Check 'Cake Decorating Online' for schedules for our chats . A special topic has been added for this. If there is something you would like as a subject line for a chat, let us know here. Also, you may offer your comments and suggestions here. (If you haven't yet found 'Cake Decorating Online' Here is the way (add to 'Favorites' heart): From the aol opening menu, use Keyword Cooking Club, at Cooking Club, find Cook's School, then Cake Decorating Online...Look for the topic Discuss Cake Decorating. This is our message, question and answer board just for cake decorators. The February Chat subjects are now listed in this area. Do give us your input - This is your place to add comments, ask questions, give suggestions, list items needed or for sale, otherwise it is OUR cake decorating information area. --- Don't forget to turn on your LOG to record our chat: TO DO: At the aol opening menu, Click on FILE, then on LOG MANAGER, click on OPEN LOG...save it as any name anywhere you want. After you exit AOL you can use any word processor to read it. 

Those of you who are having a hard time getting or staying online. Dolores posts the chats on her Web page http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html and you can pull them up and read them right there. Lots of good info there if you are new to our Cake decorating chats. Dolores is gone on vacation for the next four weeks so I would appreciate all of the help you can give me. Help me make all of the new people feel welcome.

Could I suggest that if you have personal messages - please use the IM - it will really help us keep the chat info going. For those NOT interested in cake decorating - I don't think that anything is scheduled in the cooks nook if you would like to go there. 

CAKE DUMMIES:

Last week we had some discussion on cake dummies. Styrofoam dummies are ready made for us and available through the cake decorating shops. There are also ready made Styrofoam dummies that can be nested for storage. One decorator puts her icing on these dummies and finishes everything but the flowers. Nests them for traveling and when she gets to a show or display area she assembles them and adds the flowers. Works for her with much less traveling space required.

But what if you need one and no shop is near you. Here are some other alternatives that can be used.

• 1. You can make your own from sheets of Styrofoam like you buy at the craft stores. Most of them carry the 12 X 36 X 2 inch long sheets of Styrofoam. Cut the shape you need with a long thin knife and if necessary stack and glue pieces together with Elmer's glue. (DON'T USE A GLUE GUN) A glue gun will melt the Styrofoam. Once you have the size and shape you need, you can sand the sides with a scrap of the same Styrofoam to make them nice and smooth. (Do this outside it really makes a mess) If you need the dummy for a rolled fondant cake you need to round the top edge of your dummy. Take a small rolling pin or large dowel and angle it across the edge and press and rub until you have a smooth rounded edge.
• 2. You can also use cardboard circles stacked, wrap the sides with tape, cover with plastic wrap and proceed with your icing.
• 3.You can make them from a mixture of royal icing and rice krispies pressed into a well greased pan (bottom and sides) the shape and size desired. Be sure you grease that pan. After this mixture has set-up. Turn upside down and heat the pan with a hair dryer until it slips out. A plastic wrap or foil lining in these pans will also make it much easier to remove from the pan.
• Sometimes the dummies come with gouges in them or if you have used them several times and they have nicks and holes in them. These places need to be filled and smoothed before icing your cake with real or fake icing. You can use royal icing, fondant, spackling compound, etc to fill these places. Try to make this as smooth as possible but, if you have a place that does not dry smooth - use sanding paper to obtain a completely smooth finish.

• LAWCH: Has anyone decorated the styrofoam dummies with potpourri?
• ROSEKRANS: made gingerbread Christmas trees and houses for decorations this year
• Pwd CarolA5238: Can old dummies be cleaned off, if so, how?
• BronnieF: I put my used dummies in dishwasher, they come out great
• BronnieF: Really, the dishwasher not only gets them clean but sterilizes them.
• CarolA5238: Bonnie, won't they melt in the dishwasher?
• BronnieF: Never have melted before
• MBF821: I have glued a styro ring on top then covered with carnboard for rounded corners. smooth with a bit of
• MBF821: royal.
• Pwd Sugar: Me too - It works in a pinch
• CarolA5238: Can I get the old art. icing off with just Hot soapy water, don't have a washer? 

