JeanneCake

Ice down your table before you roll the Satin Ice fondant, keeping the rolling surface as cool as possible helps a lot with this brand. (don't use one of those ice-filled pins, though!) Or you could try using a silpat or roulpat, but I don't like the pattern it picks up from the mat if you simply place therolled out fondant on the cake and peel off the mat. When I was searching for the Bakels site, I noticed that they were featuring Julie Bashore from House of Clarendon and Colette Peters- both of whom had been Satin Ice advertisers/users previously. Because it is so soft, it tears easily and that's frustrating to patch or fix. You can avoid some of this by rolling the fondant around the pin to place on the cake rather than using your hands/arms and make sure you're not wearing any rings or bracelets, a watch, etc.

check out www.qzina.com - they are a distributor in Canada. I don't know what brand of fondant they carry, but you will want to have more experience before you buy the Satin Ice brand - this is a very, very soft fondant and a challenge to work with. You can ask them directly at www.americanbakels.com and find out who the closest source is to you.

You can buy the Pettinice (made by Bakels) from Pfeil and Holing at www.cakedeco.com in pails of various sizes/prices. This would be ok with RLB's truffle cake (which is a delicious cake, especially the raspberry version). I've made the cake many times, and in my experience, it handles best when it is very, very cold. If you have any gaps or mishapen sides, use some just-firm ganache to fill in and then chill it again overnight. If you use the Pettinice, you don't need to use the veg shortening that RLB calls for when using commercially made fondant. Use a little cornstarch and a cool stainless steel table, along with a heavy rolling pin (use a french pin or a 14 or 18 inch rolling pin for best results). The home made fondant from the Cake Bible is more translucent than the commercially made stuff- hard to describe. The fondant in the picture (the Art Deco cake) is thicker than what I usually do; about a quarter-inch to a third of an inch is plenty. Fondant can be frustrating for a novice the first time; how much do you use? how thin to roll out? what if it tears? Colette Peters' books include a chart for fondant amounts on various cake sizes - you might want to look into borrowing her Wedding Cake book from the library to skim through, but Margaret Braun's Cakewalk book has excellent pictures of fondant application that would be helpful to you. Fondant will show every lump and bump under it so be sure the cake beneath is smooth and blemish free. I would definitely practice putting it on a cake pan before doing it on a real cake. Good luck!

Hi ... I use Perkins for most of my dry goods and the oreo crumbs from an earlier post; they don't carry Skor bits and my salesperson had no luck with a special order, which is why I was buying them retail. I didn't ask at the store, since I couldn't find the whole candy bar, I thought maybe Hershey stopped making it. But that's a good idea. I tried going to the puratos web site, but can't find any US locations - maybe I'm looking in the wrong place? I know they advertise in Modern Baking, there has to be something in New England. I had a peppermint mocha at Starbucks and that's what started me off on this whole candy cane cheesecake obsession! I thought I would just add some peppermint schnapps to my existing white choc toffee chzcake recipe and replace the toffee with the candy bits (the toffee melts too). I think I just wanted some crunch in the cheesecake, it could use a little more peppermint flavor in it, but I didn't want it to be a dark chocolate cheesecake. It's ok, could use more peppermint flavoring, so I'm definitely going to be doing this again and again. But... if you have a recipe you'd be willing to share ...!

My local supermaket no longer stocks the bags of chopped Skor bars. Now all I can get are chopped Heath bars and they don't work at all well. When I use the Heath bits for the topping on my banana cream petit fours (rum flavored pastry cream in choc cup, topped with a banana slice, glazed, sprinkle with Skor bits) it looks horrendous (the skor kept its shape, the Heath melts). The Heath bars also don't work as well in my white choc toffee chzcake, but since they're in the cake it isn't as bad. Does anyone know if they stopped making Skor bars? I'd also like to find a source for peppermint candy bits to add to cheesecake batter. I wanted to make a candy cane cheesecake, and have experimented a few times with chopped candy canes in a white choc chzcake batter, but I'd like something that stays a little more solid, something along the lines of the bits in peppermint chip ice cream. Thanks!

Steve, I've always been curious about exactly what that luster dust stuff is! I took classes with Colette Peters a few years back and she liberally paints her cakes with various colors of luster dust (as opposed to "petal dust"), as do several other cake stylists/designers (Jan Kish, Margaret Braun, Gail Watson). Does anyone know what this stuff is? or what it's made from? It's definitely used all over her cakes in her latest book... I know in the UK, similar dusts are manufactured by Squires Kitchen and Sugarflair; and their equivalent of our FDA doesn't have the same level of stringency so they are accepted as food safe in the UK. I've been curious about Ann Baber's Folk Art Paint (it looks from the photos like the fingerpaint stuff we used as kids!) but I've always thought if you tried to order it, customs would stop it anyway. And, on a sort of related topic, remember those silver and gold dragees? What's in those that got them outlawed? I know in California, they can't be sold anymore; I'm just wondering why. I use the edible fondant pearls from Pfeil and Holing and now that I think of it, they're probably rolled in luster dust!....

