Sharon Zambito, Author at Sugared Productions Blog

Sequins Part 2 by Kara’s Couture Cakes

October 1, 2015 by Sharon Zambito Leave a Comment

Edible Gelatin Sequins: Using Powdered Gelatin and General Tips and Tricks

Many people have powdered gelatin more readily available to them (sooooo easy to get at the local super market!) rather than the sheet gelatin that I used in my Edible Gelatin Sequin tutorial. So I’m gonna break down the powdered gelatin method, which is slightly different. Still easy, just different. Below the powdered method you’ll find some general tips and tricks on how to get the best gelatin sequins and troubleshooting some common irregularities.

Powdered Gelatin Method

I used Knox Unflavored Powdered Gelatin. You’ll find these in a box with four each .25 oz. packets inside. In a microwave safe bowl, pour in 2/3 cup cool water. Sprinkle each of the packets individually over the surface of the water evenly.

The gelatin will get weird and wrinkley looking when it begins to absorb the water. It’s normal. Let it absorb as much as possible; there should be little to no dry, light powder left one the surface.

Give the hydrated gelatin a stir. It will become solid as you stir, able to be formed into a ball. Or three balls to make a snowman. But don’t play with it too much or you’ll incorporate air which will cause more work later. I know because I tried making a gelatin snowman. Now you know not to. 🙂 Use the back of your spatula to smooth out any larger clumps of unevenly hydrated gelatin before heading to the microwave.

Microwave in short bursts of about 15 seconds until the thick mixture becomes very liquid. Give it a stir in between each burst in the microwave break up the solid areas and evenly distribute the heat throughout.

If the gelatin is liquid but still looks grainy when dripping from your spatula, heat it just until there are no more little grains. Do not over heat it, it should feel barely warm if you dip a finger in– never hot.

After another 7 seconds in the microwave it was completely smooth and without a grainy texture.

Due to the little clumps that typically form in the gelatin when you sprinkle it you’ll want to strain it through a very fine cloth. If you have even the slightest of clumps it will clog your size 1 piping tip and cause you to want to throw the bottle across the kitchen. (Well, at least that’s my childish reaction when my piping tips get clogged. But I hear our fabulous cookie friends feel equally tantrum-y when their piping bags and tips don’t behave. So. Justified. 🙂 )

This is a section cut from a pair of girls tights/stockings that I got at the dollar store. NO they haven’t ever been worn. I’m not the girly type. Wash them with dish soap before using them for any food application. (Why dish soap and not in with the laundry? Dish soap is food safe. We don’t use laundry detergent and fabric softener on our dishes. At least I hope you don’t.) You can use either the toe end, or if you have multiple sections for different uses you can just securely tie a knot in one end.

Place the closed end into a see-through glass and fold the top ends over the outside to create a nice wide opening to pour the liquid gelatin into.

Carefully pour your gelatin into the open strainer.

Much of the gelatin will move through the strainer on its own. To get the last bit through pinch the top of the stocking between your thumb and forefinger, keeping you hand close to the top of the cup and pull the stocking upward with your opposite hand slowly. Seriously, do it slow. You’ll regret doing it fast and say to yourself, “Self, that was dumb. We should have listened to Kara.”

And now, you’re ready to pour it into your little bottle fitted with a number 1 tip and start making sequins!

***A quick side note: if you use highly saturated color like this one (Wilton Rose) the stocking strainer will most likely become stained. Having a colored stocking for applications like this is good. Don’t think you’ll be able to use this again for anything like white royal icing. Why did I choose white, by the way? I can see if it’s clean when I wash it 🙂 I’m a functionality nerd.

Tips, Tricks and Gelatin Sequin Troubleshooting

I found that I got a little fussy about irregularly shaped sequins. I wanted perfect circular little sequins like the ones on my milkmaid costume from my tap dancing recital when I was 5. (I’ll find a picture. It’s too darn funny to NOT share now that I’ve mentioned it!) So I played a bit and figured out exactly why I was getting irregular shapes and paid close attention to the qualities and conditions with each tray I created. Here are my findings…

They aren’t perfect. But they’re so close! What was going wrong with these guys?

Well, two things.

1) Improper temperature. If the gelatin is too warm when you’re dropping it onto the non-stick surface, it may fall and run slightly into different directions. It’s kinda rebellious that way.

-or-

2) If when dropping the little spots of gelatin the end of your tip touches the non-stick surface you’re likely to drag, ever so slightly, the tip when picking it up to move to the next spot. That slight drag from touching the tray will give you an irregular, oval shape as you’re pulling the droplet to the side. Make sure they drop straight from the bottle by simply letting them drip onto the surface.

Another instance of inconsistent shapes. Some of these guys are just so different that it shouldn’t be ignored. There should be some uniformity in their appearance. The gelatin here was getting too cool. when gelatin is warm it’s really tough to get drops this small, it wants to run and pool in larger amounts. When the gelatin gets cool you may feel like you have more control over it, but you’ll have to move slower and much more intentionally to get them to come out of your bottle and to get drops to fall. Just like too warm wasn’t cool up above, being too cool isn’t cool either.

Now. You may think you’re saving space and being reeeeaallllyyyyyy efficient with the use of your tray by getting them as close as possible. Well, you’ll learn…

Because you’ll end up with merged and VERY irregular drops. The gelatin will naturally spread when you drop it. The drops are so tiny that it’s tough to see, but you know it happens when 5 seconds after you’ve dropped to close to each other, they reach out and begin snuggling, becoming one. Just like at a pre-teen dance, keep some distance between those two!

