Monday, September 10, 2012

What to do with extra cake?
Cover it with cigarellos and tie with a ribbon! Easy and beautiful.
 

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Rose Petal Cake
 
Here is the "Rose Petal Cake" I made for a bride in Orient Point, NY. It's a carrot cake with cream cheese icing. This is how it was made!...
 
 

First I made a bride and groom starfish using a starfish mold and gumpaste. I let these dry for a week.
(They are very fragile!)
 
 

Next I made "rose petals"
using a round cookie cutter and gumpaste.
I used a "ball tool" to thin and curl the edges
then let them dry overnight.
 
 
 

Here are the two tiers (8 cakes altogether),
ready to stack and dowel!
 
 


Cakes are so messy-looking when they are first stacked!!
A level must be used on stacked cakes so that they are not crooked.
Dowels should be used in lower cakes to support the cake above that tier.
One long dowel should be run down the center of all cakes to keep the cake from tilting.
 
 
 

The decorating (a.k.a. "the fun!") begins! Edible pearls are applied to the base of each cake.
They are made from pearl molds and gumpaste then brushed with shiny white "petal dust."
 
 

The "rose petals" are applied
using a little icing on the back of each petal.
(Sorry...this cake looks a little tilted because I took the picture at an angle...I am not a photographer!)
 
 
Next, flowers are added to the top of the cake.

Last, but not least, the starfish are added.



Here is the final product!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, September 2, 2012

"Daisy Cake"


 
 
 
 
 
The "Daisy Cake" as a work-in-progress:


 


 



 

 
 
The final product! --
 
 
 


Sunday, August 26, 2012

Here is a cake I made for a Barbra Streisand impersonator's 60th birthday, who is a nurse by day and a singer by night!
 
To be included on the cake:
Something about nursing
A microphone
"A Star is Born"
Edible images from her life
"60"
The color purple
I also wanted to add Swarovski crystals and some peacock feathers for drama!
 
Here is the final product.
It was a lemon cake with chocolate ganache and vanilla buttercream fillings. MMMM!
 





Wednesday, August 22, 2012

 
Live fish cake for a triathlon after-party! Yes, LIVE fish under the "lake"!







Friday, June 15, 2012


Here is a sunflower cake I made today
for a 40th birthday. 



This is me in my new uniform with "Cakes of the Hamptons" above the pocket. I love the European cut of the jacket.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012


How to Make a Gumpaste Sunflower


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Step One:
Color the white gumpaste yellow.
Cut 22-gauge green wires into 1" lengths.


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Step Two:
Roll yellow gumpaste thin; cut into leaf shapes using a small cutter. Wet ends of wires with a little water and insert carefully into the end of the leaf. Thin the edges of the leaves with a ball tool. Place leaves so that they will have a shape with movement when they dry.


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Step Three:
Let petals dry at least two days. After drying, use dry paintbrush and dust leaves with petal dust. Petal dust can be purchased at Michael's, while a larger selection may be purchased on websites like www.GlobalSugarArt.com.


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Step Four:
To make a sunflower center: Color white gumpaste dark brown. You can shape with your hands or use a "mold" for making flower centers. I purchase my molds at GlobalSugarArt.com and FirstImpressionsMolds.com.


After I put the gumpaste into the mold, I pop it into the freezer for about two minutes to firm it up, yet it will be pliable.
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Step Five:
After popping it out of the mold, carefully insert the leaves around the edges of the brown flower center. (You may need to trim wires.) Make another row of petals. Place pieces of balled-up plastic wrap underneath leaves for support and let dry. (This will take a couple of days, at the minimum.)



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Step Six:
After flowers dry, they can be held VERY CAREFULLY overtop steam from a pan; this adds a slight sheen to the flower, making it more realistic. (Do not burn yourself. Do not hold too long or the gumpaste petals will melt.)


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Step Seven:

After the flower dries, wet the brown center with a LITTLE water. Using a dry paintbrush, dust cinnamon onto brown center.

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Step Eight:
Using a thin paintbrush, add a little water on the outside of the brown circle then sprinkle poppy seeds.

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You're done!

 
 
 
 
Here are my sunflowers added to a basic two-tier white cake.
 
The brown "ribbons" are made from brown fondant
that I've then trimmed with a tiny yellow shell border.
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Feel free to email with any questions!

Enjoy! --Diane