Caution: Cake in Progress...

I did learn a lot this week. After deciding on banana nut cake, I made a batch to try the recipe. It tasted really good. It was moist and had big pieces of pecans. But thought it would be too overwhelming if both layers were the same, so for balance, I decided to just make the other layer a butter cake. The banana nut cake came out very dense. The butter cake batter was very 'fluffy' and rose quite high in the oven. When I leveled the butter cake, I didn't bother to make it the same height as the banana...which after slicing the cake, I wish I had. Lesson learned. Then I crumb coated the cake with a cream cheese frosting (yum!) However, I learned that the smoothing technique of placing a piece of paper towel over the cake then smoothing with a fondant smoother thingy after it has been refrigerated for some time, doesn't work all that well on cream cheese frosting.

Also, I went on the internet to find out what past students have experienced in taking this first Wilton course. There are so many people that have taken this course! I love that I'm able to tap into that knowledge. So I was also able to see what to expect in class, so I could practice at home. After checking out different coloring page patterns online, and even practicing a Hello Kitty design, I decided to go with the standard fish template that came with the ultimate kit and is featured in the Decorating Basics booklet. Figuring blue would be a good background color for the fish, I mixed up some buttercream icing and added the Blue gel coloring. This came out look like a night blue. So I ended up using Teal gel coloring to get this shade of blue.

Another thing I learned is to let the cake cool in the refrigerator (and let the frosting dry a bit) WITHOUT the cake covered. I had put it in the cake carrier (thanks Danette!) before putting it in the fridge to help protect it from dings. But it left the icing very moist and when it was time to smooth it out, and do the pattern transfer, it stuck to the paper.

So later in class, we did pattern transfers, where you get a basic design, trace the design outline onto parchment paper using a gel icing, then place the design face side down onto the surface of the cake to 'transfer' the pattern. I used a pink gel icing that comes in a tube which I bought at Walmart. I outlined the fish onto the parchment paper. I learned that it's better to use very thin lines since the line expands when pressing it onto the cake. Also, there were large globs of gel where several lines met or overlapped. So...mentally noted. Also, we used a small paint brush that came with the kit and brushed the back of the parchment paper to help the design 'transfer'. I had to lift the design up a few times to check if the amount of pressure I was using was working.

After the pattern was transferred, I realized that I really only needed to trace the outer lines of the fish since I was going to fill it with the foundation color, I was going to cover up the outlines of the little fin and the eyeball. Anyway, when I was piping the outlines with icing, I didn't completely cover the gel outlines, so when I got home, Jake asked if the color 'leaked'. I tried to scrape off some of the gel that was showing, but realized it was a waste of time, and would just put another tally in the lesson learned column.

So here's how the cake turned out:

It's plain, I know. But it took like 2 hours just to put the gel transfer, the fish, and the yellow trim on this thing. I cannot work at the Vons cake decorating counter yet. Maybe I can be allowed to dot the i's on the birthday cakes. Although the teacher Susan said we'll be practicing doing the 'shell' border in class on cupcakes next week, she showed me how to do it, so I got some early practice. She also gave me tons of ideas on how to further embellish the cake....but I just ended it here and will begin thinking of what flavor cupcakes to make for next week :-)

The next morning, I sliced the cake:

As you can see, the top layer is much taller than the lower layer. So next time I make a cake, I'll make the layers even steven. After scraping off the blue icing, it tasted GREAT!!!


So thus endeth this entry on my first ever Wilton Decorating Basics Course 1, Class 2 Fish-Decorated Banana Nut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!!! My mind is now deliciously reeling with cupcakes, cupcake cup colors, frosting colors, flavors...... oh the possibilities!

Pract-ICING does not make perfect

So I've been practicing my icing techniques this week. I'm glad I am since....I SUCK!  Really? Pushing icing out of a cone-shaped bag is hard? Well, no, it's not. But to do it well and not have it look like random smudges is going to take longer than I thought.


