Martini-shaped cake

[Wendy DeBord]

I have a request for a b-day cake shaped like a martini for a 21st b-day. I can do a 3d lying down, but I have no intention of doing a standing glass for this. Anyway..........I can't get a good visual in my head for this. Have any of you done similar?

If so: How did you handle the glass verses the clear liquid inside the glass with frosting?

Or have any of you seen a photo of similar at any cake decorators site?

Thanks.

[divina]

what about a giant martini glass used as to hold the cake?

I have seen huge ones..

I can invision giant jelloshots..

or a tiramisu or

coating the inside of the glass with brown sugar crystals ( sorry, don't know what they are called in English, been in Italy too long!)

but the shine like little jewels... and then filling with layers of cake and frosting..

perhaps with a great alcohol soak!

[KatieM]

Hmmm. I am very new to egullet. Mostly been lurking up til now, but I am a cake designer/baker/etc. myself, and I thought I might be able lend a hand on this topic.

I have never done a martini glass, but I have done a margarita glass. Not the entire cake SHAPED as the glass, but with one on top of the cake. I molded it from white chocolate out of a real glass. I filled the glass itself with chocolate and molded that part. I then used a white chocolate dipped candy cane for the stem, and for the base, I simply turned the glass upside down and molded the base itself. I cut all the pieces in half so it could lay flat on the cake.

I couldn't figure out how to make a "clear" glass, so I brushed the whole thing with super pearl so that it would look "frosted". For the liquid, I tinted piping gel the yellowish-greenish color I wanted and swirled it around on the top of the glass. I "salted" the rim with green sugar (white wouldn't show up)

If you are making the whole cake shaped like the glass, you could use some of the same tricks, I think. If you covered the sculpted cake with fondant, you could sort of outline where the glass is with black and then use maybe SLIGHTLY yellow tinted piping gel for the liquid? You could DEFINITELY make an olive out of fondant! Hmm. This is harder than I thought. For some reason I have a sort of clipart image of a martini glass in my head.

I'm nowhere NEAR your level of expertise, so these are just humble suggestions. Hope this helps a little!

a huge fan of your work!

Katie

[chefpeon]

Here are two pics of some martini themed cakes that I did.......

Maybe these will help.....

As a matter of fact, the second one I just finished today.....it's for my boss's birthday

tomorrow........

(No, I'm not sucking up!!)

His wife ordered it.

[TrishCT]

Awesome Chef"peon"??!

[beans]

If so: How did you handle the glass verses the clear liquid inside the glass with frosting?

Does it need to be the classic? Or can it be that slightly pink creation of the Cosmopolitan or a Chocolate Martini?

I just thought I'd throw those out there, as if I'd have any suggestions to achieving either of those!

Edited June 18, 2004 by beans (log)

[Wendy DeBord]

Welcome KatieM!

Thanks for the input everyone.

Oh Chefpeon.........that first cake would be soooo much easier and better to do then anything I've thought of...........if you don't mind I'd like to follow that and do similar? That's a really great way to handle this!!! I love it-got to bring my copy of the Bake House cookbook with me to work today.

You saved me alot of time and frustration, thank-you!!

[bkeith]

Here are two pics of some martini themed cakes that I did.......

Maybe these will help.....

Hey chefpeon,

Love the cakes!

Question for you. It would appear that the martini glass, clipart fellow, and messages on these cakes are white chocolate? I know how the glass and man are done (I'm pretty sure - like a reverse runout, yes?), but would you mind sharing your technique for getting the fonts right on the messages?

Thanks.

[chefpeon]

Question for you. It would appear that the martini glass, clipart fellow, and messages on these cakes are white chocolate? I know how the glass and man are done (I'm pretty sure - like a reverse runout, yes?), but would you mind sharing your technique for getting the fonts right on the messages?

Yep! White chocolate is my best friend. I go through so much of it, it's not funny.

The martini glass and the retro guy are what I call "flat chocolate art". It's just like the

royal icing runout technique, but instead you use chocolate. All I do is find the desired

picture, make a copy, or print it out on my computer, then put the paper on a flat piece

of card board (I "glue" it down with a little squiggle of chocolate), then make my dark

lines with dark chocolate, let it set a bit, then fill in the lines with white chocolate that

is colored with powdered color. After the colors are filled in, then I draw an outline around

the whole image with white chocolate and "back" it with more white chocolate, so it's strong.

Flat chocolate art breaks easily. Then you put it in the fridge or freezer to set up for a few minutes. After it has just set, flip the image over and let it set for about 15 minutes. Then peel the paper off. Voila! Pretty cool! For the martini glass, after I backed it with the white chocolate,

I gently laid a bamboo skewer in the unset chocolate, and covered it with more chocolate.

When it was set, all I had to do was insert the "glass" into the cake. One point to remember!

