Baking Archives - Page 4 of 9 - Sugared Productions Blog

Edible vs Non Toxic Gold Dusts

March 30, 2016 by Sharon Zambito 10 Comments

Today I want to talk a little bit about a topic that’s really hot right now in the cake world- edible gold dusts.

There’s a lot of incorrect info out there about this.

And it can be rather confusing.

So I hope to clarify a few things. My goal is that each decorator knows what is and is not allowed to be consumed, and what can be used for decorative purposes only.

Non toxic vs edible:

Non toxic means just that; it won’t hurt if it touches the cake but it is not intended to be eaten.

There are many many petal, luster and highlighter dusts that are non toxic, but aren’t food grade nor considered edible. These can be used to color flowers and other decorations that will be removed from the cake before serving.

Non toxic dusts are not to be used to cover an entire cake, cookie, or any other part of the cake that will be consumed.

Edible / Food Grade / FDA Approved:

This is where it gets a little confusing.

The most important thing to know and remember is that what is deemed as food safe is determined by the government of each individual country.

Seeing a product advertised as “edible” does not mean it is FDA approved in the USA (and vice versa.)

Countries such as Australia, United Kingdom, and the USA all have different guidelines as to what ingredients are considered safe to eat ie “edible”.

You may be purchasing a dust that was manufactured in another country, or is being sold online by an overseas based vendor.

If the product is approved for eating in that country, you may see the description say “food safe”, “100% edible” or something similar.

But that does not mean it is edible or approved in your country of residence.

You may see the term “EU approved”. This means that dust is approved as food safe for Europe. That does not mean it is edible in the USA.
The FDA is the one and only food regulatory agency for the USA.

If an item does not say “FDA APPROVED” , it is not considered an edible product in the USA, and may not be used in a manner in which it will be consumed.

The bottom line?

You can’t assume a dust is food safe in your country just because the website you are shopping on says it is “edible”.

If you live in the USA, you must see “FDA approved edible” to use it in edible applications.

If in Europe, look for “EU approved.”

Canada: look for “approved by Health Canada.”

So what about gold?

There is no edible metallic gold highlighter dust on the market for the USA at this time.

There are FDA approved luster dusts, but no gold metallic dusts.

They may not be used in an edible application on cakes or cookies. They can be used on items that will be taken off before serving and not ingested.

Please don’t rely solely on what you see listed on a website as “edible” or “food safe”.

Double check and be sure each dust is truly food approved by your own country’s laws. Contact the manufacturer if you have any doubt.

Frequently asked questions:

What’s the difference between a metallic dust (highlighter) and a luster dust?
Do I have a list of FDA approved dusts?

I’ll answer both to the best of my ability:

1) A luster dust is a shimmery, pearlescent dust. It has a mostly translucent look when mixed with alcohol and used as a paint. (You can get good coverage if the paint is thick enough or more than one coat applied.) But it still remains more of a shimmer look, as opposed to…..

A metallic dust (also known as a highlighter dust), which gives an opaque, metallic reflective look. This looks the most like a true metal (shiny gold, silver.)

Basically:

luster = shimmer
highlighter = metallic

2) Below is a list of edible dusts as far as I know**:

— FDA approved petal and luster dusts food safe in the USA:

Pristine Powders
Crystal Colors
Chef Alan’s Hybrid Dusts
Roxy & Rich
The Sugar Art
TruColor
Wilton

— Dust brands that have some colors* approved in other countries:

Sugarflair – EU, AUS and Canada
Rainbow Dusts – UK, Canada
Rolkem – EU and Canada

— Metallic golds that are non toxic but NOT edible in the USA:

Rolkem (approved in EU and Canada)
Ideale / Albert Uster
CK

*NOTE #1: within any one brand there may be some individual colors that are approved and others that are not, depending upon the ingredients. Always check each and every color to be sure.

Note #2: Some retailers buy in bulk and relabel as their own product. They may be advertised as “edible”, but if you cannot see a list of ingredients in order to check for yourself, then you must assume it’s not an edible dust.

**Disclaimer: Don’t take my word as gospel truth. I pass along what I can to the best of my knowledge. But regulations and ingredients are always changing. As I mentioned, you’ll need to do your own research to be sure each specific dust is approved for consumption in your country of residence.

These lists are intended only to be a starting point for you to further investigate and ensure the food safety of the dusts you use.

I hope this clears things up a bit. Drop me a note if you have any questions.

To safe decorating,
Sharon

Visit my online school: www.sugaredproductions.com

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**ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SUGARED APPLICATIONS IS STRICTLY FOR PERSONAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. SUGARED DISCLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY AND YOU EXPLICITLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT INFORMATION PROVIDED ON SUGARED APPLICATIONS IS NOT NOR SHOULD EVER BE RELIED UPON AS LEGAL, BUSINESS, FOOD SAFETY, OR FINANCIAL ADVICE.

