K8memphis

The idea of course is that I will reverence the 'good ones' and not touch. Still working on it apparently. Looks good on paper. I was so-o sick, now that creates beaucoups of reverence Pull out drawer?? For the storage of chess pieces?? What do you mean, SqC.??

Heleen, How is the fondant coming? Sorry for highjacking your thread--got carried away. Oh my no, I re-melt the less than perfect ones. I was eating the real deals Yes you have to make a minimum of 32 half pawns to get 16 good ones At least I have two molds--if I was doing a production line, I would go get two more, but this is pretty cool for the moment. Yes I love marbled chocolate--but I tell you what, my last cake I did with a wrap was marbled and had a monogram. Umm, I think it kind of leaned toward scary looking somehow and I didn't have time to redo it. Oopsie. And for this chess board I'm thinking all kinds of symmetrical and perfect. I hadn't thought about money yet. Yeah, a lot. I mean after you make one, it gets easier. Yeah, $200-$250 is not out of the question. I want to make the cake part kind of scultped. Umm, I was going to see about filling the chess pieces with something yummy like a nice truffle, raspberry maybe? And maybe I should go get a few more molds after all! We'll see how it all pans out... Y'know what though--we just ate out. Dessert was key lime pie or brownie with 5 different nuts in it. SEVEN Bucks. And people freak out when you price this stuff for them. Get a grip and go buy some hostess ding dongs. The chessboard mold is a pia (pain in the boo)--I will use a square out of my graduated square cutters for the board.

I have been there and read some of her stuff and I like what I read there recently. However, I am not at all a fan of RLB although when I first read her book, cover to cover I might add, I was dizzy with rapture. However, the book resides backwards on my shelf, spine side in toward the wall. Her recipes are not written in an easy to manage manner. You have to look hither and yon to gather all the information you need to complete the task. She's got the 3-way chart, she's got written directions and then she's got bulleted facts necessary for success in bold in the margin--too many ways to go. For example, the oven temperature is in italics in the paragraphs of written directions. The size of the pans is in the margin. Why? She packs a fair amount of attitude into her cake book evidenced at a minimum in the heady use of the phrase 'the...bible' She hurt my feelings when she told her snow storm and the brother's wedding cake story page 209 - 213. It's truly unfortunate that the beautiful cake she made did not arrive for her dear brother's nuptuals. Equally unfortunate is her account that disparages hulking white baroque cakes in general and the one hulking white baroque cake maker in particular that ultimately provided her brother's cake. His friends ran out & got it for him when she did not arrive due to weather. I had just purchased some "insipid" white cupid pillars ~~ honey, I thought I was so dang uptown. RLB brought me to my senses fast. I was an avid maker of "those hulking white baroque numbers adorned with plastic Grecian columns and insipid cupids" Hey, come on, I also used the fountains, staircases & rainbow colored bridesmaids too!!! After more than a decade, I finally broke down and bought the book, cheap and used. I do forgive her. But I'm not turning the book around on the shelf either. Ask me what I really think... It's Annie's fault: Agh, no. Let's wait for the re-write. We all mellow with age, eh??

Ooops, such a disaster! Do you make yor chess pieces of chocolate using a special form? ← My husband went to play a 'quick' round of golf after work before we went out to eat. And I got hungry and then I got sick No such thing as a 'quick' round of golf. Yes it's just actually very inexpensive 'chocolate' or it's called 'almond bark' actually. Not even made of cocoa butter just palm kernel oil but I add a special vanilla/butter powder and it is very very good tasting. Not so good as an appetizer before dinner But when I'm making a large project like this, I'm fine with 'tastes great'. I don't need the real chocolate pedigree for this adventure. And yes, I use a mold for the pieces. But not for the board. I had a mold for the chess board but as careful as I was I could not get the little squares filled exactly perfect so my board would be nice and even and straight. It looked like I colored outside the lines badly. I'm just going to use a square cookie cutter. Spread the 'chocolate' out onto plastic and cut it out. But I want the cool effect...hmmm...like a star!! I LOVE stars!!! Oooh oooh, that's it!!! I made an apple bavarian cheesecake this week and I cut the apples in little stars!!! I was afraid they would sink into the cheese--but all was well and they stayed on top. Stars stars stars!!! Yay!! oh, if can understang a little bit of English, French is very far from my brains (only bonjur and orevuar ). ← Oops, umm, fleur de lis It would be so interesting to see the result!!! ← Yes, that is my hope actually I hope it's going to be interesting!! I will take pictures if it turns out. So in other words, I am thinking about putting a chocolate star in the middle of each square on the chessboard. That way I can control them and they will all be uniform. Hmm, except it will be hard to cut the squares out with the star centered properly. Hmmm, still working on it. I should probably use some of the chocolate transfer stuff so I won't have to be so precise...Hmm...still stumbling through the valley of decision.