Last, but definitely not least… The nipple effect. Now guys, this may be ok with you. BUT it’s not ok on cakes. Wait… Nipple? Yep. That little dot in the center that you didn’t intend to put there? It’s air. It’s a bubble. But it makes a naughty looking sequin. Some of these are unavoidable, like when you pick up your bottle and turn to right side up and then back down. Air gets caught around the tip inside and can’t really move down into the bottle. The gelatin is too thick, so it stays put until you give it a squeeze. But they can become excessive if the gelatin has foamy bubbles when you pour it into the bottle initially. If your warmed and colored gelatin has foam on the top, take a moment and skim it off before pouring it into the bottle. Then, no nipples! 🙂

And that concludes this installment of fun with edible gelatin sequins! If you have questions or comments, let me know! I’m happy to help. 🙂

— Kara

About the Author

I am a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and have studied under some of the best pastry chefs and cake decorators in the world. I specialize in fondant covered cakes, gourmet cupcakes and cookies, custom designed to perfectly fit each client’s unique occasion. The only thing better than how my cakes look, is how they taste! Ask me about cake!

Kara’s Couture Cakes
Kara’s Facebook

Kara’s Blog

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New Easter Toppers Book by Naomi Hubert

March 15, 2015 by Sharon Zambito Leave a Comment

IT’S HERE!

Our Sweet friend, Naomi Hubert of Tea Party Cakes, has a new book!! We’re so excited and it’s just in time for Easter!

The newest book from The Cake & Bake Academy is now out ready for Easter and I am so incredibly excited because our dear friend and contributor to our online school, Naomi, has step by step projects in the book.

I can personally assure you that this book is wonderful,
and all of the tutorials are top notch.

GREAT Spring and Easter projects.

The book is available in paperback on Amazon or if you can’t wait and want an instant copy you can order a pdf ebook here:

http://www.kyle-craig.com/buypdf.html

I hope you all love the book!

Congratulations, Naomi!! We love the book too! 🙂 (and you!)

Easy Mardi Gras Masks by Lisa Bugeja

February 13, 2015 by Sharon Zambito 3 Comments

Hey everyone! It’s almost that time of the year here again in the Big Easy! Our guest blogger today is Lisa Bugeja of Flour Confections, and she’s here to share a quick and easy tutorial on Mardi Gras mask cupcake toppers. Take it away Lisa!

Supplies required:

Piping gel
Gumpaste (Confectioners Choice)
various Edible glitters (green, purple, gold and optional rainbow)
Mask cutter
Silpat mat
Flexible silicone container
Parchment paper
paintbrush
Isomalt
Airbrush color if needing to colour your own isomalt (Americolor)
Saran Wrap

Roll out white gumpaste to a thin consistency (#2 on pasta machine). Cut out masks using cutter.

Place masks on silpat mat while you prepare isomalt.

Following manufacturers instructions, place pre-coloured isomalt nibs in silicone container and melt in microwave. CAUTION HOT! DO NOT TOUCH

When fully melted, carefully pour isomalt into eye cavities – be careful not to overfill. Let cool until hard and ok to touch.

Once cooled, gently bend gumpaste mask to give shape and place ball of plastic wrap in behind to help maintain shape while gumpaste dries.

When masks are dry, using a paintbrush, apply piping gel to sections of mask where you want to adhere the edible glitter.

In order to do tri-colour effect, paint each section separately and apply glitter immediately to painted areas BEFORE moving on to another colour.

Once complete, place masks on top of iced cupcakes & enjoy!

*** Note: Isomalt will dull if placed in refrigerator or in high humidity – best to add to cupcakes just before serving.

Thank you Lisa! These are so cute!

Lisa Bugeja is the award winning artist & creative force behind Flour Confections Inc. & Baked and Beloved in Toronto, Ontario. Her work has been featured in numerous publications such as Brides magazine, Toronto Life, Wedluxe Magazine, American Cake Decorating, Bakers Journal, People.com to name a few. She has also been seen on CTV’s Canada AM; and as assistant to Ashlee Perkins on Food Network Challenge, and assistant to Matthew Somers on their winning episode of Cake Walk.

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Cake Lace with Wayne Steinkopf

October 28, 2014 by Sharon Zambito 2 Comments

Hi Sugar Friends!

Cake Lace is a new product taking the cake decorating world by storm. It’s an edible and flexible lace that has so many applications; to infinity and beyond! I have had a lot of members ask me for tutorials on this, but my friend Wayne Steinkopf of Swank Cake Design has beat me to it! He has two great videos that show you how to use Cake Lace in a couple of different applications. Enjoy!

Cake Lace Video

Fantasy Flowers with Cake Lace Video

SHOP FOR CAKE LACE HERE

How to Color Wafer Paper

October 19, 2014 by Sharon Zambito 2 Comments

Hi Y’all! Wafer paper flowers are so trendy right now! Today we have guest blogger, Summer Stone, from Cake Paper Party, here to teach us how to color our wafer paper and make this gorgeous poppy! Take it away, Summer!

Wafer paper continues to gain popularity in cake decorating because of its low ticket price and ease of use for beginner and professional cake decorators. The trouble is that it comes in one color: white. While white is lovely for many projects it is often desirable to have other colors for your decorating repertoire. Some decorators color wafer paper by printing on it with food safe ink from a printer; but not all of us have access to such a printer or the cash to shell out for one. Thinking there had to be a better solution I came up with a way to color this medium for less.

Let’s get started coloring wafer paper for flower petals and other cake and cupcake decorations!

