next up on the menu is carved cakes. if you haven't carved a cake yet, might i suggest that you do indeed stack yourself up some cake and butter cream filling, put it in the fridge so it gets nice and set and then grab your favorite sharp, serrated knives and get to carving. umm, but first, you need a plan!
in class, we were making purse cakes. though, i don't call them purses. or pocketbooks. i think i probably just call them bags. but not just any bags. designer bags!! (one of my favorite things to do is go to stores and flounce around with the newest, prettiest, largest bag i can find, with all its shiny, gold or silvery accoutrement. it's tassels and grommets and zippers and pockets.) err, umm. *clears throat* anyway, i selected my personal favorite michael kors. i modeled mine after the astor grab bag.
it's a velvety-soft, purple-gray leather bag with silver grommets and great thick strap handles. the only changes i made to the bag was to give it one, slightly longer handle instead of two shorter ones, attach the handle to the sides rather than the front and back of the bag and make the grommets a wee bit larger... often in class we don't have a LOT of time and for me, it's important to finish the cake. IF i had my druthers, i'd've made two handles and tinier little grommets, but part of our grade is to finish within the time constraints so you must plan accordingly. so i took a LITTLE artistic license due to time constraints... but BY FAR, the most difficult thing about this bag was tinting the fondant and sugar paste to the correct hue. NOT EASY...but it can be done!! :o)
to carve a cake, i suggest the following:
1. do NOT be afraid to carve your cake. do not be intimidated by your baked goods!
2. VISUALIZE your finished product at all times, because it helps to secure that your vision will become a reality.
3. have measurements, and templates, accurate and created to the appropriate size. PLAN PLAN PLAN! don't just got at it. hacking and sawing away and expect good things. i mean, expect good things, but plan for them too!
4. step away every once in a while and look at it from all angles. give your eyes and brain a chance to see what you're doing. don't try to do it in one shot, because if you carve too much, well... you'll spend a lot more time fixing it. that will be frustrating. and you're dealing with cake... it's supposed to make you smile.
5. have fun with it. it's cake!
6. ** important to remember: make a delicious, carve-able cake - in this case a orange-vanilla pound cake with vanilla butter cream. a cake can look good, but if it tastes like sawdust...well...**
anyway, here is my cake.
now if only i could eat my cake, and have the bag too...[i have a bag problem...and his name, is michael kors]
more to come
xo
m
2 comments:
That seriously looks like a real bag - how did you manage to make the fondant look like suede?! Amazing.
thanks vicky! i LIGHTLY "polished" it with cornstarch and was extremely careful with how i handled the fondant so as not to leave fingerprints, wet spots etc. just a bit of trial and error really. as one of my chefs said "creative use of cornstarch" :o)
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