Way cool! I just ate a bunch of my chess pieces waiting for supper...oops. But I'm gonna (going to) make some more. I'm trying to come up with an interesting pattern to put into the squares to make the chessboard. I was thinking fleur de lis but those are one way--I need a design that will work both ways. Maybe a spiral or a squared off spiral... Yes I noticed that you like the color pink! You have some amazing work there, Cake-buddy. Good idea on the construction of the chessboard. I was thinking about putting it on a checkerboard cake. I like your idea.

Wow, Lenabo, great stuff in your pictures! Your work is just stunning. You are far North of Russia?? Awesome that you are a fellow mmf user. Hey, guess what? I'm working on a chocolate chessboard myself--what is yours made of?? Is that more mmf? It's very cool!!

Wow. Hmm, LA Times. Interesting. Copyrights being what they are today in cake deco & all, I've read up on it. My understanding from what I've read is that even if it is not openly definitely christened with the copyright mark, if it belongs to someone, not the prolific writer A. Nonymous, but everything else, then it is copyrighted because it belongs to some particular person somewhere. Now don't beat me up. That's my understanding from what I've read. So when you go to the extra diligence and vigilance to use the watermarks over photos and copyright your writings on purpose--the honor fed force field protecting your work should be respected ever the more. We are all on our honor...until the summons arrives and the jig is up. R-E-S-P-E-C-T~~found out what it means to you!! From Aretha, of course, lest I be found guilty-ha! Seriously though, parodies are the work around. Parodies are not an infringement. Just an aside, there's a program for schools that my daughter has been trying to get her school to purchase that virtually eliminates plagiarism because it can check for everything. Most everything--you know what I mean. Can't remember the name of it. Sounds like a worthy investment for every school.

I agree with Annie that the buttercream would be very fine with cream cheese. Some people use chocolate to do those transfers and chocolate goes with everything. I just saw an amazing cd about run-in sugar or umm, it's also called, colorflow. The genius lady, Ana Laura Ruiz Pulido, put waxed paper on top of the picture and outlined major stuff, but not everything, then filled in. Let it dry and added details after it dried. Including amazing shading with powders & dusts, added 3-d affects. It was awesome! Just really taken to a new level that I had not seen before. These cover whole cake tops.

I do not have experience with RLB's fondant recipe. Here's a 'recipe' to add to your collection, maybe try some day. It's user friendly. Let's see what have we called this stuff..umm...Candy Covering or something~~trying to get away from calling it 'fondant' because of the possible stigma attached. (thank you wilton) One part candy clay plus two parts marshmallow fondant = Candy Covering or whatever you want to call it. Candy clay is 14-16 oz of chocolate or candy melts or almond bark melted & add one third cup of corn syrup, slowly stir together. I let mine sit in the container that I melted it in and smooth it all level on top or it separates. Let that harden and pinch off & knead it in small portions to soften. If it does separate, just knead it all back together. Marshmallow fondant is a 16 oz bag of marshmallows melted with two tablespoons of water and add two pounds of confectioners sugar - so put one pound of sugar in a bowl, pour in the melted marshmallows & water and any flavoring, combine and add the other pound of sugar - you will need to micro-zap this a few seconds (like 5-6 seconds) here & there to loosen it up so you can knead it all in. You can add a couple ounces of melted chocolate if you want. Very forgiving formula. So combine 2 batches mmf with 1 batch candy clay. You can multiply & divide this recipe. Nice stuff--the marshmallows just give you a head start on making regular fondant. It's already got the gelatin & stuff. It's a very nice tasting product. Doesn't harden & crust too fast but has enough stay & stretch to do right too. Takes flavor & color well.