ALL SURFACES, MATERIALS, INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH YOUR CAKE OR COOKING PROJECT MUST BE FOODSAFE AND PROPERLY SANITIZED. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY CAKE DECORATOR TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES ON FOOD SAFETY, SANITATION AND PROPER FOOD HANDLING PROCEDURES. TECHNIQUES AND TOPICS DISCUSSED ON SUGARED APPLICATIONS ARE FOR INFORMATION AND DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR INFORMATION ON PROPER FOOD HANDLING TECHNIQUES. SUGARED ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGES OR INJURY SUSTAINED OR INCURRED BY USING IMPROPER FOOD, EQUIPMENT, OR INGREDIENTS HANDLING PROCEDURES OR TECHNIQUES.

Tips for getting food coloring off

March 23, 2016 by Sharon Z 3 Comments

Happy Wednesday!!

This past weekend I moved everything out of my cake room/office and did a super deep cleaning.

Scrubbed floors and baseboards, steamed all the petal dust and airbrush residue off the window sills and slatted blinds (yuck).

Wiped down every shelf, cabinet… you know the drill.

A few hours later I go back in to find a huge dark red puddle on the floor near the cabinets.

My initial thought was that one of my pets was hurt.

Then I realized it was coming from inside the cabinet. A large bottle of red airbrush color tipped over and it seeped out onto the floor. A LOT.

I was sure it was going to stain my tile, but I was (gratefully) successful getting it all up using a combo of Windex, Clorox wipes, a Magic Eraser and lots of elbow grease.

My hands are still stained red, but hey, at least the floor isn’t!

So this got me thinking about all the tips and tricks for removing food coloring that I’ve collected from folks over the years.

I’ve compiled a list of them for you; they may come in handy one day:

Removing color from hands:
scrub with vegetable oil then soap and water
Windex then rinse
non gel toothpaste
Oxy Clean
create a scrub with dab of dish soap, a squirt of lemon juice and a little sugar
Rub hands with hand lotion to help loosen the food coloring pigment from your skin. Combine 2 to 3 tbsp salt or baking soda and vinegar to create a paste. Rinse off lotion and scrub hands with paste. End with soap and water.
scrub with shaving cream and cold water
Clorox Clean Up
rubbing alcohol
acetone or nail polish remover (not on kids as these are harsh)

tip: rub shortening all over hands before working with food coloring, esp when coloring fondant to decrease staining. (Or wear gloves 🙂

Removing color from clothes:
spritz on Windex and scrub the stain then wash
rinse repeatedly and soak in cool water then wash
Oxy Clean spot treat or soak
soak in concentrated solution of detergent and water
scrub with a paste of detergent and water
sponge stain with white vinegar, rinse then wash
hydrogen peroxide spot treat
scrub with dish-washing liquid then wash
baking soda paste

Removing color from household surfaces:
Windex
Clorox Wipes
Magic Eraser
baking soda paste
vinegar
Oxy Clean

** Of course be super careful with the remedies that have chemicals; do not use them often, on sensitive skin or on kids.

Did I leave any out? Do you have any more tricks for getting color out? Leave a comment and let me know what they are, and I’ll include them in the blog post.

Here’s hoping for no more caking rainbow stains!

Talk soon,
Sharon

St. Patrick’s Day Tutorial Roundup

March 15, 2016 by Sharon Z Leave a Comment

Hi sweet friends!

St. Patrick’s Day is this week! To get you ready for this festive holiday, here are some treats to inspire you!

Plaid Shamrock Cookies

Decorated Biscoff Cut-Out Cookies

Pot O’ Gold Cake Pops

Mint Oreo Truffles

Rainbow Chocolate Cake

Fiona’s Cottage, St. Patrick’s Day Gingerbread House

St. Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats

I hope these treat ideas make you feel empowered with the Luck of the Irish!

Happy Caking!
Sharon

Mardi Gras Give-away!

February 9, 2016 by Sharon Zambito 91 Comments

HAPPY MARDI GRAS EVERYONE!

Since it is Mardi Gras day down here in the Big Easy, I thought you might enjoy learning about another one of our unique culinary creations. I have recruited my big sister Barbara to do a guest blog entry on making a king cake. Barbara is the inventor of the original King Rock (more on that later). In addition to that, she is just the best big sister ever. She looks after me. She is an accountant by profession, so she helps with my business finances, taxes, and all that other icky stuff I have no clue about. She also comes on some of my cake trips with me to help me out with my demos and my vendor table. She is one of the most energetic, social, and fun to be with people I know. She is a very cool chick and I love her tons. So now I present to you… Barbara…..

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Hi, I’m Barbara, Sharon’s sister, and she’s asked me to do a guest blog. This is me getting ready for Mardi Gras, which this year falls on February 24.

