The Sugar Cove

Festive Berries with a Twist

2011-12-27T11:14:00.008-05:00

When the festive holiday season rolls around, so too do the decorations and festive accents, like pine cones and berries. While in nature, flowers can be found in almost every colour, in sugar flower land, you can make flowers and accents any colour you want. You are only limited by your imagination.

During the holiday time, I'm a big fan of berries and thought this year that I'd add a little twist. Pictured to the left are berries in white gumpaste, with the red stem done in red floral tape.

Simple, yet has a great graphic impact!

Kitchen Incubator in Kitchener!

2011-11-03T18:08:00.063-04:00

Learning the art of cake decorating is a journey unto itself, let alone starting your own cake business. So for those who are not quite ready to own their own store front, renting a commercial kitchen to bake for the masses is a viable business option.

Icing Inspirations in Kitchener, ON has just opened 3 licensed commercial kitchens to the public. What does this mean? It means that cake designers, caterers, and the like can rent a health inspected and fully licensed kitchen for all their kitchen needs. Rent kitchen space when you need it, for as long as you need it.

Each kitchen has the following:

*stainless steel work tables
*stove and oven
*Kitchen Aid mixer
*baker's rack with sheet pans
*micowave
*fridge
*basic supplies

Of the 3 kitchens to choose from, there is a small, medium and large. Pumping out a 700 cookie order, no problem! The "sans walls", open concept allows for easy combination and reconfiguration of the kitchens, should your baking needs require it.

A minimum of 8 hours is required for booking and times are booked in 4 hour slots. But remember, first come first served. Need to book a specific date, make sure to book ahead! Rental rates vary according to which kitchen you are booking and the amount of time needed (i.e. one time use, part time and/or ongoing kitchen usage).

This is a great space and opportunity for those in the initial stages of their businesses or are not quite ready for the big leap to a store front. Interested and want to see more? Veiwings can be booked with Icing Inspirations to see this great kitchen space.

For more information contact:

14 Hoffman Street, Unit 4
Kitchener, ON
519-576-3364

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Kyra Bussanich

2011-10-16T17:25:00.057-04:00

The Sugar Cove is super excited to welcome Kyra Bussanich from the Crave Bake Shop from Lake Oswego, Oregon. Featured in the Food Network's Cupcake Wars, Kyra started walking the sugar path about three years ago when an "aha moment" made her realize that baking, and not practising law, was her true passion in life. However, what truly sets Kyra apart is her drive to offer unique yummy gluten free products to those restricted to a gluten free diet. I, myself, have a dairy allergy that restricts my diet and there's nothing worse than passing a display of gooey ooey cinnabons and not being able to partake. It's a crime people! Everyone should be able to indulge in their yen for sugar, and Kyra does just that.

I have always loved sweets. My family used to joke that every tooth I have is a sweet tooth and when people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I loved the idea of owning a bakery, "Let's eat cake all day long!" However, I didn't think it was a "real career", so I set about to become a lawyer. But along the way I realized that feeding people made me happier. When someone marvels at how tasty something is that I've made, I get all warm and glowy inside.

My "aha moment" came three years ago when I was 30 years old. I had just married an amazing man and despite feeling stuck in a desk job that didn't challenge or excite me, life was rosy. I had been with the same company for nine years and though I wasn't full filled by my career, I didn't define myself by my job. One sunny July afternoon, my husband called me over to the computer. He was reading Steve Jobs' (CEO of Apple Computers) commencement address to Standford University, and had felt that it contained a message I needed hear. As he began to read aloud, tears started rolling down my face. Jobs said, "You've got to find what you love. And that's as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

I had taken my time (and dated quite a bit) before finding the love of my life to marry, so why had I settled for a job I didn't like? Steve Jobs mentioned in his speech that he looked in the mirror in the mornings and asked himself, "Do I love what I do?" When the answer was a resounding "no" for too many days in a row, he simply changed what he did. Was it that simple, I wondered? And if I changed what I did for work every day, what should I do? What DO I love? My husband stopped reading and put his arms around me. He wiped a few years away with his thumb and said, "If you were just now graduating from high school, what would you do? Would you go to college?" I sniffled and replied, "I'd still attend my undergrad university, because I had an amazing time there and have fond memories, but immediately upon graduation, I'd go to pastry school." My husband shrugged and simply said, "So go to pastry school." I replied, "But we have a mortgage, we're still paying off our huge student loans...how will we afford it?" He shrugged again and simply said, "Go to pastry school." My husband kept telling me, "Go to pastry school." He new what was in my heart, and what I really loved.

Once we moved past all the superficial reasons why I couldn't or shouldn't go back to school (on top of almost $300,000 in combined student loans), I began looking at the local Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program. There was a new session beginning in a month, and with my husband's full support, I enrolled in classes. Having been diagnosed with an auto immune disorder when I was twenty, I was restricted to a gluten free diet. Maintaining a gluten free lifestyle when none of your friends understand what that means (or where gluten can hide) is not easy and pastry school was no different. I'd arrive at class at 6 am every morning and start mixing my bread dough, or kneading and rolling out the croissant dough, or pouring out cake batter. All day long, the smells would entice me and it was a testament to my willpower that I was able to refrain from eating everything in sight. I'd come home after class and begin experimenting with gluten free flowers, such as millet flour, quinoa flower and potato starch, and see if I could recreate what I had made in class that day. There were a few hockey pucks, rather than light, fluffy biscuits, and there were some crumbly piles of sandy crumbs, instead of a moist springy cake, but as I kept experimenting, I gradually developed a handful of trusted recipes so I, too, could have a treat at a friend's BBQ or birthday party.

At potlucks, I'd always bring something I knew I could eat, since I wouldn't be able to read the ingredient labels on the sauces and dips and dressing that garnished the food on the communal table. Being gluten free meant skipping out on the desserts (invariably gluten-filled brownies, cupcakes, muffins, scones and cookies that I couldn't touch). Really, being gluten free meant sitting out on part of the celebration, and it wasn't because I wanted to be excluded - it was because I'd get sick if I indulged.

With increasing awareness about Celiac Disease and other autoimmune disorders (such as Colitis, Crohn's, Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis) that can benefit from a gluten free diet, more and more of my friends and colleagues knew someone who had recently switched to a gluten free diet. In addition, many people who haven't been diagnosed with one of the above illnesses, find that they too feel more energetic and healthier by avoiding gluten. Eventually, I was so busy with this "side business" that I quit my day job to focus exclusively on Crave Bake Shop. Initially, we were only a custom order and by personal request online store.

Last December, I was featured on the season premiere of the Food Network's popular show "Cupcake Wars". I was overwhelmed by shipping orders from around the country, as well as personal stories of people who had heard the judges reviews and finally had hope that they too could eat a delicious gluten free dessert. I also heard from many parents who were thankful that they could serve something delicious to their child who had a restricted diet. From there, we just kept gathering momentum...and we recently opened our first brick and mortar location. I get feedback from customers telling me that they have been gluten free for 3 years (or 7 or 15) and in all that time, have never had a gluten free cinnamon roll that actually tasted like a cinnamon roll...until mine. Indeed, most of the gluten free baked goods that I had tasted prior to starting Crave Bake Shop weren't products I would care to eat on a regular basis, and certainly weren't delicious. It seems that many companies are simply trying to capture on what they see as the "gluten free fad". What they don't realize is that for most of us, "it's NOT a fad, but a lifestyle that we must maintain in order to stay healthy.

My experience with pastry school not only taught me about the function of ingredients, but also honed my taste buds. I am able to taste when a product is made with cheap shortening and artificial flavourings, and I find it to be a turn off. Our products taste so good precisely because I use pure vanilla extract and Callebaut Belgain chocolate, and sweet cream butter. We test and retest recipes. Our gluten-eating friends try everything before we put it on the menu. Our goal isn't just to make Crave Bake Shop pastries the best gluten free treats, but to make them the best treats period. The pastries have to wow and delight and tantalize buds and make people immediately crave more. What gives me the most satisfaction is creating a new product or new flavour that thrills people. I love when they take a bite of something I've made and their eyes rolls back into their head and they moan in delight, "There's no way THIS is gluten free!" I just smile and quietly assure them that, yes, indeed it is gluten free and that they can safely eat it all.

Of course, that's not to say that there aren't times when I'm frustrated or tired and don't want to further develop a recipe. We all have those days. What really motivates me are the letters and emails that pour in from people around the country, thanking me for what I do and telling me how they cried tears of joy when they took a bite of my cinnamon roll - their first in 15 years - and it was delicious and tasted like the best cinnamon roll they could ever imagine. I have one repeat customer who was addicted to eating scones with here morning coffee but had to forgo that for the past 6 years. That was until she tried our orange currant scones. There is another family that calls me their "Cake Angel" because for the first time ever, their 3 year old daughter got to eat the same cake that all other kids enjoyed at the birthday party, and she got to feel included and "normal".

Whenever I think of these stories, it touches me. There is such an emotional component to food in general; we all have memories of our favourite family meal and scents of those foods can evoke strong nostalgia for the feeling of being safe, loved, happy and crowded around the table. When you introduce a serious food allergy or intolerance into the equation, the sense of nostalgia is even more powerful, because it's often combined with a sense of loss, of never again being able to eat that particular food. I think this is a big reason why so many of my customers are vocal about their opinions of my cakes, cupcakes and cookies and so on. It's strange, thinking that by doing what I love genuinely helps people, but when I reflect on all the stories my customers share with me, I can see that people definitely feel like I am making a positive impact on their lives. I'm just grateful that I am able to help! If that's not enough reason to keep on baking and doing what I do, then I'm not sure what is.

460 Fifth Street

Lake Oswego, OR 97034

503-212-2979

http://www.cravebakeshop.com/

2011 Canada's Baking & Sweets Show

2011-10-09T17:25:00.024-04:00

Recently, Redpath sugar hosted the first annual Canada's Baking and Sweets Show. The first consumer show of its kind to invite the public into the world of sugar. How fabulous! Vendors ranged from retailers like, Golda's Kitchen to confectionary arts school like the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts, as well as featuring cake retailers like Icing Inspirations and Sugar Buds.

Lots to see and LOTS to eat. Demos and baking competitions were in full force, with a special appearance from Buddy, the Cake Boss himself. The show also hosted a cake competition, which I submitted an entry in the Wedding Cake Category.

I didn't get to make it down to the show until almost the very end. However, because of some fabulous cake friends, my curiousity as to who won the wedding cake cagetory did not have wait till I got there. After a few Facebook messages back and forth, and a wall post on Saturday, I found out that I won! I won 1st place in the Wedding Cake Category!

Inspired by the beauty and simplicty of the cherry blossom flower, I had a great time creating this wedding cake. Simple in design, yet a visual stand out do to the three colours of red, white and black that were soley used.

To see more more pictures and the other great cake entries, be sure to go to my facebook page.

Clay Flowers with DK Designs

2011-09-19T19:50:00.025-04:00

Just spent 3 days with Diane Phillips from DK Designs learning the art of deco clay flowers, and all I can say is that it exceeded my expectations and more. I've been enjoying the art of sugar flowers for over ten years now, and I'm always on the look out for new techniques in flower making....this class sure hit the spot.

We covered A LOT of flowers in three days and I was skeptical, at first, if we would finish it all. In sugar flower land, there's the cutting of petals, wiring, drying time and of course dusting. Well...I had to throw that way of thinking out the window...literally people! We made hydrangeas, lilacs, lilly of the valley, peony, ranunculus, tuber rose and bud, plumeria, hibiscus, cymbidium orchid and gardenia. Phew! And it was all thanks to the type of medium we were using, Clay Craft by Deco.

Best part of the class...each flower was done by hand with no cutters. Why is this important? Huge? Monumental? One, it shows you that you don't necessarily need to rely on cutters to achieve the flower you are making. Two, hand techniques, which some might call "old school", are good to know and shows you that you don't necessarily need a fancy tool for everything. And three, the proof is in the final product. How you get there is personal preference in terms of technique.

As people in the class can attest to, it was light bulb moment after light bulb moment for me taking this class. I highly recommend taking a class in this medium. Even though we weren't working with sugarpaste, alot of the techniques used can be transferred over to the art of sugar flowers. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class with Diane, I highly recommend it. She's a fab teacher, and ticks all of the important boxes in the instructor department. Most importantly, Diane readily answered any and all questions. Trust me, I had more than my fair share of questions. However, if California is a bit out of the way for you, which is where Diane is located, go to the Deco Clay Craft Academy web page for a list of certified instructors, local and international.

Thanks again to Chrissie Boon and Justin Kozak, from Icing Inspirations for hosting Diane Phillips from DK Designs. It was a great class and I continue to enjoy the wide selection of instructors you bring to Kitchener, ON. Thank you again Diane, for crossing the border and teaching a few Canucks the beautiful art of clay flowers.

Popcorn Bag with Elisa Strauss

2011-08-27T16:17:00.006-04:00

Inside the Sugar Cove

2011-08-13T17:36:00.009-04:00

Hey sugar peeps! Go inside the Sugar Cove and see what it's like behind the scenes. For my facebook followers, you've been privy to this new feature on my facebook page for awhile. For those who haven't, "Inside the Sugar Cove" is a new photo album that I've created on my facebook page.

