justcake

They had originally scheduled it for the first week of June but then later postponed it to a date yet to be announced.

I've been using Satin Ice recently after having consistent problems- similar to the ones you described- with Petinice. I've found that you really have to stay on top of the distributors in regard to rotating their stock... I no longer accept any buckets with dust on them! usually means they've been sitting in a warehouse too long and that's the only time I've had problems. I believe the shelf life is only 6 months- at least that's what the Satin Ice rep stated. In regard to color- yes, the more food color the weaker the fondant gets... I usually let it "rest" overnight after adding a lot of food color before I attempt to use it- not sure why it works but it seems to help. Also- Satin Ice is making colored fondant now in primary colors which is the same consistency as the basic white- I've used it to mix colors into white fondant instead of food color- it works great for lighter colors- that way it stays the same consistency and can be used right away. For darker colors I use the airbrush to accentuate as well.

On the previous page of this thread there are a lot of the designer’s names listed under the pictures of the cakes... either the designers name or business name. Mine is just listed as "Marina Sousa'... aka Just Cake. There are a few that are just descriptive captions & to be honest I don't remember who's they are either! The event was a bit of a whirlwind! All of the designers names are listed on the Brides website ( http://www.brides.com/cakewalk ) with links to each of our websites. Hope that helps!

I'll second Steves answer. Everyone I know who has attempted to make their own cake has seriously regretted it. Most of my friends who are cake desiners didn't even attempt to make their own. I got a phone call about a month ago from a brides sister- in tears... saying that she and her sister were in the midst of making her wedding cake for the next day and it had just cracked down the middle and was there anything I could do to help??? Unfortunately, having 8 weddings of my own to do the next day there simply wasn't... they ended up with Costco sheet cakes apparently. I don't mean to be a kill joy... but think twice...

I do have pictures actually... I've never posted any here and can't seem to figure out how to? Cut & paste and all my usual tricks don't seem to be working! If someone can tell me how to post them I'm happy to share the photos! Thanks.

See Wendy? I told you the paint masker thingy was the thing to use! I'd discussed that eons ago! Justcake, I was surprised that you said you cut yours at an angle and rounded it off......I buy mine that way.......see? ← I don't need it that tall for a typical sized cake (4-6" tall) so I cut it closer to the handle so i have more control. The part that I round off is actually the sharp pointed end so it doesn't cut into the next tier when you ice a stacked cake. Also- I have on with a squared off end that's good for multiple tiers becase it smooths the tier below it as it goes. Everyone does things a bit differently! That's just what I've found works best for me!

Hello... and thanks for the welcome. Wendy- to answer your question about getting my icing smooth... I actually use a metal "paint shield" that you can find in the paint department of a hardware store- they are usually about 99 cents. I cut the bottom edge off at an angle (it's thin enough that a regular pair of scissors does the trick) and round off the edge. I've made them all different heights for a variety of cake heights. In any case, because it's a really thin edge it just glides across the buttercream. It's really all about the pressure though- how heavy your hand is so to speak- it's definitely harder to maneuver than other tools but once you figure out what "touch" works best it's hard to go back to using anything else. I used to use the flat edge of a plastic bowl scraper- and still do for crumb coats but when I iced up my first topsy turvey style cake the width of the scrapper didn't cut it. I had randomly come across the paint shields at the hardware store thinking they might work for something someday and pulled them out and it worked great. I love finding new uses for random items at hardware stores! I've used it on a variety of buttercream types and it always produces a great result. Hope that helps!

I was actually one of those "career changers" you watched on the Food Networks Birthday Cake Challenge! Every cake designer I know took a different path to reach where they are now. The only constant is being passionate about the art. My background is in Visual Merchandising and Space Design... then in Theatre (set & costume design)... and then in event production... then one day I literally fell into cakes. I can't imagine taking any other route to get to where I am now and am no longer surprised when I here similar stories. I did go to culinary school (CIA) once I decided to go out on my own- mainly because I really had no formal culinary background since I came into designing through the back door. I knew going into school what I wanted to do so I was really focused on the end result. I think education of any kind is extremely valuable but there are other paths that can lead to the same end. As far as owning your own business goes... it's more work that you could possibly imagine- and wonderful all at the same time. I think a custom cake design shop is much different than a full service bakery. If you are only doing specialty cakes it can be much more focused. You don't really even need to have a storefront with regular business hours. I have a studio that I meet clients at for tastings by appointment only and then work out of a commercial kitchen at another location. The upshot is that you can have a really flexible schedule. The flip side is that when you are starting out it's just you- doing everything... baking, making fillings, putting the cakes together, decorating, doing the dishes, mopping the floor!... meeting with clients... dealing with marketing... accounting... contracts... sourcing and shopping for ingredients and product... delivering the cakes... the list goes on. Before starting out really research the market in your area. Where are people getting their cakes now? What are they paying? What can you offer that sets yourself apart from the competition? And don't assume that just because there might not be anyone in your area doing exactly what you plan on doing that you don't have competition. Can your area support another custom cake shop and pay the prices you intend to charge? Are you going to focus on wedding cakes or do cakes for all occasions? I love what I do and know many designers that feel the same. It's tons of work- there are good days and bad- know that going in and if it is truly your passion then you will find a way to make it happen. Best of luck to you!