(Note from Sharon: I have this same outfit and yes we do wear this when we go parading.)

Speaking of Mardi Gras, that brings me to the topic of the day. I am not a cake decorator. I see some of the magnificent pieces of art that you all do and I am in complete awe. But, I am here today to talk about the king of all cakes – the King Cake.

If you are not from the New Orleans are, you might be asking yourself “what is a King Cake?” A king cake is a brioche-style cake similar to a coffee cake that is served throughout the carnival season in New Orleans. The carnival season begins on the 12th Day of Christmas, the Epiphany (January 6), which is the day the three kings visited the Baby Jesus. It is believed that it took the three kings 12 days to find their way to the stable. The carnival season ends on Mardi Gras Day, which is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

The king cake is circular, representing the circular path the three kings had to take to ward off King Herod, who was seeking them so that he could kill the Christ Child. The king cake is typically decorated with colored icing and/or sugar. The three colors are purple, green and gold, the colors of Mardi Gras, which represent justice, faith and power. I’ve also heard that the three colors represent the three gifts presented by the Magi (gold, frankincense, and myrrh.) Within each cake is hidden a small plastic doll, which represents the Baby Jesus. (In olden times, it used to be a porcelain doll, or a bean or pea.)

King Cake parties where all the rage when I was growing up. Whoever was lucky enough to get the doll in their piece of cake would be named king (or queen) of that party and had to throw the next party. Today, this tradition is very prevalent in offices throughout the city where the person who gets the doll must bring the next cake. King cake sales are so prosperous that many bakeries in New Orleans are more profitable during the carnival season than they are for the entire rest of the year.

The making of a king cake should not be taken lightly. Since this is a yeast sweet bread, it has to be kneaded and left to rise twice, and is a day-long commitment. There are many bakeries that make excellent king cakes, so why in the world would anyone want to make their own? Just for the fun of it!!

My introduction into making home-made king cakes came many years ago. I found a recipe and tried it out on my family. Geez almighty, it was horrible. It came out heavy and hard as a rock, so much so that they called it the King Rock. My other sister, Janice, told her office mates about it and they accused her of exaggerating – that it couldn’t possibly have been that bad. So, they asked me to make a cake for their office party. Much to my dismay, it was just as horrible, but everyone was so polite and complimentary so as not to hurt my feelings, but I knew it was a bomb. I hope to think that I have gotten a little better at it over the years, but it is still tricky. I continue to try out new recipes and techniques, as I continue my search for perfection.

The recipe below is a really good one. It produces a light, but moist cinnamon cake. A few pointers for success: You have to get the yeast at just the right temperature (105 to 115 degrees) and let it foam for at least 10 minutes. You have to be careful not to add too much flour and not to over knead it. The dough should be slightly sticky, but elastic and able to hold its own shape, but never firm.

You have to be careful not to over bake it or it will be dry. I now use an instant-read thermometer, which should register 195 to 200 degrees for doneness.

The recipe is below. Basically, this is what you do. It’s much like making a bread dough. Let it rise till double in bulk and then roll out into a rectangle.

Here’s what it looks like rolled out with the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on:

Then roll up each piece into a long string.

Pinch the edges together so that the filling doesn’t ooze out. Flatten down the pinched edge afterwards so that it lays flat.

Twist the two strings together.

Form into a circle on a baking pan.

Let rise until double in bulk.

This is what it looks like right out of the oven.

Let cool and then decorate with a glaze and colored sprinkles.

See the baby’s head?

And that’s me with my cake.

You can do these in a variety of ways. You can divide the rectangle of dough into thirds and braid it like this. I rolled these strings in the cinnamon sugar to get it on the outside, rather than on the inside.

This is what it looked like after it was left to rise, baked and decorated. This one raised a lot and was very light and airy.

This one was filled with cinnamon sugar, raisins, and pecans. If you put a lot of “stuff” in your cake, it won’t rise as much.

You can also use other fillings, such as cream cheese filling, apple pie filling, lemon pie filling, cherry pie filling, etc. But I don’t like those. They turn out too sweet for my taste and the filling overpowers the taste of the cake. I’m a purist and like just a little cinnamon sugar.

So, that’s it. I hope that you all give it a try and bring a bit of New Orleans to wherever you might live. Also, if you ever have the chance to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras, the city would love to have you. Let me just say that Mardi Gras is not only what you see in the media. Yes, there are some unmentionable things that go on in the French Quarter, but that is a very small piece of what our carnival season is about. Mardi Gras outside of the Quarter is very family oriented. The parade routes are filled with kids and families having fun. When we were little kids, my family did not miss a parade. We loved every minute of it. We would lift Sharon, the youngest, smallest and spryest of all of us, over barricades to get that all-elusive string of beads, trinket or doubloon out of our reach. Police were all over the place supposedly monitoring such infractions, but because she was so cute, the police would just look at her and us, and just shake their heads. We trained her young; you should see how she still scoops up the parade throws.