Here are the supplies you will need:

wafer paper
scissors
cosmetic sponges
binder clips
candy food coloring (Wilton Candy Red and Americolor Oil Candy Color Orange used here). Candy color is essential because it is oil, not water based and therefore will not melt the wafer paper.
toothpicks
small container of water
small paint brush
wax paper

1. Start by preparing your wafer paper shapes. Here I hand drew petals on the wafer paper then cut them out with scissors.

2. Drop desired color of candy color on a piece of wax paper. Here is used red and a combination of orange and red mixed together and then straight red to create color gradient. If mixing colors use a toothpick to blend them together.

3. Make a sponge dauber. Cut cosmetic sponges into small pieces then fold and clip with binder clip.

4. Pick up color. Dip dauber into color and then tamp 15-20 times to ensure even distribution of color on the sponge.

5. Apply color to wafer paper. Start dabbing the first color onto the smooth side of the wafer paper petal with a light touch. Here I used a combination of two drops orange and one drop red. You will get the most even color if you add it lightly and gradually build the color up. Keep sponging until the color is even. Here I stopped 3/4 of the way up the petal so I could add a darker color at the petal tips.

6. Add additional colors. To add gradient and shading apply a second darker color to the wafer paper. Let the petals sit for a couple of hours or overnight to absorb the color (they don’t exactly dry since it is oil color). Alternately you can use them immediately just try not to touch the petal surface.

7. Shape petals. Here I clipped a small line with scissors up from the bottom center of the petal. Then I applied a small amount of water with a damp paintbrush and crossed the petal over itself to create a cupped shape.

8. Layer your petals. Layer the petals together using very small amounts of water to adhere. For the poppy I add a center of black thread and modeling chocolate.

Here is a chart of how different brands and mixes color onto water paper. The top is Americolor Candy Colors followed by Wilton Candy Color, Ateco Soft Gel Colors mixed with Flowcoat (3 drops Flow coat to 1 drop gel color) and on the bottom Wilton White Food Color mixed with candy color (1 to 1). Mixing the white with the candy color makes lovely opaque pastels.

Try this wafer paper coloring technique out and let me know what you think!

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White Chocolate vs. Candy Melts Part 3

October 2, 2014 by Sharon Zambito Leave a Comment

Guest Blogger, Summer Stone, from Cake Paper Party, shares more of her knowledge of modeling chocolate. In this part, she explains the differences bewteen white chocolate and candy melts. Have fun and take it away Summer!

Now that you have the ins and outs of how to make modeling chocolate (MC), let’s take a look at how to select the right product to make your MC out of. Everyone has different needs, and budgets and availability so my goal is to explain my observations without deeming one product superior. That way you can make the best choice for you!

For simplification I am going to analyze white chocolates and candy coatings at this time but understand that darker chocolates will also follow suit. The observations noted will include composition, price, color, ease to make, ease to fix, texture, and taste and mouthfeel.

I tried to sample a variety of media (without going too crazy) that are widely available and you might be likely to use. They include Wilton candy melts, Ghiradelli baking chips, Wilton white chocolate, Ghiradelli baking bar and Callebaut callets (28% cocoa butter).

These are their differences as they relate to modeling chocolate.

1. Composition. The greatest divide between theses products comes in their fat composition. Both candy coating and white chocolate contain sugar, milk powder, lecithin and vanilla, but white chocolate uses cocoa butter for its fat while coatings and chips use palm oil. The palm oil is hydrogenated to make more solid at room temperature and more like cocoa butter. Above left is palm oil that is non-hydrogenated and remains creamy. It is likely that palm oil used in candy melts is more like the cocoa butter on the left. Cocoa butter is so solid at room temperature that it flakes rather than scoops.

2. Color. One of the most considerable factors in choosing a MC medium is color. Because cocoa butter is golden colored (see above) it imparts a pale yellow hue to white chocolate and the MC made from it. If you are looking for a natural color or a planning to tint your modeling chocolate a warm tone this is not a problem, but it can easily muddy and mute cool tones. Also, if you need a bright white it will have to be adjusted with white food coloring.

Palm oil on the other hand is white and produces a modeling chocolate in a tone that is easier to manipulate. Moreover, candy melts and coatings come in a wide variety of colors which means they don’t require time to tint or money to invest in coloring products.

3. Money. Cost is also an important consideration when choosing a product. Here is a list of approximate cost per ounce of the product that I used.

Wilton Candy Melts: $0.25/ounce
Ghiradelli White Baking Chips $0.30/ounce
Wilton White Chocolate $0.50/ounce
Ghiradelli White Chocolate Baking Bar $0.80/ounce
Callebaut White Chocolate Callets $0.75/ounce

White chocolate can cost more than three times what a confectionery coating does.

4. Resistance to failure. Due to the fact that coatings and melts contain palm oil which has a higher melting temperature than cocoa butter it is less likely to break and leach fat than white chocolate it. Palm oil is also softer at room temperature than cocoa butter is so it is easier to work in fat that has leached out from the chocolate. For this reason candy melts are less likely to “fail” when mixed than white chocolate is.

5. Fixability. Maybe correctable is the appropriate word?? Either way, for the same reasons that palm oil products are resistant to failure they are more difficult to correct. A broken MC made from white chocolate is easier to work back into a smooth product because of the fact that cocoa butter has a lower melting temperature than hydrogenated palm oil.

6. Texture. Here is where we start comparing the actual MC product side by side. Above I have tried to give you a picture that indicates what the textures are like but in truth the differences are extremely subtle and can only be felt in hand (that is except for the white baking chips). Here are their properties:

Candy melts yield the most smooth, silky product by feel. They also have a stretchy quality that is not found in white chocolate.
Baking chips make a terrible modeling chocolate that is very dry crumbly. It barely holds together. This product, as well as “almond bark” coatings, can work in a pinch but add at least one more part corn syrup to keep it held together.
White chocolate modeling chocolate has beautiful moldibility but has an underlying graininess that I found with all types of white chocolate. It is very subtly like moon sand. Don’t let me deter you by saying this; it is extremely subtle but it is just not quite as stretchy as candy melts. All of the white chocolates that I tried behaved similarly and created a lovely final product.