Inside you'll see pictures of things that I'm working on, tools and supplies that I love, and everything else that it takes to make my sugar creations. Enjoy!

Cake Diaries Welcomes Kellie Barclay

2011-07-17T18:34:00.034-04:00

The Sugar Cove is delighted to welcome Kellie Barclay of Fancy that Cake in Fergus, Ontario. A passion for cake design that began when her youngest child finally started school, has since evolved into a second career. This shows you that it's never too late to start walking another path, especially when that path leads you to all things sugar! As all of us sugar peeps know, all things sugar is the meaning of life. So sugar peeps, let's strap on our cake shoes as Kellie shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

My passion for sugar began when my youngest finally started school. He was now in school all day, every day and I was tiring of my job in retail. So I began to look for something to do with my "grown up" self. I seriously considered going back to school for pastry chef certification, but with the only school offering that course two hours away in downtown Toronto, I thought maybe a few cake decorating classes would get me started.

I took Wilton I, and then discovered Klara Johnson's School of Confectionery Arts in Cambridge. I began taking classes there and took as many as I could fit into my schedule. Then Icing Inspirations opened up in Kitchener, and began offering the opportunity to learn not only from the talented owner herself, but also from some fabulous Food Network Challenge participants and I was hooked. My first wedding cake was for my Mom in 2009, and I haven't looked back since!

From 2009 onwards I had been working at cake design part time for about two years when, in November of 2010, my office job ended due to slow business. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as my husband and I decided that maybe this was the push I needed to go cake design full time! After doing some research and a lot of planning, I took the final leap into making cake a full time business and renovated my basement into my own cake studio. I am very fortunate to be in an area that allows me to have a separate licensed kitchen in my basement and thanks to my husband's handy skills and my family's support, my cake dreams have become a reality. Plus I am now able to work from home.

Since learning the art of cake design, my sense of 'cake style' has evolved and now falls somewhere between traditional and whimsical. I LOVE making sugar flowers - some people knit in front of the TV, I sit and make sugar flowers! I love that I can take a simple piece of rolled out gumpaste and turn it into a bright, beautiful poppy or a sweet and simple daisy. There's nothing like putting that special summin', summin' on that cake to add that touch of whimsy.

Those special touches that I add to my cakes, comes from being an absolute believer in continuously learning. It's essential to being a great cake designer! No one person can know everything there is to know. Trends and styles are always changing and evolving. By taking classes, (and I usually take two or three per year) I am always learning new techniques and improving on old ones. And the payoff come from hearing the happy feedback from my customers. I love to know that I have helped make my clients event special. From weddings to birthdays to anniversaries, you name it - any occasion is a reason for cake!

Kellie Barclay

Classes @ Icing Inspirations

2011-07-11T08:59:00.035-04:00

Fall 2011 I'll be teaching the following sugar flower classes at Icing Inspirations in Kitchener, ON.

Garden Peony
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011
Time: 9:30 to 12:30pm
Location: Icing Inspirations
Cost: $90CDN + HST

Poinsettia
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Time: 9:30am to 12:30pm
Location: Icing Inspirations
Cost: $90CDN + HST

Festive Accents
Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Time: 6:30 to 9:30pm
Location: Icing Inspirations
Cost: $70CDN + HST

Gumpaste Orchids
Orchids are a popular flower and forever in style. Learn the Bamboo Orchid, Vanilla Orchid, Lealia Lily Orchid, Butterfly Orchid and the Vuylstekeara Orchid.
Date: Wednesdays (Sept. 21, 28, Oct 5, 2011)
Time: 6:30 to 9:30pm
Location:Icing Inspirations
Cost: $120CDN + HST

2011 Icing Inspirations Cake Competition

2011-07-11T08:49:00.016-04:00

Wow...what a weekend! Yesterday was the 2nd Annunal Cake Competition at Icing Inspirations and it was stellar. Lots of great entries and cakes to see...50+ cakes on display. There were three categories to feast your eyes on: Open Division, Hobbyist and Professional Division.

The theme this year was designing a wedding cake for a "fantasy wedding couple", which was for the Hobbyist and Professional Division. In the Open Category, the theme was "A Sea of Inspiration". I loved seeing everyone's interpretation of the theme, as each cake was unique and distinctive.

If you've been following me on Facebook, you'll aleady know that I entered a cake in the Professional Division and is the one pictured above........I won 1st place in the Professional Division and People's Choice award in the same category. I still can't believe it!

Thanks to Chrissie Boon for hosting such a great event and her husband Justin Kozak. As always, the level of hospitality and sense of welcome was fabulous. Be sure to go to my Facebook page for full pictures on all the fabulous entries.

Betty Van Norstrand - Large Ribbon Flower

2011-06-28T08:56:00.004-04:00

Cake Shoe Diaries Series Change

2011-06-22T07:29:00.018-04:00

Hey sugar peeps! Since starting the Cake Shoe Series in November of 2011, The Sugar Cove has had the pleasure of interviewing many cake artists and lovers of sugar. What started out as a way to find out what ignited others passion for all things sugar, has blossomed into a wonderful interview series that takes you inside people's stories of how they got them into the sugar habit.

Once a monthly series, the Cakes Shoe Diaries will be moving to a a quarterly published series. This means that you can expect issues:

January

April

July

October

June was a short hiatus, with the series resuming this July. Lots of interesting people lined up, so stay tuned and keep your cake shoes ready, because they will do some walking.

Brushes for Dusting

2011-06-19T11:09:00.011-04:00

If you're into the art of sugar flowers like I am, then using the right brushes for dust work and colouring are essential. Finding them at a decent price without breaking the bank, is also good.

A few years ago, while browsing the aisles of the my local Dollarama one day, I found these wonderful brushes in the art supply aisle. I bought only a couple at first to test them out....it was love at first dust.

What's great about them:

the bristles maintain their shape
they wear very well
the bristles don't come out

The brushes are only $1 CDN each and were a great find at a great price. For those south of the border, you may want to try your local Dollar Giant. I've never been to a Dollar Giant, so if anyone finds them, please share by commenting on this post.

Gumpaste & Fondant Molds from Wilton

2011-06-11T18:35:00.003-04:00

Being a Saturday, I was running some errands which included a visit to Michaels. Golden rule when visiting Michaels...browse the Wilton aisle cuz you never now what new things come up or new ideas come to mind.

Lo and behold, I came across some fondant and gumpaste molds. The one pictured on the top left, is the baroque mold and retails for $16.99 CDN+HST. However, if you use your Michaels coupon, you can get the molds for 40% or 50% off depending on the coupon.

There are 4 molds styles in total: Fabric, Global, Nature and Baroque. If visit the Wilton website directly, you will see all them. The mold is flexible and the thing that attracted me the most to them, was the fact that they have multiple mold styles within one giant mold. Price point it great, too.

Great find!

Sugar Cove is on Facebook

2011-06-10T19:27:00.013-04:00

Hey sugar peeps...for those of you who have been with me from the beginning, you already now that The Sugar Cove is on Facebook. For readers who have recently become followers of my blog, don't forget to follow me on Facebook too.

What's on The Sugar Cove's Facebook page that's not on my blog? Well...you'll find:

MORE pictures of my work
MORE pictures of classes I've taken and taught
Up to date tidbits on what I'm doing
MORE interactive

If you haven't gotten the picture by now, it's a whole lot MORE. Alot of times I'll post on Facebook before I post on my blog. So to get the lastest on The Sugar Cove, be sure to visit my Facebook page. See you there!

Julie Bashore - How to Roll Technique

2011-05-30T19:22:00.005-04:00

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Ayoma Fonseka

2011-05-23T18:57:00.041-04:00

The Sugar Cove is proud to welcome internationally renowned cake designer, Ayoma Fonseka from Toronto, Ontario. What first began as a desire to celebrate her daughter's birthday, soon gave way to cake creations that have won over sixty-five awards and been featured in publications such as Toronto Life, Wedding Bells, Canadian Living and Wedluxe. So sugar friends, strap on those cake shoes as Ayoma shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

My interest in cake decorating was first peeked when I had my first born daughter.For her birthday, I wanted to have a special cake. Even though I had no knowledge of baking or cake decorating, I set out to make a cake for thirty people...at least that was the plan. As I had no concept of quantity, I ended up baking an 18" round cake where the batter overflowed all over the oven. You can imagine the mess. I didn't even know how to hold a piping bag, so I ended up using cookies and candies to decorate the cake. It brought me such joy to make my daughter's cake, that I remember thinking, "Wow! Some eggs, with a little sugar and flour together creates such beauty." Thereafter, I caught the "cake bug" and from that point on my passion for sugar was ignited.

In my desire to learn more, I had the good fortune to find many great teachers who taught me the basics, as well as more advanced techniques as I progressed. Skills and techniques learned over the years include Australian String Work, gum paste flowers and figurines, airbrushing, up-side down string work, royal icing collars, filigree, run outs and the list goes on. I've been cake decorating for many years now and am still a sucker for learning. I am a forever student as they say. One person person cannot know it all and over the course of my cake career, I have had a multitude of wonderful opportunities to learn from many talented cake artists. Each one specializing in one or more techniques. This is what keeps me motivated, my knowing there is always more to achieve and ample room for perfecting skills and technique.

As my skills progressed, cake decorating provided me with an immeasurable amount of satisfaction by being able to customize cakes for my clients. By replicating the design from a dress, an invitation or any chosen item, it was witnessing their dream cake become a reality through and edible work of art that made me decide to make cake design a career. I also cherished the idea of being able to recreate edible keepsakes, whether it was life-like flowers, figurines, shoes or dolls. By creating an edible keepsake, the client always had something to cherish for years to come not only for that day.

Cake has taken me many places, introduced me to clients and cake artists who have become friends. My cakes have enabled me to teach, share my knowledge with others and showcase my God given talent via competitions, television and media. In media, I have been especially blessed, as I've had the opportunity to feature my cakes and sugar work in Weddings InStyle, Brides by Demetrio's and Wedding Cakes a design source, and created the cake for the movie "Cake" with Heather Graham and Sandra Oh.

I have also judged local, national and international competitions and recently was sponsored to judge a cake competition in Edmonton, Alberta. But there's nothing better when your cake work comes full circles. Just last year, I had a client drive all the way from New York to pick up her wedding cake, as I had created her First Communion cake when she was a child. She had kept the gumpaste doll, I had made all those years ago as a memento. Can you imagine!

Ayoma Fonseka

Ayoma Cakes

www.ayomacakes.com

cakes@ayomacakes.com

Poppy @ Icing Inspirations

2011-05-15T12:53:00.010-04:00

Yesterday, I spent a wonderful morning at Icing Inspirations teaching the poppy flower in gumpaste. This was the third class I've taught in The Flower Collection series, where students sign up to learn the flower of their choice.

I had five wonderful students, some of whom are what I like to call "repeat offenders", LOL! They've caught the sugar bug and have come over to the sweet side.

Dusting the poppy petals.

One of my students assembling the poppy flower.

Cupcake Garden with Mom & Child

2011-05-08T16:59:00.015-04:00

I spent a wonderful Mother's Day afternoon today with some great moms and their daughters, creating a cupcake garden. We took some yummy chocolate cupcakes and morphed them into an eclectic mix of pumpkin and tomatoes patches, strawberries and carrots too. Oh! And let's not forget he pretty peas in a pod. It was fabulous!

There's nothing better than spending a little quality time with mom, mixed in with some sugarlicious cupcakes of course. Flowers abounded in pretty sparkling sugar and reeeeally yummy icing. We used the grass and leaf tips to add detail and plain chocolate Oreo crumbs to resemble soil dirt. Can 't have a garden without some soil.

So with some hard work, sweat, a little fondant and a little love, a garden worth everyone's envy is born.

Happy Mother's Day!

Pretty Pink Peonies

2011-04-16T12:19:00.042-04:00

I've always been a big fan of peonies. Not only do they have the pretty factor, but they have a sense of elegance about them, which is probrably why a lot of brides choose them for their bouquets - my sister-in-law was no exception.

Having some rare free time on my hands, I decided to create some different peonies out of gumpaste to add to my portfolio collection. The Garden Peony, at the top left corner, is my favourite thus far. The Peony Rose petal dust, just adds that touch of brightness that is so readily seen in peonies.

For the closed peony, which is the lighter pink peony on the right, I used the Soft Pink gel paste colour from Americolour, and Baby Pink and Impatient Pink petal dusts from Crystal Colours.

And last but not least, the hot pink open peony, pictured on the left. I used the same Peony Rose petal dust, as with the Garden Peony. However, to colour the gumpaste, I used Soft Pink and Electric Pink soft gel paste from Americolour.

Pretty pink peonies...I love it!