Happy Mardi Gras!

KING CAKE RECIPE:

(This recipe makes two medium size cakes.)

¼ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 tablespoon (1 package) dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
5 ¾ to 6 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

Cinnamon Sugar:
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
7 tablespoons hot water, more as needed
1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

1) Pour warm water into small bowl. Sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over the surface. Stir to dissolve and let stand at room temperature until foamy; about 10 minutes.

2) Place 1 ½ cups of the flour, the remaining sugar, and the salt in mixer bowl. Make a well and add the milk, sour cream, eggs, and zest in the center. Beat until smooth on medium-low speed, about 1 minute.

3) Add the yeast mixture and beat for 1 minute more.

4) Stop the machine and add 1 cup more flour. Beat for 1 minute.

5) Add the butter pieces and beat on low speed until incorporated.

6) Add the remaining four, ½ cup at a time, until a soft, smooth dough that just clears the sides of the bowl is formed. Switch to the dough hook when the dough thickens, about two-thirds through adding the flour.

7) When all flour is added, knead with dough hook for about 5 minutes on medium speed. (If you don’t have a dough hook for your mixer, you’ll need to turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes.)

8) Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and just able to hold its own shape, under 1 minute if you used the dough hook (6 to 10 kneads to smooth it out), dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time, just enough to prevent sticking to your hands and the work surface. This dough will be very smooth, with a definite soft elastic quality, a little sticky, but never stiff, and will hold its shape.

9) Place the dough ball in a greased deep container, turn once to grease the top, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, 2 ½ to 3 hours. Do not allow the dough to rise over double.

10) Punch dough down with fist. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Let rest 10 minutes.

11) Divide the dough in half with a bench scraper, pizza cutter or knife, never tearing the dough.

12) Divide each half into thirds. Roll out to a rectangle approx. 20 x 12 inches.

13) Divide in half with pizza cutter. Brush with melted butter keeping edges dry. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

14) Roll up and pinch ends together so filling does not ooze out. Flatten pinched edge.

15) Twist two long rolled pieces together. Form into a circle and fold edges under.

16) You can insert baby trinket into cake at this point or wait until after it is baked. (I like to wait after it is baked if it is plastic.) Insert from underneath. (If you don’t have a baby trinket, use a whole pecan, walnut or other object; just be careful it is big enough that it cannot be swallowed whole.)

17) Cover with greased plastic wrap or light cloth towels and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

18) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20-25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer will read 195 to 200 degrees.

19) Let cakes completely cool.

20) To prepare frosting, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and flavoring; add hot water 1 Tablespoon at a time until glaze reaches desired spreading consistency. You don’t want this too thin because it will run right off the cake or too thick because it won’t drip down the side of the cake.

21) Pour frosting over cake; sprinkle with purple, green and gold colored sprinkles or colored sugar.

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Sharon again here. WOW! Was that great or what? Thanks Sis for showing me up on my own blog. Dang overachiever. (Just kidding.) But seriously, I have been trying to convince Barb for months now to start her own food blog. She is a good cook, and photography has been a hobby of hers for a long time.

UPDATE : GIVE-AWAY WINNER IS VickiN!

THANKS ALL FOR ENTERING!

Good luck and Happy Mardi Gras Everyone!

Sharon

PS We’ve got a full video tutorial on making the King Cake in our online school:

http://www.sugaredproductions.com/

Valentine’s Recipe and Tutorial Round-Up

February 2, 2016 by Sharon Z Leave a Comment

Hi guys! Valentines Day is fast approaching and love is in the air.

And I just happen to love pretty Valentine sweets and treats. So I’ve rounded up some tutorials and recipes from around the web to help you get inspired (and help me too 🙂

Valentines Day Ombre Heart Cake

Lifes A Batch: Valentines Day Cookies

Chocolate Ding Dong Hearts

Pink Velvet Cake Pops

Red Velvet Macarons

Valentines Day Teddy Cake

Valentines Day Cupcakes

Valentines Oreo Pops

Valentines Day Brownies

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Now go forth and maketh cute and sweet Valentine treats. I’d love to hear whatcha makin’.

Happy Caking!
Sharon

www.sugaredproductions.com

Brotherly Love

January 26, 2016 by Sharon Z Leave a Comment

I was blessed (or sentenced, depending upon how look at it) to be born into a large family, the last of 5 siblings.

The age gap between me and my older siblings was too big for them to be my playmates.

In fact, I think I was more an object for their entertainment …they harassed and tortured me for their own evil pleasure.

All of them but my brother Michael.