7. Taste and mouthfeel. Not surprising, a modeling chocolate tastes like the product it is made from so it comes down to a matter of preference. I, in a shameful sort of way, liked the Wilton white chocolate. It was pleasant and simple and was not nearly as sweet as the Ghiradelli baking bar, which was so sweet that it sort of hurt my brain. Callebaut tasted more like cocoa butter but in a pungent way that was not for my taste buds. The candy coating and chips tasted sweet and vanilla-y. They were not unpleasant just lacking cocoa butter flavor; more neutral perhaps. This you will have to taste for yourself and decide.

Where candy melt MC was silky by feel, white chocolate MC is silky on the tongue. The lower melting temperature of cocoa butter allows the white chocolate MC to dissolve creamily in the mouth. The candy melts and chips were slightly gritty like small sugar crystals remained present. Again, these differences were barely perceptible but still there nonetheless.

So there you have it! All sorts of things to consider when choosing what to make your modeling chocolate from. I hope this helps your decision making process and you can move forward into modeling chocolate wonderfulness!

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How to Color Modeling Chocolate Part 2

October 1, 2014 by Sharon Zambito Leave a Comment

Guest Blogger, Summer Stone, from Cake Paper Party, shares her knowledge of modeling chocolate. In this part, she explains 21 different ways to color it. Have fun and take it away Summer!

Finally color! I love color! With all of the products and techniques available to color cake related items, I wanted to run through the gamut and see which ones work best with modeling chocolate (MC) and its unique set of properties. Certain methods work well for a specific type of decorating and not for others; some colorants confer altered textures or consistencies. Here I will share with you my insights for picking the right coloring method for your project.

I wanted to try a wide variety of products for coloring to get a feel for many of the possibilities available so I used everything from grocery store liquid food color to petal and luster dust. Some of the options may seem redundant but I wanted to try some of the colorants in a variety of ways to see if there was an advantage or disadvantage to doing it a certain way. I am going to list them all so that you have a complete picture and understanding of the choices.

For all of the examples I started with white modeling chocolate to have a true sense of each colorants ability to color but starting with a MC made from a basic colored coating or candy melt can be a great option as well.

I divided the coloring into three categories:

Pre-coloring: mixing before the modeling chocolate is made by adding color to either the melted chocolate or the corn syrup.
Mid-coloring: mixing color throughout the made modeling chocolate.
Post-coloring: Applying color to the surface of the modeling chocolate.

Let’s start with Pre-coloring techniques!

Pre-coloring is probably the easiest way to color modeling chocolate. The color easily swirls into your liquid of choice and then all you have to do is mix up your modeling chocolate as usual. The downside is that you end up with one full batch of a certain color and sometimes it is difficult to determine what color your final product will be until it is made in full. For this reason, I recommend pre-coloring when you are going to use a large quantitiy of one color of modeling chocolate and if you have an idea of the intensity your food color will impart. The following is a list of ways to pre-color MC.

1. Liquid or gel into corn syrup. In this first method gel or even inexpensive liquid food coloring is added to your measurement of corn syrup or liquid glucose, mixed up and the stirred into melted chocolate or candy melts. Here I added 2 drops of liquid food coloring (which spread across the surface of the corn syrup). I did not notice any change in the texture of the modeling chocolate.

2. Candy coloring into candy melts or chocolate. Oil based candy food coloring is stirred into the melted chocolate or candy melts and then blended with the corn syrup. This created a lovely silky final product but since I added so much coloring (oops, slip of the hand!) it was a little softer than that made with other colorings. I recommend making a firmer than usual MC if you plan to use candy coloring.

3.Gel coloring into candy melts or chocolate. Gel coloring is dropped into melted candy melts or chocolate and stirred before corn syrup is blended in. I don’t recommend this method. The melts seize before the corn syrup is stirred in. You can still make a modeling chocolate via this method but the MC is disjointed, losing all of its stretch (you can see the crackles in the MC if you look closely). It also cools very firm and is crumbly when returned to. If for some reason you feel the need to do this, add extra corn syrup to keep in smooth and together.

4. Powdered food coloring into melted candy melts. A small scoop of powdered food coloring was added to melted melts and stirred in before mixing with the corn syrup. Using this method the powder did not dissolve completely leaving speckles in the final product even after it was kneaded. Perhaps if you are making robin’s eggs this would be desirable but for uniform color another method is advisable. If you choose to use powdered colors I suggest dissolving it in vodka or lemon extract and then adding it to the corn syrup if you wish to color in the pre-mixed phase.

Next we will move on to the Mid-coloring methods. These methods are the most practical and applicable for every day needs. They allow you to color from a small amount to a large amount of modeling chocolate and enable you to adjust the colors easily as you go. They also provide uniform coloring for nice solid color applications.

5. Candy color into MC. Candy food coloring is blended into the mixed modeling chocolate. The candy colors give nice smooth saturated colors but they do soften the modeling chocolate a bit so it is best to start with a firm MC recipe if using the candy colors.

6. Gel color into MC. Gel color blends into the MC nicely and in moderate amounts does not affect the texture of the modeling chocolate greatly. This is probably the best general method for coloring modeling chocolate.

