Thursday, December 29, 2011

Purple and Bling 50th Birthday Cake

This is a 12-inch round cake frosted in purple butter cream icing with dark purple borders, swirls and roses.  There are silver dragees and custom wire swirls and a custom silver-glitter "50" cake topper for added "bling". For details on how to make your own custom cake topper, click "read more" below:

Captain America Shield

This was my son's 6th birthday cake.  I know, I know... most people assume my kids get the most awesome birthday cakes ever (HA) but I tend to be extra lazy when making their cakes!  Reason being:  1) cakes take a LOT of time to make/decorate, and I don't get paid for making their cakes... and 2) they really don't care what their cakes look like.... they are just happy they get to eat cake!  This one looks remotely like Captain America's shield, so my little man was really happy! :o)

Pirate Treasure Chest

This is the second time I have made this cake.  This is made from two 11x15 inch sheet cakes, and is covered in chocolate marshmallow fondant and decorated in marshmallow fondant and gold foil covered coins.  I included detailed written instructions on the previous blog entry, found here:
http://cakesbykristenh.blogspot.com/2011/01/pirate-treasure-chest-cake.html.   Click below to read more and see additional photographs:

Perry the Platypus

This is the second time I have made this cake :)  It is made from a single 9x13 inch sheet cake, cut in half and stacked. He is frosted in teal buttercream with marshmallow fondant eyes, tail, back feet, hair and beak.  The eyes were placed on the front of his face, rather than on top of his head as last time I made this cake.  This was a little tricky b/c the mmf balls I made the eyes of is heavy, so I had to support them on dowels that were secured in the cardboard base.  The sharpened dowels were inserted at an angle (about 45 degrees) and hammered into the base.  There was just enough dowel showing on the front of the cake on which to place the eyes.  I am much happier with this look :).

Volleyball Elephant

This is an 8-inch red velvet cake decorated in yellow buttercream icing and pink fondant dots and volleyball court.  The elephant and volleyball are hand made from marshmallow fondant.  The net is made from mesh fabric glued to dowels.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Farm Cake

This was for a little boy's first birthday party.  It is a 12-inch round, 6-inch round and 4-inch round stacked and displayed on an 18" board to allow room for the animals at the bottom.  It is covered and decorated in marshmallow fondant, with hand-sculpted fondant animals and pumpkins.  The haystacks are decorated in buttercream icing applied with a grass tip.  Click below for additional photos:

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Beauty and The Prince Cake


This is a 6-inch round decorated in yellow buttercream with garland trim and red buttercream roses.  Belle and the Prince are handmade from marshmallow fondant.  I also made 36 cupcakes to coordinate with this cake.  They are decorated in yellow buttercream with a red rose on top of each one.  The roses on the cupcakes were made using Wilton tip #104, and each one has an unwrapped Hershey kiss as the center cone (they are firm and just the right size and shape for the center cone... and a yummy surprise inside the for the birthday guest!).  See Below for more photos of the cake.





















Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Luau Cakes

These were made for a little girl's first birthday party.  The large cake is a 3-tier cake including a 10-inch strawberry bottom tier, 8-inch vanilla-butter middle tier, and 6-inch chocolate top tier.  The chocolate smash cake is about 4-inches round.  They are covered and decorated in marshmallow fondant with handmade fondant flowers, seashells and hula girls.  Happy 1st birthday Larkyn!! Click below to see more photos.



Superhero Cake!

This was a groom's cake for one of my husband's best friends.  He once said how much he liked a similar cake I made a few years ago, so his mother and I worked together to surprise him with this one at his rehearsal dinner. the bottom tier was a 10-inch round in chocolate, the top tier was vanilla-butter and was cut into a 2-layer Superman logo shape from a single 9x13-inch sheet cake.  It is covered and decorated in marshmallow fondant.  Congratulations Carrie and Dwaine!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Lego Cake

This is a 2-layer 10-inch square (yellow) topped with a two layer 8-inch x 5-inch rectangle (green) and a 3-layer 5-inch x 5-inch square (blue).  It is covered in marshmallow fondant with a yellow buttercream border around the bottom tier.  The lego pegs on top of each cake are fondant.  The figures and tiny lego decorations are handmade from marshmallow fondant.  General Grievous has an internal wire skeleton to hold his legs and arms in those bent angles.  Click below to see more photos.