When you do text, or a picture that requires an image that can't be "mirrored" (for example,

a car-you want the driver's side to be on the correct side), make SURE you reverse the image

first! Text should look backwards....then when you flip it and peel the paper off, everything will

be the right way 'round.

Regarding text, I freehand most of it. I've always been really good at writing, and I can copy

virtually any font. Sometimes though, it looks better as flat chocolate art, and that's what I

did for the retro guy martini cake. All I did, was use Adobe Photoshop (or you can use any other

DTP or photo or paint program) and typed out what I wanted. I chose the appropriate font, in this case "FontdinerLoungy" and then "reversed" it, so it was backwards. Then I printed it out. Then I did the flat chocolate art thing. Voila! Easy and so cool!

Hope this helps........

Happy writing!

Cheers....... Annie

[TrishCT]

Voila! Easy

...not for me, I'm still in awe

[bkeith]

All I did, was use Adobe Photoshop (or you can use any other

DTP or photo or paint program) and typed out what I wanted. I chose the appropriate font, in this case "FontdinerLoungy" and then "reversed" it, so it was backwards. Then I printed it out. Then I did the flat chocolate art thing. Voila!  Easy and so cool!

Hope this helps........

Happy writing!

Sure does, thanks. Since I couldn't see any outlines on the letters, I wondered whether you'd maybe freehanded or used a paintbrush. But I guess when you outline with the same color you're filling with, the line disappears (unlike with royal where the line remains distinct unless you muck with it).

I first heard of this technique years ago, after seeing a demonstration of frozen buttercream transfer. After the demo, someone said, "that's just like chocolate enameling, just with buttercream". That triggered a lightbulb moment for me, and I went home to play.

Here was my result. I thought of it as a multimedia study in irises:

The irises on the board are gum paste, the inset ones on the sides are counted cross stitch in royal icing, and the top is a chocolate replica of one of Van Gogh's "Irises" paintings.

I'm not sure why I don't do more if it. I guess I work so much with royal icing that my first thought in replicating images is runouts. But doing it in chocolate would be much faster, and tastier on the finished project. I think you've just prodded me to start using this technique more.

Thanks much!

[Swisskaese]

BKeith that cake is beautiful.

Wendy, I don't know if you have already made the cake, but here is a link to a chocolate mold of a martini glass with olives. It might help you with the shape.

Martini with olives

How about this martini cake..... all I can say is wow!

http://www.confetticakes.com/sp3_7.html

Edited June 20, 2004 by Swisskaese (log)

[tanabutler]

You mean you can't run sheets of white chocolate through a printer?

Bummer.

Great cakes, all. I'm glad I clicked into this thread.

[bripastryguy]

chefpeon,

So awesome, I'm speechless and have found a new aide in my cake decorating arsenal. Right now I hand water color rolled fondant that I have rolled very thin so it is able to be seen through then I paint the best I can most of the object, then finish the detail by eye, not too easy but it gives my cakes a more unique and interesting look. I can't wait to try out your white chocolate method

[EmilysOven]

make my dark  lines with dark chocolate, let it set a bit, then fill in the lines with white chocolate that is colored with powdered color. After the colors are filled in, then I draw an outline around the whole image with white chocolate and "back" it with more white chocolate, so it's strong.

Forgive me if this is a silly question, but when you're doing the fill with the colored white chocolate, has that chocolate been tempered. I'm the pastry chef for a catering company and my boss would flip for decor like these, however, I don't have a chocolate room to work in and I imagine that maintaining a good temper would be difficult in my situation.

Really cool thread

Emily

[KatieM]

chefpeon,

Wow! Your cakes are so excellent! That martini glass was exactly the sort of "black line" thing I had pictured in my head. Your chocolate transfers are amazing! I've seen lots of chocolate transfers, but none like that! You have a true talent for copying fonts it seems! Those are so perfect that they look like you ran them through an edible ink printer!

I have a question for you about your icing, though. I think I read somewhere on egullet that you typically use a swiss meringue buttercream. This is what I use as well, but yours is so smooth! I can get mine fairly smooth on the cake, but I tend to have a lot of air bubbles, and yours does not seem to have any at all! The only fix for this I have found is spatulating the icing before I put it on the cake. However, this is very time consuming, and if there is an easier way, I would love to know! I am wondering if it is my mixing method. I switch to a paddle attachment when I add the butter, and I try not to mix on too high a speed, but I still get the air bubbles. Would you mind sharing how you get yours so nice?

Thanks in advance,

Katie

[bkeith]

I have a question for you about your icing, though. I think I read somewhere on egullet that you typically use a swiss meringue buttercream. This is what I use as well, but yours is so smooth! I can get mine fairly smooth on the cake, but I tend to have a lot of air bubbles, and yours does not seem to have any at all! The only fix for this I have found is spatulating the icing before I put it on the cake. However, this is very time consuming, and if there is an easier way, I would love to know! I am wondering if it is my mixing method. I switch to a paddle attachment when I add the butter, and I try not to mix on too high a speed, but I still get the air bubbles. Would you mind sharing how you get yours so nice?