He was never mean to me. He never stung me with rubber bands, beat up my teddy bear, or forced me to look at skeleton pictures. He never scared me with a vampire face, or tricked me by wrapping rocks to look like candy just to see me cry from disappointment. He never talked on the phone late at night when I was trying to sleep, pulled me off the desk chair to do “college work”, or ate all the fresh cherries at the beach so that I got none. (You’ll hear that story soon.)

Nope, not Mike. (You others know who you are and what you have done. I wonder how you sleep at night.)

Michael doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him utter a cross word. He taught me to play chess, did word jumble puzzles with me, and took me on vacation to the Grand Canyon.

Heck, he took my very first cake decorating classes with me! How cool is that?

He is the most gentle, kind and selfless person I know, and has always looked out for me.

Case in point, he’s good to me still to this day.

Whenever my PC gets all bogged down with junk and viruses, and starts running badly, I can always take it in to him for a full clean-out and tune-up.

Just like he did this week.

So how do I thank him for his help? By doing the only thing I know how to do: BAKE!

But, Mike can’t have sugar, so I make him sugar free cakes. Gives me a chance to try out some new recipes.

Over the years I have collected a nice little stash of sugar-free recipes.

Not all are created equal: some are really bad.

It takes a lot of trial and error to be successful with sugar free baking but here’s a few tips that will help:

Not all sweeteners work like regular sugar, so spend some time learning about them and how they perform in baked goods.
Some natural sweeteners don’t work well on their own to create a chewy texture in baked goods. They need another sweetener to help them out. Coconut sugar and honey help create this well. Just check the dietary restrictions of the recipient to be sure they can consume these.
Many natural sweeteners take less time to bake. Rule of thumb is 5- 10 minutes less, but be sure to check the progress while baking.
Baked goods using a granulated sugar substitute don’t rise as much as regular recipes. Try adding ½ cup of nonfat dry milk powder and half a teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of sweetener.
Some sweeteners don’t like heat. Aspartame, for instance, loses its sweetness during baking, so aspartame based sweeteners should be reserved for recipes where you can add it at the end of the cooking process, like pudding or icing.
Sugar substitutes don’t activate yeast. Retain at least two teaspoons of sugar in the recipe, or replace with another natural sweetener like molasses or honey.

Now go forth and bake sugar free goodies with confidence!

And be kind to your little sisters 🙂

Happy caking!
Sharon

PS. I’ve got a bunch of yummy sugar free cake, filling and icing recipes in the online school.

Details here:

http://www.sugaredproductions.com/membership/

Is your mixer head too high?

January 18, 2016 by Sharon Zambito Leave a Comment

Hello Sugar Friend–

We all strive for smooth and airless icing, but sometimes it can be a source of great angst. I know in my early caking days I was so frustrated because I couldn’t get it to look the way I wanted.

There were many days I wanted to throw my mixer, bowl, spatula, all out the window — and take up knitting.

But after lots of trial and error, I finally developed a recipe and a process that yields amazing results, like this:

I’m sharing my experience in these last few posts with the hope that it’ll make things a little easier and prevent you from chucking stuff out the window 🙂

Half of the battle is in the making of the buttercream: to get it as airless and smooth as possible before icing the cake.

The fact is that if the head of your mixer is not adjusted correctly you’ll never get that airless batch of buttercream.

These photos below show what it can look like if the alignment is off.

These are taken at the time in the buttercream making process when just about all of the PS is added, still at low speed, but before I crank it up to high. If during the adding sugar process, you see the effect on the left (icing sticking to sides of bowl and creating a center ring of air), then something is wrong. Most likely the height of the paddle in your bowl is too high.

You’ll get air being pulled into the icing, and it won’t come out super smooth like in the video in this post.

See the photo in the middle? This is what the icing should look like at the same point in the process. NO air tunnels.

That photo was taken after I adjusted the paddle height to get it correct.

See that screw under the head of the mixer in photo 3? That’s how you adjust the height of the paddle. You use a screwdriver to adjust it right or left to raise or lower the head, which adjusts how close the beater comes to the bottom of the bowl.

There is a sweet spot for the beater, and this is how you can test it:

If a penny stays on the center hump as in this video below it’s juuust right. If the penny gets knocked around the bowl, then the paddle height is off.

This REALLY makes a difference in the quality of your icing.

Here’s a video showing the penny staying in place as it should.

My mixer is the KA Artisan, but the screw should be in a similar place for other models and brands.

Here’s a video showing where the screw is for the lift head.

** You’ll note that the 2nd video shows another way to test the penny (or dime in this case.) The beater is at the correct height if the dime is moved only 1/2 inch at each pass of the beater. If it stays in the same place or is moved all over the bowl, the adjustment is wrong. It’s the same principle as my “penny on the hump” test, just another way of testing the same thing.

If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid, check with the customer service of your brand, and they should be able to tell you how to adjust the beater height.