All Wrapped Up

This is an 8-inch square covered in pale pink marshmallow fondant with bright pink, light lime green and black polka dots, with a bright pink fondant ribbon and bow.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Zebra print with purple flowers

This is a 6-inch square on a 10-inch square covered in white fondant with true-black fondant zebra stripes, purple mmf pearls and faux daisies.  I purchased these daisies at Michael's.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Monster High Cake

This is a 3-layer 6-inch round cake.  It is covered in true-black marshmallow fondant and decorated in mmf diamonds and white buttercream "stitches" to make the argyle pattern on the sides.  The pink ball border is buttercream.  The characters are hand made from mmf.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Fondant Character: Olivia sun-bathing

This was requested by a customer who loved the Olivia figures on last week's cakes.  I am not available to make her a cake this week, so she requested I just make the topper.  This is the first time I have done this, but I really enjoyed it.  The character work is my favorite part of cake decorating!  She is sitting on a fondant beach-towel, white with red polka dots, that is personalized with the name "Olivia".  I made some tiny seashells to fill her little blue sand bucket as well.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Olivia Cakes

These are two identical 3-layer, 6-inch round cakes. Each is frosted in buttercream icing and covered and decorated with marshmallow fondant. Olivia is handmade from mmf. The roses and leaves are mmf, but the flower stems are colored toothpicks (half a toothpick per flower).

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Saturday, July 2, 2011

Mini Mario Cake

This cake is a little smaller than I typically make, at only about 4.5 inches.  I normally stick with 6-inch rounds at the smallest, b/c they are wider than they are tall, which makes them more stable and less likely to wobble or tip over.  But I wanted to make a little bitty Mario cake for a little one's 4th birthday party.  He loved the huge Mario cake I made for someone else in January and so I made this one similarly for him, although on a much smaller scale :).  It is frosted in buttercream icing and trimmed with mmf details.  The tunnel with the flower is a heavy duty paper tube (the ones that are inside a roll of plastic wrap are great for this!) covered in green mmf.  The flower, mushrooms and bullet are handmade from mmf.  The stars are mmf on lollipop sticks.  I wrapped the board in foil and covered it in green mmf for added color.  Happy Birthday Calvin!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Mermaid cake


 This was so awesome to make... having two little boys myself, I don't get the opportunity to make girlie cakes for my family (not until my niece turns one later this year anyway!!).  This is a 6" round on a 10" round sitting on a 14" cake base (important to have enough room for the decorations around the base).  Both were frosted in buttercream icing and covered in light blue fondant.  I doweled and stacked the tiers, then frosted the tops of both and the base lightly with buttercream icing, so the graham cracker crumbs (sand) would adhere.  I then piped the white shell borders around both tiers.  Fondant fish, anemone and shells were placed on and around the cake in aqua, yellow, lime green, orange, pink purple and white.  The mermaid was added last and is glued to the cake with a little icing and one toothpick stuck in in her tail to hold her in place.  The shells were made using a Wilton seashell candy mold.  For additional photos, click below.

Kung Fu Panda Cake

 This was so fun to make.  It is a 10 inch square, 8-inch round and half-sports ball pan carved to look like a mountain.  Po is handmade from marshmallow fondant.  For more info and pictures, click below :)

UNC Tarheels 40th Birthday cake

This is  3-tier cake, 10-inch square, 8-inch square, and hat carved from a 6-inch round.  I had never made a ball-cap cake before this, so I studied lots of photographs of similar cakes before ever starting.  It really wasn't difficult... the hardest part was tracing the stitches onto the brim... it is very difficult to draw 6 evenly spaced lines in a semi-circle (look at a ball cap to see what I mean... I neglected to take a close-up photo of this brim).  To read how I made this cake, click below:

Sheet cake with drum set

This is a 12 x18 inch chocolate sheet cake frosted with chocolate buttercream icing.  The drum set is piped on with buttercream icing.  The music notes around the edges are made from fondant.  I had trouble getting my icing super-smooth on this cake... I think it was the fact that it is chocolate buttercream and does not have any shortening in it... I don't have this trouble with my regular buttercream (half butter, half shortening).  Otherwise, I am pleased with how it turned out. :)

