July 2010 Cake of The Month

Photo courtesy of member/instructor Janet Ben-Ami

This cute cake was designed by our member/instructor Janet Ben-Ami, Hey! Cookie.

Janet is a master 3D cake carver and an extraordinary teacher. We at NYC Cake Decorators believe that she would blow the socks off the judges at Food Network or TLC.

We are cheering for her and hope that she's gets the recognition she truly deserves. Check out her Facebook Page Hey! Cookie.

Need a Wedding Cake in 4 Hours?

Charmaine Jones, the original Cakediva, rocked the house with "Create a Wedding Cake in 4 hours!"

Members braved the 99+ heat and thunderstorm yesterday and created 7 amazing cakes!

Do you think all these cakes are dummies? Think again! Many members opted to bring one or more tiers of real cake! To my knowledge, this is the first class of its kind.

Thanks Charmaine, for knocking another class out of the park!

Topsy Turvy Class

Marisol, Assistant Organizer and Officer in the NY State Chapter of I.C.E.S. held a Topsy Turvy class at NY Cake this weekend. This is an example of the sweet results! Marisol is planning to conduct an encore class of this method of Topsy Turvy cake construction in the near future.

Sweet Ashley's Meetup with NYC Cake Decorators

Ashley is spending a few weeks in the Ti-State Area and thanks to member Quinton, we were able to touch base and inquire about a Meetup. When we got Ashley's "ok", everyone was very excited and plans were immediately made to schedule a meetup. That weekend was the busiest ever with a Topsy Turvy Cake Class and Wedding Cake Class scheduled and a meetup with Chef Anne Heap scheduled the following Saturday. With such limited time to plan something special, it was decided that an intimate lunch with our very special guest would work and it was well worth the wait!

Lunching with Ashley Viscos yesterday was a real blast! Members braved the sun and storm to talk cake with one of the top cake designers on Food Network "Cake Challenge" and more recently TLC's "Ultimate Cake Off". In homage to Ashley's Southern roots, we chatted over ribs and po'boys at Virgils Times Square. Ashley plans to remain in the New York City vicinity until on or about August 13th. We've got our fingers crossed that she will be able to conduct a demo or class with NYC Cake Decorators before she heads home. A special thanks to member Annette Villaverde, Ladybugluggage, who surprised us all with her beautifully decorated treats.

The Cake Lady has Passed

It gives me great sadness to announce that Frances Kuyper, the CAKE LADY™ has passed. Frances was a pioneer in American cake decorating and anyone who has covered a cake with fondant or played with an airbrush owes a huge debt to her.

Frances Kuyper inspired me to learn and continue to develop as a cake designer. Although I was not able to visit her or her Mini-Cake Museum in California, I am fortunate to possess autographed copies of her cake books thanks to esteemed cake designer Diane Shavin.

Please send cards and notes to Frances' daughter in care of the following address: Carol Thomas C/O 5964 Whisperlodge Way, Roseville, CA 95747. The Memorial service will be at Hollenbeck Palms (Chapel ), 573 So. Boyle Av, Los Angeles, Ca 90033 on Sat, July 31 at 1:30 P M. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Hollenbeck Palms/ Building Fund. They are a non-profit, and are raising funds to build a new Alzheimer Facility. Frances' husband had Alzheimer's and passed away at Hollenbeck as well.

OMG! Lunch with Ashley Viscos!

Ashley Viscos, owner Sweet Ashley's, and a regular on TLC's Ultimate Cake-Off is in New York City for a few weeks and lucky members of NYC Cake Decorators will get to meet and chat with Ashley at lunch next week.
Everyone is quite excited to see Ashley and we have our fingers crossed that she will be able to conduct a class or demo for us before she heads home.

Cake Buzz: D.C. Cupcakes Premieres on TLC!

D.C. Cupcakes sounds like it's going to be a really neat show: Two sisters who risked everything to open a cupcake shop, and the risk pays off! What a great inspiration for any caker dreaming to open her shop and what a great sister story!

My favorite memory of a sister moment was when I was asked to make a cake for MTV Most Wanted back in the 1990's. Up to that point, no one in my family took my cake decorating seriously. My sister who was an MTV fanatic was shocked and excited. She helped me with the cake and went to the studio with me to meet the producer. We even were allowed behind the scenes to watch the episode where the cake was announced and were both given a VHS tape of the show. It was a very happy moment indeed. - Dina

Cake Buzz : Ruth Drennan Cakes

Ruth Drennan Cakes is nestled comfortably among trendy stores and restaurants directly across from Union Square and south of the Blue Water Grill. Chef Ruth's custom cake shop, painted a lovely shade of blue, reflects the clean lines and elegance her cakes are known for.


















Chef Ruth has been quite busy this year but had time for a short break today to chat about cake. What's Ruth up to these days? Baking those glorious wedding cakes, creating fabulous dessert tables, and teaching sugar art. Several of Ruth's wedding cakes were recently featured on the Tyra Banks Show. Happily for us, she has agreed to conduct a peony gumpaste class at our 3rd Annual Day of Sharing.

Pink Little Cake Debuts on TLC's Cake Crew!

Our own Kathia Castro, Pink Little Cake, has the honor of being one of a handful of bloggers selected for TLC's Cake Crew!

Lemon Strawberry Breeze Dessert from Kathia Castro on Vimeo.

Yummy Cookie Recipe!

I baked these sweet little hat cookies for the Uncorked! Festival in Staten Island. They are buttery and not very sweet. Great with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. The recipe is easy enough for kids to help out in the kitchen. A great family activity!

Buttery Cookie Recipe

Cream together: 1 cup unsalted butter and 2/3 cup sugar
Beat in: 1 egg
Add: 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Chill dough 3-4 hours before rolling.

Preheat oven to 350. Place a disc of cookie dough between two pieces of wax or parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. Roll out 1/4" thick and cut. [I used a large flower cutter and a round cutter for the hat]. Chill on the cookie sheet in the fridge until firm.

Bake about 10 minutes or until barely colored. Cool on rack for 2-5 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Got Milk?

Dina :)

July 2010 Cake of the Month

Photo courtesy of member, Barbara

After all the partying this weekend, treat yourself to a hot soak! This sweetie of a cake was designed by member Barbara, a recreational cake decorator.