This little tweak can really have a HUGE impact on the smoothness of your icing.

And starting with smooth icing is one step closer to having a super smooth cake — which is what we all want, right?

So grab your pennies and go check yours now. I’m glad I did back in the day or I’d be knitting right now 🙂

Sharon

PS. If you want to learn more about making and using buttercream, I have a detailed video course in my online school. It covers different types, the making of, applying and smoothing to cakes and much more.

Get access here: https://www.sugaredproductions.com/subscribe/

All About Buttercream!

January 10, 2016 by Sharon Z 30 Comments

Hi guys!

So you might remember, a while back we posted a blog post titled: “Does It Really Matter What Buttercream I use?”

We talked about the different types of buttercreams in general terms, and some of the high points of each. Today, we’re going to get a little bit more in depth about the two most popular types of buttercreams.

Crusting vs. Non-Crusting

Crusting buttercream consists of powdered sugar, butter, and/or shortening, and a liquid component (like milk, cream etc.) Non crusting buttercream is usually made with butter, granulated sugar, and egg whites. For this type, the eggs are whipped then boiling sugar is slowly added. That mixture is then whipped to room temperature and butter is added and whipped some more until light and creamy. Shortening is not usually used in this type of icing, and this is called a meringue buttercream. Crusting buttercream is often called American buttercream, whereas non crusting buttercreams include Italian Meringue and Swiss Meringue.

But what exactly is crusting? That sounds kinda yucky and not like something you want to eat 🙂 But it’s not really “crusty”. The icing will develop a “sugar skin” over the surface that will allow it to be touched without pulling up the icing. This occurs because of evaporation of the liquid in the icing, creating that fine crust. This is also what allows the use of paper towels to aid in smoothing, as they won’t stick to the surface of the icing.

However, it is possible to make an American buttercream that does not crust. Crusting is not determined by the ingredients, but by the ratio of fat to sugar in a recipe. Once the proportion of fat to sugar gets over a certain level, the icing will no longer crust. A rule of thumb is that a buttercream with up to a 1:1 ratio will still crust. 1:1 ratio refers to one cup of fat to pound of sugar. If the amount of fat gets much higher than this, the icing will no longer crust, even though it is made with powdered sugar. This icing will stay sticky and be pulled up when touched; paper towels can’t be used for smoothing.

I know it’s a bit confusing so here it is in a nutshell:

American buttercream (ABC) is made with butter and/or shortening, powdered sugar, and liquid. It may or may not crust.
Meringue buttercreams (SMBC, IMBC) are made with egg whites, granulated sugar and butter. They never crust.

Types of Meringue Buttercreams

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC)

For SMBC, the egg white and sugar is cooked together over a bain marie (water bath) to 160F, then whipped into a meringue with the butter added after and whipped further. Swiss Meringue Buttercream tends to deflate quicker than the Italian Meringue buttercream, but is the easier of the 2 to make, as it’s the most forgiving if you make a mistake while preparing it. (See troubleshooting below).

Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC)

Italian Meringue Buttercream is the most stable of the meringue buttercreams, and holds up better in warmer environments. The egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks, while the water and sugar are boiled together to 238F, making a syrup, then slowly whipped into the egg whites, and the butter added after.

French Meringue Buttercream

French Meringue buttercream is the softest of the 3, is very similar to a pastry cream, and may also be used as a filling in cakes and pastries. Whole eggs or egg yolks are used here. Similar to Swiss Meringue buttercream, the eggs are cooked with the sugar over a bain marie, then whipped into a meringue, with the butter being added last.

Tips and Techniques:

? The very first and most important thing to remember when making a meringue based frosting is that grease will break down your eggs. Make sure that you use metal utensils and bowls that are clean and have been wiped with lemon juice.

? You can use either pasteurized fresh or carton whites, however, fresh whites will make a fluffier, more voluminous icing.

? When making Swiss Meringue Buttercream or French Meringue Buttercream, make sure that your bowl is not submerged in the boiling water, or you will have scrambled eggs. It’s the steam from the bain marie that is going to slowly heat the eggs, and make a fluffy meringue.

? Be careful not to add the butter too early in the process. Make sure that the meringue is room temperature and the bowl is cool to the touch before adding your butter.

? Each of these meringue based buttercreams can be kept for about a week in the fridge in an airtight container. When you need it, take it out and allow the buttercream to come back to room temperature then rewhip it. These buttercreams can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

? These meringue based buttercreams can be used under fondant, however, you’ll want to place an iced cake in the fridge to firm it up first before applying your fondant.

? Raw eggs should be cooked to the proper temperature called for in the recipes to kill any bacteria present.

Troubleshooting:

Sometimes even the most experienced baker will encounter a batch of buttercream that just won’t cooperate. Fortunately, MOST of the time, your buttercream can be saved.