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Kelly Zubal

2011-04-10T19:34:00.052-04:00

The Sugar Cove is absolutely delighted to welcome Kelly Zubal from the San Francisco Bay Area. Recently featured on TLC's new cake show "Fabulous Cakes", Kelly Zubal didn't start walking the sugar path until a chance encounter with Colette Peters' book, "Cakes to Dream On" eight years ago. Inspired by how versatile cake can be, Kelly's cake journey began. So sugar peeps...strap on your cake shoes and get ready to do some walkin', as Kelly shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

Since I was a child, I always considered baking one of my favourite hobbies. I also took a lot of art classes as a kid too - painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. About eight years ago, I came across a cake decorating book by Colette Peters called, "Cakes to Dream On". I was so enthralled with the many possibilities of cake and what you can do with it, I immediately started making cakes for friends and family. Combining my love of baking and art just came naturally to me and it was a passion from the start.

In the beginning, I had the good fortune of being able to learn from Colette Peters herself. I took a one and half week class with her. It's the only formal cake decorating training I've ever had, but it's what introduced me to my passion and gave me the motivation to start my own business, Inticing Creations later on. It's been eight years since I came across Colette's book and I'd like to think I'm continually growing and refining my skills with each cake that I do. It's important to keep challenging yourself, keep an open mind, and keep learning to progress to the next level.

Four years ago, I started my own cake business called Inticing Creations, and let me tell you, running a business and creating cakes for clients is a completely different monster than making cakes for friends and family from your home kitchen. So when I decided that I wanted to have my own cake business, I researched and talked to other business owners (not only cake business owners) about how to start. I wanted to do it right, so I took a business plan class from a non-profit organization called Women's Initiative.

It was there that I learned to properly write up a business plan and research what I needed to do to open a business. After that, I was accepted into La Cocina, which is a commercial kitchen incubator program for emerging food businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. I had never worked in a commercial kitchen before, so they set me up with an internship at a bakery to learn about mass baking production and gave me essential training on how to use commercial baking equipment and how to upscale my recipes and production schedule. I think these steps were crucial to successfully opening my business.

A lot of people think running your own business will allow for more freedom with your schedule and life. But it's really not! You live and breathe your business. And for a cake business -- where most of your orders are on the weekends, I rarely have a full day off where I'm not out tending to orders, deliveries, emails, or clients. If I want to take a vacation or weekend off, I plan it at least 6 months ahead of time. But I love, love, love, what I do so it makes all the long hours worth it. I'm also really lucky to have an extremely helpful and supportive Homeboy for life (aka my husband, Pete) that keeps me company on deliveries and washes my dishes when he's not working his full time job. Even after four years of being in business, I still have a passion for cake!

It's a passion for cake that keeps me going, but just like all cake designers and artists, I'm a perfectionist. I have an extremely critical eye, but when it comes to decorating cakes, I have to remind myself that sometimes it won't be perfect. And you know what? That's OK! You just need to keep practicing and trying your best. I never turn down an order if it is something I've never done. I actually encourage it! That's what makes me better at what I do and keeps me motivated. If I had to do the same cake week after week, I'd be bored out of mind. I love that things are always different and unique. I look at my cakes as edible party centerpieces and I find it so gratifying that after my clients and their guests get to look at my cakes they get to eat it!

Kelly Zubal

Jesters Discount Cake Supply

2011-04-07T23:42:00.011-04:00

Hello fellow sugar peeps! Got turned onto this wonderful website, by a fellow cake friend, of discount cake supplies and I just had to share.

Based in Kissimmee, Florida, Jesters Discount Cake Supply offers fabulous prices on an array of cake decorating supplies. For example, you'll find things like 5 lb. Satin Ice Gumpaste priced at $17.99 US and 20lb Satin Ice Fondant regularly priced at $49.99 US. They also offer an assortment of tools, baking pans and ingredients, molds, stencils, and the list goes on.

There's just one tinsy drawback, and it's for anyone living outside the United States...they only ship within the US. So complete bummer for anyone desginated international. If you live south of the border, you so luck out on this gem of a place!

Jester Discount Cake Supply

www.fondantsource.com

Colette Peters Demos Drapery Techniques

2011-04-04T13:37:00.003-04:00

Flower Collection Series @ Icing Inspirations

2011-04-03T13:51:00.019-04:00

Wow! March was a busy month. On top of my supply teaching assignments, I've been teaching children's cake decorating classes at Cambridge Centre for the Arts, in Cambridge but most recently, sugar flower classes at Icing Inspirations, as part of the Flower Collection Series.

These past couple of weeks, I've had the wonderful opportunity to teach sugar flowers at Icing Inspirations. As part of the Flower Collection Series, I taught a class on the Sweet Pea flower and, just this Saturday, the Cattleya Orchid.

Great group of students who were eager to learn. Lots of "ah moments" which I love. It's great when I get to combine my love of teaching and my passion for sugar flowers.

Be sure to visit my Facebook page for more pictures! You can also click on the "Classes" tab at the top of my blog for more information on classes that I'm teaching.

Cupcakes with Kids

2011-03-27T15:19:00.018-04:00

I spent Sunday morning, with twelve great kids, making what else...cupcakes! I don't know about you, but I find cupcakes positively yummy. Although one must remember to preceed with caution when eating them...your waistline may expand along with your hips and thighs, LOL!

For three hours, buttercream was being piped, the fondant kneaded and candy applied. The kids had a fab time, especially using the Wilton Mist Colours, which were a BIG HIT. So popular in fact, that the kids organized themselves into two lines while waiting their turns. Hmmm....frankly I was impressed with that bit of organization, but when each got their turn, their inner artist just busted out.

The kids, as always, did a super job. And people...I thought I was a cake nut but as it turns out, so are the kids! They are big fans of The Cake Boss and even stay up late Friday nights to watch DC Cupcakes. Who knew? Cake nuts come in all sizes and aparently all ages too. Be sure to visit my Facebook page to see more pictures of their creations.

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Jacqueline Butler

2011-03-18T19:42:00.072-04:00

The Sugar Cove is thrilled to welcome Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet in San Diego. California. What first started as a way to get out of yard work as a child, and let me tell you people, if it's a choice between raking the leaves or baking a cake, cake'll win every time. Jacqueline's passion for sugar has evolved into a career that promotes the art of sugarcraft by teaching others the beautiful art of sugar flowers. As you'll see by the photographs throughout this entry, sugar flowers is an art to be savoured. So sugar friends, let's strap on our cake shoes as Jacqueline shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

Honestly, I started baking at a young age to get out of doing yard work! My parents would schedule "work weekends" where we would spend all day Saturday and Sunday helping trim back all the trees and bushes around the house, and then haul all the pruning to a large yellow bin. My mom needed help preparing dinner both evenings, and I happily volunteered to bake desserts for my family. One I started, I was hooked --- and I loved seeking how happy it made everyone.

I baked for friends when I was in college, and then participated in a five month baking program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco that was designed for working profressionals. We baked only on the weekends, learned our way around a commerical kitchen, and also how to bake with great recipes in large quantities

Afterwards, I thought I really wanted to open a bakery, but my career took another path, and I worked for over 15 years for an amazing non-profit organization that provides Assistance Dogs for people with disabilities. I trained dogs professionally for many years, and then moved into staff training and management positions. The organization is still a very important part of my life today, and I continue to work with them in a consulting role.

I baked and decorated wedding cakes while I held my other job, for both family and clients, and eventually I created a small cake business, and Petalsweet was born. I travelled a lot for work, but I knew when I was going to have time available to bake, so I took on orders when I had time to create them, and found commerical space to use as I needed it. It worked this way for about 10 years, and felt very fortunate to be doing two things I realy loved.

I first learned about sugar flowers from a small book I found at the bookstore. I took it home and taught myself the fundamentals, and discovered that I really loved it. In 2003, I was fortunated enough to take a trip to New York to take private sugar flower lessons with Scott Woolley for a week, and those lessons really opended my eyes to the art form, and took my skills to a new level. I took additional classes with Colette Peters, Nicholas Lodge, and Ron Ben-Israel, and practiced the techniques I learned as much as possible. Over time, I found myself creating my own style of sugar flowers, and using them to create arrangments and toppers for my cakes.

About 18 months ago, I decided that I wanted to change the focus of my business from baking cakes to creating and teaching the art of sugar flowers. I find it very rewarding to work with students and share their moments of understanding, and then watch them use that knowledge to create something so delicate and beautiful. Sugar flowers are truly a unique art form.

My favourite moments in class are when we start adding colour to the flowers to bring them to life, and then again when individual petals are taped together to create a larger flower. I love the student's excitement, their sense of accomplishment, and the huge smiles they have on their faces because they are so thrilled with what they have created. I still occasionally create wedding cakes for a family member or a special client, but I spend most of my time traveling to teach sugar flowers to other decorators, professionals and hobbyists.

I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to teach in Australia this summer, and am looking forward to attending my second ICES Convention in early August. I am currently looking for a space for my own teaching studio, with the goal of offering Petalsweet sugar flower classes as well as hosting workshops by sugar artists from around the world.

However, without having the wonderful opportunities to learn from a lot of very talented artists, I would not be in the position I am today and I am so grateful to them for sharing their knowledge. It means a lot to me to be able to do the same for others.

Jacqueline Butler

Petalsweet

Discovering Your Inner Artist with Rick Reichart 2011

2011-03-12T21:55:00.033-05:00

Just finished a 3 day class with Rick Reichart from cakelava...and all I have to say is BEST CLASS EVER! The class was titled "Discover your Inner Artist", and it was exactly that, as it's really your creativity that makes your cake, "your cake". I had never sculpted cake before, nor had extensive airbrushing experience, so the learning curve was big but it was awesome!

Rick imparted many techniques during the three days of class, including airbrush and painting techniques, cake sculpting, freehand art techniques without the use of molds or cutters, as well as instructions on creating various underwater details with a minimal use of tools. We created a lovely three tier hibiscus cake and a 3D sculpted clownfish with an underwater scene.

This was Rick's teaching debut, and it was stellar. Rick was sincere in sharing his knowledge and very giving with the techniques shown in class, as well as taking the time to answer each student's question....and there were a few! The pace of the class was great and as an instructor Rick is very helpful and supportive of his students. I really appreciated how he circulated the class, checking with each student to make sure that they were on the right track.

So Rick....A+ for you. Coming all the way from Kailua, Oahu in Hawaii, I look forward to your return next year. For those who haven't taken a class from Rick, not only is he a talented cake designer, he is also a great teacher. His class is jam packed with skills and techniques that make his class a worth while investment.

It was also nice to finally meet Rick and Sasha Reichart in person. I had first started communicating with them for the "Cake Shoe Diaries" series, my monthly interview blog serial. I interviewed Rick for the November 2010 issue and they were both fabulous to work with. Meeting them in person, did not disappoint as they're both great and down to earth people.

Thank you Chrissie Boon, owner of Too Nice to Slice and Icing Insp irations, for hosting Rick Reichart and his lovely wife Sasha. You and your husband, Justin took great care of us, and the catered lunches from the Little Mushroom were fabulous. I look forward to Rick's next class.

Panda Figurine with Norm Davies & Zane Beg

2011-03-05T16:08:00.009-05:00

Part 1

Part 2

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Jennifer Gralec

2011-02-13T20:55:00.036-05:00

The Sugar Cove is super pleased to welcome Jennifer Gralec from Cambridge, Ontario. Having worked in the corporate world for many years, Jennifer made the big sugar leap of faith and opened her own business in December of 2010. It's one thing to know what you want, it's quite another to make it a reality. Crossing the sugar hurdle takes guts and hard work, for that we hold our piping bags in salute. So sugar peeps...let's slap our cake snow boots on as Jennifer shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

From a young age I wanted to be able to make sweets and treats, and share them with others. But what first ignited my passion for sugar was being in the kitchen with my mom and watching her bake. I can remember getting an Easy Bake Oven as a Christmas gift and thinking that it was the best gift ever! I could now make my own cakes!! And making my own cakes is still very much where the heart of my passion lies today.

I took some cake decorating courses at McCall's in Toronto, but other than that, it's been my love for baking that's driven me. While baking, things like cakes and cupcakes, are still the center of my passion, I enjoy the artistic side of cake design as well. In cake design, sugar is so versatile. You are limited only by your imagination as to what you can do with it. On top of that, it makes food pretty. That sugar flower, or that sprinkle of sparkling sugar can take something from blah to wow in is just two seconds flat.

Before opening my own business, I worked as a business development manager for a multi-national chemical company. To say I hated it, would be putting it mildly. And after the birth of my first daughter, Sofia, I dreaded returning to the corporate world even more. However, it was at this point, I realized that I was spending the majority of my time doing what was literally sucking the life right out of me. I wanted to work, but I wanted to be doing something that I loved almost as much as my daughter. But life being what it is, I adjusted to the demands of working and motherhood.

Three years later, I had my second daughter Emma and with returning to a job that I did not enjoy, I started thinking about what I really, really wanted to do with the rest of my life. No matter which way I thought about it, I kept coming back to the same answer -- MAKE CAKE!!! In the back of the my mind, I always wanted to have my own business. I always loved to bake and feed people, so why not make baking and cake a full-time career. It was now or never!