There's two types of gold "dust" - one is called "gold ultra" which has "for decorative purposes only - not to be consumed" written all over it; and then there's a few different types of gold luster dust which is non-toxic - bright, super, old, antique, which can be mixed with lemon extract (paints and dries better than with a clear alcohol) and painted on fondant or gum paste. I've found the best price for luster dust at Pfeil and Holing (www.cakedeco.com) I agree with making the card from gum paste, and "painting" it. You could also (depending on budget!) use edible gold leaf sheets, which are a huge hassle to apply cleanly and may not give you the look you want after all that aggravation... On gum paste, you may find that the edible food pen ink would bleed so test it before you start writing on the actual piece (you might want to make several...!) Another option is to scan in an actual Gold card, enlarge it and change the name and numbers appropriately, bring it somewhere where they do edible images and have it printed. Then apply to fondant, and place on the cake....

My experience with the Callebaut bittersweet calets is that they are very viscous - much thicker when melted than any other bittersweet "chip" I've used. I like this to flavor my chocolate buttercream, but I'm not crazy about it in my flourless chocolate cake, ganache or glaze. Buy the smallest bag you can and test it out before committing to the bigger bag.

Last year, I bought a champagne compound - not an extract, unfortunately, but if you aren't able to find the extract, you might have to fall back on this. It was from Amoretti (www.amoretti.com) - I also recall a former instructor having bought something similar from Sieben through a local distributor (Primarque at www.primarque.com). Qzina in Canada sells a similar product. (www.qzina.com)

During the discussion, I said I'd make up a list of the equipment needed and send it to them along with the recipes (which I did and they said was ok - and that's when they said they didn't have the pans). I had been thinking everything would be supplied for me to just walk in with some finished product and start. But now I'm wondering, and I'd rather ask here to find out whether anyone else has done something similar! And, I'm a little embarrassed to ask the obvious question ("Of course we provide all your ingredients and you just have to walk in the room") because while I have lots of experience teaching, it's always been me putting on the class so I provide everything. Where the restaurant is asking me, I'm wondering if that means they automatically provide everything. I haven't found the right opening with the chef or the GM to ask the question, though.

One of my restaurant clients has asked me to make an appearance at one of their quarterly cooking demos. It's a Saturday from 10 to 2 pm. They described it as talking/demo from 10 to noon and then the break for lunch (which they will serve, and we'll have the desserts for lunch) and Q&A (there's no hands on). It isn't in the kitchen- it is in a room they use for meetings so it is limited to about 8 or 10 and the meeting room restricts the type of things that can be done. I met with them to learn more about what they're looking for and based on the room restrictions, we are going to show a lemon tart (making the curd on hot plate); angel food cake (to demo how to beat egg whites) and to talk about cheesecake. They have asked me to provide the recipes. I've never done something like this as a "guest" and I don't want to make any serious faux pas. If I were on my own at a presentation, I would expect to supply everything, but here I'm not sure and they haven't said so I thought I'd ask for your input. Who provides the mis en place? I would be bringing a finished tart, cake and cheesecake to show the final result, but based on the fact that they have the recipe and are providing the space, would you think they are providing all the ingredients and equipment (ok, maybe not the pans, they don't do a lot in house)for the demo, too?

I have not had good experiences with ebay for equipment. I bought a 20 qt mixer from a local person (meaning it was just far enough away so I could drive there to pick it up. Had to rely on the photo because it was too far to drive just to look and make a bid). Anyway, the mixer I eventually got (I bought it in Feb and between the weather and the seller behaving badly, I didn't get it for another 5 months) didn't look like the photo and the seller had taken it apart for "cleaning" and put it back together the wrong way. And I had to get a mover to go get it. Moral of the story is to buy stuff you can see and test first so ebay could work if you can get to the seller to see it before you commit. My father bought a 30 qt from a restaurant supply place in Florida on ebay. When the mixer arrived it hadn't even been cleaned, yet it was sold "like new" and this was from a "reputable firm". It was in pretty rough shape IMHO and I would have replaced the bowl (badly dented), whip (missing more than a few wires) and beater (cracked). There's lots of ads in the back of Modern Baking for suppliers that might be helpful. Are you on any of the local auction mailing lists? The caterer I share space with gets a monthy postcard of all upcoming auctions in the area so this might be a good option. The only bright spot is you just need the mixer, not the attachments if you go with another Hobart....