7. Gel color plus cornstarch into MC. If you need to achieve a very saturated color that requires the addition of quite a lot of gel color, the addition of cornstarch can help maintain the texture of the modeling chocolate by absorbing some of the moisture from the food color. The addition of cornstarch does dry the MC some and it may require an extra bit of working or a touch of shortening after storage.

8. Liquid color into MC. Basic grocery store liquid food coloring is kneaded into modeling chocolate. This is probably the method that surprised me the most. I expected the liquid to cause the MC to break, but it didn’t. It actually worked very well and generated a nice bold color. This is a great option if this is the type of food coloring you have on hand or need to buy some in the wee hours of the morning at your local market. If you are going to add large amounts you may need to add some cornstarch to counter act the softening effects of the liquid.

9. Petal dust into MC. For this I scooped a small amount of petal dust onto the MC and kneaded it in. It didn’t work as well as some of the other methods as far as blending and saturation is concerned but I feel like this is a good option if you are coloring a base that is later going to be dusted with the same color petal dust. Such as for flower petals or other items to be shaded in gradient.

10. Coloring with colored MC. Use already made solid colors of modeling chocolate to blend or tint your base color. This is a nice option because you will not affect texture at all and you will have a fairly good idea of the direction you are going with the colors you are trying to achieve. I like to have brown or chocolate MC on hand to mute and soften my modeling chocolate colors as well. If you have a basic rainbow of modeling chocolate colors on hand you can blend at whim to achieve any color.

11. Coloring with colored fondant. A small amount of commercial colored fondant is used to color the MC. If you are working with a colored fondant sometimes it is advantageous to color your modeling chocolate with the fondant to reach a complimentary shade. This works well if you keep your fondant to around 25%. Much more than that and you will lose some of the lovely characteristics of MC and it will start to act more like fondant.

12. Coloring fondant with gels and adding to MC. Gel color is added to a small amount of fondant which is then added to the modeling chocolate. Adding gel to fondant first serves two purposes. First, it offsets some of the effects of the adding excess liquid to modeling chocolate. Be sure your fondant is firm or add extra cornstarch before you start. Second, it enables you to create a hypersaturated target color that you can then blend with the MC. This reduces the risk of color overshooting by directly adding color to your final product. Once again, it is advisable to add only 25% fondant to your modeling chocolate.

13. Coloring fondant with candy color and adding to MC. Candy color is added to fondant and then added to the MC. The reasoning is the same as above with a similar result. Once again the candy color has a slight softening effect so start with firm modeling chocolate or add a touch of cornstarch.

Here are the Post-coloring effects. These methods are best used for artistic touches such as dusting petals, painting details or accentuating texture.

14. Dusting with petal dust. Dust on a layer of petal dust over a rolled out, cut or shaped decoration. This method works well for solid color effects as well as gradients and soft shading. The oils in MC adhere well to the petal dust for both dramatic and subtle coloring. For strong color effects use freshly shaped MC which has oils on the surface.

15. Dusting with luster dust. Luster dust works similarly well with MC as petal dust but the color saturation is not as strong due to the translucence of the shimmer particles. For solid color shimmer pieces, color the modeling chocolate first and then dust with a complimentary shade of luster dust.

16. Painting with petal dust and lemon extract. Mix a small amount of petal dust with lemon extract and paint onto a cut or shaped piece of modeling chocolate. I feel that dusting gives a smoother effect. I had some slight clumping when painting, but this is also an option and gives very solid saturation.

17. Painting with gel color. Apply gel color directly to the modeling chocolate with a paint brush. It beads up initially but as you stroke across the surface repeatedly it starts to set. This might be advantageous for accentuating texture such as wood grain. You could paint the color on and wipe off the beaded gel from the raised points before it is absorbed into the MC.

18. Painting with candy color. Brush candy color across the surface of the MC with a paint brush. Candy color smoothly coats the surface of the modeling chocolate. Some brush strokes are slightly noticeable but this might be desirable if you are going for an artistic painted look.

19. Sponging with gel color. Using a cosmetic sponge and a binder clip, dip into a small amount of gel and tamp to absorb (see Coloring Wafer Paper). Then sponge onto the MC for solid color or shading effects. This technique avoids the beading up associated with painting the gel on. The gel color seems to soften the modeling chocolate slightly.

20. Sponging with candy color. As above, load a cosmetic sponge with a small amount of candy color and sponge onto modeling chocolate. This gives a lovely solid finish, or you can sponge a blend of colors or achieve a gradient of color. This technique would work well on petals. The surface dries well after a few hours and does not soften the MC pieces.

21. Coloring with food safe markers. Color on a set piece of modeling chocolate with food safe markers. Allow your modeling chocolate to dry for a few hours before using this coloring method. You will not achieve solid coloring but it can be used to add small details or achieve a coloring book look. This may also work for adding wood grain texture or grass effects.

22. Spraying with food color spray. Can spray coloring can be used to lightly mist modeling chocolate that has been set to dry for a few hours (left). If you mist too heavily it will bead up (see right). This technique could be useful to accent texture or shade organic looking pieces. A similar effect could possibly be achieved using an airbrush but I did not explore this technique.

Phew! There they all are! I apologize for the longest post ever, but I wanted to provide as much information as possible. This is also the end of my current series on modeling chocolate. I hope this helps you on your way to many modeling chocolate adventures!

Smiles 🙂

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Happy Caking!
Sharon

How to Make Modeling Chocolate Part 1

October 1, 2014 by Sharon Zambito 3 Comments

Hello everyone! I’m excited that we have our guest blogger, Summer Stone of Cake Paper Party, back to share her wonderful knowledge of modeling chocolate with us! This is a three part series, so stay tuned for more how to with Summer and modeling chocolate!