Miriam, warm welcome to egullet and much appreciation for that stellar first post!

Agh...I slice the butter in eighth inch sections & plaster it around the sides of the mixer bowl (gathering cosmic juices as we go) {<>mmmm<>} I get out all the rest of the ingredients. Cream the buttah to be sure I don't have any resilient chunks Add sugar & umm beat till fluffy Add 2 eggs & two egg whites one at a time And I watch it to be sure things don't start getting away from me temperature wise~~I'm ready to put this in the frige or freezer to refirm a bit if necessary) add vanilly In a separate bowl I whisked the sifted flour, bkg pwd & salt together Added a third of that to the mixture, mix well. Add half the sour cream mix well add third of flour stuff mix well add rest of sour cream mix well add rest of flour mix well I'm gonna write it out the way I have it in my book so it's all in one place. This is my take off on Sylvia Weinstock's wonderful sour cream cake. 1/2 # butter..........................cream 2 cups sugar.........................add to ^ & beat till fluffy 2 teaspoons vanilla...............add to ^ 2 eggs 2 egg whites.........................add to ^ one at at time (watch out that the emulsion is nice & firm & fluffy--chill if necessary--time it though) 2.5 cups sifted cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt................in separate bowl whisk together, add 1/3 to ^ mix well 1 cup sour cream.................add half to mixture & combine well add another third of flour to the mixture & combine well add the rest of the sour cream combine well add remainder of flour mixture combine well. I then mix for two minutes timed on medium speed. Interesting, my formula uses two and a half cups of flour, the one in the link uses two and a quarter cups. Ding ding ding ding I think we have a winner And I just checked her book, Sweet Celebrations, it has 2.25 cups. So what are the cosmic juices saying about that one??? I mean I know I used about 2.25 cups before sifting because I short the measurement --oh gawd! So sift after measuring!!!!

No wait, there's no picture, you just had to scroll down to give you the opportunity to avoid the graphic content--the empty space is just to let whosoever avoid the graphic-ness of discovering I use cake mix as a guide. They have to scroll down on purpose. No, I got one more horse to whup... and we gotta hear back from Cheryl with all our 'sage' advice Umm, I think that the butter I am getting is softer--has more water than before. Truly truly. It's double A--but didn't I used to get triple A?? Can't remember but this butter is softer by far. Yeah, room temperature sucks. I always stuck my eggs in warm water but used them immediatley. And I have even been known to shred my butter & spread it over a sheet pan to 'warm' for me--but I've wised up the hard way. Not to mention I've read your book!!! And besides the devil is in the details with baking. And successful bakers get him OUTA there!!

Well see, my strawberries don't weep, they bleed out. It just sounds more graphic and I am watching far too many C.S.I.'s. So call the paramedics instead! There you go, easy solution, put bandaids on the cut edges and problem solved! ← Umm, mine 'pee' ... Depends maybe???

Yeah, come to think of it, I remember sticking the mixer bowl in the frige for a few minutes during the process sometimes because I can see things slipping away from me. (Wait, wait ,for K8t, come back!) But I've learned to set the timer so I don't get slice-able cake batter either. This is what I do... ~~~GRAPHIC CONTENT ALERT~~NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART~~~ I make sure my scratch batter looks like cake mix batter all the time through every stage. But do you understand how many rubber baby bottoms I got before I arrived at this shocking discovery??? That works like a charm?? Sheesh...

I'm sorry, every time I see that subject "Weeping Strawberries" all I can think is, Stop upsetting them!!! Anti-depressants maybe a little valium??? Dr. Phill??? Big box a kleenex and a little hug???

Yes, yes incredibly poor taste, three times?! Not to mention a great time to ask for a raise. Just teasing. No that really does 'take the cake'. Stuff like that makes employers very very twitchy. They develop tics. I once said to a co-worker who was supposed to be training me but had me on the rack squeezing the stuffings out of me, I said one time, "I'm going to look for another job, if we can't... blablabla." I got fired before lunch. I apparently was in no position to deliver ultimatums yah think??