This next class, we're supposed to bring a fully iced cake and a simple design to do some tracing patterns which we will then decorate in class. I tried doing the cupcake pattern in the Course 1 Decorating Basics booklet. After practicing on wax paper about 10 times, I got a little bored and decided to change the pattern. I went online and found some simple coloring pages which I printed out. Here's my favorite girlhood product brand I used to LOVE perusing at the local Hallmark store:

Okay, now that I'm looking at the picture, it didn't turn out half bad. Keeping in mind that was even after HOURS of practice. So, I'm not sure which picture I will go with. I want to have a fluffier looking image. This turned out kind of flat. I might choose a puppy image for our dog, Otto. Or a bunch of bananas or a monkey, since the cake is banana nut. Oh the possibilities!

Oh! By the by, check out the cool apron my hubba hubba Jonas made:

Nothin' Says lovin' like somethin' from the oven :-)

I'm excited!!!

Wilton Decorating Basics: Course 1, Class 1

Hooray! I completed my first Wilton class. The classroom itself was small, with about 6 small butcher paper covered tables, although 2 of them were loaded with supplies used in other classes, so really only 4 tables to accommodate 7 students. We started the class late since there was an accident on one of the main roads leading to the store and not everyone had arrived. We were supposed to start at 6:30 p.m., although I had arrived 1 hour early to exchange my Course 1 kit for the Ultimate Decorating kit. Apparently, the Ultimate has everything needed for all 4 courses, which I do intend to take in succession :-)  The Ultimate kit is a huge toolbox, and everything within comes packaged in sealed plastic bags within plastic bags within plastic container drawers. So, it was a good thing class started 30 minutes late since it took at least 15 to open and sort through everything for just the tools needed that night.

By the way, Wilton, there needs to be allotted time in the first class to specifically address the organizational needs of each and every student who has purchased the Ultimatum. Once everything was opened, I could not tell you what 90% of the tools are used for. And once everything was taken out and opened, I'll be darned if I could get them all back in the EXACT same place in which they arrived (arg!) Very frustrating. In typical vacation-packing fashion, I forced the lid on the largest container downward while clicking the latch before quickly sliding it back into the toolbox to keep from exploding open. The teacher, speaking with superior amusement, informed me that I did not need to bring ALL the tools, just what I needed for each class. Thank you. 

Okay, so there were 4 tables and the last person to come in surveyed the limited seating and decided to park next to me. Keep in mind the table was already small and there were plastic bags everywhere and I was frantically trying to make piles of stuff to throw away, to leave out for class, and to put back in the toolkit. I also had to hurry because the sign in sheets were coming my way, AND I had to clear a space so she could use part of the table. This would make a great Jimmy Fallon "Thank You Note". On top of that, she was a talker and when it came to introductions let everyone know that she was a Pastry School student and was only there to build upon her decorating skills. Lovely. For the rest of class I learned EVERYTHING about that darned pastry class. By the way, if you're going to brag about pastry school, please don't bring store-bought cookies and a can of duncan-hines icing.

Okay. Onto the fun part. We each brought cookies to decorate and the teacher gave us a Course 1 booklet, an icing recipe (of which I will go into later,) and then showed us how to fill our piping bags. We practiced making stars with tip #18. I thought I was missing half the tips in the kit until the girl in front of me, who was also sporting the new purple and white Ultimation said they often are stuck together. Lo and behold, they were all there. What I really like about the kit is that it will hold a cake-full of tips and they are seated in their own little icing-tip chairs located within 2 compartments on top of the kit for easy-peazy access. We practiced making stars on our templates. Being a fan and practitioner of calligraphy, I thought making stars would be so simple. My stars, however, looked anemic. Squeeze bag, release, lift. Repeat. Ah, not so simple grasshopper. The rest of class was spent decorating my cookies with said anemic stars.