In December of 2010, after eight years in the corporate world, my passion for baking turned in to a reality and with the support of my husband, we opened Tiny Cakes Inc. My husband, Arthur, who was an IT administrator for ten years, now works alongside me. I truly couldn't have this without him. Not only has he been very supportive, but he's also very talented in the field of cake as well. His technical skills have crossed over to the area of cake carving and sculpture, and some wonderful creations have been turned out.

Every morning, I open my shop doors with a great sense of satisfaction. And seeing my customers pop in for a treat and a smile is the icing on the cake. They could be having a horrible day and I would like to think that in some small way, I have helped make it not so bad. And when things aren't going my way, I just remember to aim for excellence and not for perfection -- after all -- it's just cake!

Jennifer Gralec

65 Dickson Street

Cambridge, ON

519.622.8469

Bumpy Foam @ Flour Confections

2011-02-12T09:27:00.012-05:00

I'm always on the look out for new and interesting formers for making sugar flowers....and bumpy foam is it! Flour Confections is now carrying 9x9 size sheets of bumpy foam that is ideal for making cattelya orchid throats. I used this during my class with Ron Ben Israel in November of 2010, and they were FAB! They go for $8.95+HST and are a great addition to your inventory of sugar flower tools.

Silicone Mold Making Supplies

2011-02-08T12:26:00.020-05:00

If your into making unique molds to put that special detail on your cake or sugar creation, silicone mold make supplies are becoming more and more readily available.....especially for us Canucks who no longer have to pay custom fees. Hallelujah! Praise the cake gods.

Customs, we love you but it's just a pain the rear sugar end to bring supplies in from the US. If you are a US citizen, you are a 1,000 times blessed with numerous sugar supply options within your own borders.

Moving on...Icing Inspirations is now carrying an acrylic mold making box for $39.99 CDN + HST, that only Make Your Own Molds in the States is similarly carrying. Also, Flour Confections in Pickering, ON is carrying an acrylic mold making box for $38.95 CDN + HST.

Pourable food grade silicone and mold putty can be found available at the following Canadian locations:

The possibilities are endless when creating your own custom decorative molds. You make what you need, when you need it. And the best part...the molds are reusable and can be stored to use another time.

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Jessy Robinson

2011-01-15T18:59:00.034-05:00

The Sugar Cove is delighted to welcome Jessy Robinson from Rising Flours, in Peterborough, Ontario. Jessy's passion for all things sugar began as a child, evolving into a fully fledged business as an adult. Always up for a challenge, Jessy readily treads along the cake frontier, exploring new avenues and paths with sugar as her medium. So strap on your cake shoes and get ready to do some walkin', as Jessy shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

I've been baking in some form since I was too short to see the counter top. My grandfather actually had to set up a stool for me to stand on. I'm not sure how much help I was, but I had a great time, and that was really the start of a hobby that I've slowly been working on and building into a career and a business. As I got older, my dad encouraged me to bake because he liked to eat what I made. All I had to do was pick a recipe, and he provided me with everything I would need. I look back on that time now, with envy and appreciation, at how easy it was.

When I got older, my sister-in-law needed a wedding cake on a budget and I volunteered to make it for her. With all of my experience at baking simple cakes, how hard could it be to stack a few on top of each other? This experiment went well, and I started to research more techniques to use for future cakes and projects. I finally felt like I had found a creative way to meld my love for all things food, and my desire to make everything look great.

I went on to study graphic design in Toronto, and when I finished my college internship at a graphic design studio in the city, I thanked them by baking a cake. I didn't have a recipe, so I went from memory, and seriously botched my shortbread crust, not knowing this until my boss went to slice it. I served it up proud as punch as this beautiful work of art I had made for them. A simple knife, however, would not slice through that shortbread. It was rock hard. He went next door to the hardware store to buy something more heavy duty, but still could not get through that crust. As far as cakes go, this one went down in the huge fail column, and yet I found myself asking why I finished my internship by baking. It was really a turning point, and the literal beginning of Rising Flours.

Nevertheless, I always try to do something new with sugar. With every cake, there are different challenges, and different techniques that can be used. While I think that the most important thing to conisder is what will work best, sometimes I try to pick something that I haven't done before. If I use a method that does not necessarily work well, I don't give up on it. I put a lot of effort into trying to find what I did wrong, and making it work better for the next attempt. As Thomas Edison said, "Sometimes it's about finding 1,000 ways how not to make something".

I also try to experiment with all different sugar mediums, but apart from that, I try not to be restricted by the limitations of sugar. Knowing how to sew, use wood and metal, power tools, some construction and electrical know-how and engineering basics, can be really helpful to making unique designs. If I ever feel discouraged, I think about what it's like to have a real job, and work for someone doing something that doesn't really interest me very much. It always perks me up some to remember that even a bad day doing this is better than a great day doing something I don't love.

In this business, not everything is going to go well, and that's a face. What's important to remember is that this is meant to be fun. If you're baking a cake for someone, it's a temporary piece of art. No one needs to live in it, it doesn't keep people warm and it won't be immortalized in a Parisian Art Museum. Ultimately, it will be eaten --- so if there are few little lumps or bumps that you don't like, sometimes those are OK. Every cake has a back.

The main directive that I live by is this: some rules in baking can't be broken, but the rest can and probrably should be from time to time. The trick is learning the difference between the two.

Jessy Robinson

www.risingflours.com

Brush Embroidery

2011-01-04T18:51:00.004-05:00

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Sharon Benzon

2010-12-13T23:15:00.033-05:00

The Sugar Cove is pleased to welcome fellow sugar devotee Sharon Benzon, from South Carolina. She is a wife, mother of 5, grandmother of 10 and now, an "accidential" cake decorator, and it's been an exciting, stressful, fun and unexpected adventure ever since. Sharon crossed the sugar path, while attending a Wilton class with her granddaugther. What started out as a way to spend some quality time together, bloomed into a passion for sugar. So sugar friends, strap on your cake shoes, as Sharon shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

My first passion is my grandchildren. So last year when my 14 year old granddaughter, Anni, wanted to take a Wilton course, I signed up with her as a way to spend timetogether. We took course 1 &2, which covered working in buttercream, making buttercream and royal icing flowers. My granddaughter then moved onto other "14 year old" things, but my interest was peaked. I started researching "all things cake" on the internet and practicing. What started out as an opportunity to have "bonding time: with a busy granddaughter, has turned into a second consuming passion.

A few months ago, I entered the South Carolina 2010 State Fair in the Children's Novelty Professional Category and in the Wedding Professional Category. I won first place in both of those and overall 1st place in the professional division. These things are confidence builders and help keep me both motivated and inspired. Also, I find that there's always something "new" to learn and a new tool to try. I love talking to and sharing with other people with the same obsession. My friends just get that glazed look on their faces when I talk "cake" or suggest going into a bakery supply store.

Working with hospices to provide special birthday cakes for terminally ill children, allows me to use my talent for more than just making money. Many of the families could not afford something like that because their finances have been depleted by their child's medical expenses, so it is great to see their faces light up when you are able to give them a cake specific to their interests. That is a satisfaction that money or awards can't give.

For those who are just beginning, don't be too critical of your own work. I am a perfectionist and at first any tiny "flaw" would drive me crazy. I am still working on "letting go" and realizing that it is just cake and most people don't see the tiny flaws. When you go to a competition, look at the other cakes with the same critical eye that you use on your own cake and then you will realize that few cakes are perfrect. Also, don't under value your time when pricing your cakes; be confident in your pricing and talent. And last, have fun and enjoy!

Sharon Benzon

South Carolina

www.justCakeThat.com

Xmas Cookies @ Cambridge Centre for the Arts

2010-12-05T20:29:00.032-05:00

Just finished a Christmas cookie workshop at Cambridge Centre for the Arts. The workshop was for parent and child, so there were lots of mums (and a grandmother too!) who brought their son, daughter or granchild with them. I really enjoy teaching children, and what better way to combin my background in education and cake decorating, then to offer children the chance at creating edible treats. They always surprise me with their creations and sometimes with alternative decorating techniques. Hmmm...the grasshoppers surpassing the master? Perhaps. Visit my Facebook page to see more of their creations!

Poinsettia Flower Demo @ Icing Inspirations

2010-12-05T20:29:00.031-05:00

Saturday, December 4th was the christmas open house at Icing Inspirations, and what a blast! There were lovely christmas treats, specials and discounts to be had and demonstrations to see. Among the demonstrations, the Cricut Cake could be seen in action, as well as the Grex airbrush which I fawned over from a far. As one of the demonstrators, I demo'd the Poinsettia flower in sugarpaste. It was great to show people the art of sugarcraft, as it truly is an art. Sugar flowers have been, and still is, a great passion of mine. So a big thank you to Chrissie Boon from Icing Inspirations for hosting me. Be sure to go to my Facebook page for more photos!

Sandal Cakelet Tutorial by Cupcake Envy

2010-12-01T20:58:00.009-05:00

PART 1

PART 2

Sugar Flowers with Ron Ben Israel 2010

2010-11-22T12:52:00.086-05:00

Just finished a 3 day sugar flower class at Flour Confections in Pickering, Ontario taught by the fabulous Ron Ben Israel! Having the opportunity to learn from Ron, was truly a dream come true. I've been a long time admirer of Ron's sugar floral work, so when I heard that Ron was coming to Canada to conduct a sugar flower class, I jumped at the chance to sign up....I am so glad that I did! The sugarpaste flower class covered the rose and peony in various stages of bloom, the calla lily, cattleya orchid and sweet pea....all beautiful flowers. I loved the fact that we got to learn and explore the rose and peony in its various stages of bloom, and that we did each flower more than once.

I reeeeeally appreciated having the time to make and complete each flower more than once, as the techniques learned not only further expanded my understanding of sugar flower work in general but gave me time to truly learn and grasp Ron's fabulous techniques. Ron truly wants you to learn and understand each flower and for that, I say a 1,000 gracias, merci's and תודה Ron!

It was 3 days of hard work, but is was also 3 days of invaluable learning as each day included a Q & A session with Ron. An array of topics were covered, everything from cake refrigeration, cake design and construction to cake delivery, client consultations, costing and marketing. What better way to learn than to have the opportunity to ask questions directly from Ron himself? I found this to be of immeasureable value as the class was able to benefit from Ron's experience, myself definitely included. Thank you Lisa Bugeja, owner for Flour Confections, for hosting Ron Ben Is rael. You and your staff took great care of us and I look forward to Ron's next visit...especially the Southern Flowers class...hint, hint.

Ron and me...say cheese!

Musings from Cakeland

2010-11-13T11:33:00.015-05:00

I had a great response for Rick Reichart's entry in the November issue of the "Cake Shoe Diaries".

Lots of great feedback via their facebook page, which is always great to read. One of the reasons I started this monthly serial, was the curiousity I always had as to how people got to where they are. Since I'm a big believer in learning from others, the series was born.

As each entry comes in, each story is different, each person's path is unique and because of that, I learn something with each submission. I hope my readers do to.

A big thank you to Rick and Sasha Reichart from cakelava for the rad shout out on their own blog, Musings from Cakeland. Can't wait to meet you in March 2011, for the Discover Your Inner Artist class.

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Rick Reichart

2010-11-07T09:21:00.121-05:00

The Sugar Cove is thrilled to welcome Rick Reichart from cakelava. Hailing all the way from Oahu, Hawaii, Rick's passion for sugar evolved from the savoury side to the sweet side. And thank god for that! Rick seamlessly combines fine art and cake, to create stunning works of sugar art. So, sugar friends...get your cakes shoes ready, as Rick shares with us what inspired his passion for all things sugar.

What ignited my passion for sugar? I actually fell into it. I started off on the savoury side at culinary school but it wasn't working for me. At the time, I was a strict vegan and it was hard working and having to taste meat so I moved to pastry and baking...I fell in love. I knew right a way that I had a knack and realized I was good with my hands. Around the same time, I discovered my hidden artistic potential and started to pursue fine art. Later down the road, I would combine them and start off my cake career.

Integrity and freshness are what have guided my passion for sugar. But also...

always give more than expected
never take the easy way out
the less tools the better, do as much freehand as possible
and ALWAYS try to do it better

As for what keeps me motivated? Artistic diversity. I get to apply so many different skills and mediums when decorating. There are endless possilibities, and every week is different.

For those who are just beginning, the best advice I can give is this: Wait to open your own shop until you really know the business inside and out. Skip culinary school, take art classes and apprentice with several people you admire. Work at least five years as an employee. Prefereably, spread it out with different places. This way, you will learn many varieties of techniques and design options. Learn everything about what they do. Don't open until you feel that you can say yes to everything people throw at you.

These days people want the impossible and starting up without this knowledge is likely to trap you into a box you cannot get out of. Being a good cake designer is more than just decorating a nice cake. Without the experience of working with others, it's hard to know even for example, what to charge and how to come up with an amount. There are just too many people who pursue their dream blindly without planning and never realize their full potential. Learn how to take out the trash and clean up first and move up the ranks. That's what I did. I started in cakes at the bottom and pursued my dream one cake at a time.

