Sweet Learning

I keep waiting for the weather to magically change. Once the temperature starts rising again, we are surprised by a blanket of snow....three times in March already...So to make use of my time during the short-lived snow, I began my task of learning something new in March. I started to learn how to decorate a cake. I hopped on over to Joann's and wandered around the cake department surrounded by everything Wilton had to offer. I settled on a number of piping tips, disposable bags, couplers (that secures the tip to the bag), spatula, and a foam cake layer.

Now, I have some really great cake decorators in my family. My grandma has been decorating cakes for 40+ years and could probably make rose buds in her sleep. My aunt does cakes for a living, participates in cake competitions, and could probably make masterpieces in her dreams. And then I have a cousin who doesn't really sleep much at all and would be surrounded in colored icing all day if she had the option.

It's now my turn to figure out this dance with sugar. First I had to start with the icing. All I remembered hearing was my grandma talking about royal icing in the back of my mind so I googled a recipe and set to work. This was my first mistake...I thought royal icing was used to decorate with, but I was so so wrong. I made the icing, put it in the bag and was ready to practice on some wax paper. However, the icing almost immediately lost its form and turned into a nice shiny blob. I later found out that it's mainly used to ice the cake because it dries into a smooth, hard layer.

After a confused hour, I thought, "Hmmm, I remember grandma talking about buttercream icing too. Maybe I should try it." That was the winner of an idea there. I found a buttercream recipe (below), whipped it up, and sure enough was able to practice making borders and leaves in no time. I practiced for a full afternoon before trying my luck on a foam cake.

http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/buttercream-frosting/

I squeezed some icing onto a cake plate, secured the foam layer on top, and slathered on the icing till it was a nice, white "cake." After that, I just started making colors with some food dye and tried to "decorate" as best I could.

I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube to figure out the roses. It's safe to say I still need some practice though.

I ended up with a something actually resembling a cake! Yes, it's pretty simple, but I'm happy with what I learned.

Happy Easter!