In my fondest dreams I wish I had "the baker's touch" My end of the universe, which is very close to yours after all, would never use whipped egg whites in a decorated (for sale) cake, which is why I use this formula, in cakes that I sell. Too unpredictable, too egg-y tasting, especially in a white cake. Tear the recipe in half and try it with the unbeaten eggs, add them separately I guess. I mean I know Gale Gand and her Mom do not add them separately. But then Alton Brown does. Just try it without beating 'em first--see what happens. I also think your butter is too warm, the batter is not a strong (enough) emulsion and the water oozes out when the pan warms in the oven and soggifies the flour making rubber. Or are you setting your pan on the warm oven top before baking maybe?? Bwu wah ha ha~~Let the cosmic juices flow, baby!! But to bake and more importantly to teach baking you really gotta be (anal) picky picky picky, you gotta sweat every detail. Cool on the deck oven. Yeah, I gotta put sugar in my egg white stuff or it just doesn't work consistently.

Ouch ouch ouch, my poor aching ego The nerve!

I am very very scientific, calculating and precise when I measure flour I totally go by 'feel', cosmic juices, alignment of the planets, etc.. I try to loosen the flour up in the bag and then I shake the flour to one side of the bag, slide the cup measure down sideways, I let the flour 'fall' over into the cup measure, being careful to remember it's not brown sugar after all. I shake some off so it's not completely full then I sift. I mean I know sifting means a shorter cup so I short it. (less in the cup) You sorry you asked?? PS. I baked in a large Blodgett 4 deck pizza oven with stones -- cookies, cakes, pies, biscuits, bread, rolls, everything--never had an issue. It was an awesome oven!

Sarah, you are the bomb on this stuff! Cheryl, I make this and love it. But I use one unbeaten whole egg plus three unbeaten egg whites. I've made it in a wide variety of pan sizes. You baked it at 350 right? Or as close as your oven got you?? Wonder if it would work better if you jacked your oven to 375? Umm, have you tried making it at work???

No. Umm, wonder if it is an ingredient malfunction. Where an ingredient is not exactly like it ought to be. You using butter? Was the butter maybe melted & then chilled again--like at the store or in transit to the store--you sure it was fresh??? Was it too warm in the kitchen maybe??

Strawberry incontinence tsk tsk. If you are going to slice them, use the sharpest knife you can find. Keep them chilled. How did you wash them?? Some people do not wash strawberries. I do because I believe in birds and more importantly bird doo. But I dry my strawberries thoroughly by rolling them around in my hands in a paper towel. If I am doing a boat load of strawberries, I line two large containers with paper towels and roll one layer of berries around in there and switch them to the other container and put new dry towels in the first container and just keep going until all are nice & dry. Dry enough to dip in chocolate. Are you piercing the berries at all??? They really shouldn't be peeing like that if they are relatively fresh and kept chilled and not been pierced.

Oooh, black pepper and cocoa as spices. Love that. I haven't strayed that far outside the box as I've come up through whatever ranks I could muster. I've mostly been in survivor mode. That sounds so intriguing. And umm, I've learned so much from my own kid, chef-boy, and the internet. I love to get in experiment mode. Umm, do you grind the pepper so it's real fine or leave it as larger tidbits in there?? And I like the idea of the small batch. That's a long bake for a little loaf. My hands would shake, my brow would crease and moisten. I'd try real hard but I don't think I could keep from using TWO TEASPOONS OF CINNAMON OK, maybe just a very fluffy teaspoon full.

I'd venture a guess that it's to whiten the chocolate. White chocolate can be very yellow to very off white.

I would say, not the sugar in the cremeux. Maybe cut a bit out of the bavaroise. I would say cut a quarter of the sugar in the fruit stuff--no problemo. Is it the honey flavor that sweetifies too much for you maybe?? There's 135 gr sugar in the cake (60 in the cake and 75 in the meringue) and 60 g honey. Hmm. How 'bout lop off the 35 gr sugar & that leaves 100 gr. So like 40 in the cake and 60 g in the meringue ~~ and maybe cut back on the honey to 40-45 grams. That shouldn't mess anything up too much do you think?