Rick Reichart

http://www.cakelava.com/
cakelava@hawaii.rr.com
Oahu, Hawaii

Tuxedo Royale

2010-10-29T14:37:00.035-04:00

Inspired by the frilly tuxedo shirts of the 1970's, I just finished this dummy cake for a class in February 2011. To take it up a notch and take it from 70's swing to modern elegance, I kept to a black and white colour theme.

However, what I think brings this design to life, is the use of black rainbow dust. It brings a little bling, bling and gives it an extra summin', summin'.

Inspired by fashion, it really goes to show you that inspiration can come from anything and anywhere. The start point for this design was a black blouse in my closet with frilly ruffles on the front, which sprung board the idea to the frilly tuxedo shirts of the 1970's. The frilly shirt is back people!

Supplies and tools I used:

20g floral wire

FMM, 65mm

floral tape

Jet Black Rainbow Dust

White and black fondant

PME Pearl lustre spray

6" round dummy

8" cake drum board

Michelle Bommarito Demo @ McCall's

2010-10-17T10:03:00.042-04:00

Saturday, Michelle Bommarito did a 3 hour demo at McCall's. Soooo glad I went because it was 3 hours of jam packed information and tips. She covered everything from basics, like covering a cake with fondant, to swags, to the use of molds, cutters and tools in a myriad of ways.

Michelle is vary giving in what she knows, and I highly recommend taking one of her classes if the opportunity arises. She has a true desire for her students to learn and improve on both skill and technique.

Those who've signed up for Michelle's 3 day Vintage Suitcase class at McCall's, are lucky ducks. But word is Michelle will hopefully return for more classes. I'll pray to the cake gods that I'll be able to attend one.

What I took away from the demo:

Think outside the box when using tools, to take your designs a step further and to make them truly unique
Mise en place --- "have everything in place" and set up for what you are going to do (i.e. wedding cake, sugar flowers, baking, etc.)
Remove tools and clean as you go to avoid unnecessary clutter
Preparation and organization goes a long way to saving you time in the end
Love what you do and your passion will show through in your creations

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Cécile Crabot

2010-10-08T10:36:00.101-04:00

The Sugar Cove is delighted to give fellow sugar enthusiast Cécile Crabot, from Sardinia, Italy a big "benvenuto". Originally from Paris, Cécile was first introduced to the sugar world by way of a cake book from a friend. In the age of digital media, books are still the best source of inspiration. So sugar friends...strap on your cake shoes, as Cécile shares with us what inspired her passion for all things sugar. Bon appetit!

My name is Cécile Crabot, known as Fantasticakes by Cécile. I am from Paris but have lived in Italy (on the island of Sardinia) since 2001, where I met my husband. I have always enjoyed baking but had never tried cake decorating, even though it is such a prolific creative art!

My very first contact with this world was 3 years ago, when a friend gave me a French translation of 50 Easy Party Cakes by Debbie Brown. I was amazed at what was possible to create with sugar paste. I was also a little bit depressed looking at these cakes, thinking I would not ever be able to make something like that. A few months later, I was looking at an idea for the birthday cake of my younger daughter (she was turning 2) and I decided to try to decorate her cake with sugar paste. I was very happy with the cake, and I decided to learn more.

I'm a self taught cake designer, since travelling to the UK to take classes at this time was impossible. Therefore, I purchased every cake decorating book I could get my hands on. I also learned a lot on the web (online tutorials, Cake Central forum, Flickr, etc.). For a year, I looked for every possible occasion to make a cake: a tea time cake with my friends at home, their birthday cakes...I sought every opportunity for practice. I was even dreaming of cakes!

I could see that great cake designers had a combination of talent, wonderful control of the consistency of their sugarpaste, and years of practical experience. I decided that the best way to acquire this expertise, would be to start a little home business (as a second job). After all, making more cakes would allow me to practice my passion, to become better, and to buy all the tools I desired! It is always a challenge to do cakes for clients; they ask you to do impossible things, having no idea of the technical problems one will have to resolve. But it's always an occasion to experiment, to try new techniques, new tools new designs...and in the end to have fun!

When I started my photo stream on Flickr in 2009, it became a hug source of inspiration for me, and overall it was a great incentive for me to always do better. The opinion of all the cake designers I "met" on Flickr was and is always very important for me, so I don not dare make an ugly cake! And two or three cake designers I met on Flickr are now very good friends.

What keeps me motivated in cake decorating? For one, I am familiar with having a passion in life. One for which I am willing to stay awake late at night working towards, and one at which I could excel. This is the second time around for me. I have a Ph.D. in Medieval History from Paris, yet I was not able to pursue this passion as a teaching career or as a research historian in Sardinia. However, what truly fires my passion for the art of sugarpaste is seeing my client's and friends' eyes light up with happiness and true joy when they see their cake! My next project will be to start to teach cake decorating, a new adventure.

My advice to those who are just beginning would be to not loose courage; to practice and practice; to read as much as you can in books or online...it's really possible to become a good cake designer on your own.

Cécile Crabot

Fantasticakes by Cécile Crabot

fantasticakess@gmail.com

Making Sugar Orchids

2010-10-06T11:32:00.003-04:00

3rd Annual Cake & Sugarcraft Exhibition

2010-09-26T22:27:00.021-04:00

Today was the 3rd Annual Cake & Sugarcraft Exhibition hosted by the Canadian Cake Decorators Guild. This is my second time exhibiting and I must say it is one of the shows that I look forward to in the year.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this annual event, it is an "exhibition"....not a competition. This means, that you can take a "sugar" inspired piece of your own creation and display it for other sugar enthusiasts to see and also for the public at large to enjoy. This year, sugar pieces ranged from cookies, to gumpaste flowers to a sculpted pillow cake to multi-tiered wedding cakes and modelled figures.

What's absolutely fab about this annual sugarcraft event, is that one can bring a sugar piece that they are most proud of to share, without the pressure of competition. And l don't know about you, but that's such a relief! No cake theme to worry about or rules to follow. Instead, one's passion for all things sugar is what rules here.

Great show, can't wait for next year!

How to Make Lace Molds Parts 1 to 4

2010-09-23T09:04:00.007-04:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Natalie Schrier

2010-09-17T10:35:00.038-04:00

The Sugar Cove is super uber pleased to welcome Natalie Schrier from Doodle Cakes in Cambridge, Ontario. Her children were the spring board that ignited her passion for sugar. Family....it's a beautiful thing. So readers get your cake shoes on to do some walkin’ with some serious cake style, as Natalie shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

What ignited your passion for sugar/cake?

I first discovered my fondness for all that is sweet through my four kids. It was important for me that they have special cakes for their birthdays and class parties. And the more I mixed and sculpted and baked, the more I wanted to keep on creating. and slowly, people started asking for my cakes!

What is your 'cake philosophy'?

"Everything is edible." My cakes are the real deal! Knowing they will be gobbled up, right to the last crumb, makes me very proud.

What joys/pitfalls have you encountered in your sugar career?

Being asked to submit a cake for the Cake Central Magazine was a HUGE joy. After taking only the Michael's cake decorating classes, I did not even expect to qualify. My family was so proud of me! It was also a huge honour to win first place in the Professional division at the Inspiration in Wonderland Cake contest held at Icing Inspirations. I did not see that one coming! Moreover, I was also featured twice on Cake Wreck's Sunday Sweets.

What keeps you motivated in the sugar world?

Again, I have my children to thank! It melts my heart to see how proud they are of my work. I love being the mom who causes a stir when I walk through the school doors holding a big white box in my hands!

Natalie Schrier

Doodle Cakes

http://doodle-cakes.com/

THERE'S MORE!!!

Natalie submitted many more beautiful pictures of her work, so I've assembled them into a gallery for my readers. Enjoy!

Spherical Wedding Cake with the Sweet Southern Ladies

2010-09-15T22:54:00.049-04:00

After having just finished the Spherical Wedding Cake class with the Sweet Southern Ladies, I must say that I'm so glad I decided to take their class. I'm still in a state of sugar euphoria of sorts, but this is only because of how much I took away from the class. I not only learned knew skills and techniques, BUT I also learned invaluable little "sugar tips" that you only get from hard earned experience and the Sweet Southern Ladies certainly have a wealth of knowledge that they were very happy to share. They were also both generous with their time and patient in answering any and all questions...believe me there were a few.

In the Spherical Wedding Cake class, Martha and Becky show you how to complete this wonderful cake design. They not only show how it's done, but they walk you through the process. However, this was the easy part, believe it or not. The challenge came in decorating your cake, in essence, turning a blank canvas into a wedding showpiece.

Up until now, the majority of my cakes have involved decoration of the piping, sugar flower and simple band borders kind. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but taking Martha and Becky's class introduced me to the world of molds and the technoligical wonder of the Cricut. While the Cricut just blew me away, the use of molds in varying ways challenged my perception of decorating cakes in general.

Some students did lovely piping work, others did a combination of piping, appliques and molds. Me...I took on the challenge of using various molds to decorate my cake, which I had never done before. In fact, this the first cake that I've done so elaborately -- using only molds and a cutter.

What I learned most...think outside the box....challenge yourself by using tools for more than what they were intended. It'll expand your cake decorating possibilities and bring endless variations on classic designs.

For more pictures, visit The Sugar Cove facebook page.

Me (middle) and the Sweet Southern Ladies, Martha (left) and Becky (right).

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Caralee Robertshaw

2010-08-23T10:07:00.018-04:00

The Sugar cove is delighted to welcome Caralee Robertshaw from Cambridge, Ontario. Her passion for cake took off while browsing through a book of cake designs, while preparing for her sister’s wedding. People, I tell you it can happen anywhere! So let’s strap on our cake shoes, as Caralee shares with us what inspired her passion for all things sugar.

I have always enjoyed baking but it wasn’t until I went with my sister to a cake tasting for her wedding that I fell in love with cake decorating. I remember looking through the cake artist’s book of designs totally amazed at what she could create. I came home from the appointment ready to learn all about this new craft I had instantly fell in love with.

That year I received two books, for my birthday, from my parents that I have read cover to cover many times: The Essential Guide to Cake Decorating by Jane Price and Cake Decorating for the First Time by Jaynie Maxfield. It was through both of these books that I began to learn piping skills, tools of the trade and sugar modeling. After learning on my own for a while, a friend suggested I take the Wilton Cake Decorating courses. I had a very skilled instructor and learned a lot from her. Since then, my main resources have been online tutorials and websites. I truly believe that when it comes to cake decorating it is all about how much you practice. Any skill is obtainable if you are willing to put in the time and effort to perfect the product.

My main motivation for cakes is my family. I am always thrilled when an occasion comes along where I can make a cake for them. It is also nice to be able to attempt a new skill on a cake when you know the audience will appreciate your effort and understand if it flops! My little girl, Eden, has quickly become my favourite inspiration. She will turn two this October and I am already planning her birthday cake. She gets so excited when she sees mommy making another cake and is already asking to be on a chair beside me as I work. I am looking forward to many years of over the top cakes for her!

It has been almost six years of learning since that cake tasting that started it all and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I currently work out of my home making cakes for friends and family and I teach cake decorating courses at the David Durward Centre in Cambridge. I still have so much more to learn and I like that! There are so many talented artists to be inspired by and always a new technique to master.

Caralee Robertshaw
Cakes by Caralee

Cambridge, Ontario

cakesbycaralee@hotmail.ca

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Shauna Austin

2010-07-19T23:23:00.032-04:00

The Sugar Cove is thrilled to welcome Shauna Austin of City Girl Cakes. Based in Nova Scotia, Halifax, Shauna indulged in her passion for sugar full time after 10 years in the financial industry. Completely self-taught in cake design and decorating, let's get put our cake shoes on as Shauna shares with us what inspired her passion for all things sugar.

Had someone told me 10 years ago that I would have my own business making cakes today, I would have laughed and said something like, “yeah – uh-huh, riiiiight”. At that point, I had made one cake. My sister and I thought it would be great to surprise our Mom with a birthday cake. I was 14 and she was 12. She had a Wilton starter set: icing tips, bag, and a small instruction book. We picked the most difficult design and went to work. Baking the cake was not an issue but the icing was a different story. I think we made the all-shortening icing and it was disgusting! Our end result also didn’t look anything like the picture in the book. However, Mom loved it – because she had to – it’s what mothers do.

Fast forward through high school, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, 10 years in the financial services industry, and 2 kids... and here I am – self-employed and making cakes. It started as many of these ventures do – as an outlet for my creativity, a way to feel energized when my job wasn’t quite doing it for me, and just maybe, create a bit of a second income. I was working full-time with 2 kids in daycare (wondering why I bother to work). A friend suggested we decorate and sell sugar cookies at the local market one weekend just before Christmas, to see if we could make a bit of “fun money” – you know – the money that you can spend frivolously on a great pair of jeans and not feel an ounce of guilt! We did well that weekend, but I felt the cookie process wasn’t fast enough (make dough, roll dough, chill dough, cut dough, chill again, bake, cool, ice, dry, add details, dry, package... there is no end), so I didn’t really enjoy it. I remember loving every minute of making my son’s 1st birthday cake and decided to try that instead. I advertised in the building where I worked and once I had enough photos for a small portfolio, I created a website and a Facebook group. After about a year, I decided to leave my full-time job to dedicate all my time to City Girl Cakes.

