes Elisa has created, you can purchase the book now at Confetti Cakes and Amazon.com.

Fall Tiered Cake Ideas

Hector has been decorating cakes since 1996. This stunning tiered cake is perfect for a fall wedding or special event. The color and texture of the cake and skillful use of hand crafted gumpaste orchids make this tiered cake a stunning centerpiece for any special occasion.