cakesuite

bkeith's was insanely beautiful. PS, BKeith, I was the one who congratulated you for being a man in a mostly female show!!

The 4th "artist unknown" was mine (black and white flowers, with green/yellow appliques). I had only 5 days to prepare, and didn't think I'd have a decent cake to show, but I'm glad I attended nevertheless. Got a bronze.

Thank you, LCS!!

Yeah, I don't think I'll be driving.

Thanks for the feedback. Chefette, The Javits Center show is something I've considered doing for the past 20 yrs., and haven't gotten around to it. The one in Okla., although a logistical nightmare, seems somehow more exciting to me, because it's such a huge amount of cake artists in one space. Don't get me started-- I may have to do BOTH!! LCS, I appreciate any info you have, and it's good to know that it's not possible to buy a seat for the cake.

I am planning to enter a cake or two into the Okla. Sugar Art Show, and haven't done anything like this before. Any advice on the best way to get my cakes down there from Connecticut?

Hey, LCS, I was so looking forward to meeting you. To add to this, I just got back from a weekend in Philly, but didn't have any extra time. We'll meet one day!

Yes, too much coloring destroys my fondant as well. When I need a deep color, I usually color the fondant subtly, then go over it with the airbrush.

Well, I was there, and it was worth the trip. There was a bamboo cake that blew me away. And the Taj Mahal was exquisite. I hope somebody here has photos to show. The cake designers were all absent, unfortunately. I would have liked to ask some questions. A few cakes weren't labelled. Steve, which was yours?

I'll look for you, Steve. I plan to arrive at around 11am tomorrow. Your dedication shows, and I'm looking forward to meeting you!

Fun pictures-- They really whet my appetite for this show! You must be excited and proud, not to mention TIRED from all that travelling!

Wendy, An Italian bc will provide the stiffness you need, and if you incorporate 10% shortening, it won't melt as easily in your bag. I've had their cakes, and as I recall, it looked piped directly on, with a good tasting icing. If you want more dimension, why not pipe a bit underneath the flowers. Play around; it doesn't need to completely COPY their cakes, and you'll get a real feel for it, while using your own sense of style. I've done similar types of cakes: http://www.cakesuite.com/portfolio/image.p...tionid=3&page=1 and they're easier than you think! You WILL end up with more icing on your cake than people will want to eat, but that's okay, they can scrape off what they don't want, and all the yummy cake inside will make up for the excess icing. I think that it's inevitable with this kind of design.

I'll be there!

Couldn't stay on for more than 30 seconds--the music was so annoying!! In my 30 second tour of your site, I noticed you went to John & Wales. Um, you might want to check your spelling. Sorry, I'm sure your site is great otherwise.

If your filled cake is chilled, the buttercream should stiffen up fine. 70 degrees shouldn't make your filling ooze, if it's been previously chilled in the cake. To make a chocolate buttercream, I add cooled melted chocolate to room temp. buttercream. It may often the buttercream slightly, but once chilled will set up beautifully. Caramel, on the other hand, may loosen up your icing, depending on how much you add, and how liquid the caramel is to begin with. No, your layer of fondant wouldn't cause your icing to melt.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11156608..._1213_82986.jpg Thanks so much. I need some practice posting pictures.

The frozen whites are not ideal for a swiss buttercream. The addition of all that sugar before whipping prevents it from becoming a real meringe. Fresh egg whites are much better for this style of buttercream, but make sure you heat them up enough!! If you want to use the frozen, then perhaps you'd consider an Italian buttercream. Same flavor as Swiss, but different method, and much stiffer. Here, the frozen whites work perfectly. If you haven't worked with an Italian bcrm before, it's a different experience, and will take some getting used to, but remember that it is essentially stiffer than what you're used to. Now-- What to do with the soupy buttercream...? I actualy LIKE working with a super soft buttercream as a final coat because it contains very little air bubbles, and winds up very smooth. However, your crumb coat needs to be very well set before you apply a soft icing. Make sure you chill your fully iced cake for at least an hour before you enrobe it, and you'll find that your edges keep their shape. BTW, I don't see much slumping, and your cake is lovely!

Wow. Thank you so much for the sugarveil lesson. You make some good points as to when it might come in handy. Also, it seems unlikely that it would break when delicate work is being peeled off paper. Nothing worse than fragile royal icing that won't come off the paper!!

May I make a request?: Can we have a sticky at the top of the forums page, with a tutorial on posting pictures? I know you recently instructed someone on how to do that, but I have no clue what thread it was in. Thanks, Wendy. I'd love to share a picture or two.

Wendy, did you use an actual shoe to form the curve of your shoes? Very clever.

I also have 2 bags of the stuff, and just can't find the time to try it out. Looking forward to reading any reviews.

Hi all, I think I'm the only one not following the technique here, and it's so intriguing! When would you ever need to ice a stacked cake? I have never done this, and I'm sure that this would be a disaster if I tried. It is true that we all do things differently! When you say you round off the edge, what do you use to achieve an even roundness on the paint sheild? Now, you say you don't round yours the way chefpeon's is, so I'm missing the point entirely. Initially, I thought you use the round edge as your "blade", but now I'm confused. Also, why would you cut it at an angle? Lastly, what sort of cutter would you use to cut a piece of aluminum perfectly straight? Don't you end up with a razor sharp edge?? PS- Hi Wendy, it's momoreg!!

Hi Kerry, Any word on the 2005 show? If there's a date set, please post it. Thanks!