Thanks in advance,

Katie

I'll be interested to hear Annie's tricks of the trade for smooth icing if she's willing to share.

What I've found that works best for me is to mix the icing with the whip attachment on the lowest speed the mixer has for a good long time. I never switch to the paddle -- just use the whip for beating up the eggs (high speed) as well as adding the butter (medium speed). After all the butter is in, beat on medium a couple more minutes to ensure it's all well mixed, then switch to low and let it run for 10 minutes or so. Instead of incorporating air, this seems to either disperse it or at least distribute it so well that you don't get bubbles, but rather a wonderfully creamy mix.

I do the same when reconsituting frozen icing (I make big batches and just freeze the excess between icing sessions). Thaw the icing most of the way, then using the whip, start to mix upa bowlful (it'll look like hell). Take a smaller amount (maybe 1/5 the quantity in the bowl) and nuke it until it's pretty well melted and liquidy (I nuked it too long once -- ick -- sweet scrambled eggs). Pour into the mixer and mix on medium until the icing reconstitutes. Then switch to low. Works like a charm.

[KatieM]

Keith, thanks so much for your response! I suspect that I have not been mixing my buttercream long enough. I thought that mixing it longer would make MORE air bubbles, but it seems I am mistaken. Thanks for the tip on reconstituting frozen icing as well. I often end up freezing my icing, since I never make less than a double batch. Especially helpful, since I am doing my first paid wedding cake this week, and have lots of frozen buttercream in my deep freeze. How on earth people manage to do wedding cakes regularly when they have a different full-time job (as I do) is beyond me. I think this week has already taken years off my life. It isn't that I don't enjoy doing the cakes, it's just that I wish I could quit my other job and do cakes full-time! Unfortunately, I'm not quite ready to give up the paycheck and benefits! Anyway, sorry this is so off topic.

BTW Keith, I have been a frequent visitor to your website for some time! I am very happy to "meet" you here. I feel so humbled to be able to converse with such top notch cake celebrities here on egullet! I've got a long way to go, but this site is definitely going to help me get there!

Thanks again,

Katie

[bkeith]

BTW Keith, I have been a frequent visitor to your website for some time! I am very happy to "meet" you here. I feel so humbled to be able to converse with such top notch cake celebrities here on egullet! I've got a long way to go, but this site is definitely going to help me get there!

How sweet! Thank you! Nice to meet you too. I'm not sure I qualify as a top-notch cake celebrity, but it's nice to be a familiar name.

As far as the full-time job thing goes, I'm in the same boat. It helps to be able to get by on very little sleep.

[chefpeon]

Here's the post in another thread where I talk about my favorite tools and techniques for smooth icing.....!

I use both a swiss meringue buttercream and another type of simpler buttercream that's just powdered sugar, water, vanilla, pinch of salt and butter. When I make the swiss meringue buttercream, I use the whip, since I need it to whip my whites up anyway. Then I add cool butter in chunks and let it whip til the buttercream looks smooth in the mixer. When I make the other buttercream, I use the paddle, because if I use the whip the spokes eventually break. Believe me, I know! Nothing worse than a whip with broken spokes! Even if my buttercream has some air bubbles in it, I just stir it around in the bowl first, fill my icing bag, and apply it to the cake. The icing bag helps get some of the air bubbles out, and then any other air bubbles are worked out with my elbow spatula or my paint masker thingy. Like I said in the previous thread, it takes a little practice to get used to the paint masker thingy, but once you "get it" you'll never want to be without one! I can get a pretty smooth surface with just my elbow spat......but not quite as perfect as the ol' paint masker thingy! Man I love that thing!

[KatieM]

Chefpeon,

Just wanted to add my thanks for your tips on getting nice smooth icing! I applied them (and Keith's mixing instructions) to an anniversary cake I did this past weekend, and I got a beautifully smooth, no air bubble cake! Woohoo! I used to use the big basketweave dealie, but I had gotten away from it. Now I'm back to it, and it's working better than ever! Plus, I had recently purchased one of those paint masker things, and so I tried it out. You're right - it's fantastic! I swear I've been buying more stuff at Home Depot than the cake supply store these days!

Anyway, so sorry to hijak the thread. How's it going with the Martini cake, Wendy? I can't wait to see a picture!

[chefpeon]

Forgive me if this is a silly question, but when you're doing the fill with the colored white chocolate, has that chocolate been tempered. I'm the pastry chef for a catering company and my boss would flip for decor like these, however, I don't have a chocolate room to work in and I imagine that maintaining a good temper would be difficult in my situation.

Sorry I forgot to answer your question earlier!

No, I don't temper the chocolate....the dark or the white. I don't have time to do that. I just stick it in the microwave and my only concern for temperature is that I don't burn it!!