Modeling chocolate is one of the most versatile and easy to use products in a cake decorator’s or sweet maker’s arsenal. It is rigid enough to hold its shape when cutting out intricate details yet pliable enough to mold into beautifully sculptured pieces. But modeling chocolate can be frustrating to make, yielding a lumpy or broken final product for no apparent reason. In this post I hope to demystify some of the problems common with modeling chocolate and give you the tools to create a perfect product every time.

In order to provide you with the most in-depth understanding I made 19 batches of varying types of modeling chocolate. Along the way I learned how to ruin and fix modeling chocolate by multiple methods. I also examined how varying the ratio of chocolate to corn syrup affects the consistency of the final product.

Let’s start by looking at modeling chocolate making basics.

1. Weigh. Measure out the amount of candy melts or chocolate you wish to use in a microwave safe bowl that will allow enough room for stirring. I weigh my chocolate on a food scale to allow the most predictable and desirable result.

2. Melt. Heat your melts or chocolate on high heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on your microwave strength and the volume of chocolate you are using. Stir and then heat again for 20-30 seconds and then stir to melt. If you still have lumps heat in 15 second intervals until you it is lump free. Be careful not to overheat. If you see chunky golden bits in the chocolate throw it out and start over or you will be sorry.

3. Add. Now is the time to add your corn syrup. The ratio of chocolate to corn syrup depends on your desired outcome. I will discuss this shortly and provide a chart of measurements. Some people like to heat their corn syrup briefly to warm it. I find it is unnecessary and squirt it straight from my bottle into the bowl of melted chocolate. I also weigh the corn syrup. It is less messy and more accurate that way.

4. Fold. Begin gently folding the corn syrup into the chocolate. I sweep the outside edges of the bowl and then swipe across the middle. You will see streaks of corn syrup intermixed with the chocolate that will grow more and more fine until it is all incorporated.

5. Watch. This is the time where you have to be cautious. Too little stirring and you will get chocolate chunks in the final product, too much stirring and your modeling chocolate will break and leach out liquid fat. Both extremes lead to lumpy modeling chocolate. Never fear! Either can be fixed (I will get to that!) but starting with the right consistency will make your life easier. Perfectly seized chocolate will loose its shininess and start to get chunky and firm but will not be extremely curdled or greasy looking. If you are going to err one way or the other it is better to over stir than under stir.

6. Remove. Scoop your modeling chocolate out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Try to avoid much manipulation at this point to preserve the state of the modeling chocolate.

7. Wrap. Seal up the modeling chocolate in plastic wrap to avoid drying on the surface as it cools. Allow the modeling chocolate to solidify or “cure” for a period of time. For candy melts, I like to leave it until the edges look a bit dull (an indicator the fats have become solid) but the middle is still a bit soft. This takes an hour or so at room temperature. For real chocolate, this takes much longer. If you mess with it too early it gets persnickety and will be sticky and clumpy. Let it sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight.

8. Knead. When you unwrap your modeling chocolate it will be firm and chunky looking. In order to smooth it to a useful product you will need to knead it for a couple of minutes. If the modeling chocolate was ideally seized you should eventually be able to pinch it between two fingers and not feel any chunks. You can use your modeling chocolate now or wrap it well in plastic wrap for a later time.

9. Fix. If your modeling chocolate is lumpy, now is the time to repair it.

If you feel you under stirred and you have very firm, opaque chunks that do not melt in the heat of your hand you will need to partially remelt the modeling chocolate. Spread the modeling chocolate out in the bottom of a bowl and heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. It should remain solid but have a slightly molten core (see above). Knead the product until smooth. If it starts to break, let it cool slightly and then knead again. Wrap the kneaded modeling chocolate in plastic wrap and cool to room temperature before using.
If you over stirred and the modeling chocolate broke emulsion, you will likely see an opaque border of fat around the edges when cooled. When kneaded the fat will often remain in solid chunks throughout. To reincorporate them you will need to briefly warm the modeling chocolate on high in the microwave for 4-6 seconds. You just want to soften the fat but not melt it. Then knead until the product is smooth. You can also use the heat of your hands to warm the fats and knead extensively but it takes much longer. Wrap the modeling chocolate and cool to room temperature before using.

Choosing How Much Corn Syrup to Use

Most modeling chocolate recipes give a set ratio of chocolate to corn syrup to use, but I like to vary the amount of corn syrup based on my project needs. These are some factors to consider.

Using less corn syrup yields modeling chocolate that is more firm and less elastic.
Conversely, more corn syrup yields a softer, more pliable and elastic product.
The type of candy melts or chocolate you choose will alter the amount of corn syrup needed. White chocolate is more firm than candy melts and dark chocolate is more firm than white chocolate. You will need more corn syrup in white chocolate than candy melts for a similar final product.
The ratio of melts or chocolate to corn syrup typically varies by weight from 5:1 (very firm) to 2:1 (quite soft).

Here is a chart of modeling chocolate ingredient quantities to make varying consistencies of modeling chocolate. Below is a recipe for medium-firm modeling chocolate.

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Modeling Chocolate

Ingredients

8 ounces (227 grams) candy melts or white chocolate

2 ounces (by weight) (57 grams) corn syrup (use 2.5 ounces [71 grams] if using white chocolate)

Instructions

Place candy melts or chocolate in a microwave safe bowl with enough room to stir easily. Heat melts on high in microwave for 1-2 minutes then stir. Heat an additional 25-35 seconds on high and stir to melts. If unmelted product remains, heat in 15 second intervals followed by stirring to melt.

