Tech Meets Art - Use Your iPad for Cake Decorating!

The iPad is a marvelous tool for cake decorators. It can be effectively used as your portfolio, holding photos of your cakes, videos of your venues and/or techniques, testimonials and such.  With a sketch app you can also use the iPad during your client interviews.

Cake Buzz: Free Online NYC Food Protection Course

The New York City Food Protection Course satisfies the city Health Code requirement that supervisors of food service establishments and non-retail food service establishments be certified as having completed a course in food protection.

The course is also available for a limited time online for free, and is now offered in Spanish, Chinese and English.

Cake Buzz: Unusual Source of Sugar Art Supplies

We've all seen cake designers using gadgets from home improvement stores in their cake decorating. Ever think about going to a paint store?

There are several online superstores like TCP Global Kustom Paint Superstore which sell airbrush and airbrush stencils. The multilayered stencils "Famous Faces" is part of Anh Pham's stencil and DVD series offered at TCP Global online. They claim easy and professional results, like the portrait of Marilyn Monroe shown here and on TCP Global's website.

A Nifty Cake Box Delivery System at Oasis Supply

Always on the search for unique cake decorating products and supplies, I came across a neat cake box delivery system for my upscale custom cakes at Oasis Supply.

The box is beautifully decorated to showcase that awesomely designed cake nestled inside. What is so great about this delivery system is that the medium box inset holds a 10" square cake or a 6" and 10" square stacked cake!

Oasis Supply, a sponsor of NYC Cake Decorators Meetup, also offers great discounts for bulk orders and has a variety of products to choose from. I am going to order the delivery system and will report how well it transports my tiered cake.

What's Your Style?

Cake deigned by Colette Peters

Cake designed by former partners Lori Ditunno and Ruth Drennan

Cake designed by Sylvia Weinstock.

Cake designed by Margaret Braun.

There's a saying that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Problem is imitating a work is often looked upon at the very least as someone trying to get attention for oneself by copying another's original ideas, and at the very worst, could get the imitator into some very sticky situations.

Cake designers who study under one or more outstanding sugar artist are bound to absorb some of their teacher's style, however, the ultimate purpose of such study is not to become their clone but to learn the technique and move on to develop your own signature look.

Start by looking at lots of cakes in cake decorating books and magazines and thinking about what you personally like or don't like. Do you love cute and whimsy, 3D cakes, lots of piping and floral work, clean minimalist shapes? Do you love lots of bold color or soft pastels? Are you trendy, edgy, whimsical, traditional or a blend of two or more points of view? Giving thought to what you personally love the best about cake decorating and sugar art can form the foundation of your own signature look. Each of the cakes created by the top New York City sugar artists listed above, has it's own distinct style. What is your style?

Cooking Up A Recipe for Success

You've made the plunge and learned how to bake and decorate fabulous cakes, cookies, and cupcakes and you've discovered that sugar art is your passion. Or perhaps you have an heirloom recipe for brownies or pie that you would like to market. What do you do next? Many bakers/cake decorators begin by giving or selling their decorated cakes, cookies, and cupcakes to family, friends, co-workers, and community organizations. However, cake decorators in New York City who want to start a part-time or full-time business soon realize that they must be licensed, have insurance, and operate from a commercial kitchen. Costs for start-ups to open a commercial kitchen in New York City are prohibitive. However, there are ways that the most determined sugar art designer can start a legal business:

• Get Free counseling from S.C.O.R.E. For example, on April 30th, the NYC branch of S.C.O.R.E. will host a seminar on writing a business plan and on May 2nd they will host a seminar for women on how to start a business. LaGuardia Community College Small Business Center also offers advice on how to start a business.
  
• Get licensed. In NYC you will need a Food Handler's license from the Department of Health and possibly a NYS Agriculture and Market License. Currently, you can take the Food Handler Protection course online for free.
• Get a tax ID number and tax resale ID number.
  
• Get product liability insurance. Travelers is one company that offers such insurance but certainly is not the only company, so do your research.
• Get a copy of Bringing Home the Baking: How to Start a Licensed Home Based Baking Business by Quincella C. Geiger.
• Get connected with a kitchen incubator. A kitchen incubator makes it financially possible for most start-up businesses to legally operate in New York State by offering leases or daily/hourly rates for commercial kitchen rental. There are several well-known incubators in New York City such as Mi Kitchen Es Su Kitchen in Queens, Kitchen for Hire in Brooklyn, and DRM Baking Center Incubator in Manhattan. Outside NYC are several kitchen incubators such as Chef Delivery Kitchen for Rent in Long Island, NY.

If you are outside of New York State the online Kitchen Incubator directory will connect you with kitchen incubators in your town.

Get ready to put in the sweat equity you are going to need to cook up your own success story!

Presentation is Everything....

This tiered cake was designed and decorated by Isabel (Isa) Sanchez, Isa's Cakes

How many cake designers spend hours decorating their cakes right down to the finest detail and then present their cakes in photographs poorly. Take time to style your cake to show off your work to its best advantage. A neat little book devoted entirely to this topic is Cake Styling by Nicholas Lodge.

Wedding Cake Talk From Bronwen Weber

Cake Decorating Time and Cost-Saving Tips

This beautiful baby cake was decorated by Shauna.

Let's face it, times are rough--even for us cake designers. Our members are great at sharing ways to save money with sugar art:

1. Use a cheap kitchen cabinet space saver to dry gumpaste flowers. - Dina
2. Wet and wring clean old towels and use in place of store bought baking strips. - Jessie
3. Make your own cake release by mixing equal parts of flour, shortening, and vegetable oil. - Jessie.
   
4. Fondant rolling pins are often expensive and are too small for large jobs. Take a trip to Home Depot or Lowe's plumbing aisle and pick up a piece of PVC pipe long enough to cover a large cake.- Dianna L.
   
