celenes

Congratulations on your success. You are indeed a superstar pastry chef. If you end up in Vegas I will be would love to meet you in person to talk more indepth about your experience. My husband and I will be travelling to Vegas end of next month for a little fun in the sun. So be sure to let me know. There is not such a school here in Cleveland or at least I am unaware of it because I would love to take a course such as this, however I work fulltime already and don't know where I would find the time. No that I just wrote that I must say that the Viking Culinary school opened here last Fall and has a Pastry Chef certification program but there again doesn't work with my current schedule. Unless of course my hubby would be a dear and let me work part-time Do you think? Highly unlikely. The pictures are great too, I am not very good at taking pictures yet with my digital, I never seem to get close enough for whatever the reason but I try. Again congrats and I look forward to hearing about your continued success. So I read the Vegas part late, congrats on the position and perhaps we can meet up with you when we're there if you have time. We will be there August 31 - Sept 3rd. Probably staying at Aladdin. Let me know if you are interested in a cup of coffee or lunch.

Hi, I know in the last month or so there was a thread that showed cakes made like Prada Purses, Gucci etc.. I have a birthday party next month that I am making a cake for and would like to include a small version of such a purse and a shoe box on the cake. The cake will be at least a half sheet perhaps a full. We are waiting on the final guest count for the party right now. Can someone share with me how to make small versions of both these items or send me to a location on the net that I can read instructions. Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.

I am having a Freedom-On-The-Fourth Housewarming this upcoming holiday and I wouldn't say that I am serving any exciting themed dessert just the typical cupcakes (white w/ white frosting) then decorated with stars etc. Brownies and cutout star sugar cookies, mini cheesecake with stawberries, cherries, raspberries or blueberries. I would love to do something more adventurous but I am also doing my first wedding on this Friday so I am lucky I will have enough time to bake for my own party But I think I will be fine, pre-wedding and pre-party work starts tomorrow so I won't be too overwhelmed.

Annie, Thank You, Thank You!! I am so happy someone replied. I didn't think I put the third tier on backwards but that's what the hubby said it looked like to him, so I went with. I just cut up the whole thing moments ago and I am giving it to friends, family and co-workers on tomorrow. I plain to try again because I really don't won't to have a disaster on my hands come wedding day. Also the client has paid me in full so that means they have great confidence and trust in me. I won't be accused of letting them down either. I definitely know where some of my mistakes were but not all. I was wondering about assembly the whole cake and then transporting it and I believe I will do that because like yourself I get very uncomfortable with an audience. Even when my husband's is lurky around in the kitchen it distracts me which cause him to get a bit of a tongue lashing You would think after three years of marriage he would know me by now. He's a great guy but sometime So back to the drawing board, I hope to show a more successful project at the end of week. Wish me luck!!!

Not sure if anyone will read this because it's been awhile since the last post but here we go. So I did my test run for the upcoming wedding cake I have to do for a July 2nd wedding. Things were going well with the cake until I put the final tier on and that's when things began to fall apart. Not quite literally though. Here's some of the problems I had: The frost was smooth and then it go out of sort as each tier was adding, I am not sure if it was because I kept going over it or not. I should step back and give the background of the cake and order to get good advice I suppose. Cake construction: stacked, three tiers, heart shape (6", 10" and 12") Flavors: Top: Chocolate w raspberry filling, Second: Lemon w lemon filling and Bottom: Cassata custard filling and strawberries. Yes I made the fillings ahead so they were setup nicely. Frosting: Whipped (Bettercreme product) which sets nicely and doesn't have to be refrigerated for awhile. Process: All cakes were baked throughout this past week, wrapped tightly and refrigerated. Bottom tier filled and frosted then placed back in the refrigerator while second tier was prepared. Stacked the second and inserted dowel rods. Third tier frosted and filled and placed on second and one dowel rod insert down the middle all the way down to bottom tier. Sounds pretty on track. So I thought. Placed gumpaste flowers randomly and here's what the result looked like. Terrible. I am in a slight panic. I think I may have put the third tier on backwards or something. Also as for the flowers is it best to remove the wire or leave it in. On the top I took them off but they began to fall, so I left them on the others. The final cake will not have roses up top, I just did that this time because I did not want to use the actually decorative ornament. Help!!!

