Works in pastillage:

[hac]

hi everyone, ive been lurking in this forum for awhile and finally decided to sign in after some questions i thought i could have helped answer went by and more impt my questions! haha! anyway im a self taught home baker that went serious here in the philippines. problem is they dont really take male pastry chefs seriously, so i needed to keep growing. i was trying to learn pastillage and browsed around this forum and came across some old threads by chefette that really helped a lot and i was able to sucesfully complete my handcut 100pcs butterflys in time for a wedding order. thats why im so thankful to the people here and i hope i could return the favor someday. i learned pastillage about 3weeks ago and orders poured in and more possibilities were open. heres some of my latest work so far. all cakes are edible top to bottom (except for a few lights)

i used a brush with vodka to "wet" the fondant to give it a more aged look as i was gunning for something that looks old =P

*all lights are individually plastic wrapped then encased in pastillage for food safety =P

again thank you so much egullet for making me more knowledgeable and i hope i an also contribute here. though i dont know much technical terms since im a, as i said, homebrewed (meaning cookbooks, internet research and youtube =P) im still learning a long the way! i can mostly offer help in mock ups though since i love to tinker!

[Lior]

Beautiful work! I love all the detail and self taught! Wow! Welcome to egullet-it really is a wonderful place.

[hac]

thank you so much! looking forward to having a great time here!

[Peter the eater]

Very impressive. I've not heard of vodka on fondant to achieve that effect, it's convincing. I don't imagine it leaves any taste, does it?

I'm making a solid fondant train next week for a baby shower cake and wondered about texture tricks like that one. I'm sure the mom-to-be would allow a little surface vodka.

[chefette]

Congratulations hac, a really nice job!

[Emily_R]

Wow! What an amazing job you've done! I'm totally wowed, and the fact that you are self-taught makes it even more incredible! Keep posting the pictures!

[prasantrin]

Let me add my, "Wow!"

Where in the Philippines are you? Manila?

[hummingbirdkiss]

Just beautiful! I keep looking at it and am just amazed!

welcome and thank you for sharing that wonderful piece!

[hac]

thank you all for such great comments and warm welcome!

the fondant i use is the easy wayo out fondant which is marshmallow, the vodka does leave a bit of taste to it but not enough to even hint its vodka. you can try to brush it with water (just a bit) then dry it good if the cakes are going to be for kids. though imnot entirely surehow thats going to turn out since ive never tried it. im sure someone here can give out a more detailed alternative.

to chefette thank you that means a lot for you to comment on this since it would not have been possible if it wasnt for your topic on pastillage and me reading them over and over and over again just to make sure i catch every detail. i used the powdered gelatin for all the pastillage work but was able to adjust it the 1st time that i was able to use it right away and is very smooth and easy to work with but drying time is soooo fast i usually end up running! =P i had my laptop on my table during the butterflys constantly reviewing your topic over and over!

to prasantrin yes im located in metro manila, new manilato be more exact. are you from here too? i run this website chocolateyheaven.multiply.com to share and advertise my work as right now im still working on getting my shop and is still based at home =P

again thanks all for the welcome!

[hac]

oh id like to add that if your going to go for the letting your fondant break to get that effect, roll down your fondant fairly thick as i had some problems experimenting that the fondant cracked too much and made some holes.

the pagoda cake was made in 2 days since it was a rushed order so next sleep i had was 3days after! =P

for this one, a friend of mine wanted something very special for the girl he wants to ask to be his gf. turns out the girl was a choclit cake addict and i happen to sell mostly chocklit cakes. so he turned to me and said a few things on how he wants the cake but leaves it to me on how i want to execute it. well actually it was like this " dude i want a cake that will surprise her, heres the message, think how it will be hidden...kaya mo yan (whihc is filipino for..your on your own!). so a few quick drafts after i remembered some things from molding chocklits for fun! and i ended up with this!

this is how i made the top part of the cake. the sides have been coated with a lil bit harder than usual ganache coz i needed the strength, inside is a chocolate decadent cake with fudge cake bottom and layers of fudge whipped cream and meringue.

the girl cried and said yes!

honestly though it was so hard to work on the chocklit! was so scared that i was eventually going to break things and that my tempering wasnt good at all! but it made it safe..eaten like crazy people not seeing food for days. cake was 12in in diameter.

[K8memphis]

Really awesome too cool! I'm blown away.

The choclit one is very touching, very innovative with the doors that open so cleverly to reveal the sweet message. Pagoda is way beyond stunning.

Very very very cool. Great stuff.

[prasantrin]

to prasantrin yes im located in metro manila, new manilato be more exact.  are you from here too? i run this website chocolateyheaven.multiply.com to share and advertise my work as right now im still working on getting my shop and is still based at home =P

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My mother's family is from Bacolod, and I spent a year there many many years ago. She spends several months there every year around sugar cane harvest time, so she's always looking for good cake shops to visit. She doesn't get to Manila very often, but maybe you should open your own shop! I think she'd find a way to visit Manila if you did!

Quite honestly, I don't care for the Philippines, but I do find the higher end cakes there to be fabulous! In general, they're of much better quality than a lot of North American cakes, in my opinion.

Beautiful chocolate cake, by the way. What a great idea with the door!

[hac]

Really awesome too cool! I'm blown away.

The choclit one is very touching, very innovative with the doors that open so cleverly to reveal the sweet message. Pagoda is way beyond stunning.

Very very very cool. Great stuff.

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thank you so much. i severely need more letter piping skills! =P

to prasantrin: yes i do know what you mean, i lived in the US for a good 6months jsut last year, that was y longest stay there and i went around state to state and when i came home...it was just so diffrent..LoL. not to mention politics...oh well thats for another forum! and a whole lotsa issues! im hoping i could get the shop this summer..whihc is about 2 months away. its just hardto pick a name and the spot!

regarding your statement about the cakes here thats funny because i have several american clients that constantly travel here and back for business that orders my cakes regularly. they haul it in the plane and hold it until they get there. they told me that they appreciate the cakes made here by certain people. i dont know if its true or they just havent visited enough restos there to sample sweets!

[Tri2Cook]

for this one, a friend of mine wanted something very special for the girl he wants to ask to be his gf.

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"Who are you gonna ask?

That girl over there.

Summer Wheatly? How the heck are you gonna do that?

Build her a cake or something."

Just kidding, those look great. I wish I had the patience to do things like that.

[hac]

for this one, a friend of mine wanted something very special for the girl he wants to ask to be his gf.

←

"Who are you gonna ask?

That girl over there.

Summer Wheatly? How the heck are you gonna do that?

Build her a cake or something."

Just kidding, those look great. I wish I had the patience to do things like that.

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LoL haha! thanks! and for the good laugh too