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• Kep72: i add a little cream of tartar to the sugar...when i make it
• BakeOB: Cream of tartar or lemon juice both serve purpose as acids
• Pwd Sugar: Lemon juice adds the acidity like the cream of tarter.
• Kep72: Tartar has a better bleaching effect on the icing 

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• Bah12345: what about samonella
• Hmebaker: I've heard people can be allergic to egg whites-do they just stay away from icing?
• Prichef: fresh egg whites at room temp
• Pwd Sugar: Fresh egg whites - you must be careful to never use a cracked egg. And never
• Pwd Sugar: wash an egg before you are ready to use it. (Szyhmkr: breaks dwn the protective coating that prevents salmonella)
• Pwd Sugar: With 30 years of using fresh egg whites - I just try to use a little common sense
• Bah12345: some of my students cant use eggs or meringue pwd in their icings, any suggestions pwd 

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• Bah12345: what choc icing do u use on grooms cakes pwd
• Pwd Sugar: I use a cream cheese buttercream icing
• BronnieF: Chocolate ganache makes a delicious icing on grooms cake.
• MThomas695: Bron, what is ganache?
• Prichef: ganache is melted choc and butter. (Prichef: i meant cream)
• BronnieF: Melted chocolate and cream. Sometimes butter. That's it. Like a choc. truffle
• Pwd Sugar: Ganche - pure sin - whipping cream and chocolate - soooo good
• MThomas695: So ganache must be kept cold?
• BakeOB: no it can be kept at room temp or cold reheat slowly to use
• Pwd Sugar: Ganche must be kept cool once it is on the cake
• MGordon151: hello, can you make a ganache with white chocolate?
• Prichef: yes
• MG BronnieF: You can whip ganache, frosting will be like a thick whipped cream consistency
• BronnieF: Ganache frosting can also be very dense, don't need to chill. 

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• MGordon151: not a good cook, how do you know a good one? I got some at a good market, but no name.
• CarolA5238: I can use royal icing to decorate with on these dummies, right?
• Pwd Sugar: Right
• BronnieF: Dummies also look great covered in gumpaste, then sanded. Cant tell from royal icing. 

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• Kwillcon: Does anyone flavor their rolled fondant and if you do, with what?
• Pwd Sugar: I use the But-A Van in the fondant - but would love to put oil flavors in if a bride would let me
• BakeOB: I have flavored rolled fondant with oil flavors, or sweet liqueurs. I also tried orange blossom water.
• MBF821: Orange oil flavoring is great in chocolate icing.
• BakeOB: yes, in rolled fondant as a sub for some of the liquid 

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• Pwd Sugar: >ChefDimock : Fondant icing for petite fours , I can't make it work. I refuse to do these - Too much trouble for too little money. When I did do them I always put a thined down coat of buttercream icing on the petite fours before I spooned or poured the fondant over them. Your fondant has to be just right. Too thin and the cake will show through - Too thick and they are not pleasant to eat. To hot and the cake will show through - Too cold and it won't pour. Cook it to long and it gets to thick.
• BakeOB: not buttercream, just rolled fondant
• MThomas695: Did petit fours for a baby shower used an old Wilton recipe. It was corn syrup and powder sugar with flavor and maybe water, dont remember for sure. If I ever sell petit fours it will be at a dollar or more a piece
• Pwd Sugar: Petit fours look wonderful - but they are so much trouble
• Kep72: petit fours are only hard if you are doing traditional ones 

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• HHarris827: what is rolled buttercream fondant?
• BakeOB: not buttercream, just rolled fondant
• HHarris827: I went to an ICES show and the lady said it was rolled buttercream - looked like fondant was very pretty
• BronnieF: Instead of fondant, try a Swiss made product called Massa Tichino. Tastes great, rolls thin 

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Comments or questions from last week >ChefDimock : Fondant icing for petite fours , I can't make it work I refuse to do these - Too much trouble for too little money. When I did do them I always put a thinned down coat of buttercream icing on the petite fours before I spooned or poured the fondant over them. Your fondant has to be just right. Too thin and the cake will show through - Too thick and they are not pleasant to eat. To hot and it is too thin - Too cold and it won't pour. Cook it to long and it gets to thick. They are a pain in the neck. Check out last weeks chat information on Dolores's web page. She gave her suggestions for this technique. This is her web address http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html and look under Recipes. 