Chefpeon, Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Please believe I plan to make a practice cake before the actual date of the wedding. I would never wing something this important!! I know you are not scolding anyone but only offering up your knowledge that I for one appreciate. I have already made a similar cake minus one tier and a fountain. So I feel comfortable that I will have no problem assembling and transferring etc. Plus I have my instructor in my back pocket (not literally) if I get into trouble. As for my fear of fondant, I have never worked with it before and I have just heard such terrible stories that I made up in my mind not to try it. However, like anything else practice makes perfect. So the moral to this is I am sure I will try it sometime down the road but not just yet. I have an opportunity to really show off my talents during the holiday season so I will probably try it out once the weather cools a bit. Not that it gets tremendously warm in Ohio but it can get quite humid. As I have stated before I operate from my home on a part-time basis but I must admit I have a fairly sizeable client base from last year at this time. So I can only get more more and more experience. Fortunately for me I have lots of folks cheering me on and a great husband who does everything in his power to make sure I have all the training and tools I need to indulge in something that I am very passionate about. I have seen some very elegant designs since I have joined this forum and I feel both challenged and encouraged to move myself up the ladder by discussing and reading all the great information that people like yourself share. Thanks again for the insight

I am probably the only one on earth who just obtained the "The Cake Bible". I love it and have spent a great deal of time exploring the recipes and techniques. I think I will get the CIA Baking at Home book also. I used a recipe for petit fours from it just the other day and they came out really great!!! For my first time out with petit fours I think I did a good job and the client seemed pleased. I must say I already know where I can do improvement from a process standpoint . I majored in Business Adm. with a focus in HR so I have some decent course books on those subjects as well along with Marketing since I work in the marketing department of a large bank during the day. That's the job that pays the mortgage you know!!

Oh boy was I happy to read all the commentaryon wedding cake drama I am about to do my very first wedding cake July2nd for 150 people. Small I know better nevertheless frightening. I too have the "no fondant" rule because I have heard such horrible tales about it from the standpoint of working with it and also that is doesn't taste so go. Pretty to look at when you defeat the beast but not sure if I feel like working that hard. I have also been opposed to freezing cakes until I got a compliment from one of my clients from Easter who said in early May they were still enjoying the coconut cake they purchased from me for Easter. It was made on Good Friday so you know I was frightened beyond belief when he said we are still enjoying your cake I didn't have enough sense on my own to think perhaps they froze it until he said it to me. Of course I didn't let on that I had been clueless Anyway the wedding cake I am making will be three heart shaped tiers with whipped frosting. I use "Bettercreme" a Rich's non-dairy product that holds up great and people that have tasted it love it. The cake will be setup over a kolor-flo fountain with gumpaste roses adorning the lower edges of the first tier and randomingly placed on the other two. I am a little leary of the wires. Can't I snip them off and just adhere the roses with some frosting. Also I should make note that they are no for consumption right only for decorative purposes. Wish me luck. I'll post the picture when it is done. Did I mention I am having my own house warming party too the same weekend!! Nuts I know but the wedding is on Friday and my party's on Sunday. So I think I can swing everything.

once I learn something I can't be stopped O.k. here's a few more for your viewing pleasure. One thing to make not of about me, I am a very simplistic decorator. I haven't gotten into the more exquisite designs yet but the more and diverse clients I get , I am sure I'll expand my horizons. A piece of Lemon Heaven Spring Flower (one of my hot sellers at Easter) The finishing touch, you would be amazed how many people inquire about what's in the box.

Keeping My fingers cross that this works.... Yippeee I did it!!! Here is one of my signature cakes, very simple but quite elegant from a taste prespective. More to come.

I am almost embarrassed to throw myself in here. I am late on this one, I missed the subjected when it started. At any rate all these cakes are beautiful I love the tips and secrets because baking cakes is very close to my heart. I have a big fan club here in Ohio especially my goddaughter. Let me share some of her the tales she has proclaimed about her "Auntie Lydia" (aka Celenes) Background info. she's 8 years old. She attended a wedding and went to look at a wedding cake and when she came back to the table she proclaimed "the cake is leaning if my "Auntie Lydia" had made this cake it would have looked better. Recently she was at the grocery store in none other than the bakery department where they were working on a Hello Kitty cake and she proclaimed, my "Auntie Lydia" would have done a much better job on that cake, do you want here to come up here and teach you? So with that kind of press I believe I am the greatest Not really at all. I recently secured my first wedding cake job and I must say I am slightly overwhelmed but I know in the end it will be fine. Don't work I plan to do a test run before the actually date. I'm not that confident!! I hope I can insert some of my work in this message. Maybe not I just realized I don't know how. Stay tuned for pictures.

Sounds devine and I will baking this very very soon!!! Thanks for sharing

Excellent foodie, I am anger and jealous too Now I want the pans too. As if I need more. Count me in on the thread the more knowledge I have the better. KIP Knowledge is Power!!!