5. Pick up a piece of clear vinyl from a fabric store to cover your working surface. You can use this to help pick up a large piece of fondant to drape your cake without sticking your fingers through it. Another thing is if you fold it in half and roll out your fondant in between it - it helps keep your fondant from drying as you roll it out. - Dianna
   
6. When not in use, a long bread tin can be used as a flower former. - Lynn
7. During your downtime, makes lots of buds and flowers in one color (such as white or light pastel). When you need to decorate a cake, airbrush or dust those stored flowers with color to suit the occasion. - Jessie
   

Gumpaste Peony Class with Chef Ruth Drennan

Members proudly showing off their gumpaste peonies with Chef Ruth Drennan (back row R), Ruth Drennan Cakes

Iva's gumpaste peony

The Gumpaste Peony Class with Chef Ruth Drennan, Ruth Drennan Cakes, was a lot of fun! Ruth is a very patient instructor with a relaxed style that made it easy to learn the flower. She graciously shared behind the scenes information about her experiences on "Amazing Wedding Cakes" with former Cake Atelier partner, Lauri Ditunno, and tips and hints to improve our gumpaste work. One helpful tip is to purchase a cheap white knee-high stocking and use it to hold cornstarch. Works like a charm! Why not join us at our future meetups? For more information, contact Dina, NYC Cake Decorators Meetup.

See you there!

Dina

Going Green? Take a look at those Cake Mixes

This blue bird cake was created by Dina, Sugar Designs NYC

In the never ending debate about cake mixes vs. baking from scratch, the inevitable question arises as to whether cake mixes save time. Cake mixes can save time depending on the complexity of the scratch recipe, however, there are many scratch recipes that are just as easy to make.

The more important question might be the consumption of artificial ingredients vs. fresh ingredients. Take a look at the ingredients listed on any box mix: propylene glycol monoesters and distilled monoglycerides (to name just a few ingredients) help give box cakes that soft crumb by articificially constructing the cake's texture, but these chemicals also maintain the shelf life of the product. Makes you want to go hmmmmmmm! Think about this the next time you want to save time by preparing a cake mix for your family, friends, and clients.

Passover Sponge Cake
courtesy Susan G. Purdy, A Piece of Cake

Ingredients
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar, sifted (200 grams)
3/4 cup matzoh meal, sifted (90 grams)
1/2 cup potato flour, sifted ( 85 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cups light vegetable oil, such as corn or safflower oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine grated zest and juice of orange and lemon in one bowl. Add egg yolks. Whisk well to combine ingredients. Set bowl aside.
3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 cups granulated sugar, whipping the whites until stiff but not dry. Set whites aside.
4. In a small bowl, combine matzoh meal and potato flour, and set them aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the salt. Stir to blend, then make a hole in the middle of thes dry ingredients and pour in the yolk-juice mixture. Add the oil. Whisk well to blend.
5. Whisk about 1 cup of whipped whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then, little by little, fold the matzoh meal-flour mixture into the whipped batter in 1/4-cup increments. Use a light touch to maintain batter volume.
6. Turn batter into ungreased tube pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. As soon as the cake is done, invert it onto the feet of its pan or hang it upside down over a tall bottle or funnel. Leave the cake in this position for several hours or overnight, until completely cold.
8. To remove the cake from its pan, slide a knife blade between the cake sides and the pan. Then top the cake with a plate, invert, and tap the pan bottom. Lift off pan. If pan sticks, again work the knife blade between the cake and pan to loosen crumbs. The colder the cake, the more easily it will come out of the pan. Serve the cake plain, or sift on a light coating of confectioner's sugar.
   

Before You Bake That Cake...

This stunning cake was created by Patricia R., NYC Cake Decorators Meetup

You must be absolutely clear of your client's expectations before you bake that cake. Here are some suggestions of topics that should be covered during this important meeting:

• How many people will the cake need to serve?
• Where will the event take place? (If you have never been to the venue you also need to have information on the decor, ceiling height, cake table, venue contact name & telephone number).
• Will the reception take place indoors or outdoors?
• Is there air conditioning at the venue (for summer weddings)?
  
• Are there any special dietary needs to consider, i.e. religious, food allergies, gluten intolerance, diabetes.
• Theme of the event?
• Cake and filling flavors?
• Does the cake need to travel far?
• What style of cake does the client want?
• Will the client pick up the cake or will you deliver?
• Is the client willing to rent certain equipment i.e., elaborate cake stands and/or pillars?
• Is the client willing to accept your payment policy and cancellation policy?
  

Sylvia Weinstock's Classic Yellow Cake
from Sweet Celebrations

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 pound sweet butter at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 large egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line the baking pans with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the sugar and continue to mix until fluffy and light.
4. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, being sure each is well incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Be sure the mixture is completely blended after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat for 1 minute.
6. In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven, 60 minutes for a 12-inch square pan, or 45 to 50 minutes for an 8-inch pan. The top of the cake should be nicely browned. Test for doneness with a skewer or a toothpick-the tester should come out dry and clean.

Enjoy!

Tips on Your Sugar Flower Sprays

This lovely cake was created by member Natalie, owner A World of Cakes.

There are many different ways to arrange your gumpaste flowers: teardrop shape, hogarth curve, and crescent shape are three kinds of arrangements.

When placing gumpaste flower sprays or sugar ornaments on cakes, never insert wires into the cake. Insert a posy holder into the top, side or corner of the cake for the spray to sit in. The holder should protrude slightly above the level of the icing, so that it can be removed easily before cutting. As an alternative, you can attach a long toothpick to the shortened wired spray with floral tape and insert the toothpick into the cake.