I've had similar experiences when I tried to substitute dark brown sugar for light; sieving the sugar would take too long. Maybe the browned butter doesn't contain enough moisture to sufficiently melt the sugar... Iwould alter the sequence a little: try mixing the whole eggs and brown sugar, heat to melt the sugar (Maida Heatter has a recipe for California Fruit Bars in which she does this, it takes about 10 minutes) and add the previously browned butter - still warm - and go from there. I've been using Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe for pecan tart - calls for cooking yolks, lt brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, dark corn syrup, salt to 160 degrees -enough to melt the butter and sugar, but not hot enough to scramble the yolks. I usually go to 150 so I don't have to strain the mixture. (RLB prefers and recommends Lyle's golden syrup for better flavor - when I had trouble with this the first time I made it - there was a lot of foam on the top of the nuts and it was because I wasn't letting it bake long enough - she told me the Lyle's was far and away better than the dark corn syrup, but I can't get Lyle's in bulk and the price point for this tart goes way too high with the retail Lyle's ... but I digress, sorry!) Let us know what happens.... Jeanne

hmm... I guess I was thinking I should only paint the part of the pillar that would show, but spraying the entire thing is much easier/faster/etc. I was worried about using something that might react with the cake, like how wired gum paste flowers could theoretically introduce bacteria sitting in a cake.... I am not looking forward to this, chocolate glaze always dulls a little on a cold cake and this mom is high maintenance and expects the glaze to be shiny bright the entire night. Chefpeon, will any kind of non-toxic spray paint work? Is clear coat the same stuff? (can you tell I've never done this?!) Any words of wisdom (one coat vs two of paint and or clear coat)? I'm definitely doing the plastic pillars, my lucite ones cost a bundle to have made years ago and while no one seems interested in using them any time soon, you can bet that as soon as I paint them, someone will want them... in clear! Thanks so much for all the help!

I have a bar mitzvah client who insists on having the plastic plates and pillars for her son's cake painted so they aren't white (I've tried to suggest she use the clear lucite plates/pillars I've had made, but no; she wants a three tier chocolate glazed cake on gold plates with gold pillars - well, more of a coppery color because she wants to use these wrapped chocolate footballs and the wrapper is copper colored). It's one thing to paint the plastic posts of the miniature Torahs with luster or ultra dust, but that flakes or rubs off if it is handled. I can't imagine doing this for the plates/pillars. What could I use that's food safe? I haven't used pillars in at least three years, but the plastic ones I do have are the push-in type, which is what I would prefer to use for stability. They snap onto the underside of the plastic plate (all I have are the scallop edge type) and go straight through the cake. The pillars are 7" tall, which means at least three inches will "show". The cake size(s) are 13, 10 and 7 rounds. The cake is for Nov 27. Thanks! Jeanne

I use 50/50 by weight, too. My instructor used to float a vanilla bean in the container we used for cake syrups. On average, how long does your 50/50 syrup last before it get cloudy or shows signs of being unusable? I can't seem to keep it at room temp for more than a week or 10 days; and in the walk-in, it isn't more than two weeks if I'm lucky. It seems to me it should keep longer than this....

I've been in business for almost four years. For me, naming my business wasn't as hard - my grandfather always used to sing "I dream of Jeannie with the light brown hair" so the name of my business became I Dream of Jeanne Cakes (spelled that way because a restaurant business - now defunct - was operating as I Dream of Jeannie and the state where I live wouldn't let me incorporate as I Dream of Jeanne. So adding Cakes was an easy enough decision. I answer the phone as "Jeannie Cakes, may I help you?") Look online at ICES or TheKnot.com or weddingchannel.com for links specifically to bakeries because that way, you'll get to see a whole list at once and it might help you with brainstorming. Katie Cooks or A piece of cake by Katie is all I could come up with, sorry. Is there a fond memory or nickname from your childhood that might inspire a name? Or your name (or a pastry-related word) in your ancestor's native language (hopefully easily pronounce-able!). Maybe use your last name instead of your first? Something else to consider is what happens when or if you sell your business.... a name like "cake" or "Cooper St Bakery" doesn't have a direct link to a specific person.... Good luck and keep us posted on what you choose!

I like the pasta machine, and use it myself (I don't have the attachment for the mixer. The pasta machine can be clamped to the worktable when I am doing gum paste work so it isn't taking up space all the time.). I wish I had the motor because having both hands free makes it much easier to manage doing longer pieces for ribbons and you don't get that little line mark for when you stopped ever so briefly when using the hand crank! (for flowers, smaller pieces work best because when the gum paste is rolled that thinly, it dries very very quickly). You need to be religious about thorough cleaning regardless of which way you go; there's nothing worse than trying to clean a forgotten piece of gum paste from the rollers! Keep it wrapped in a plastic bag between uses (the machine, that is!) to keep the dust/dirt out.

