cakesuite

I participated for the second year this year, and there really is no way to choose the number 1 cake, with so much amazing talent in the room. There are a lot of participants, however, who had me questioning whether these were all professionals. I heard several people say that they were working on their cakes all day and all night for months, and all I could think was, "what about all your paid work? Who was doing that?" Of course there are also lots of real pros competing too, and I have nothing but admiration for them. It's a tough competition, and worth doing!! I earned a silver this year, so I have to keep trying!

Can you use that micro technique with foil and a hot oven?

I should mention that the brown color is airbrushed; not caramelized.

My pump has a wooden nozzle, so it turns out I didn't need the alcohol burner, but one I got into a groove, I found that it wasn't necessary. I also used a hairdryer on my first 30, and then realized that it wasn't necessary either. I ended up taking the advice to work with it a bit firmer to start, and just hold it under the light when necessary. I didn't let it get too thin (not worth the risk), but instead took it off the nozzle when I could see a uniform bubble through the middle. The isomalt is so forgiving; it allowed me to play and rework the sugar infinitely, which was a great help in the first dozen or so. Didn't need a torch until it came time to set up, and I just melted a wand of sugar and let it drip onto each bubble. It was an effective method, and I had the whole thing set up in 15 min. I bought the lightbox from ChefRubber, and hope to get another order like this, now that I have a new skill. It had been 20 yrs. since I had the chance to blow sugar, so I was pretty nervous.

Hey guys- Thanks for the great advice! Here's the pic!

Ohhhhhh... I have a wooden tube, but it occurs to me that a thinner metal tube might help in terms of cutting and shaping, as well as removal of hardened sugar. Thanks for that advice. I had tried blowing the firmer sugar, and it just didn't seem to be pliable enough. I'll try it again, with a bit more patience. It's great fun, albeit frustrating. I'd love to take a course at Notter's but until then, I'm on my own, with a little help from my friends.

I did a test run yesterday, and have some questions. -What consistency is optimal for blowing. I tended to use it when it was just short of runny, because any cooler seemed to set too quickly. -I'm not understanding what the spirit burner will accomplish, aside from use in the final assembly. Will it leave black carbon? I didn't have the alcohol for that (where to buy?), so I tried an oil lamp, but that left carbon. -what is the best way to achieve a uniform thickness? I apply it to the tube by making a depression in a ball, and sticking it on, abou 1/2" down from the tip. But it tends to be much thinner on one side than where I cut. -Because I work with it while it's very hot, I find that after cutting it off the tube, it's still too soft to set down. But if I wait too long I'm afraid it'll crack when I cut it. So what I do is cut it, and toss it around in my hand under a fan, until t holds its shape. Is there a better way? -After each bubble, I have to put the nozzle under the lamp, so I can pry the remaining sugar off that's blocking the opening. This takes a long time, and I'm sure there's a method that's better. Thanks again for all the invaluable advice. It has been very helpful.

Cool. I forgot about that place. Thanks!

Aha!!! I found it!!! http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/candymol...mb/90-14270.jpg

Thanks for your comments, everyone. I usually do monograms in royal, but this seems so clean, that if I knew the source for the cutter or mold, I'd buy it in an instant, even if I had to buy 2 sizes. The exacto method works for rougher shapes, but even with that, you wouldn't achieve the clean edge of these letters. I appreciate your input.

I found this gorgeous monogram, and assume that cutters are available, but the designer didn't reply to my email. Does anyone here know how this monogram was done? http://www.dianescakesandmore.com/weddingc...ry/monogram.htm

Wow! Huge success! The client chose this for her wedding cake. I filled it with a coconut cream cheese mousse, and iced with coconut cream cheese IMBC. I also served the cake to family for a birthday, and everyone went gaga for it. Thank you!!

I found the pellets on ChefRubber. Thanks again!!

It just happens that I have a client looking for a coconut cake this week. I'll give this one a go, and leave my review. Thanks!

Thanks. The blue colored balls sound good. Please post a source, if you have the time. I really appreciate it.