50th Anniversary Cake

This is a 12"x18" sheet cake frosted and decorated in buttercream icing with buttercream roses.  I decorated this one with cornelli lace, which adds a pretty design and texture to an otherwise same-old same-old sheet cake, and nicely frames the center "plaque".  Just beware... when piping the trim on a sheet cake, if your lines are not perfectly straight... it will show, as mine do, particularly when piping a dark color on a light color! :)

Pink and Lime green

This is a 6-inch on 8-inch round tiered cake frosted in buttercream icing, with buttercream vines and roses, the vines were hand-piped without a press, although I think if I had a vine-design press, I would have used it! :)  The "R" on top is made from salt-dough and is inedible.  It is painted with acrylic paint and trimmed with hot-pink glitter glue.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Mobile Pre-K Bus Cakes


These three cakes are made to look like the three mobile pre-k buses that serve Burke County, NC.  Bust'r is yellow, Betsie is white with black cow spots and Bee-Bee is lavender with a beehive on the side.  These cakes were carved from stacked sheet cakes, frosted in buttercream and covered and decorated in marshmallow fondant.  Each cake is 8"x4" and 4" tall, and serves 12-16.  For directions, click below.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Yo Gabba Gabba Cake

This is a Yo Gabba Cake for a little girl's 3rd birthday.  It is a 6" round on an 8" round covered and decorated entirely in marshmallow fondant.  Happy Birthday Addison!



Sunday, April 3, 2011

Mini Slumber Party Cakes

This was the third time I have made these little slumber party mini cakes, and they get cuter every time!  This is my favorite color combination so far.  This is the first set I have made that included bedskirts beneath the blankets.  I think it adds a lot to each one and helps finish off that bottom edge of the cake nicely.  The headboards are cookies.  The four cakes are each about 3 inches by 4 inches in size,and were cut from a single 8"x8" square chocolate cake.  They were frosted in white buttercream icing and covered in mmf blankets and bed skirts.  The girls' heads are hand made from mmf to look similar to the real-life girl.

Man's birthday cake

This is a man's 46th birthday cake, and it almost just like another I made last year for a 50th birthday party.  This is an 8 inch round chocolate cake frosted in buttercream icing and covered and decorated in fondant.  The woman is hand sculpted from mmf.  The tires are cut and shaped from true black mmf.  The board is covered in red food-safe plastic.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Groovy Tie Dye cake


This is an 8-inch round cake decorated entirely in buttercream... the smiley faces and peace signs are fondant.  The cake itself is even tie dyed!  To see photos of how I made the tie dye design on the cake, click below.





Friday, March 18, 2011

Superhero Cake!

This is a 3 tier, 10-inch, 8-inch and 6-inch cake. It is covered and decorated in marshmallow fondant with buttercream bottom borders and buttercream web on the top tier. Batman is sculpted from mmf (the gray portion of his body has a foil center to make him lighter and hold his shape better). The spider, hulk hand and Superman logo are hand made from mmf. This was a very fun cake to make... it had a lot of steps to finish it, and I don't have time to blog them all right now. If you are interested in making a similar cake or have questions, feel free to email me. Click below to see more pictures. :) I will say the most difficult part of decorating this cake was the stripes for the web... string-work is not my strong-suit!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Transformers / Dora cake


This is a combination birthday cake for a brother and sister whose birthdays are very close together, so they shared a party.  It is a 10" and 6" tiered cake decorated in buttercream icing.  The Transformers logo, stars and Dora, Boots and Backpack are hand made from marshmallow fondant.  The Transformer on top is a plastic Happy Meal toy.



Saturday, February 26, 2011

Call of Duty

This cake was inspired by another online.  This is an 8-inch square cake covered and decorated in marshmallow fondant.  The helmet is carved from cake, the grenade and gun were sculpted out of a cake and icing mixture (sort of like making cake balls) then frosted and covered in true black mmf.  The lettering is hand-cut from mmf.  For more information on how the camo print was made, click below.