? If your buttercream looks “soupy”, the meringue isn’t quite cool enough. Stop whipping, and put the mixer bowl in the fridge for a few minutes to allow it to cool down. Resume whipping in the butter when cool, and it should come together. OR just continue whipping until it the bowl feels cool to the touch. This can take quite a while, even 20-30 minutes.

? If it appears “curdled”, don’t panic, the butter has simply not emulsified with the meringue yet and may have been too cool. Continue to mix on low speed or wrap a warm towel around the bowl while mixing, just to bring the temperature back up. Keep whipping and it will come together into a nice, fluffy frosting.

With both of these techniques for troubleshooting, remember, patience is the key to success.

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RECIPES:

Sharon’s American Buttercream:

NOTE: I have a whole blog post dedicated just to this recipe here.

Ingredients

5 generous cups Sweetex shortening or other brand of hi-ratio shortening (may sub up to half butter)
5 pounds powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. Wedding Bouquet flavoring (or substitute your flavoring of choice in the appropriate amount)
12 – 14 Tbsp. hot coffee creamer liquid made from powder mixed with hot water 1:1 (adjust amount used as needed) (more if needed)

Directions

Cream the shortening, flavorings, and hot liquid with the paddle attachment until well combined and creamy. Then stream in the first 3 pounds of powdered sugar with mixer running at speed one. When incorporated somewhat, stop and scrape down sides of bowl well. Stream in last 2 pounds of powdered sugar at speed one. When incorporated, turn the mixer up to speed 6 and let it beat for 5 – 7 minutes, until very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl very frequently while the mixer is going at speed 6.

The goal is t get all of the icing down into the belly of the bowl and fill the bowl from side to side with no air gaps around the walls, as well as covering the paddle up to the springs. If the icing is making a “kissing” noise after all the sugar is in, add just a few drops more of liquid, while scraping down the sides, with the mixer running, until that stops. You should create a bowl full of icing side to side, where the paddle is completely submerged and beating in a vacuum under the icing. Five to seven minutes at speed 6 and you should have a smooth as silk and nearly airless icing. Cover and cool before using.

I make this recipe to fill my 5 quart mixer. Adjust the recipe volume to fill your mixer properly.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

Ingredients

6 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup shortening at room temperature
2 cups of butter at room temperature
1 TBSP. vanilla extract

Directions

In a large metal bowl over a double boiler, whisk the granulated sugar into the egg whites. Stir constantly until the mixture reaches 115 degrees F on a candy thermometer and is no longer gritty feeling when a small amount is rubbed between 2 fingers.

Transfer this mixture to your stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until it is thick, glossy and white in color and forms stiff peaks. While making the meringue, sift your icing sugar, then add the all at once to the firm meringue. Mix until incorporated on low speed.

Add the butter and shortening in small amounts at a time to the meringue, but try to add it all quickly.

Switch to the paddle attachment and turn the speed up to high. Let it mix until smooth and fluffy. At this point you may flavor it with the vanilla and color it will gel paste as desired.

No shortening and powdered sugar version:

10 large, fresh egg whites
2-1/2 cups (500 g) sugar
3 cups (680 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and cool, but not cold
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Italian Meringue Buttercream:

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites
2 cups butter at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar, and bring to a boil, while stirring. Once it comes to a boil, stop stirring. Bring mixture to 238 degrees or soft ball stage.

In the bowl of the stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites till soft peaks form. Add the sugar/water mixture to the egg whites in a slow steady stream down the side of the bowl, with the mixer on medium speed. Be careful not to hit the whisk with the syrup.

Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is cool or to room temperature. It is very important that the mixture is cool, or the when you add the butter, it will turn curdled and soupy.

Next, change to the paddle attachment on the mixer and add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, while mixing on medium high speed. Add the vanilla, mix until incorporated then increase the speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy. Makes about 4 cups.

French Meringue Buttercream:

Ingredients

6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup clear corn syrup
2 cups unsalted butter softened
1 TBSP. vanilla extract or flavoring of your choice

Directions

Grease a heatproof glass measuring cup.

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks until light in color and fluffy.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. At this point, its entire surface should be covered in tiny bubbles. Immediately transfer the syrup to the glass measuring cup to stop the cooking.

Temper the yolks by pouring a small amount of syrup over them, then immediately beat at high speed to incorporate. Add a larger amount of syrup and beat at high speed to incorporate. Continue until all the syrup is added. Continue beating until completely cool. Making sure the egg/syrup mixture is completely cool, change to the paddle attachment on the mixer and gradually beat in the butter, a small amount at a time. Once all the butter has been added, the mixture should begin to thicken. Add the flavorings and beat well to incorporate.

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Now that you are armed with the specifics of each one, you can feel free to make your own informed choice about which buttercream suits your needs!

