Pwd Sugar: I thought the cake I am working on was for Saturday and it is for tomorrow.  I had to put it into a faster speed this afternoon.  Still have the groom's cake to do and the Bride's cake isn't finished yet

FROM EARLENE: "DIFFERENCES IN CAKE DECORATING TECHNIQUES FROM AROUND THE WORLD"

Most of us in the USA wouldn't think of doing  a cake with anything other than our light airy cakes with buttercream icing.  That is the American way and the Canadians, English, Australian and south African cake decorators call these sponge cakes.  They all use the fruit cakes in those countries.  You know those we get at Christmas and then try to  give them to someone else.  Lol

I found one recipe that doesn't sound too complicated that you might want to try.  Here is that recipe Simnel cake - you will need a 6" round tin.  (using their language). Line the tin with a double thickness of greaseproof paper and grease it. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

I did have someone tell me we could use the paper our paper grocery sacks are made from.

MAKE THE ALMOND PASTE BY COMBINING THE CASTER SUGAR
6 oz. granulated sugar
4 oz. ground almonds with
Enough beaten (i medium/large egg) egg to make a firm but pliable paste with
Essence (almond flavoring) to taste.
Put aside in a polythene (zip lock) bag.
To make the cake mixture:
Cream the fat (3 oz. butter or a mixture of butter and hard margarine) and
3 oz. light brown sugar
Beat in the 2 small eggs
Fold in the sieved (sifted)
4 oz. plain flour with
pinch of salt
1/2 level teaspoon nutmeg.
Stir in
6 oz. currants
2 oz. sultanas (raisins)
1 1/2 oz. mixed peel mixing to a soft consistency with
1 - 2 tablespoons of milk

Divide the almond paste into thirds.  Roll out one third into a circle to fit the tin exactly.  Put half the cake mixture into the tin, add the circle of almond paste, then the remaining cake mixture.  Smooth the top with the back of your hand dipped in milk.  Bake below the center of the oven for approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until moderately brown and
Firm to the touch.  Allow to cool in the tin.

The cake can be kept in an airtight container for a few days before decorating.  Keep the remaining almond paste in a polythene bag or box in the fridge until required.

This cake (by what the cake decoration magazine from England says) is a traditional mothers day cake.  The rest of the marzipan mixture is used to cover the top of the cake and decorate the cake.  They also suggested using apricot jam to adhere the marzipan to the exterior of the cake.  Flowers were also made from the marzipan.

This is a simple fruit cake recipe they might use in other countries.  Not like the very light cakes we are accustomed to eating.

Pwd Sugar: Any questions so far?
PjW10: so why do they call that a fruit cake??
Pwd Sugar: I guess because of the raisins, currents and peel
Pwd Sugar: This recipe didn't have near all of the fruit most of them require.
PjW10:                oops, forgot about those...(By Choice)
Pwd Sugar: I thought if you wanted to try a recipe you at least could find most of the ingredients in this one
Cakestmper: Probably because they wanted the mothers to eat it.
Cakestmper: Otherwise they'd try to pass it off to grandma at Christmas time.
Pwd Sugar: Our cake magazines are not that considerate of them yet......
Chynich: so they have to make their cakes heavier
Pwd Sugar: Can you imagine trying to do a six tiered cake of ours with no supports in it
Chynich: as also in Spain - it would tumble
Bridal1: Would be a catastrophe!!
PjW10: hey some of our fruit cakes are 10 yrs old...LOL
Cakestmper: I thought it was because they soaked in so much booze, but the booze would kill any bacteria.
Pwd Sugar: Their cakes will stand fine but ours would be a squashed mess   LOL I think that is part of why they use the booze besides the flavor   LOL
CarolA5238: If they don't stick things in the cakes don't you need dows (rods)?
Chynich: I like to use Bettercream
Pwd Sugar: Carol their cakes are heavy - very compact fruit cakes so they don't use the dowel rods
Bridal1: I just did an orange pound cake for a wedding with ganache filling and did the buttercream
to look like fondant. They loved it
Pwd Sugar: YUMMMMMM Bridal
CarolA5238: ok, I understand.

Their measurements are also all in grams and centimeters.  But they do understand we would like them in our measurement equivalent also.  So now most of the foreign magazines have both measurement standards listed.

In England especially they are not allowed to stick anything into their cake that is not edible.  No wires, pillars or toothpicks are allowed to be inserted into the cakes.  Because most of their cakes are fruit cakes they will handle the weight of the pillars and cakes supported above them.  But remember they aren't allowed to stick those pillars through
Those cakes.  Now you know why they use stacked cakes frequently. Much more stable for them.