My cake philosophy is “who says you can’t have your cake and eat it, too?”. I get such a charge when someone wants an outrageous cake. I also absolutely love creating a theme cake for special occasions. To be able to design a cake that is 100% personalized to the birthday boy/girl, bride/groom, retiree, etc., is very rewarding for me. As with any career or job, there are bad days: cakes break, mistakes are made, the amount of time required for the design is severely underestimated, resulting in very late nights. Then you have to keep your head up, focus on the positive, and carry on! Lots of things motivate me to keep going: getting an email from a very happy customer, hearing about the guests’ reaction to the cake, my kids (ages 6 and 8 are brutally honest) who will come into my cake space and say, “that’s a cool cake, Mom”, watching shows like Ace of Cakes (seriously, I would pack up the kids and move from Nova Scotia to Baltimore to work with that crew!), following my favourite cake designers (too many to name but Anne Heap from Pink Cake Box is a fave), and browsing cakecentral.com, flicker, and endless cake blogs always inspire me.

Every day is a different day in the cake world. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I am very grateful to be able to make people happy by doing something that I love. If you have a passion for something, I strongly encourage you to explore your options. Is it something that you could start on the side? Follow your dreams – there are no regrets!

1st Annual Cake Art Competition @ Too Nice to Slice

2010-07-18T18:03:00.135-04:00

Today was the 1st Annual Cake Art Competition by Too Nice to Slice (affiliated with Icing Inspirations). Lots of fab cakes entered, showing no end to the possibilities of cake design. So instead of boring you with the verbal 411 on the cakes entered, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Open Level - Carved Cake

Olivia Dyck 2nd Place

Linda Gebera 1st Place & People's Choice

Honourable Mention

3rd Place

Hobbyist Division

Janice Cassidy 1st Place & People's Choice

Jessica Slough 3rd Place

Stefani Kingsbury 2nd Place

Melinda Goertz - Honourable Mention

Professional Division

Kandy Costick 3rd Place & People's Choice

Jocelyn Burtis - 2nd Place

Natalie Schrier - 1st Place

Diane Bogia - Honourable Mention

Christmas in July

2010-07-18T17:46:00.012-04:00

My friend Mary Rose, from Savour the Moment, came for a visit this weekend. And during her stay, she tried her hand at making a gumpaste poinsettia. It may still be the middle of summer, but it's never too late to get a head start on Christmas! So, Mary Rose was my student for a few hours, while I taught her the finer points of make a beautiful poinsettia.

Rolling out the gumpaste.

Ta da! Not bad for a first try.

B-Day Workshop

2010-07-10T18:03:00.029-04:00

Just finished a B-day workshop today, for a lucky birthday girl turning 12. She invited 5 of her friends, together we made "dress cakelets" inspired by Cupcake Envy. They had loads of fun and did a great job. Take a look at the pictures below for a peak at their creations!

I pre-baked the cakes, using the Wilton Mini Wonder Mold. Because the "tops" had to be nice and hard, and not flip flopping around to work with, I also brought pre-made "tops" for their dresses that I made 24 hours in advance. Understated elegance! Lady in red! Say yes to the dress!

Great job girls! Could there be a future Anne Heap or Ace of Cakes in our midsts?

Hmmmm...............

Using Silicone Molds with Norman Davis

2010-07-04T14:00:00.003-04:00

Fondant Flowers with Norman Davis & Zane Beg

2010-06-18T14:07:00.013-04:00

Tools used:

FMM 5 petal rose cutter
PME plunger rose leaf cutter set

Memberships, Discounts & Cake Clubs

2010-06-18T12:54:00.055-04:00

If you're a sugar fiend like me, than you know how expensive it can be as a cake decorator and sugar artist. Supplies and tools add up after awhile and when a opportunity to save a little cash comes along, you thank the cake gods and then say YES!

Icing Inspirations has just recently introduced their customer appreciation card. Here's how to get one:

all students taking a class, will automatically recieve one
purchase the montly in-store special item (*June/July purchase a 6 month subscription to the Cake Central magazine)
register for the 1st annual Cake Competition

Klar a Johnsons has recently implemented the "Supreme Savings Card" that offers the cardholder a 20% savings on all store merchandise. Here's how it works:

cost is $50 CDN plus tax
membership is valid for 13 months from the date of purchase
entitles the cardholder to a 20% discount on all store merchandise
when the cardholder's cumulative purchases reach $400 CDN (*before taxes of course), then the cardholder is entitled to 25% discount

The Canadian Cake Decorators Guild also offers discounts to all who are members. Annual membership is $39.55 CDN and allows its members a discount range of 10-15% at various cake related businesses. This includes but are not limited to: Bonnie Gordon School, Icing Inspirations, Petra International, McCall's Bakers Warehouse, etc.

The New York City Cake Decorators Meetup is an online community of sorts that organizes "meetups" for the cake aficionado. Annual dues are $20.00 US and entitles you to attend organzied meetups with well-known cake designers such as Anne Heap and Bronwen Weber, but also general basic classes are offered, by its members, for those are a just starting out.

I joined about a year ago and I'm glad I did. The New York City Cake Decorators Meetup is both supportive and generous with sharing their sugar knowledge. There are member discount perks as well, but sometimes the networking and support you get from a guild and/or club is the greatest "perk" of all.

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Mary Rose Aquilina

2010-06-13T11:18:00.035-04:00

The Sugar Cove is delighted to welcome Mary Rose Aquilina from Savour the Moment, in Pickering, Ontario. Faced with a cross-road late in her career in the financial industry, Mary Rose followed her passion for sugar as a second career…jumping in with both feet. So sugar friends! Let’s get our cake shoes on, as Mary Rose shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

What can I say? Baking comforts me. My earliest recollection of baking is me at 8 years old making a Madeira cake by hand (without the aid of mixers or any other gadget, just a good old wooden spoon and bowl). I remember I nearly poked my eye out with the spoon handle as I vigorously beat that batter. But Mom said it had turned out better than hers...in hind sight, I think it was a mother’s love rather than texture that made it taste so. But alas my interest lapsed until my late teens when, along with my brothers, I attempted to bake traditional Maltese Easter cookies that resulted in an argument and eventual abandonment.

It wasn’t until I got married and started a family that I started taking baking and cooking much more seriously and developed my passion for the smells and tastes of freshly baked goods. With the children came the opportunities for bake sales for Scout groups and other community groups. I dove right in there. I didn’t worry about how much I baked, but rather…what else could I try. Work mates became my guinea pigs and my reasons for baking anything from cookies to pies to cheesecakes. They ate … and I was satisfied!!! My interest grew and secretly I harboured the notion that I would one day run a Bed & Breakfast, having my guests wake to the smells of freshly baked muffins and scones or perhaps own a little tea room. Instead I built a career in the financial industry. Later, I was to find out that many a professional baker / pastry chef started out in that field.

But it was thanks to that industry, that I finally had the opportunity to really develop my skills and interests in professional baking and cake decorating. About 6 years ago, I was offered the chance to take early retirement and with it came a re-training allowance. I knew it wasn’t going to be used to take some technical courses - instead I followed my heart and secret desires and spent the allowance on baking, catering and cake decorating courses at George Brown College. I immediately set up a small home business called “Savour the Moment” starting out specializing in gift arrangements that showcased hand-made gourmet cookies. I moved on to decorating specialty cakes and haven’t looked back since. My husband built me a separate kitchen just for my baking and, I must admit, if I need to relax, I go there and seek my comfort and joy.

The first cake I decorated using fondant, was for my granddaughter Abby’s 1st birthday. I was so excited and proud of what I accomplished. I have since, done cakes for all sorts of occasions and continue to bake everything from scratch, not just for clients but for anyone who is willing to sacrifice calories for the heavenly joys of sugar, butter, chocolate and cream. My biggest challenge to date was catering the sweet table at my son’s wedding (held at an outdoor conservation area the first week of July!) The wedding cake was a “garden themed” Cupcake Tree and there was enough treats for all 120+ guests to fill their tummies and take goody bags home. My family has always been willing to let me try things out on them and continue to indulge me with great support. I now have two granddaughters with whom I can share and pass on the pleasures of all things sugar.

Those traditional Maltese cookies called “figolli” - giant cookies filled with frangipane - have now been mastered. It’s actually become an annual family tradition for me to bake them. I bake for the sake of baking and because of the contented feeling I get from seeing friends, family and clients “Savouring the Moment”. It is so rewarding when you know you have satisfied your client (and my granddaughter Abby is quick to point out to people that she could get them my autograph if they are a fan of my baking!) When you don’t find me baking… you’re going to find me pouring over my collection of cookbooks, getting inspired and seeking the next decadent pleasure to bake.

Although a full blown career in the pastry industry may not be in the cards for me at this point in my life, I will continue to expand my skills and take pleasure in the sights and smells of the pastry world. Next is developing a repertoire of traditional Maltese pastries and hopefully enhance my sugar flower skills. But in the back of my head that B&B / Tea Room is still beckoning

Juniper Berries

2010-06-11T13:17:00.010-04:00

Continuing with the berry theme, I just finished these lovely juniper berries last night. Again, no cutters needed and made completely out of gumpaste. Tools used, the same as for the Yew Berry.

Colours used:

Violet, Super Black (Americolour)
Holly/Ivy (Squires Kitchen)
White dusting powder

Yew Berry

2010-06-09T18:20:00.032-04:00

Since taking Nick Lodge's class this past May, I've been slowly practicing the flowers we made in class. In this case, it was a type of berry, called the "yew berry" that I just finished making today.

This is completely done by hand, no cutters necessary, which is great. Just watch a couple of episodes of Oprah and BHAM...you've got some sprigs of yew berry.

Colours used:

Electric Orange, Red Red (Americolor)
Holly/Ivy (Squires Kitchen)
Avocado (Americolour)

Tools:

1/4 width brown floral tape
egg white (glue)
gumpaste
small Celstick
confectioner's glaze
30g green wire

Wilton Mini Wonder Mold

2010-06-07T17:06:00.023-04:00

So...since viewing Cupcake Envy's latest "Dress Cakelets" video tutorial...I've been looking for the pan to make these little fashionable confections.

FOUND IT! After talking to a fellow sugar friend today, who practically barked down the phone saying, "I told you they sell them at McCall's!". Apparently she had told me before, I guess I was having a brain fart of a day that day, cuz I don't remember a thing.

Anyhoo...McCall's carries it, amazon.com, and the online Wilton store carries it as well. The pan retails for $12.99 USD....at McCall's it's going for $17.73 CDN, before taxes of course.

UPDATE: Was just at Michael's....they carry it for $19.99 plus tax. Advantage...is coupon eligible. So save Michael's weekly 40% or 50% coupon for an added discount.

Cupcake Envy Dress Cakelet Video Tutorials

2010-06-02T10:03:00.015-04:00

Cupcake Envy recently release a Youtube tutorial on how to make the "Dress Cakelet". Love it...only thing...where can you get those pans? I know she said, at any craft store, but I've Googled to no avail. If you know of a source, please drop me line. Enjoy!

PART 1

PART 2

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Anne Heap

2010-05-24T10:25:00.058-04:00

The Sugar Cove is delighted to welcome Anne Heap from the Pink Cake Box. A French Culinary Institute graduate and Food Network cake challenge participant, Anne's path in the sugar world has taken her many places. So get your cake shoes on, as Anne shares with us what inspired her passion for all things sugar.

What ignited your passion for sugar/cake?

My passion for sugar and cake was ignited while attending pastry school (French Culinary Institute). It was there that I was introduced to fondant. The first time I got my hands on it, I knew I was in love.

What is your cake philosophy?
I think the cake should be its own conversation piece at the event. It should marry the personality of the recipient with the decor of the party.

What joys/pitfalls have you encountered in your sugar career, that has made you the sugar artist you are today?

Seeing my customer's faces light up when they see my creations continues to inspire me, but not getting a cake right on the first step continues to humble me. I've had both ups and downs in televised challenges and these experiences have enabled me to hone my skills and make a better competitor and sugar artist.

What keeps you motivated in the sugar world?
My customers keep me consistently inspired and looking at the amazing work of my colleagues is always a great motivator.

Anne's latest creation from the "Art of Cake Design" competition. It was awarded the "Showstopper Award", and indeed it is and more. This jaw dropping gorgeous sugar creation is a fantastic example of where your passion for cake can lead you. The Sugar Cove and its readers hold their piping bags in salute.

Thank you Anne!

Pink Cake Box
18E Main St Suite 101
Denville, NJ 07834

Website: http://www.pinkcakebox.com/
Blog: http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pinkcakebox
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/pinkcakebox

Bakery Showcase 2010

2010-05-18T20:24:00.022-04:00

What a show....there were vendors from all over the food industry, including various packagers, cake tools and ingredient suppliers all the way to the big guns: sheeters, mixers and industrial assembly equipment.