Add corn syrup and fold gently until the melts lose their sheen and becomes firm and slightly chunky. Scoop the modeling chocolate onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap to seal. Let cool until firm on the edges for candy melts or solid throughout for chocolate. Remove the plastic wrap and knead until smooth. Rewrap and let cool to room temperature. Use immediately or wrap well for later use.

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Happy Caking!

Sharon

How Different Flours Affect Your Cake

September 13, 2014 by Sharon Zambito 2 Comments

Hey everyone! As a special treat for today, we have guest blogger, Summer Stone, from her blog Cake Paper Party, sharing her wonderful knowledge on how different flours affect our cakes. Take it away, Summer!

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For the baker, there is a wide variety of flours to choose from when making a cake. Some of the options include: bleached cake flour, unbleached cake flour, pastry flour, self-rising flour, unbleached all-purpose flour and bleached all-purpose flour, not to mention starch substitutes and hybrid variations of some of those above. It can be a bit confusing which is the best flour for cake baking. Here I hope to demystify some of the what’s and why’s of cake worthy flours.

To illustrate the affects of varying flours, I baked six cakes each with a different flour type or combination. These included: unbleached all-purpose flour (UB) , bleached all-purpose flour (Bl.), bleached cake flour, potato starch plus unbleached all-purpose flour (a common cake flour substitute), half cake flour/half unbleached all-purpose flour and half cake flour/half bleached all-purpose flour.

Before we get onto the results of the baking, let’s talk about the differences in the flours.

There are two major differences between flours:

Protein content: Cake flour is a low protein flour which means it contains more starch and less protein ounce for ounce than an all-purpose (plain) flour or a bread flour. In the figure above you can see how this comes into play in a cake. The structure of the cake made with cake flour is mediated primarily by swollen starch granules with some structural help from egg proteins and the minimal protein found in cake flour. All-purpose flour contains more protein and less starch by weight than cake flour and therefore the resulting cake structure is held together with more of a flour protein network.
Chlorination: Bleached flours have been treated with either chlorine dioxide or chlorine gas. This process not only lightens their color but also causes their starch granules to swell more easily and disperse fat more readily. Chlorination or bleaching also produces a distinct flavor that some people care for while others do not. The fact that chlorination leads to the accumulation of specific molecules in the body has caused it to be outlawed in the European Union and United Kingdom. Cake flour is usually bleached but King Arthur offers an unbleached variation.

In actual cake, these are how the differences translate:

Unbleached all-purpose flour and bleached all-purpose flour appeared similar in color with a moist but slightly coarse crumb.
The bleached all-purpose flour rose just slightly higher than the unbleached.
Both the bleached and unbleached all-purpose flour cakes held together well.
The cake made with cake flour was taller and lighter in color than the all-purpose flours but was also drier and more crumbly/sandy .
The cake made with cake flour was more compact and less spongy seeming than the all-purpose flour cakes.
The cake flour cake had a slightly finer crumb than the all-purpose flours.
The cake made with cake flour tasted somewhat of chlorination.

The unbleached all-purpose flour with potato starch was the shortest and darkest of the cakes but it had a moist, tender crumb.
The half cake flour/half all-purpose flour combinations were almost identical to one another, but the bleached flour/cake flour combination rose slightly higher than the unbleached flour combination.
Both of the half cake flour combinations held together well and had a moist, tender, fine crumb.

On the other hand there are times when someone may want the whitest, tallest cake possible and therefore cake flour may be the best option.

The flour choice is really up to you and your preferences. I hope this information will help you to make an informed decision!

Happy baking!

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3D Baseball Glove Cake

September 4, 2014 by Sharon Zambito Leave a Comment

It’s baseball season! Perfect occasion for a tutorial. Today we have a guest blogger Sandy Thompson to share with us her super cute baseball glove cake!

Materials needed:

(2) 9×13” cakes 2” tall

Foam Core Board for cake base

Cake board for final cake display (Tutorial has a 16” round base)

Ivory or White fondant and small amount of Black fondant

Buttercream (White and Black)

Airbrush machine

Airbrush colors: Yellow, Orange, Ivory

Palette knife

Xacto knife or scalpel

Veining tool

Stitching tool

Clay gun

Gold luster dust

Clear alcohol or lemon extract to mix with luster dust

Paintbrushes (one for painting with luster dust and one for water to glue fondant pieces)

Small amount of water for gluing fondant pieces together

Carving knife (I use a steak knife)

Round circle cutter (1 ½ inches…I used the end of a big icing tip)

Piping tips: 1, 2 3

Turntable for airbrushing

Transparency or acetate paper

Dowels

Modeling chocolate or Rice Crispy Treats

Red nontoxic marker

Step 1 – Using (1) ½” thick Foam Core Board or (2) ¼” thick Foam Core Board glued together draw two templates. Use the “back” of the glove to draw your first template and the “top” of the glove to draw your second template.

Step 2 – Bevel the sides of your templates – this will give the glove a “rounded” appearance on the side.

Step 3 – NOTE: Anytime you carve a cake, it should be very firm. Either refrigerated overnight or in the freezer for an hour or so. Position one of your 9×13 cakes face down, then lay your “back” template face down on the cake…now you’re ready to start carving along the outside edge. I like to carve an inch or so away from my template…that way if I make a mistake it doesn’t cause any issues. Once you’re done carving, then you can turn your cake right side up.

Step 4 – Position your knife at an angle so it lines up with the angle of your Foam Core Board and begin beveling the edge of your cake.

Step 5 – For the top of the cake, position your knife once again at an angle to smooth out the fine lines. We’re going for a rounded look along the top.

