Happy Halloween!!!

This cake was designed by member Dianna Lopez.
Diana is a self-taught hobby cake decorator who has a passion for being creative with sugar. Dianna is currently an intern at Carlos Bakery in Hoboken.

Break out the Bubbly!

Member with her Champagne Bottle Cake.

Members created awesome Champagne Bottle cakes with instructor Chef Janet Ben-Ami.

MAKE YOUR CAKES GIVEAWAY -What's UR FF?

This photo is courtesy of Make Your Cakes.

As a preferred blogger, Make Your Cakes, is giving away 5 of their fabulous sugar art tutorials to one of our lucky readers. What a special treat, long after Halloween has ended!

To enter the giveaway, visit Make Your Cakes website and then tell me your 5 favorite sugar art designs. [Your favorite five "FF" must be in stock].

Include your email address in your comment. One lucky reader will receive 5 sugar art tutorials directly from Make Your Cakes. Giveaway ends Sunday, November 17, 2010 at 11:59AM EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. GISELA IS OUR WINNER!! CONGRATULATIONS GISELA!! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!

Doll Cake

This enchanting doll cake was designed by member Rosa.

Rosa is a passionate self taught cake artist. Originally a Computer Programmer/Graphic Designer, her need to express myself artistically evolved into using cake as a medium. Rosa loves creating edible works of art & WOWing people with her cakes.

Bewitched!

This bewitching cake was designed by member Iva. Perfect for that grown-up Halloween party.

CSN Stores Giveaway!

CSN Stores is the icing on the cake! As a proud preferred blogger, I am totally excited by their selection of quality products from kitchen and dining sets to health and fitness--you want it, they got it--in over 200 online stores!

CSN Stores is offering one lucky reader from NYC Cake Decorators blog a chance to win a $40.00 gift certificate.  Just visit CSN Stores and leave a comment on this post on or before October 17, 2010,
11:59 pm EST, telling me what you would buy with your gift certificate. Be sure to leave your email address because the winner will be contacted by email (so double check your Inbox), and your $40.00 gift certificate will be mailed directly to you by CSN Stores. [There may be international shipping charges in the case of Canadian addresses].  Open to our U.S.A. and Canada readers.

THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED. CONGRATULATIONS, LAUREN!!!!!! Thank you to everyone who participated.


[Winner selected by Random.org]

Al Roker Entertainment Casting Call for Cake Designers!

Photo courtesy of cake designer and member Bernadette Hansen

Cake Designers, get your pastry bags ready!!!! Al Roker Entertainment is in the process of casting a pilot and his production company is looking for an unpaid part-time intern who has a BIG, ENTHUSIASTIC, BRIGHT personality with a PASSION for baking and cake design. The casting call is for a potential TV pilot in suburban New York City and could mean camera time and a lot of exposure for an up and coming cake designer.

Are you ready to shine? Include your resume, a small write up about yourself, a photo of yourself and any photos/videos of your work. Anything that gives the production company a sense of who you are! Don't delay! Email your resume and supporting documents to: casting429@gmail.com. Good Luck!

Spook-Ta-cu-lar Halloween Cookies!

These cool howl-o-ween sugar cookies are easy enough for beginner cakers, and busy moms and their kids to make. Sharing a "cookie moment" is sure to bring smiles and giggles to the entire family. We used a basic roll-out sugar cookie recipe. Any basic roll-out cookie recipe is fine. For those who want to go the extra mile, we suggest Elisa Strauss' sugar cookie recipe in her first book, Confetti Cakes. Even novice bakers can whip up a batch of cookie dough, roll, cut, and bake in a snap!

Both cookies were covered in Satin-Ice Fondant [which is Pareve]. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, the fun part comes--decorating!

You will need a small 2lb container of white and black vanilla flavored fondant
rolling pin
plastic mat to roll out the fondant
round cookie cutter
witches hat cookie cutter
small rectangle cutter or template
yellow and blue food gel colors
art brush
small pizza cutter
a small amount of water or clear corn syrup

Witch's Hat Cookie
Roll out the black fondant until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut with the witches hat cookie cutter.
Apply a small amount of water or clear corn syrup to the cookie and affix the fondant on the cookie.
Color a small amount of white fondant yellow. Roll out until about 1/8 inch thick and cut a small strip with the pizza cutter. Apply a small amount of water or clear corn syrup to the cookie and affix the yellow "hat band". Finally, color a small amount of white fondant blue and roll out a little thick. Cut a small rectangle buckle with a rectangle cutter or template. Apply a small amount of water or corn syrup and apply to the hat. You can continue to embellish the hat with tiny candy decors, edible glitter and such.

Mummy Cookie
Roll out the black fondant until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut with the round cookie cutter. Apply a small amount of water or clear corn syrup to the cookie and affix the black fondant on the cookie.
Take a small amount of white fondant and divide into two balls [for the eyes]. Put a small amount of water on the cookie and affix the balls. Then take a small amount of black fondant and divide into 3 balls. The first two affix to the eyeballs, the third flatten slightly and hallow to serve as the mummy's mouth.
To make the wrappings, roll an amount of white fondant until almost see-through. Cut strips using the pizza cutter. Brush the cookie with a damp art brush dipped in water, and crisscross the strips.

Enjoy!

Baking for a Good Cause - Iron Cupcake Challenge

Photo courtesy of Kati Angelini

It's October and the holidays will be here in a flash! So much focus in the media and television has been about cake competitions and reality shows that I thought it was high time that we feature a post on baking for charities and good causes.

During the month of October, NYC Cake Decorators blog will publish several posts highlighting wonderful cakers who bake for a cause and cake related charitable organizations. Please visit their websites and see what they are about.

Kati Angelini, owner Kati's Kupcakes and Gourmet Desserts, is the bubbly and charismatic Organizer of the Iron Cupcake Challenge Moorestown. The Iron Cupcake Challenge is a fun way to get local baking enthusiasts together to vie for the title of Iron Cupcake Champion!! Each month a flavor/ingredient is disclosed and participants must bake their best cupcake based on the given flavor (like Food Networks' Iron Chef Challenge). Prizes are given and judges choose their favorite cupcake based on style, presentation, creativity, and of course FLAVOR. Best of all a portion of the proceeds are donated to local charities!!

Bake your scariest and tastiest cupcake to impress the judges and public at this month's October Iron Cupcake Challenge. The secret ingredient is PUMPKIN! Ruth Drennan, owner of Ruth Drennan Cakes will be a guest judge at this event! The Friends of Fullerton Park is the worthy organization that will benefit this month. Cupcakes+Charities=Perfect Together!! For more information about entering the contest or attending and tasting, contact Kati via the Iron Cupcake Challenge -Moorestown Meetup webpage or call 609-332-2172.

Bride of Frankenstein Doll Cake!

Our annual Howl-o-ween favorite, how to create a Bride of Frankenstein Doll Cake, from member and film photographer Lisa Stock. Enjoy!

Fantasy Wedding Cake

This fantasy wedding cake is not a cake at all but a fantasy hair creation that I stumbled onto at a blog called Kind of Gross and Amazing.

I think this "cake" is rather amazing: Non-edible imitating an edible. Just like we cakers make 3D edibles that look non-edible.

October 2010 Cake of The Month

This cute cake was designed by member Maria Esquijarosa.

Maria is crazy about cake decorating and took several classes with Elisa Strauss, Confetti Cakes. This cake was inspired by one of Elisa's gift box cake designs.