However, each year the Baking Association of Canada has an annual wedding cake competition open to both pastry students and professionals. So of course, I HAD TO GO SEE. Here are some of the highlights pictured below.

3 Day Gumpaste Xmas Arrangement with Nick Lodge

2010-05-15T15:30:00.033-04:00

As many of you may already know, Nicholas Lodge visited Cambridge, Ontario recently to conduct some classes. One of the two classes he taught at Klara Johnsons, was a 3 day gumpaste Christmas arrangement class, which I had the lucky chance to attend.

Among the many Christmas themed flowers that we learned, were pine (pictured above left), snow berry, juniper berry, holly, ivy, lentern rose, spruce, iceberg rose, misteltoe, french tulip, poinsettia and silver dollar eucalyptus.

It was an intense 3 days, but I learned so much. Nick is a fantastic teacher, is generous with both his time in answering your questions and teaching what he knows. I'm a groupie for life.

Finished!....after 3 days of hard work.

Nick and I posing for a picture at the end of the class.

Nicholas Lodge Demo

2010-05-10T20:24:00.027-04:00

While conducting classes, these past few days at Klara Johnsons, Nicholas Lodge did a demo this past weekend in conjunction with ICES. It was nothing short of FABULOUS! Theme of the demo was tropical, with Nick showing us how to make an anthurium, bird of paradise and tropical leaves.

Nick demonstrating the anthurium in gum paste.

Nick steaming the bird of paradise to set the dusting colours.

Arranging the sugar flowers on the cake...the finishing touches.

Ta da! All done.

If you ever have a chance to take a class from Nicholas Lodge, I highly recommend it. I am currently taking a 3 day gum paste class with him, and I've learned so much about techniques, both new and alternative as well as adding a whole slew of new sugar flowers to my repertoire.

And if the pocket book doesn't open that wide, then attend one his demonstrations when he's in your district. It's worth it, you won't regret it.

Cupcake Garden

2010-05-09T19:08:00.022-04:00

Just finished teaching my "Cupcake Garden" class for 8-12 year olds. And let me say, they did a fantastic job on their edible gardens. Top left, are a bunch of carrots in the making. And to the right, are some super juicy red tomatoes. The kids covered the tops of their cupcakes in brown coloured fondant, and finished with brown sprinkles to resemble dirt.

They also made roses and daisy flowers. Some even created their own ladybugs, bees, and strawberries too! And lets not forget the cabbages. Everyone made nine in total to place in their "garden" and they looked really yummy. Hmmm....this might explain why the kids kept asking me if they could eat one.

To Compress or Not to Compress...the 411 on Compressors

2010-05-05T14:00:00.051-04:00

When looking for a compressor, you're dealing with a few factors (aside from price):

PSI: PSI is a unit of pressure and stands for pound-force per square inch. Basically, the amount of pressured air coming out of your airbrush.
Paint medium: in cake terms, food based liquid colouring will be used. Also, the thinner your paint medium, the less PSI you will need.
Art medium: for cake decorators, it will be cake, sugar flowers, etc. The higher the psi, the higher the likelihood that you will be blowing holes into your cake.
Noise factor: compressors can be noisy, so if you want something that's not equivelant to a vacuum cleaner of a small jet airplane, quite compressors do exist on the market.
Auto shut-off: this is a handy feature to have, as your compressor would not be on all the time and it would cut down on the noise factor

For cake decorators, you're looking at using between 10-14 psi, no more. As I said before, any more pressure than that, you'd be blowing holes into your cake. I don't know about you, but that's not really a look I go for.

A Couple of Options:

Silentaire Compressors

The Scorpion I model pictured left, is made by Silentaire. Based in nothern Italy, they have been making compressors for about 50 years. The Scorpion I has an auto shut-off features @ 40 psi. This means that the compressor is not running constantly, so you don't have to concern yourself with shuting it on or off AND it cuts down on the noise factor.

The Scorpion II model pictured right, is similar to the model above, but has an auto shut-off at 55 psi and comes with an airbrush holder. So what you see pictured right, is what you get. Keep in mind these models are at the starting range and also at the cheapest of the price range as well. Both models are compact, oil-less and require no maintenance. Also the noise factor for these models are low, and run no louder than a refridgerator.

Suppliers

Coast Airbrush

Currys

Wyndhams

Assembling a Wedding Cake

2010-05-04T17:00:00.004-04:00

Guelph School of Art - Airbrushing

2010-04-30T22:56:00.094-04:00

I just finished taking an airbrush class at the Guelph School of Art, and I have to say that it was exactly what I was looking for in an airbrush class. Although it was geared towards "painted" art (i.e. water/oil based paints), I took the class to learn technique. Paint medium can vary, but technique and skill carries over to all forms of art.

Here's what was covered:

How to dismantle, clean and reassemble an airbrush
Airbrush and compressor types
Lines: fine to thick, straight to wavy and circles too. Also, going from thin to thick
Even colour coverage
How to build colour to produce gradients of colour, going from light to dark
Spatter techniques
Simple stencil creation

This class was 4 evenings, each class lasting 3 1/2 hours. By the third class, we had combined what we had learned to produce a tucan. When our instructor first mentioned, that we were going to airbrush a tucan and showed us a finished piece, I thought, "Are you nuts!". But it came out pretty good. Take a look at the pictures below.

Basic airbrush exercises demo'd by the instructor.

Stencil was made from Frisket, similar to Mac-tac and laid on. We peeled back the parts we wanted to work on. Here, I'm working on the beak. Starting with yellow.

I highlighted the beak with orange, recovered it with the Frisket to work on the black parts, which are exposed.

Used an enlarged photocopy of the tucan to make a stencil of the beak markings.

Ta da! After all parts of the tucan were shaded and coloured, we covered it back up using the Frisket and peeled back the background to work on it.

Airbrushing rocks! I'm sooooo hooked.

Budding Sugar Artists'

2010-04-30T08:56:00.028-04:00

Since the Fall of 2009, I have been conducting cake decorating and confectionery art classes at Cambridge Centre for the Arts. As an elementary supply teacher, the bulk of my classes are geared toward children. This past Saturday I taught 13 boys and girls, ages 8-12, how to make a cookie bouquet. The results were outstanding. Take a look at the pictures below of their fabulous creations.

A bumble bee in the making.

Multi-colour fondant cookie flowers.

Each decorated their own terra cotta pots, adding their decorated cookies last. Saharra floral foam was used to stick their cookie creation in, coloured shredded paper to cover all the mechanics. Perhaps their is a budding Cake Boss in our mist??? Some certainly said they were fans of the show.

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Tara Weissbach

2010-04-12T10:01:00.074-04:00

The Sugar Cove is excited to welcome Tara Weissbach from Just Like Grams. Located in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Tara has forged a cake path in which innovativeness and uniqueness of design are her driving force. So get your cake shoes on and get ready to do some serious walkin’, as Tara shares with us what inspired her passion for all things sugar.

I still vividly recall my first cake, I was 5 and one night I wanted to bake a cake. So, my mom showed me "how". She had me open a box of spice cake mix (yes, I even remember the flavour), DUMP the mix into the cake pan, add water and stir with a fork until all the lumps were gone, then bake it in the oven. I was so PROUD...because I baked my first very own cake. At age 7, I received my first Easy Bake oven and was soon baking up a storm and concocting all sorts of recipes. However, it was my grandma who really ignited my passion for baking.

My grandma had grown up baking, from providing huge pans of apple pie for the thrashers when she was 13, to baking for the neighbour ladies in exchange for money to buy her school supplies. During World War II, she served as a pastry chef in the Royal Canadian Navy. After her children had grown, she worked in a small bakery for 25 years. It was my grandma who taught me how to bake bread the "old-fashion way" using your hands, and how to make jams and jellies and preserve fruits and vegetables. When I opened up my business, I honoured my Gram by naming it after her. Not a day goes by, that we don't talk "shop" on the phone.

While attending university, I worked in lots of different restaurants, from waiting tables to working at the management level. After graduating with a degree in History, I floated from job to job for a period of time, but went back to school to receive my teaching certificate. While I was a teacher on call for 2 years, I volunteered with a caterer working at the Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club in Surrey, BC. In 1998, I married and with my husband moved north to Fort St. John, where we lived in a Mennonite community and I taught foods and nutrition for a year.

It wasn't until my daughter was born that I started to think about the “business” of baking. I was home on leave and was thinking of ways to make some extra money. I decided to bake goodies for the teachers. I wasn`t into doing cakes because I didn`t know how to decorate even if I tried...my artistic background was seriously lacking. My husband laughs at me when I try to draw a star freehand - once it literally took me an hour (no joking either).

When I started receiving requests for cakes, I decided to take a class in cake decorating. At first, I was just interested in doing a basic cake, 'nothing too fancy'. However, as I became more involved, I became addicted to it and just couldn't get enough. My artistic side seemed to come out and I ended up spending the whole summer taking courses. By then, I had already lost interest in teaching and was looking for a way out and felt that decorating cakes was just the avenue I needed. Since my husband and I were already in the midst of renovating our home, it wasn't too difficult to make the necessary adjustments and make the addition we were putting onto our house, a "licensed and heath inspected" food establishment. I officially opened up Just Like Gram's in May 2007 - just in time for my first wedding cake.

Up here in northern BC, there are few cake designers and the few there are, mostly focus on the more traditional conservative designs. An important factor behind my business was that I offered one-of-a kind custom designed cakes, which is very hard to find up here. I really enjoy creating cake designs that are "outside the box" and one-of-a kind. I love it when I get the occasional bride who walks through my door and wants an unusual design. It so refreshing from the typical traditional cakes that are still far too common here. So I constantly strive to keep up to date on the latest designs and learning the latest techniques.

Since travelling to take classes is very limited at this time, I am a frequent member on several cake forums learning from talented decorators from all over the world, watching numerous cake tutorials on the Internet, and purchasing every cake book I can get my hands on. I am also a perfectionist at heart, so if something doesn`t look right, I won`t stop until it`s done properly. My daughter, Elizabeth who is 6, also keeps me on my toes. Even at her age, she knows how to make a fondant rolled rose, hold a piping bag and knows what gumpaste is. She’s also learning how to cover a styrofoam display cake with fondant. Kids are notoriously honest, so I will often turn to her and ask her opinion.

The pitfalls that I’ve encountered thus far, consists of running both my business and my husband's environmental consulting business, raising 2 children and living on an acreage outside of town. Not only is the summer the "wedding season”, but it is also my busiest season for outside work. Living on an acreage carries with it an immense amount of work - 3 days mowing lawn, upkeep of the garden (yes, we grow a lot of our own fruits and vegetables) and maintaining all the outside buildings (we have a shop, outbuildings and barn with corrals). Since we heat our house with woodstoves, we add the additional job of getting 25-30 truckloads of firewood that have to be split and stacked. My husband also works in the oil patch 24/7 and is often working away from home. Since we have no other family support, it can be challenging. There is always work to be done, with few breaks or days off.

What keeps me motivated is my sheer love of designing cakes. It's my "ME" time, where I can get away and zone out. I love seeing a piece of china or a fabric swatch and thinking, "That would make a cool cake." and then beginning the challenge of incorporating it into a cake design. I love it when my husband looks at one of my cakes and proudly says, "Wow, that looks amazing". In the end, my greatest motivator is seeing my clients eyes light up with joy or when I hear someone say "I had one of your cakes and it was so amazing" and then I know I’ve done my job.

Tara Weissbach
Just Like Gram's Designer Cakes
Fort St John, BC
250-827-3023

WEBSITE: http://www.justlikegrams.ca/

EMAIL: sales@justlikegrams.ca

BLOG: http://www.justlikegrams.blogspot.com/

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/justlikegrams

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=136182933148&ref=mf

Sugar Cymbidium Orchid

2010-03-26T14:09:00.002-04:00

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Melanie Couch

2010-03-17T23:53:00.071-04:00

The Sugar Cove is proud to welcome Melanie Couch into the Cake Shoe Diaries series. Hailing from Hazard, Kentucky, Melanie still considers herself a relative newbie but I think she’s on the golden cake path to becoming a great cake designer. So get your cake shoes on and get ready to do some walkin’, as Melanie shares with us what inspired her passion for all things sugar.

Originally, cakes were mainly my sister's thing, to be honest. However, I enjoyed seeing her creations and adding here and there. When I was diagnosed with Lupus my options for employment sort of narrowed down a bit. I needed flexibility to work when I felt well, and take a break when I didn't. Having always had a creative side and enjoying arts and crafts for years, joining my sister in the cake business seemed like a step in the right direction.

Being self taught, I've had my fair share of fails, but for the most part things turn out well. I was a quilter for years, and being able to visualize patterns in my head before putting them down translated easily into cake design. I even surprise myself sometimes! While I won't deny that the motivation to stick with it comes some from the money, I also get a thrill out of new cake designs. My customers keep me challenged. I love each and every cake I make. I am still new to it in the grand scheme of things, and I'm looking to open my very first shop soon.