REQUEST: >Fb1954 : Dolores & Pwd Sugar- advise on what to charge for cakes >DONNKIM : please let us know about pricing

Last week we had two people requesting info on pricing - This will have to take lots of things into consideration. I have tried to figure out a way we could discuss this with all of us having access to the same graphics for a point of reference. The only way I have come up with is this. Most of us have the Wilton yearbooks. If you don't have one the 1997 yearbook is now available at most craft shops that sell cake decorating equipment and of course your local cake shops. If we all have one of these beside us we will have graphics that we can discuss and talk about the pricing of several of these designs. How about we do this subject in the January 30th chat in the Kitchen Conference Room -- Hints for building your cake business is our theme that night. Please bring your 1997 Wiltons yearbook with you and then we will have some pictures that we can look at and discuss some specific pricing. I also scheduled a continuation of this chat subject for February 13.

PAINTING WITH ICING

I have placed this on my web page at: http://www.sugarcraft.com  There is a PICTURE here! You won't need to be an artist to create this icing painting. (Use a template of desired scenery). This picture was painted using royal icing. You can certainly do the same thing in buttercream. This picture would then be created right on your iced cake. To keep it, you can use royal icing on cardboard or a circle of fondant. To place on cake: raise it a bit with some sugar cubes (glued to the back with royal icing). Remove the painting before cutting the cake. You can frame it, but not under glass. After a few years, if you do nothing to preserve it, the icing will start to crack and fall of. Possibly you could spray this with shellac but you may lose some of the color shading. A bit of experimenting on a sample will help you determine this. Look closely and you will see that there is quite a bit of texture. This is done by applying 'piles' of icing where you want a raised affect.

TO CREATE: No tips were used. This as all done with icing and a brush. Decide where you want the sun (or light) source to be located. (In this painting, it is at the upper-left at about 2:00). You can see this because the painting is lighter on the left, closer to the light. I started off with a template (pattern), applying it to the iced cardboard. (Check out my STENCILING to learn how to work with patterns). Dab the brush in water to smooth and blend colors.

SHADING: Dab your brush into 2-3 color-shades of icing and apply together, blending as you go. Add light-to-very light shades for 'light' shining on your scenery. Painting must be done in 'layers.' Observe that the 'sky' was applied first, then the 'horizon' then the barn, the ground, the tree, etc. Scenery in the front should be ON TOP of the sky, ground, etc. (1. Such as the barn, 2. tree, 3. fence posts, etc). Use brushes that work well for you. I like to use a fairly large-pointed type. The brush should be big enough to pick up globs of icing. Flowers are merely dabs of icing in a raised affect.

TIP: You can also use this technique for PARTS of other cakes. Raised affects add 'life' to your cake pictures.

• MThomas695: Pwd, how soft is the iceing and how stiff is the brush?
• Pwd Sugar: Yes - This technique is from Dolores. The icing is fairly soft and the brush needs to be medium pointed brush for most things - Different strokes, different effects different brushes.
• MBF821: An oil painting instructional book is helpful for coloring tips.

• SageofAges: I have a question...how does a person become a certified Wilton Instructor...go to
• Woodbridge? Msfox1: you could call Wilton and ask them how to become an instructor
• Bah12345: must have 3 courses of wilton and take their basic seminar
• Msfox1: you can also be recommended by a teacher if you have taken a class
• Bah12345: im a wilton teacher
• Msfox1: i am a wilton teacher too
• Bah12345: call wilton direct they need teachers sage.
• Pwd Sugar: Yea for you wilton teachers - you bring those beginners in
• MBF821: Me too
• Trykemom: Do you do this too Pwd Sugar?
• Pwd Sugar: I think at one time or another I have done every technique there is
• Thanks Dolores for giving us info on a technique that is not widely known