The only "crumbs" I can get from my distributor is in a blue box that is labelled crumbled oreos for food service use (it says crumbs on the box, but they're really just broken cookies). I can't use them as is because the chunks are pretty big which is why I'm grinding them in the food processor. I've never tried anything else (like Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers) because of expense. I've thought about switching to chocolate graham crackers, but those aren't available from any of the distributors I do business with, which means buying them retail. What do the crumbs you're able to get look like? How are they packaged? Maybe I need to be getting something other than these crumbled cookies. It is very true that the walk in is humid (so is my two door True reach in) so I will keep the crusts I'm able to do in advance (always wishful thinking!) out on the rack. Thanks!

I've been using Oreo crumbs (the food service pack of crumbled cookies, which I grind in a food processor to make crumbs) to line the bottom and sides of a lightly buttered removeable bottom cheesecake pan for all of my cheesecakes that call for a chocolate crust. No matter what method I use, the crust is always way too moist after baking. My pecan-graham crusts aren't this wet so I've tried cutting down on the melted butter (from 1/3 cup to 5 cups crumbs to no butter at all) but still, the crust is wet. I can add dry crumbs to the side of the cake to alleviate the bare spots and make it look more uniform, but anything that adds time subtracts $ so I'd like to fix this. I don't bake the crust prior to pouring in the batter; sometimes I prep the pans the night before and chill them but I do not always have this much spare time so most of the time, I am prepping the pans right before making the batter. I press the dry crumbs onto the sides and bottom, then use the bottom of a 3" pan to compress the crumbs on the bottom of the pan. It's not a thick layer on the sides, more to mask the sides, but the bottom is a thicker crust. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or does everyone else who uses this product have the same issues? Any ideas for a substitute perhaps? Thanks, Jeanne

I chose the Viking over the Kenwood because the Kenwood didn't have a handle on the bowl. I'm stuck with it, I can't return it and feel like I wasted $500, which I sure can't afford to do. My father used to say never buy a new model car the first year it is out, and I feel like that applies to this Viking. Not that the KA 6 qt didn't (doesn't) have its problems but not like this. My 6 qt has never complained once and I use it almost every day for anywhere between 3-6 hours. I guess I got lucky with the KA and am paying my dues with the Viking.

You can also buy round cake rings from Parrish's Cake Decorating in Gardena, CA if that's closer for you (aka Magic Line pans). I bought several hundred 3x1" rings a few years back (aluminium) and the price worked out to less than $2/each.

I like Chefpeon's approach with the dome shaped cake and chocolate piped feathers with a leaf tip. Make, build and shape the cake. Use a fan shape of foam core (at craftstores, you can cut it with an exacto knife) for the rear tail feathers. Paint the foam core with some melted chocolate and then pipe on the tail feathers once the rest of the cake is assembled (this would be the last step). I would cover the turkey body with chocolate fondant (and I would also recommend Bakel's chocolate fondant for this, the SatinIce brand is a little too soft for what I'm suggesting) and place the cake on the presentation board; cut two wing shapes and apply them. Make a sausage shape of the chocolate fondant for the head/neck and shape the beak, etc. Press the sausage shape onto the front and smear (think pate brisee) the edges of the sausage onto the body to attach (wet the area with a paintbrush dipped in water). It won't matter if the edges show, you're going to cover this and the wings with piped chocolate as Anne mentioned. Add details to the head; then attach the foamcore to the body with toothpicks and pipe the feather details. My restaurant clients this year are buying pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin roll (spiced pumpkin biscuit rolled around a cream cheese/whipped cream/Grand Marnier filling - think buche de noel), cranberry walnut tarts (from epicurious.com), chocolate pecan and pecan tarts (these last ones from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pastry Bible). Idon't offer pies since there are so many local farms in the area but one client is interested in a rustic apple tart.

I second that! I bought a 7 qt (1000 watt) model about two months ago because I needed another tabletop - small enough for little jobs but big enough to mix up a half sheet cake without tying up the 20 qt. I already have a 4.5 qt KA which is older than the hills, and a 4yr old 525 watt 6q KA. I had been thinking to buy a 10 qt hobart, but when King Arthur had a free shipping deal on the Viking, I bought it instead. I hate it. The Viking is so loud you cannot hear anything (timers, telephone, other people talking to you right in front of you). It doesn't do a substantially better job than my 6 qt KA. I'm not crazy about the conical bowl design either but I wonder if I'm just too used to the wide open bowls of the KA. I haven't had any overheating problems but that is because I find myself not wanting to use the Viking - to the extent that I will interrupt the poor dishwasher to wash up the dirty KA bowls/whip/beater that I need just so I don't have to use the Viking. I wish I'd bought the Hobart, or another 525 KA. I was watching Food Network the other night and noticed a Viking on the set - and the host (I think it was Emeril?) always raised his voice anywhere near the mixer just to be heard! Sigh. Live and learn.