For now, I continue to work out of my home kitchen. I'm currently teaching decorating classes at a local college in their life skills program as well. We'll soon be making cakes for the Helping Hands program through our local health department. When babies in the program turn one, they will get their very own special birthday cake. We also intend to begin a partnership with our local hospital to be notified of children who are hospitalized during their birthdays. With families' consent, we'll be taking those children a special cake as well.

I continue to look forward to new cake designs and to discovering new ways I can contribute to my community through my career.

BLOG: http://sweetshoppecakes.blogspot.com/

Google as a Cake Tool

2010-02-21T17:29:00.011-05:00

I don't know about you, but next to my collection of cake magazines and books, Google is a go-to online resource that has been invaluable to me as a cake decorator.

Especially images, I constantly download images of flowers that I will be reproducing in sugar. This saves you BIG TIME in the pocket book. As the only cost to you, is printer paper, ink and your time.

It doesn't just have to be Google either, if Yahoo, Bing or AOL is your thing, then use that. The point is, the world wide web via the use of a search engine can lead you to new websites, pictures and videos filled with new information about the sugar world. It's cost effective and easier to navigate than you think.

TIP: If you're a techno-phobe, have no fear. The world wide web holds infinite information at the click of a mouse. Be brave and start your own google library of cake resources.

Shoe Box & High Heel Shoe: Part 3

2010-02-09T17:53:00.011-05:00

At last, it's here! Anne Heap has posted the final part, in a three part video tutorial series on how to make a shoe box and a fashion high heel shoe. I've enjoyed the videos and I hope you have too. A 1,000 thank you's Anne!

Sugar Flower Hydrangeas

2010-02-03T11:01:00.029-05:00

I know it's the middle of winter and all, but that doesn't mean you can't invite some spring and summer for a visit, especially in the world of sugar. I mean, in the sugar world, I could make a money tree. Whether I could make it start spitting out $100's is another story.

Well, that's what I've been doing. I've been creating sugar flowers in the middle of winter and the hydrangea flower is my latest creation for my portfolio.

Tools used are as follows:

Klara Johnsons

hydrangea petal veiner (Large) Squires Kitchen
hydrangea leaf cutter Sunflower Sugar Art
hydrangea leaf veiner First Impressions Molds

This type of hydrangea, I absolutely love. But it is a little more labour intensive to make, since it consists of 4 separate petals. But who cares, these are the trails and tribulations of a sugar artist AND it looks fab when finally completed.

Shoe Box & High Heel Shoe: Part 2

2010-02-01T12:05:00.008-05:00

With much anticipation and excitment, here is part 2 of Anne Heap's tutorial on how to make an edible shoe box and fancy high heel shoe. Take note of how Anne firms up the fondant, in order to attach it to the cake. It's a great alternative to adding tylose and waiting 24+ hours for the fondant to firm up.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 3!

s.t.o.p. Restaurant Supply

2010-01-22T19:32:00.044-05:00

When I heard of this place, two words came to mind, "FEILD TRIP!". After moving from Toronto to Cambrdge a year and a half ago, I was missing my suppliers and baking supply haunts. But slowly but surely, I've been discovering new places and absolute gems. s.t.o.p. Restaurant Supply is one of them.

Walking in, the place reminded me alot of a restaurant supply store I used to frequent in downtown Toronto, called Dinetz. So you can imagine my expression when walking around this place. I was thanking the cake gods in triplicate. I saw everything from bar supplies to restaurant supplies, to commerial restaurant equipmant and baking supplies.

For the cake decorators and bakers out there, you'll find pastry bags in all kinds of sizes (disposable and non), tips, silpats, pans galore, whisks, spatulas, cookie cutters, cake liners, pastry brushes, mixing bowls, sheet pans, and the list goes on.

Prices were, in some cases, below retail in other cases not. But what's great about this place is you'll find things that are, alot of times, only accessable to commerical businesses (i.e. vendors/business permit). In other words, it's a good place to find "hard to find" tools for us bakers/cake decorators. However, the most important thing to remember about this place, is that it's OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! So you don't need a business/vendors permit to purchase.

s.t.o.p Restaurant Supply

206 Centennail Court

Kitchener, Ontario

N2B 3X2

519-749-9617

http://www.shopatstop.com/site/home/

Shoebox Cake & High Heel Shoe: Part 1

2010-01-17T19:40:00.019-05:00

Anne Heap, cake desinger and owner of the Pink Cake Box in Denville, NJ, recently posted this wonderful video tutorial titled "Creating a Shoebox and High Heel Cake". Anne made this video to make up for missing the recent NY Cake Convention due to illness.

To that I say, "BIG VIRTUAL THANK YOU ANNE!" because this video is wonderful. The video is part 1 of 2, with part 2 to be posted soon. Part 1 takes you through the following:

Creation of the sole of the shoe.
Making the high heel instep.
Making the heel.

Curry's in Kitchener is Now Open

2010-01-17T19:14:00.020-05:00

Curry's Kitchener location is finally open, and I was able to finally make a pilgrimage out there this weekend. Located in the Gateway Plaza near Home Depot and Chapters, I found the store easy to find and parking was a plenty.

The store itself was nice and spaceous, with supplies and tools in abundance. But keep in mind that this location is still new and although they have the majority of their items in stock, they are still waiting on a few items to come in. However, the staff is more than happy to order anything you'd like that they don't have in-store at the moment.

I picked up some great Black Gold brushes by Dynasty and some of Curry's own brand of brushes for dusting sugar flowers. Good quality brushes for sugar flowers goes a long way.

Click here to find out how Curry's can work for you as a cake decorator. Our medium of choice is cake and sugar, but you'd be surprised what you can find at Curry's to take you that one step further into the sugar world.

Curry's

170 Gateway Park Drive

Kitchener, Ontario

N2P 2J4

519-650-22220

http://www.currys.com/

Cake Shoe Diaries Welcomes Medina "Dina" Gandy

2010-01-11T09:42:00.039-05:00

The Sugar Cove is excited to welcome Dina Gandy from Sugar Designs, in the third instalment of the Cake Shoe Diaries. So readers get your cake shoes ready to do some walkin', as Dina shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.

I have always liked working with my hands. As a child and teen, I dabbled with oil painting, embroidery, crochet, gardening and even made little cakes fro my friends with my Easy Bake oven. I longed to be a fine artist perhaps even achieving an Audelco award like my dad bu I just couldn't find a medium I felt was truly my niche.

Around 1978, I happened to see an advertisement for Wilton's home study cake decorating course. The ad showcased an amazing 3D cake. I couldn't believe that I was actually looking at a cake!. My eyes glazed over. I dreamed of cake and all the marvellous tasty confections I could create. I immediately ordered the course. Each box of pans and instructions was like opening a Christmas present. I was hooked! And so began my 30+ year love affair with cake decorating and sugar art.

In 1993, I completed Wilton Courses I, II, and III under the guidance of Joan Mansour, Chocolate Gallery (currently New York Cake and Baking Distributors). I also took classes with Colette Peters and Toba Garrett at the Chocolate Gallery. Completion of the courses gave me the confidence to launch Glorious Cakes, a business partnership specializing in custom wedding cakes. A cake won Mailbox News Jan/Feb 1993 Cake of the Month, I designed a wedding cake for a producer at MTV which resulted in a birthday cake for Madonna at MTV studios, and a cake was featured in a video by female rapper MC Lyte. Glorious Cakes continued to grow until the partnership dissolved in 1996.

By that time I had moved to Staten Island and began to concentrate primarily on my family, occasionally baking cakes for family, friends, co-workers and charitable events. Around 2005, I was fortunate to take several gum paste flowers classes with Scott Clark Woolley. Scott's teaching forms the cornerstone of my gum paste work without which I could not launch my current business Sugar Designs: custom sugar flowers and sugar art classes for kids, teens, and adults.

I became a certified Wilton Method Cake Decorating Instructor around 2005 and was contracted to teach at Staten Island University Community College Continuing Education Department for approximately 18 months. I currently teach cake decorating at University Settlement's Senior Heart Program. I have an assistant instructor who translates the material from English to Mandarin (Chinese). My suggestion to all my newbie decorators is to believe in yourself, have patience with yourself and practice, practice, practice!

I joined the NYC Cake Decorators Meetup in 2006 and became Organizer in September 2007 with a membership of 50 cake decorators. One of my joys and most important accomplishments is enabling cake decorators in New York City to take quality sugar art workshops without the expense of traveling out of town. There is always something new to learn in sugar art. The Meetup now 600+ strong has enabled me to further develop my skills, network and build friendships with a great bunch of folks just as crazy about cake decorating as myself.

I believe in giving back and was ecstatic when accepted as a volunteer baker for Free Cakes For Kids., and I wholeheartedly support Staten Island charity events with decorated cupcakes, cookies, and cakes. It's been a very sweet life.

Medina "Dina" Gandy
Sugar Designs by Medina
New York City, NY
medina@sugardesdesignsnyc.com
1-347-668-5765

http://www.sugardesignsnyc.com/

Monochromatic Cupcakes

2010-01-10T21:33:00.049-05:00

I've always been a fan of monochromatic colour schemes and tone-on-tone colour combinations. You see this with floral arrangements all the time. And if your an HGTV junkie like me, home deco shows too.

A monochromatic colour scheme, is the use of one colour in varying hues, tints, shades and tones. In short, different degrees of the same colour. So I was thinking to myself...."Why can't that apply to cake?" Or in this case, a cupcake?

As you can see from my pictures, these are the results. Piped white buttercream on top with a contemporary styled sugar motif made of isomalt.

I heated the isomalt to an off-white colour. When slightly cooled, I poured curlicue shapes onto a silpat and left it to completely cool. Once cooled, I brushed the sugar piece with water and sprinkled it with coarse white sugar. To complete the monochromatic look, I wrapped each cupcake in a white cupcake wrap.

The reason this "look" works, is not only the use of variations of white BUT also the use of varying textures too. Take a look at the pictures. You'll notice the dots on the cupcake wraps, the use of a star tip to pipe the buttercream and sugar details using isomalt with coarse sugar. Texture with a monochromatic colour scheme, takes edible creations from blah to interesting to wow.

TIP: Don't be afraid to experiment with different textures and colours. A monochromatic colour scheme is one of the easiest to follow, as one shade will match the other in the same hue.

Cool Cupcakes for a Cool Winter

2010-01-10T19:11:00.039-05:00

Nothing says winter, like the meat locker temperatures of January and the whirling swirls of snow. And it was during a deep freeze of a day, that I had a light bulb moment for winter themed cupcakes.

Now bare with me by back peddling a moment. My cake decorating mantra, philosophy, belief....whatever you wanna call it....has been one word: simplicity. Simplicity in style, simplicity in presentation and simplicity in creation. In creating these winter themed cupcakes, I followed those exact three things. I mean, why over complicate it when you don't have to.

The cupcakes pictured above and to the right were decorated with a light blue buttercream icing. To create a more snowy effect, I sprinkled white coarse sugar on top and finished them off with gum paste snowflakes, using the PME Snowflake plunger/cutter set.

Continuing with the snowflake theme, I used cupcake wraps from Cupcake Wrapture. Same concepts of simplicity apply here as well. I topped the cupcake with white buttercream and used the same snowflake detail pictured above. Except this time, to make the red from the wrap stand out more, I painted the snowflakes red using red petal dust mixed with clear alcohol.

TIP: Simplicity doesn't have to mean plain and dull. With simplicity in design, creation and presentation, the most beautiful edible works of art can come out of the simplest of ideas. In this case, inspiration came from the white snowflakes of winter.

Gum Paste Roses -- No Cutters, No Modelling Tools

2010-01-01T09:54:00.009-05:00

Ever the Youtuber, I came across this video by chance and was literally blown away by the realism achieved. No cutters, no modelling tools, this is gum paste flower making in its rawist form.

Go to http://www.davidscakes.co.uk/ for more info and videos released by David, a cake decorator from Liverpool England.

Dried Fruit as Holiday Treats

2009-12-31T17:08:00.015-05:00

Every year, I'm always on the look-out for something new to include annual cookie boxes or to give as a hostess gift. However, that's not to say you can't include a favourite or two, or have a holiday treat make an annual appearance as part of a holiday family tradition.

Dried apricots and figs have a become an annual holiday "must have" for me, as it:

Saves time in the baking department, as there is no baking involved.
Are dead easy to dress up for the festive season.
Brings a bit of the nutritious factor in to balance their calorie laden cookie friends.

Dried fruit can be purchased at your local bulk store or supermarket. In this case, I went to my ever trusty local Bulk Barn. ALL HAIL THE BULK BARN! Love it! Anyways, buying in bulk allows you to buy as much or as little as you need.

As pictured above and to the right, I dipped them in chocolate. If you're feeling particularly motivated, you can temper the chocolate. If not, you can always use chocolate candy melts. They're quick and easy to use and come in an array of colours. So colour coordinating for the holidays would be a cinch.

TIP: These yummy treats are great for cocktail parties or when served with a rich red wine. They are also fab when paired with champagne for that extra special New Year's toast.

YUMMY FACTOR: Infinity

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!