We are all accustomed to using the buttercream icing as a base for nearly all of our cakes.  Yes we do get occasional orders for ganache icing or rolled fondant or maybe even a few orders for german chocolate icing.  But they traditionally use the royal icing and rolled fondant for all of the cakes.  Only recently have they begun to do a few
Cakes with our type of cake and buttercream icing.

Royal icing - you say it gets so hard - how in the world do they cut it?

Have you ever seen a nirvana style cake.  It has all the sugar panels on the outside and collars at the base and on top and sometimes several layers of panels and collars to make up the designs.  Those are broken with a small hammer and eaten as candy with the cake inside to be served more just for the adults.   By the way the serving sizes are much
Smaller also.  About half the size of our serving sizes.

The rolled fondant cakes they do also traditionally have a layer of marzipan under the fondant covering the cake.  I had one lady from England who stayed with me for a week several years ago.  She said she works on a wedding cake for weeks - not just days.  Once that fruit cake is baked, it is soaked in rum and then left to sit for several days or weeks.  Then it is covered with the marzipan and fondant.  Now that it is totally sealed they can work on that cake at their pace for weeks or even months.  Not the pace we work in - fast to frantic.  LOL

Bridal1: I don't like that slow paced stuff!
Pwd Sugar: I love it Bridal - just don't have time for it
Pwd Sugar: You have time to do so much more detail
Bridal1: You'd be lost and you know it!

Now,  the cakes that are iced more like we ice them and decorate them are iced in royal icing that has some glycerine added.   I understand that they use about a teaspoon of glycerin per pound of sugar.

Did you know that there are two types of glycerin?  One that is edible and one that is not.   If you can buy it in a cake supply shop you don't have to worry about it.  If you don't have a source available go to your local drug store and ask for it - but be sure and tell them what you are going to use it for.

How do they attach all of the flowers to their cakes? They wire nearly all of their gumpaste flowers into arrangements.  A small mound of fondant is adhered to the outside of the cake and those arrangements are stuck into that fondant.  Not into the cake - just that small mound of fondant.  Or - they have some small pots that are made just for the purpose of inserting flower wires into.  They cut a small round section out of the cake, line it with fondant and then insert this little pot into that hole.  Now the wires can be inserted into that little pot to make their flower arrangement.  Now you know why most of their flowers are kept in small dainty arrangements.

Do you have any questions or comments.  Remember i am not an expert here just sharing what others have shared with me.  Do you have friends in other countries who have shared some differences in their cake decorating with you?

Pwd Sugar: OPEN MIKE time.  Please feel free to chat about anything you want in our sugar world. I am in a real bind tonight so I don't have as much as usual prepared

PjW10: Can you explain Pastilage to me
Pwd Sugar: Pastilage is made from gelatin, sugar and etc.  I dries very quickly and doesn't have the elasticity that gumpaste has. It works great for boxes, plaques and etc.
PjW10: so its just another medium, not ness. a technique??
Pwd Sugar: You know those little hearts that we all eat at valentines - they are pastillage I think
Bridal1: really Pwd???
Pwd Sugar: Right - just another sugar dough

Fire2Fiter: I teach cake dec in hot humid south Florida. I've had students have a terrible time with royal breaking down. Any suggestions?
Pwd Sugar: Fire2Fiter - tell me what you are using and how you are storing it
Cakestmper: I teach in Florida also, I think it is beginners dumb luck. I have no problems
Pwd Sugar: Royal must be made with completely grease free equipment and stored in glass containers for the best results
Fire2Fiter: They use the wilton instructions exactly. Store in it grease free containers. Fill their bag right in class. About half the class gets mush.
PjW10: I agree with Stmper, I teach in the NW and have the same break down problem here, they just aren't making it right
CarolA5238: Oh, We talked a littled about run sugar, at our meeting and that , use that instead of color flow.
Bridal1: Are you using egg white or meringue powder for the royal?
Cakestmper: Students might say they follow royal directions, but I can bet they don't.
Fire2Fiter: meringue powder
Pwd Sugar: What type of containers did they bring their royal in?
Fire2Fiter: all sorts. I STRESS grease free new containers.
PjW10: or they make hours ahead and it breaks down, then they don't rebeat
Pwd Sugar: Try suggesting they use glass containers and see if that helps. I had someone tell me that these plastic containers are made from oil products and will affect the royal icing
Pwd Sugar: Fire2Fiter even one little tiny bit of grease from a broken egg yolk or grease on a form wil
Fire2Fiter: with the royal
Cakestmper: Fire, they must use less water than recipe says, and it must be lukewarm.
Pwd Sugar: will really play havoc with royal
Bridal1: I start out with Hot water in my royal.
Cakestmper: Course 2 hasnt filled yet, everyone wants a 2 week course
Pwd Sugar: Since I live in the area where we are having drouth conditions I don't really have experience with humidity to help you
Fire2Fiter: I'm thinking about not doing course2 anymore. The students get too frustrated.
Cakestmper: I did a course 3, the third night was done in 1 hour. Had to sit and think up more stuff. Are you using new course 2 and 3 books? I was stumped. Felt like some pages were missing from book.
Pwd Sugar: Instructor Creativity Cakestmper?   LOL
Fire2Fiter: yes. Eliminated the cake topper and added the embossers, etc.
PjW10: Cake its all the setup instructions, they took up alot of time before