Happy Caking!

Sharon

PS. We have detailed videos on how to make the different kinds of buttercream, as well as applying and smoothing in my online school: www.sugaredproductions.com/membership

Gingerbread Cottage Tutorial

December 17, 2015 by Sharon Z 2 Comments

Hi guys! Christmas is just around the corner! Today we have a guest post from Ella Sugar Boutique! Look at this utterly charming holiday gingerbread cottage. The best part? You can use a purchased kit and crank it up a big ole notch by using Ella’s decorating tutorial. My heart pitter patters……

Materials

any pre-made , pre-assembled ginger bread house or the one you baked. This year you can find great variety of houses in Costco, Target, Wilton.com
Fondant
Icing colors (blue, pink, red, yellow, green, brown)
sharp knife or x-acto
Stiff but still sticky royal icing
pipin gel
ruler
small round cutters
fine tip decorators brush
flat tip decorators brush
rule
pizza/fondant cutter
yellow sour drops
9 inch roller pin
small silicone molds (buttons, leafs, bows )
royal icing dots (multiple sizes)
Red Sugar Pearls
Scale cutter
christmas lights (optional)
Fine tip edible paint markers.

Instructions

If you bought a preassembled house cut out the frontal, and side windows. If you are making your own , before you bake it cut out all the windows. You can cut them all out or just some of them.

Make some patterns in paper with the same measurements of your house
Using the circle cutters and brown fondant, cut out one ring to decorate your round widows if you have them.

Roll out white fondant and cut out the 2 pentagons or squares to cover the front and back of the house. Place the pieces on separated powder sugar-cornstarch dusted paper

Tint fondant in soft blue, roll it out 1/16 ” thick and cut out diamonds, then attach them to the front and back pieces

Use the house patterns to cut out the spaces for the windows .

Apply piping gel to the house front and back, and attach the fondant pieces.

*If you didn’t cut out all the windows: Roll out the yellow sour drops very thin, and attach them to the window spaces.

Cover the sides with white fondant and cut out the windows spaces, procede to cover them with yellow sour drops if needed.

Roll out blue fondant as wide as your house sides and 1/16? thick. Cut strips 1/2 in tall.

Attach the strips to the house, starting from the bottom and trimming the excess.

Attach the house to a base using stiff royal icing. In my case I cut a hole in the cardboard base because I’m going to place a little light inside the house.
The house would look close to this at this point.

If your house has additional pieces like a door or porch, continue the process decorating those.
Cut out the shape of the door and trimmings in red fondant

Attach those pieces to the house.

Decorate the round windows

If you opened the front and side windows, add fondant to the lower part of the frame or to the 4 sides if you like.

Attach the chimney to the roof if you have one and cover it with soft blue fondant.
Roll out white fondant and cut out scales. Attach them to the roof starting from the bottom edge cover it completely.

Use multiple small molds and make small figures to decorate de roof.

Finish the roof edges with 1/2 scales.

Decorate the door adding a little roof in fondant.

Cut out white fondant strips to cover the exposed ginger bread on the sides .

Add trimmings to the windows and poke little holes on the corners to simulate nails.

Finish your roof attaching the little fondant shapes and royal icing dots. Finish yor chimney if you attached one.

Cut out red fondant strips, cut the edges and attach them to the windows lower trim as ribbons

Mold or cut out little leaves in green fondant and attach the leafs and red sugar peals to the window ribbons, roof, roof edges, and chimney. Add leaf to the edges of the roof in the front door too.

Add the final details like a bow in the top of the roof.

Insert the light (optional)
And add a bow to the door roof, use edible markers and pains the details in the windows and door.

Cover with stiff royal icing and a spatula the house base and use sour drops to shape a little walkway.

Add decors to the landscape and a ribbon to cover the base’s edge.

And your done!

Ella Buitrago MS is an Engineer, Cake Decorator and Sugarpreneur owner of the Ella Sugar Boutique. She is a software engineer from Colombia, has a Master in Information Technology form Harvard University. Her love for the sugar arts started when she was a teenager; she took culinary clases in high school, she self-taught the fondant preparation, royal icing piping and more, until she came to UU.EE and took independent clases in the arts. From 2010 to 2012 she worked as a freelance cake decorator at the Decorating Room for Wilton Inc before moving to the Boston area. Read more here…

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How seriously cute is this little house. All the similar gingerbread houses we make over the years; this is such a fun and new approach. I’d love to see yours!

Happy Holidays!
Sharon

Christmas Treats Tutorials Roundup

December 9, 2015 by Sharon Z 2 Comments

Hi guys!

Are you thinking about your holiday sweets yet? I haven’t, but I just started looking around the inter-webs to see what I could see. So while I was at it, I rounded up some fun ideas from around the net to help get you into the Christmas spirit!