Pink Roses

I made this cake for a good friend's birthday party.  It is an 8-inch round cake decorated entirely in buttercream icing.  I used Wilton's Rose icing coloring for the pink on the cake, and blended that with Red-Red and Pink for a deeper color on the roses.  The leaves were tinted with Wilton's Kelly Green.  For you fellow cake makers-- the best tip I ever found online for making roses:  use an unwrapped Hershey kiss in the center instead of piping a cone of icing!  The kisses hold their shape so much better and allow for taller, more uniform roses... plus a sweet surprise in the center!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Firetruck

This cake was made from a single 11"x15" sheet cake, cut in half lengthwise and stacked, then carved.  It is frosted in buttercream icing and covered and decorated in marshmallow fondant.  It is raised slightly to appear that the truck is sitting on its tires.  The headlights are working lights!  They are "Celebration Lights" I found in the wedding section of Michael's craft store.  I can't wait to use them in another cake!  To view more pictures and a link detailing how to make a car (or truck) cake such as this, click "read more".

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Super Mario Bros. Cake

This is a Super Mario Bros. cake for my favorite 7 year old chickadee!  It is 3 tiers, 14", 10" and 6", and is frosted in buttercream icing with fondant accents and plastic character figures.  The mushrooms are hand sculpted from marshmallow fondant.  The tunnel entrance on top of the cake is a heavy-duty paper tube covered in mmf.  The #7 is a candle.  It is a surprise for the birthday girl... if you see it before she does, try not to rub it in!  :o)  For more pictures, click below.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Pirate Treasure Chest Cake


This is the second cake of this type I have made... the first one I made was for my oldest son  a few years ago.  This one is about twice the size, but came together well for me, after having practiced it that first time.  These are a little tricky to make, considering the top of the cake sits at an upward angle to make it appear that the chest is open slightly, click below to read how I did it.

Sodor Island Cake


This cake was made by placing two 11"x15" sheet cakes side by side, then carving it into the general shape of Sodor Island.  I carved them at an angle so the sides would look like gently sloped beaches.  I frosted the sides and areas under the lighthouses with sand-colored icing, then added the blue icing around the island, I pulled up on it with a spatula to make it look like water and waves.  I used some of the carved-off cake to build up hill sides on top of the cake.  The rest of the island was covered in green icing using the grass-tip.  The train track was piped on using the smooth side of a small basket-weave tip and brown icing, and a tip #3 and black icing.  The lighthouses, round house, castle, windmill, trains and helicopter were all hand-sculpted from marshmallow fondant.  The trains were about 1-inch in length.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Muscular Arm with weight

The arm portion was carved from a 2-layer 14-inch round.  It is almost 5 inches tall at the tallest point near the shoulder.  The weight is a single layer 6-inch round.  They are both frosted in buttercream and covered in MMF.    The cakes are placed on a 16 inch cake board, to give you an idea of overall size.  Happy 30th Birthday!

Monday, January 3, 2011

LIttle Mermaid Cake and cupcakes


This was so much fun... a handmade fondant Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian on top of a 6 inch round cake frosted and decorated in buttercream icing (pink... the birthday girl's favorite color!), with 36 cupcakes frosted in blue buttercream and each topped with a fondant seashell.  The cupcakes are arranged on a stand that has been sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs to look like sand.  Happy Birthday Madeline!

My Icing Recipes

Buttercream Icing

1 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup shortening
2 tsp vanilla (use clear vanilla for whiter icing)
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

Thoroughly mix butter, shortening and vanilla on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl often. Stop mixer and add sugar 1-2 cups at a time mixing thoroughly on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl often. Add the milk with the last bit of sugar and mix well on low speed.

Makes 6 cups of icing

**NOTES**
1) Use a stand mixer... this icing is very thick and will break a handheld mixer (trust me, I know!)
2) You may add 1 to 2 tsp light corn syrup per cup of icing to thin it for frosting a cake. You may find this is not always necessary.
3) I recommend Wilton brand icing colors. They will not thin the icing like liquid food colors will.
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Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup (one stick) softened unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk

Makes 3 cups of icing.