The next day, I decided to make my own icing figuring it would be much more cost-effective than buying the manufactured stuff by Wilton. Off to the store I went...Walmart to be exact. I bought the generic vegetable based shortening, and the generic confectioner's sugar, which was under $2 for each item. I followed the recipe the teacher gave us. Shortening, sugar, butter flavor, and water. Mix in blender for 7-8 minutes on medium. Done. What came out looked like inedible grainy crap in a mixing bowl. So I put it in the piping bag anyway and gave it a try. It looked like grainy crap piped through a star tip. Which was not the look I was going for. Okay...what did I do wrong? Maybe I needed to SIFT the powdered sugar. Boom! Still grainy. So I went online and found out that water and the fat in the shortening don't mix. Okay. So WHY was water in the recipe? I don't get it. Online, I read it's better to use CANE sugar. Which leads me to wonder, what kind of sugar was in the Walmart generic sugar?

Today, I made icing again, but instead of water, I used milk. And instead of generic confectioner's sugar, I used the CANE stuff by C&H. AND, I figured since I'm just practicing my piping, I won't bother with the extracts since no one will be eating it. Boom! It worked!!! Okay...learning experience. Use milk, not water in icing. I'm not sure if the cane sugar vs. unknown source sugar made a difference. I had put some of that Press & Seal plastic wrap on the counter and practiced piping on there. Then I would scoop it up, put it back in the bag and do it again. I'm really glad I'm practicing now, because I would've wasted SO MUCH TIME in class just figuring out how to pipe with just the right amount of pressure, and wondering which way to hold the bag that would work...etc.

So that's it for now. The teacher said I can take pictures in class, so that's what I will do. We need to bring a frosted cake ready to decorate. Can't wait!! Note to self...arrive early, take up whole table and move the extra chair.

By the way, here are the cookies from class. 

I used Wilton icing out of the can, which was kind of stiff for making stars. They're like little recruits arriving for basic training before they've received their uniforms :-)

4 Years...What??!

Wow. I had forgotten I'd even started this blog. I'm about to start a Wilton Basics cake decorating class tomorrow night at Michael's in Clairemont, and thought I'd document my progression through the courses. So I googled, "start a food blog" and was advised to go to blogger.com. So...transported I am to the first blog entry I had written friggin 4 years ago. Cripety cripes! Although, I must say, it does sound like me. At first, when I started to read the old entry, I thought it was one of those canned entries that you entirely replace with your own, original stuff. Like those fake photos on thin paper that adorn newly purchased picture frames. Although I can understand where I was at that time and why I hoped that no one would be reading my entry...in a way, I really don't mind now if anyone reads my blog. Or not. If someone mistakenly strays off the beaten path and lands on these pages, so be it. And hello. So much has happened in 4 years. Among the more notable things, I have refocused my TV watching repertoire to mainly include the new OWN network. Kind of redundant to say OWN network, since the N in OWN stands for 'network'. The Oprah Winfrey Network network. Okay....whatever. Maybe not such a notable thing, except I do watch a LOT of TV. Not good, I know. The other notable things are that I've become more interested in making and baking yummy stuff. Apple pies. I can now make a MEAN apple pie. Baking really good crusty bread. Making incredibly delicious kettle popcorn. Baking snickerdoodles. And now I'm going to start the Wilton Decorating Basics tomorrow night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. I'm so excited :-)

Okay...one more notable thing that has happened is that I was diagnosed with Addison's disease about 2 years ago. The small change is that I have to take some hydrocortisone tablets each day. The big change is that my joints no longer ache, I have more energy, and I'm not nearly as depressed as I used to be...I still have my moments though. AND....I have only gotten sick ONCE in 2 years. I used to catch every single cold and contagious illness that happened by my direction, probably about once a month, or every other month, then BOOM! Down for 2 weeks. Yuk! So glad that's over with!

Okay....so now, my intention for this blog is to document my foray into the art, technique, and science of making cakes look REALLY pretty. Now what really happens may be another story entirely. But here goes. Oh! And, I'm working on my dueling voices still. Apparently, Oprah has indeed confirmed this duality in all of us. Here's a quote from the woman herself, " "There is the voice that everybody hears that is your parents' voice, your professor's [voice], it's the world's voice saying to you, "you should do this, you should be this, you ought to, you got to." And then there is the still small voice—for some people it's not so small—inside of every human being that calls you to something that is greater than yourself." So, in my world of dueling voices, for today, my better voice is edging out the competition. Hopefully this is the start of a long, albeit one-sided, conversation.