Cake Love's Warren Brown's Tips for Success!

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.

Bring Home the Baking: Recipe for Success Seminar

View of the kitchen space at Mi Kitchen Es Su Kitchen, Long Island City, New York

The Entrepreneur's Space is a City-sponsored business incubator in Queens to help food-related business start-ups across New York City. It consists of a 24/7 commercial kitchen under the name, Mi Kitchen Es Su Kitchen on the ground floor, and office space on the second floor, which services more than 100 entrepreneurs in establishing and growing successful companies.

The Entrepreneur Space will hold a Recipe for Success Seminar: Starting and Growing Your Food Business from March 22, 2011 through May 31, 2011, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Subjects covered will include:

• Setting Yourself Up for Business
• Marketing for Success
• Managing Your Business Operations
• Information Technology for Small Businesses
• From Home to Commercial Space
• Developing Your Product/Price
• Risk Management and Insurance
• Legal Structures and Issues
• Financing Your Business
• Writing a Business Plan

Tuition is $150.00 for the seminar series.  It is recommended that you register by March 15, 2011. For more information contact 718.263.0546. To arrange a tour of Mi Kitchen Es Su Kitchen call 718.392.0025 x 150.  Good Luck!

Cake Buzz! Ruth Drennan Cakes Moving to California!

Sad but true, Chef Ruth Drennan, Ruth Drennan Cakes, will be moving west this month!  Although moving to California, Ruth will be traveling frequently back to the East Coast to conduct classes in sugar flower work and other techniques.  Ruth's Cake Bling class was such a success in NYC Cake Decorators that we scheduled another class with her this Saturday, which is totally sold out!  Ruth is also conducting an in depth series of classes in sugar flower work.  To obtain information about the series, please contact Ruth directly at info@ruthdrennancakes.com.

Ruth has been a friend and Sponsor of NYC Cake Decorators from the very start. Our first major meetup in January 2007 was with Ruth and former partner Lauri at a cake tasting and Q&A at their cake shop, The Cake Atelier.  We are very sorry to see her leave, but are grateful that we will not have to say "good-bye".  In fact, we look forward to planning other Meetups with Ruth in 2011.

Let it Snow!

Photo courtesy of member Chef Janet Ben Ami, owner Hey! Cookie.

The blizzard this past Sunday and Monday dumped almost two feet of snow in the New York City Area. Now that most of us New Yorkers have dug out and are about, I thought it would be sweet to showcase one of Chef Janet's amazing tiered cakes.

Chef Janet has Wowed members with her cake wizardry and her remarkable ability to teach others how to create their own great cakes.  Janet is scheduled to teach another series of classes in 2011.  For information contact Dina at nyccakedecorators@yahoo.com.  Hope to see you there!

Crazy About Cupcakes?

Graphic Courtesy of Kati Angelini, Organizer, Iron Cupcake Challenge-Moorestown. Baking Cupcakes for a Cause.

Amy, owner of The Sugar Flower Cake Shop, will conduct a Cupcake Biz Roundtable on October 24, 2010, that's a must for anyone crazy about baking, decorating, eating, and selling cupcakes in New York. She will touch on issues of importance to any start-up Cupcake and Cake Business and will also address specific matters of concern for New York City start-ups. For more information, please contact Dina, Organizer, at nyccakedecorators@yahoo.com or you can RSVP and pay online at NYC Cake Decorators Registration Page for non-members.

The Sugar Flower Cake Shop has received much recent buzz, which includes but is not limited to, Weddings, The Knot, WEtv, Brides New York, and Wedding Wire. Amy is also a recipient of 2010 Brides Choice Award and her sugar designs are featured in the Fall 2010 issue of Martha Stewart's Weddings. The Sugar Flower Cake Shop was featured by the STYLE Network as part of the "Art of Cakes II" wedding cake special, the Martha Stewart Show, and a culinary presenter at Macy's Flower Show.

Additionally, we are working with Danielle Moore, founder of NYC Cake Decorators Meetup, to offer a Fashionista Cupcake Decorating Workshop in November 2010. For further information, contact Dina at nyccakedecorators@yahoo.com.