Add butter and cocoa to stand mixer and blend well on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl often. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix well on low speed until it is fluffy and well blended (about 3 minutes). Add more milk, 1 Tbsp at a time if it is too thick, add more sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time if it is too thin.
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Marshmallow Fondant

10 ounce bag of mini marshmallows (not Jet Puffed--- they tend to shrink back)

1 Tbsp water

*Approximately 5 cups of powdered sugar

Shortening


Makes enough to cover and decorate an 8-inch round cake.

Prepare a large area on your counter for kneading the fondant by thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing it, then grease the area with shortening and add a layer of powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Then pour about 4 to 5 cups of powdered sugar on the counter in a pile, make a shallow well in the pile. Mix the fondant as follows.

Add mini marshmallows and water to a large glass microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir well, mixture should be soupy. Add desired icing color at this time (it can be kneaded in later, but it is easier to do it now). Stir in about 1 cup powdered sugar. Pour the mixture into the well of sugar on the counter. Gently knead in the sugar until the fondant is soft, pliable, but not sticky or dry. You may not use all the sugar in the pile...stop mixing when the fondant is the correct consistency (no longer sticky, but not dry). Wrap the fondant tightly in plastic wrap and/or place in a ziplock bag to prevent it from drying out until you are ready to use it. Be sure to wrap it and bag it well so it doesn't take on any flavors or odors from food in the fridge. I recommend refrigerating it at least overnight prior to using it. This allows it to settle and cool thoroughly. Allow it to return to room temperature before continuing. When ready to use the fondant, prepare your counter by greasing it with shortening and add a layer of powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Roll the fondant out to the correct size to cover the top and sides of your cake and about 1/8 inch thickness. Gently roll the fondant over your rolling pin and unroll over your cake. Smooth and stretch the fondant until the cake is well covered, being careful not to tear it with your fingernails. Work slowly... do not force it into place. Smooth smooth smooth it with greased hands or a fondant smoother. Trim the excess fondant from the bottom of the cake with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. To decorate your fondant covered cake with fondant decorations, simply "glue" them to the cake using a tiny bit of water. You may also decorate a fondant covered cake with buttercream icing borders, dots, writing, etc...

*NOTES*1) You may want to grease your hands and remove your rings before knead or working with fondant.
2) If you get air bubbles in the fondant, simply prick them with a pin and smooth the hole with a greased finger.
3) Remove excess powdered sugar from the fondant cake by brushing with a pastry brush.
4) To achieve an even sheen all over the cake, smooth a tiny bit of shortening all over the fondant.
5) When trimming the excess fondant from the bottom of the cake, be careful not to trim too closely to the cake, sometimes the fondant will shrink back leaving a gap showing.
6)I typically buy 2 bags of marshmallows and 1 2-lb bag of powdered sugar. Most of the time it is enough sugar to make 2 batches of fondant, but if the weather is rainy or humid, it sometimes takes more sugar.
7)I have bought 1 bag of sugar and 1 1-lb box of sugar... but the boxed sugar seems hard and full of lumps, whereas I rarely have that problem with the bagged variety.
8)I don't take the time to sift my sugar and usually have no problems with lumps... if you have the time and desire, by all means, sift the sugar before you use it. :)

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True Black Marshmallow Fondant

1 10-ounce bag mini marshmallows
3 Tablespoons water
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 to 2 teaspoons black gel coloring
1 2-lb bag confectioners sugar

Add marshmallows and water to a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on High for 1 minute, then stir well and microwave 1 additional minute. Marshmallows will be HOT when you remove them from the microwave (keep an eye on them as they cook the final few seconds as they puff up and may spill over!). Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Add Black icing color and stir until it is truly black through and through. Add 1 cup or so of confectioners sugar and stir. Add more sugar and stir then knead until you reach the right texture (no longer sticky, but not dry... it should still be soft). Allow to cool before covering a cake. Store tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and in an air-tight container for up to 1 month. PLEASE NOTE: the original recipe called for 1 lb. of sugar... it took me about 1 lb. plus 1 cup.... it will NOT take 2 full pounds of sugar, just add it and knead it in until you reach the right texture.

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White modeling chocolate:

12 ounces white chocolate almond bark (or a bag of white candy melts)

2 Tbsp corn syrup

*Melt white chocolate in microwave in a glass bowl, stir until smooth. Add corn syrup and stir (it will thicken quickly). Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp or in the fridge until cool. Remove from plastic wrap and knead thoroughly. You can use cornstarch if it sticks to your surface, but I kneaded it on a non-stick plastic cutting board and did not have any trouble with sticking.