Good Morning All or Good Afternoon, Depending on when you read this post. Jeniac42, Your posts are very intriguing to me because I can truly relate to what you are saying. I love to cook particularly baking. I work in Corporate right now because it's somewhat safe. (i.e. my mortgage, student loan etc are paid) I do baking out of my home part-time and have a fairly substantial client base I think. And I am beginning to secure wedding cake orders which is exciting and frighten too. I have been considering turning in my Corporate paycheck but I can't just walk away just yet until I can prove to my hubby that I won't be endangering our lifestyle. So since I can't do that right now, I'll be content with the way things are running. I just did a baby shower cake that on yeterday the crowd raved about because it was different than what you purchase at the grocery stores. I made a cradle w royal icing and little candy baby booties, bottles bears etc. And the crowd went crazy. Each time I take a cake in for an event the level of respect I obtain is awesome. So I guess I can't complain. I would like to enhance my skills as much as possible and maybe when I get closer to retirement I hope to still have the passion and the skill to make beautiful creations and maybe open a small bakery. Who knows maybe I can do it sooner because I am about 30 years away from retiring. Still a youngster Well, gotta run it's time to get ready to punch the Corporate clock. Catch you later.

I have only used the carton ones once or twice myself. Laziness was my reason to use them. I prefer as everyone else has mention to use fresh.

Yes I agree this has been very interesting reading. I try to keep up on the forum daily. This is my lunchtime reading and when I get home in the evening once I look through mail etc. I settle back and read more. I am so happy I joined this forum because it also a good educational tool. Bravo on the peaches, I can only hope to get to that level. I have never worked with mazipan. I guess I am a wimp right now, I don't use fondant because most of my clients are asking for buttercream, ganache or whipped frostings. But one day in the near future I will be brave.

O.k. you have provided me with more ideas. My daughter works at an upscle nursing home and I am sure they would mind some real dessert one Sunday or so. I too have people who love being my testers. I work at a big bank in the marketing department, need I say more??!! I also have a brand new house so of course everytime a delivery of furniture comes or UPS shows at the door, you know the neighbors have to make their way over, so of course since I have the best kitchen of all the houses, it is unheard of and unacceptable for me not to have something around.

I am cracking up because I can totally relate. Here's my baking confession: So over Easter we had some friends and family over and I made a HUGE meal plus three desserts. Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake and A Spring Flower Cake. None of these were just a cake, I just had to pipe leaves and vines on the strawberries that topped the cheesecake, I drizzled fudge topping over the german chocolate cake... are you feeling where I'm going here?? I can no longer just make a standard dessert, it must be up lifted or it isn't a dessert in my book. Don't let there be occassion like the ones mention, please!!! My bosses' birthday was yesterday and I made a birthday cake for her that I am sure is worthy of being sold at any upscale bakery!!! So a long tale to say, I am right there with you.

Thank you all for your thoughts. I really appreciate the feedback. Sinclair you are correct I suppose I am looking to achieve different flavors and I thought utilizing the cream cheese spread in equal measurement would help me accomplish that. So with that said, suppose I wanted to make pineapple flavored or strawberry etc. What would you recommend?

Hi All, I made a pound cake on yesterday using cream cheese which is something I have never done before. Luckily things turned out great!!! I have traditionally made the standard pound cake. My question is I used 8 ozs. of the block regular cream cheese is it feasible to use the soft flavored cream cheese and get the same result?

I like that idea of pairing dessert with the meal just like wine selections. I know when I plan dinner parties I make a dessert(s) that I believe works with the meal I am serving my guest. Of course I'm not a professional chef like the rest of the group. But in my mind I am!!!

Sinclair, I have a printer that uses edible ink it is a cannon. I have information from DecoPac, Country Kitchen and Bakery Crafts. I also think that Lucks offers printers and the supplies. To be honest I really don't use my printer too much. I use rice paper alot and draw alot of my stuff coloring it in with piping gel. My clients are usally quite pleased.

I would like to participate as well. Just let me know how. This will also benefit my customer base who are always looking for something new or old (stuff that they can't get from the grocery or local bakery shop) For example, I have a customer who loves rhubarb and I made him a cake recently with rhubarb filling and he literally ate the whole thing by himself. I now have a recipe for fresh rhubarb pie that is from a very dear friend of mine and I can't wait to try it.

I would like to join too if there's a spot. I am always interested in trying new recipes and sharing results with others. Did I understand that we will all make the same recipe? How will the recipe be shared? Forgive me if that information was there and I totally looked over it. If you are providing it please email me at celenescuisine@aol.com Thanks