Tomato Soup Cake - I haven't tried this receipe but it really sounds good 1 can tomato soup (1988 paper so I would assume the original can size)

• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 C Margarine or butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup raisins

MThomas695: Pwd, I have heard that it is a really tasty cake, more of a bundt style though 

We have talked about smoothing the cakes and using a non textured paper towel. I use the fondant smoother in conjunction with the paper towels to smooth our cakes. In the Discuss Cake Decorating area this week we had a question as to what a fondant smoother is. The fondant smoothers should be available in most cake decorating shops. Dolores said they run about $7.00 in her shop. They are approximately 3" X 6" flat smooth surface with beveled edges. They have a handle on the back side. The decorators in England recommend that you use two of these in smoothing a rolled fondant cake. One to hold the cake in place and the other to gently smooth, flatten and work the extra fondant down off of the cake. When you smooth your buttercream icing with the paper towel and the palm of your hand it is difficult to keep the icing perfectly flat with no indentions. The fondant smoother keeps the sides of the cake straight up and down and the top very flat. When icing your cake with buttercream icing, let the icing slightly dry, place the paper towel against the icing and GENTLY use a very slight circular or side to side motion to smooth the buttercream. You must be gentle this is not fondant icing. Move the paper towel over and smooth the next area until you have completed the smoothing of the entire cake. If the icing sticks to the paper towel it needs to dry a little longer. If to many lines remain in the icing it was probably to dry. Practice will be helpful here.

If you have a Bride that wants that curved top edge look like rolled fondant cakes, but, she wants buttercream icing. Trim the top edge of your cake tier with a knife or pair of scissors. Then crumb coat your cake. When applying the final coat of icing - Ice the sides and gently curve the icing over the top edge with an angled spatula. Finish icing the top and smooth with the paper towel and fondant smoother going up the side and rounding the top curved edge.

I have a friend in Austin who sent me a piece of clear decorative plexiglass. It has diagonal lines about 1" apart that protrude about 1/8" on the entire surface (diamond shapes). I now use that to mark the sides of my cakes for (1) lattice work, (2) diagonal lines with hearts piped where the lines cross. After marking with the plexiglass, I use a dowel rod to increase the size and depth of the diagonal lines.

A few years ago I also had a groom that wanted straight up and down lines around the cakes. I didn't want to pipe lines vertically around that whole cake. I began looking for something that would make those lines. I found a car mat with the perfect lines. Cut a strip from that mat 4" wide and the width of the car mat and it worked perfectly. Let the icing dry slightly before marking with the mat. This mat should also be washed-scrubbed before using it on your cake icing. By the way if you need to make gumpaste potato chips two pieces of this mat together make great ruffle chips. Lay the gumpaste oval between two pieces of the mat and press together. Fun to use with hamburger cakes. 

• MThomas695: Is Gum paste edible, what does it taste like?
• Pwd Sugar: I feel like I have been running a race. Gumpaste is edible - Necco wafer are GP
• MDmonkey: Horseshoes?
• Pwd Sugar: Edible horseshoes, cactus, flowers, etc Anything you can think up
• MThomas695: I like neccos, never thought they tasted like horseshoes
• CHEFETTE10: Im board again nothing on the tube
• BronnieF: Gumpaste not good to eat, handled too many times

• Pwd Sugar: We cover the cardboards (sometimes doubled or tripled) with white contact paper and then they are good and sturdy. Only had legs go through cardboard once and that is enough
• MBF821: Is clear contact paper safe to put a cake directly on it?
• Pwd Sugar: Clear contact paper I have used - I found it too slick. We have now switched to the white because it has a different surface
• MBF821: Clear would be good over a printed cloth or wrapping paper if the cake would stay on.

Next weeks chat topic will be - Ordering a Wedding Cake - hints from the cake decorators and the Brides viewpoint 

BronnieF: Has anyone seen the cakeboards made of foam core? Pwd Sugar: Not here on foam core boards - where do you get them (We do carry these at Sugarcraft....Dolores777. They are very sturdy and my students re-use them even.)

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