Chocolate modeling chocolate:

1 bag light cocoa candy melts (milk chocolate)

1/3 cup corn syrup

*Melt cocoa melts in microwave in a glass bowl. Stir until smooth. Add corn syrup and stir (it will thicken quickly). Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp or in the fridge until cool. Remove from plastic wrap and knead thoroughly. You can use cocoa powder if it sticks to your surface, but I kneaded it on a non-stick plastic cutting board and did not have any trouble with sticking.

*Store wrapped in plastic wrap or in a Ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Dried sculptures can be stored at room temperature for several months. Tastes sort of like Tootsie Rolls (similar consistency, too).

Note: do not use chocolate chips.. you have to really watch the temperature if you do, and not let it get over 100°. I prefer this method b/c it is easier.



My Favorite Baking and Decorating Hints!

I have collected hints and tips from all over the web and some have been so helpful to me, saving time and money... here are a few of my favorites:

My cake batter amounts and number of servings for 2-inch deep pans:
(cups of batter are per layer, and servings are based on a 2-layer cake, except for sheet cakes... sheet cake servings are based on 1-layer):

6-inch round = 2 cups batter, up to 12 servings
8-inch round = 3 1/2 cups batter, up to 24 servings
10-inch round = 6 cups batter, up to 28 servings
12-inch round = 7.5 cups batter, up to 40 servings
14-inch round = 10 cups batter, up to 63 servings
8-inch square = 4.5 cups batter, up to 24 servings
12-inch square = 11 cups batter, up to 48 servings
9-inch by 13-inch sheet = 8 cups batter, up to 24 servings
11-inch by 15-inch sheet = 12 cups batter, up to 35 servings


BAKING PERFECT 2-INCH (OR 3-INCH) DEEP CAKE LAYERS
I make sure my cake pans are filled 2/3 full before baking. I typically use a flower nail in the center of 8, 9 and 10 inch pans for heat distribution during baking. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and, using a clean oven mitt, gently press down on the "hump" that rises up in the center. Keep gently pressing until the cake is level. This method gives you a full pan of cake, with none wasted by having to cut off the hump to level it.

Achieving Smooth Buttercream on your cake
Use a Turntable when icing your cakes. It makes the process of smoothing the sides and top so much quicker and easier! I use a simple lazy-susan, although there are many professional cake decorating turntables available.

I usually apply my frosting using a large decorating bag and an icing tip (the BIG one by Wilton). I then use an angled spatula to smooth the icing as much as possible. Allow the icing to set, or crust over for 20 minutes or more. Then use a small piece of wax paper and a fondant roller (the small wooden one with a handle) to smooth over the cake, very, very gently. This helps hide lines from the spatula and give the cake a super smooth and shiny finish.

You can never have too much no-slip shelf liner!
I use no-slip shelf liner (the rubbery kind) on my turntable under the cake as I work, as well as in the box, under the cake for delivery, and under the box in the car to keep the cake from sliding around. It is a definite must-have!! I buy it in rolls at the Dollar Tree.

A great way to cut perfect individual size circles from a sheet cake is to use a round, deeply serrated cabbage chopper! This is how I cut the circles to stack and build the silo on the barn yard cake. It cuts perfect 3-inch circles... all you do is twist it gently back and forth while pushing it down into the cake. This would be a great way to make individual-sized cakes from a sheet cake!

A new way to cover a cake board, well, new to me, and one I hope to use again and again is shown on the Pig and Cow Print Cake. I covered a square board with bandana I purchased for $1 at Wal-mart. I stapled the bandana to the back of the board, then covered it with cellophane to keep the icing from staining the fabric (taping the cellophane to the back of the baord). I purchased the clear cellophane at the Dollar Tree. I then cut a piece of wax paper the same size as the cake and taped it to the center of the board, so the cake rested on the wax paper and not the cellophane (because I was unsure if the cellophane is food-safe). I love the effect, and you could use any kind of paper or fabric under the cellophane to acheive this appearance!

MORE TO COME!
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