City Cakes NY Showcased on "Fabulous Cakes"!

I couldn't wait to see the third installment of Fabulous Cakes this week!

Member Chefs Benny Rivera and Marc Matthias, City Cakes NY (formerly Diverse Desserts), amazing cakes were among three upscale custom cake businesses showcased in this week's episode. Benny and Marc create a four-foot-long alligator cake for a surprise twenty-third birthday party, and a five-tiered sculpted cake for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus's thirtieth anniversary party, including a replica made out of cake of the house where the party will be held.
Other cake artists of note featured on the New York episode are Kate Sullivan and Michelle Doll.

Member, City Cakes NY, Featured on TLC's "Fabulous Cakes"!

Good news for us cakers! It seems like America can't get enough of cake and cake designers! Cake Buzz has it that members Chef Benny Rivera and Chef Marc Matthias, owners City Cakes NY (formerly Diverse Desserts) will be featured in a new summer series on TLC called "Fabulous Cakes". City Cakes NY is one of three businesses featured on the show.

City Cakes NY is a custom cake business located at 251 West 18th Street Lower Level, New York NY 10011 . They produce amazing sculpted cakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes and cookies by appointment. City Cakes NY also offers selected classes in cake decorating and sugar art.

Chef Marc Matthias was one of the judges of our in-house Sugar Art Show in 2009. For info visit, City Cakes NY or email info@citycakesny.com.

April 2010 Cake of The Month

Member Christina Andrews baked and decorated this colorful cake.

Each tier is covered with icing branches and piped floral accents.

Christina's specialty cake business, Wonderfully Made Cakes, is cake and dessert company that specializes in creating beautiful wedding cakes, creative specialty cakes, and classic birthday cakes. Christina also offers an array of party platters, cupcakes, "Sweet Greetings" packages and other assorted desserts.

For more information and to place an order, contact Christina at 718.354.5670 or info@wonderfullymadecakes.com

A Garden of Cupcakes at Cupcake Cafe

West 18th Street is full of surprises. After stopping by Paper Presentation to get inspired by lovely colored and textured fine papers, I went across the street to Cupcake Cafe to get my sugar buzz.

Love, love, love the signature piped flowers on CupCake Cafe's small and large cupcakes, and "baby" cakes.

I purchased four oversized mocha cupcakes for myself first and my family second -- I need to conduct a taste test for blog, don't I?

I poured a hot cup of coffee and eagerly began my "research". I found Cupcake Cafe's cupcakes to be delectably dense and yummy chocolate. The mocha topping was surprisingly light and not very sweet. I thought, "ok, it's time to dust off my vintage Wilton Way of Cake Decorating Volume II, whip up some buttercream, and get to piping!" - Dina

Neat Idea for Coloring Easter Eggs

Photo courtesy of Cake 'n Crumbs

NYC Cake Decorators love sharing neat ideas for saving money in the kitchen, and Cake 'n Crumbs has a sweet idea for food color gel pastes that we just had to pass it along.

Did you know that you can use Gel Paste Colors to dye your Easter Eggs? Get your Gel Pastes and make the coolest colored eggs in town! Need spring color gel pastes? Ditch the crowded subways and purchase your gels online!

Coloring Easter Eggs:

For each desired color, place these ingredients into cups and stir well:

1-1/2 Teaspoons Vinegar

1 Cup Boiling Water (Cold water can be used as well but the colors don't dissolve as well)

1/8 Teaspoon Gel Paste Color (or use your own amount depending on the shade you desire)

Place hard boiled eggs into cups and let set for 5 minutes or until the desired shade of color is achieved. Shown here are the Electric Gel Paste Colors - these are so cool! For additional, creative ideas on how to decorate your Easter Eggs, go to Cake 'n Crumbs Recipes page.

Cake 'n Crumbs has a sweet opportunity for anyone who wants to make extra money teaching cake, cookie, candy, and cupcake decorating. Now through May 31st, Cake 'n Crumbs is running a very Sweet Deal for New Instructors. Get the scoop at kendra@cakencrumbs.com. You can also follow Cake 'n Crumbs on Facebook.