Step 6 – Making small cuts at first, carve a notch along each “finger”. Since you’ll be adding icing and fondant later, you’ll want to make the notches more pronounced during this step. At this point if your cake looks like an oversized “Big Foot” impression, you’re doing the right thing!

Step 7 – On the left side of the cake, cut an angled slice off the top, down towards the side of the cake. This will allow you to place the other 9×13 cake on top at an angle. (See side view of Step 7 for a visual)

Step 8 – Ice the cake. Icing a curved cake can be tricky so see the next step for a helpful hint.

Step 9 – Using transparency paper (also known as Acetate paper), cut a 3” square piece, then round the corners – you don’t want any sharp edges. Cup the paper in your hand as shown in the picture and gently smooth your icing. Be sure to wipe the paper after each smoothing…if you get icing build up on the paper, it will end up removing the frosting from the cake.

Step 10 – Note: Before rolling out your fondant, add about a teaspoon of food grade glycerin for every 2 lbs of fondant. This will keep the fondant more pliable and give you more time to work. Roll out white or ivory fondant in a rectangular shape.

Step 11 – Taking your time, smooth out your fondant and using your palette knife or other tools, tuck the fondant along the Foam Core Board. If you happen to get a little “elephant skin” that totally works for this cake…it is after all a well-used leather glove so it only adds character.

Step 12 – Using your stitching tool, make stitch marks along the entire edits of the cake and in between the fingers.

A quick note about airbrushing…..when it comes to airbrushing there are a few things to keep in mind:

Airbrush colors are transparent. Why does that matter? This means you can “layer” colors and achieve a very realistic effect.
This also means you can always add more color to achieve a dark color but you can never start with a dark color and go all the way back to a white color.
Whatever colors you use for your project, you’ll want to start with the lightest color first working your way to the darkest color last.
You’ll always want to test your colors before you use them. Sometimes a color may ‘sound” right but after your spray it, it looks different than you imagine. For example, for this piece the glove is a brownish color but to achieve the look, I actually went with Ivory rather than Brown.

Step 13 – Airbrushing fun starts now! This may sound crazy, but we’re going to start with a Yellow airbrush color. It may take several passes to achieve an allover yellow so take your time. You may even need to let the cake sit for a few minutes for the color to dry.

Step 14 – Next, spray a little Orange. It won’t take much…just a light layer over the entire cake…on the edges that would normally have “wear and tear”, go even lighter in those places and darker in the creases and stitching areas.

Step 15 – Now for your final coat on the bottom cake, using Ivory spray the entire cake until you achieve the desired color. Be sure to spray a little heavier along the stitching, crevices and the very bottom of the cake. You cake should now look like a giant ‘Bear claw” you get at the donut store.

Step 16 – While your airbrushed cake is drying, you can create your “baseball”. I used Modeling Chocolate but you can also use Rice Krispy Treats. Either way, shape your “baseball” then cut a slice off the top and the bottom so it will rest correctly in your glove. The bigger the ball, the wider the opening of your glove will be. Set your ball in place so you can mark where a dowel needs to be place. You’ll also want to dowel the left side of the glove so your top layer will be supported.

For the top layer of cake, just follow the exact same steps above (Steps 2-9).

Step 17 – Before placing the top layer of cake on the bottom cake, remove your baseball (we’ll add it back later).

Step 18 – Roll out more fondant in a rectangular shape and drape it over the top cake. Be sure the fondant goes all the way down the back of the cake. (This means you’ll have a double layer of fondant in the back)

Step 19 – Using your tools, tuck the fondant under the top cake (you can use a little shortening on your board or the back of the fondant to make it stick). At either end, fold the fondant so the edge has a nice appearance. Then make your lines on the fondant (based on your glove design).

Step 20 – To make the “webbing” of the glove, roll out more fondant and cut 1/4” strips. Then interlace the strips as shown.

Step 21 – Make the “facing” that goes slightly over and around the webbing. (It will look like an oversize pocket). Then cut out the center of the “pocket”.

Step 22 – First place the “webbing” on the cake, then lay the “facing” over it. Finally, airbrush your top layer of cake just as you did in Steps 13-15. If you airbrush a little on the bottom layer, no problem. To make the stitching and webbing really stand out, be sure to go a little darker in those areas.

Step 23 – Now CAREFULLY add your baseball back in (my baseball is small so the glove opening isn’t very big. If you go with a bigger baseball, you may want to color the bottom of the board holding your top layer. In other words, you wouldn’t want someone to see the white board).

Step 24 – As great as your cake is already looking at this point, now the real fun starts…adding all the details! Using your clay gun and the 2^nd to largest round disc, make the round “roping” that goes on the “glove”. Next, using the smallest rectangular disc, make the “laces”. Use your pictures or real glove to guide the placement.

Step 25 – Add more “lacing” along the top and use your veining tool to add “sew” marks.

Step 26 – Still using your rectangular disc, make a knot in the fondant strip and attach to the cake.

Step 27 – Work your way around the cake to add all the details.

Step 28 – More details….feel free to use your veining tool to make indentations at the end of the laces.

Step 29 – The glove I based my design on had black “grommets” on some of the “laces”. I used fondant but you can also use black icing.

Step 30 – Final fondant details…don’t forget your red logo circle, make your red stitching lines on your baseball and paint the gold buckle for the back strap. For small items like the red logo circle it’s hard to use a stitching wheel, instead use a toothpick.

Final cake – Using white buttercream and Tip #2 or 3, add the “R” logo to the red circle. Then using black buttercream and Tip #1 or 2, add the writing to the cake….this would be a great place to write a message to your customer as well.

Thank you Sandy!

What a great cake! If you guys make one I would love to see it!

Sharon,
SugarEd Productions

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