Thursday March 27, 1997 at 9 PM ET in the Kitchen Conference Room -- Cake Decorating with Dolores777: "Easter cake designs, candies and sugar molding Panorama eggs" 

"EASTER CAKE DESIGNS, CANDIES AND SUGAR MOLDING PANORAMA EGGS": SUGARMOLDING: (Panorama Eggs) The little sceneries inside the eggs are so cute. This was a very traditional Easter decoration to make in years past. The art has been all but lost in recent years. Kids are so fascinated by the tiny scenes. MAKE YOUR CHILD'S EASTER A SPECIAL TRADITION! This is one of the easiest projects you could do. It takes no skill. Of course you can make fancier eggs as your cake decorating abilities progress, but it is not necessary at all. CHRISTMAS TOO! ROUND molds are also available and perfect for making Christmas ornaments too. 

TIP: TRY WILTON'S EGG KIT TO GET YOU STARTED

*SUGAR MOLD RECIPE*

DIRECTIONS: Place the sugar in a large bowl. Color as desired; SHAKE. Add water. Don't be afraid to add a few more drops if it doesn't hold together, but don't get it "wet." NOTE: The amount of sugar mixture needed will vary with the size of the mold, of course. Pack this mixture into the mold and immediately invert onto a square piece of cardboard not too much larger than your mold. For 3-D (2-sided) molds, fill both sides, as above. Place molds on a tray. Bake at 200 for about 10 minutes (for a small egg mold), up to 20 minutes for a very large one). The "idea" is to have a nice thin shell, so over-baking just results in a thicker shell. You must experiment a little. All ovens are not the same, so yours may require a minute or two more or less than my oven. Cool for a few minutes ONLY. Hold the baked sugar piece in your hand and carefully, use a spoon to scoop out all the loose sugar. Dry pieces overnight. 

2ND METHOD FOR 'WINDOW': (As in Wilton's kit directions)...Before baking or drying, cut out the window using dental floss or a very thin- bladed knife. Place the pattern over the 'window' so this sugar won't dry out. Dry as usual and hollow out. Your window is pre-cut. NOTE: I don't have good results with dusting my mold with cornstarch to prevent sugar from sticking. I've found that the best way for me is to simply wipe all moisture out each time before I mold another egg. 

TO ASSEMBLE SUGAR EGGS: First, use an exacto knife to hollow out "peak" windows in top and bottom halves. You can make a pattern for this so both halves are the same. Also, be sure that both are hollowed out on the SAME side! Place a tiny scenery in bottom half. You can use royal icing "grass" and set edible or non-edible items into it. Test to see that top half will still fit, that items aren't too tall. Add royal icing around edge of bottom half (the same color as your egg) and place the top half on. Decorate with royal icing as desired. NOTE: Sugar mold items can be used in your cake decorating too. A small sugar-mold basket makes a nice base for adding stems and flowers for a woman's cake. Fancy sugar cubes make an impressive addition for special parties, etc.. 

I MADE A SUGAR EGG IN THE Wilton Egg Pan : ) It wasn't all that difficult. I tried some of the tips I'd heard about...Like adding egg white to my recipe, etc. This made the sugar stick in the pan. So I used the recipe as above. I used royal icing to pipe all kinds of cute bunnies in different positions and a big cross for inside. (I even piped a blue bird sitting on the cross). I topped my egg with a cluster of dogwood and a bunny peaking out from between the flowers. Oh yes, and I used the part I had carved out for the peep hole to make shutters! I perched a bunny peaking inside, at the edge of the window.

See SUGAR EGG DIAGRAMS also on the sugar mold page above.

CANDIES THAT ARE EASY TO MAKE FOR EASTER

Candy Nests: Here are 3 versions. So easy and good. Add these to your cake decoration theme too.

1. *CANDY 'NESTS'*

Place tablespoons on wax paper and shape into nests. Let set. Fill depressions in center with 3 small jelly beans. Makes 24 nests. 2. *EASTER EGG NESTS* Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly. Mix the chow mien noodles into chocolate carefully so not to break them into smaller pieces. When the chocolate is cooled sufficiently to handle, mold this mixture into small bird shaped nests. Before the mixture has time to harden, place the jelly beans or small candy Easter eggs in the bowl of the nest. They will stay put when mixture cools. Easy and fun to make. Use your imagination as to items you could place in the nests.

3. *NOODLE NESTS*

Grease cookie sheet. Pour noodles in bowl. Melt marshmallows and butter in saucepan over med. heat, stir until smooth. Pour marshmallow mixture over noodles, stir until well coated. Rub butter on hands and form noodle mixture into five round balls. Place on cookie sheet.

With back of spoon, press each ball to make a hollow nest. Let nests firm, then fill each with jelly beans.

*Pennsylvania Dutch Coconut Easter Eggs* Yield: 60 eggs METHOD: In mixing bowl, mix potato, coconut, salt, and vanilla. Gradually mix in sugar. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Shape into 1/2 tbsp.-size eggs. Heat chocolate and oil until chocolate melts. Dip eggs into chocolate/oil mixture. Set aside on waxed paper in refrigerator to harden.

CAKE EASTER BASKET:
CLASS BASKET:

When we do a basket in my classes we also add a 'lid.' We use an 8" cardboard...for an 8" cake, (Lid could easily be made of a big cookie). For this, you need for the top of the cake to be flat as you usually would do it...not humped. Crumb-coat cake sides and ice top regular thickness. Basket weave sides.

(Vertical lines should be from the 'cut-line' of the cardboards out to the edge). Add rope borders. Friends and family (and students too) are SO impressed with this cake!

CarolA5238: Is there a picture in the computer? (From Dolores) Whenever we can we send pictures to go with our chat directions. But we can't send them on AOL...they haven't even uploaded my newsletter for March yet and I sent that the end of February! So I put the pictures on my web page myself. This way you do get them. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: OHIO IS HAVING A SPECIAL 6-STATE <<OH, IN, IL, KY, MI, PA>> ICES 'DAY OF SHARING' ON APRIL 26 & 27 IN COLUMBUS AT THE MAKER'S MARK HOTEL. 20 sugar art demonstrations and a Saturday night "round robin." There will be vendors there to supply you with all your decorating needs. SIGN UP EARLY AND ITS CHEAPER! Also included in your registration is dinner on Saturday and a luncheon on Sunday. <<COST & CHOICES>>: Full Weekend Early bird registration - $60.00 After March 15, 1997 - $70.00 - One Day Early bird registration - $35.00 After March 15, 1997 - $45.00 ---I'LL BE DEMOING A WEDDING CAKE FROM ASSEMBLY THROUGH DECORATING IT..ALL. WE HAVE SEVERAL OUT-OF-STATE TEACHERS COMING. YOU'LL LEARN A LOT! (YOU ARE WELCOME EVEN IF YOU AREN'T FROM ONE OF THESE STATES TOO. FOR MORE INFO: EMAIL: DCrand7897 ...OR CALL Ohio ICES Representative Caroline Haney at (216)641-0257 

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