Icing Wiz: Just got back from Ohio last night
Bridal1: How was your trip Icing?
Icing Wiz: well I met Dolores that was the highlight of my trip. And on the way back we visited friends near Atlanta and had fun there. but putting on a new roof and painting for my father in law wasn't fun
Bridal1: Good.  Wasn't she a treat!!!
Pwd Sugar: Isn't she a doll Icing. I haven't seen her in several years.  I can hardly wait for convention
Icing Wiz: we stayed 3 hours with Dolores. My husband kept asking questions
Pwd Sugar: Didn't have a thing to talk about Icing?
Icing Wiz: I learned so much from Dolores

Cakestmper: Sheila, how many did we have at DOS?
Icing Wiz: Karen I bet close to over 100
Pwd Sugar: DOS in what State Icing?
Icing Wiz: Florida Pwd

CarolA5238: One of the Amer Mag, talks about bread dough art, Pwd, can you explain a little about it.
Pwd Sugar: Bread dough art is not in my specialtys Carol  - Sorry I think it is bread, Elmer's glue and etc.  Modeled by hand ????
CarolA5238: One of our members said something about in Mexico they use a special bread and syrup, used g

Icing Wiz: oh by the way Pwd I loved your cake in ACD with the molds
Pwd Sugar: Thanks Icing - That is what I will be demonstrating at ICES again this year

Pwd Sugar: I thought my wedding cakes this weekend were for Saturday but they are for tomorrow.  The brides cake is almost done but the grooms cake is not even iced yet.   So I am not going to tarry very long to chat.  Sorry but I must get these cakes done.  I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the kitchen tonight.  Thanks for being here again. Please feel free to stay and chat as long as you like.  I just must get in there and get busy.

JWGPKG: Sheila, I got Mercedes' new class schedule in today's mail.  Did you?
Icing Wiz: no, I got one awhile back it seemed to all be during the week
L2jlu2: Jwg- how can I get info on Mercedes from FL?
JWGPKG: In this mailing, she's asking for suggestions from students - what days are better, etc.
Icing Wiz: Kansas is next year right Carolyn?
JWGPKG: Great!  I might be very interested in that one, Pwd!  Ocala doesn't have one!

Chef Nana1: what will next week's chat be about?
Pwd Sugar: Topic next week - "Starting a cake club and what goes on in one"
Icing Wiz: Oh great I am really interested in cake club ideas
CarolA5238: Oh, that sounds like a great topic!
Pwd Sugar: Carol have some stuff for us about yours there in San Antonio

Chynich: Have any of you heard of Bettercream
Bridal1: Yes Chynich, I have
Chynich: I LOVE IT
Pwd Sugar: Sure have Chynich - I just choose to use Cream Cheese Buttercream
Pwd Sugar: I know Chynich - I just choose to use the other.
Cakestmper: Use glycerin in royal icing, then it can be cut.
Chynich: Icing just keep a wet towel over the container
Chynich: PWD YOU USE IT LIKE BUTTER CREAME

Cindycake1: Where did Nirvana cakes originate from?
Bridal1: Man was named Nirvana, I think
Pwd Sugar: I understand Nirvana is supposed to mean as close to perfect as you can get
Chynich: no thats death by chocolate about 2 years ago in Atlantic City at a convention
Bridal1: Was that the candy convention in Atlantic City?
Chynich: no cakes
Cakestmper: I thought it was heaven
Pwd Sugar: Good one too Cakestmper
Pwd Sugar: I really don't know who started it or where it came from
Bridal1: Pwd., I think there really was a man named Nirvana
Pwd Sugar: Not to many done here.  Could be Bridal I just don't know about that
Cindycake1: It sounds like the cake would be part of the entertainment as well as beautiful
Pwd Sugar: I have seen a few simple designs done at shows.  Just a little hard to cut and serve
Bridal1: Very time consuming, too.
Pwd Sugar: I do remember Betty May telling us that sometimes they were done as a shell
Pwd Sugar: that could be lifted from around the cake and reused when they were very intricate designs
PjW10: so do their little hammers come with crystal handles like some of our cake knives do?? lol
Pwd Sugar: Don't Know PjW10 - sound like a good idea