The word that cake decorators hate the most...

Well, I guess hate is a pretty strong word... how about really dislike... the word is CONGRATULATIONS. Why do I not like this word? It is because it has 15 letters to write, cut out, press out, mold, or whatever, and then try to get the placement just right.  And that takes a lot of time. Combine it with "Congratulations on your Retirement" and then it's really fun. 

Look at all of the wording on this cake!

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong that can go wrong? Well, I had one of those days last Saturday... what was supposed to be an easy cake turned into a nightmare. I had designed a cake similar to this before that turned out perfect. First of all, my edible ink printer quit working and so I needed to repair it to get it working properly. I didn't get it working in time, so had to cut out emblems and everything by hand. I could have used my Zing electronic cutter, but didn't think I'd have time for that either. Then I tried combining two different kinds of fondant to make a camo background for the cake, and the different color pieces split when I decided to cover the cake with it... what? Oh, by the way, I found a new fondant that I love to work with. Dream Fondant by Choco-pan is wonderful to roll out and cover your cakes without any tearing or "elephant skin." So then, because I spent too much time trying to fix the printer, I didn't have time to cut out the letters for the cake, so did the writing in free-hand cursive. Granted, my cake writing is pretty good, but this particular cake would have looked better with a different type of lettering. I ended up giving the customer a discount and told her that it wasn't my best work. It looked like an amateur's cake, and I AM NOT AN AMATEUR, I AM A PROFESSIONAL. At least I knew the cake would taste great.  Ok, I will now get off my soapbox...

This is how the cake should have looked. 

So, I learned several lessons - yes, I'm still learning - from this whole experience. #1 - always print out my images the night before, in case the printer needs servicing. #2 - prepare the lettering ahead of time, so you are not trying to get it done the last minute. #3 - Don't combine different kinds of fondant when making a camo background for an Army cake. 

I got online on Saturday night and ordered some tools to make my cake decorating life a little easier... Marvelous Molds has come out with a new line of molds called Flexabets. I had some of these already, but the one I really needed and ordered was "Congratulations." The Flexabets are a bit tricky to learn how to use correctly, but when you do, will save you a lot of time. 

The other thing I ordered was a steamer to clean my edible ink printer print head when it gets clogged. I ordered this from Icing Images. I love the quality products that I get from Icing Images. Hopefully, this will make maintaining my printer a little easier and quicker. 

And no, I did not take a picture of the cake that I was not happy with... didn't want any of those memories. 

Off we go into the wild blue yonder...

It's that time again... USAFA graduation time. I think this year there were 990 + cadets that graduated and became 2nd Lieutenants in the United State Air Force. A proud time indeed for the graduates and their families. I have only had the privilege and opportunity once to attend an Air Force Academy graduation, and it was amazing! Of course, my favorite part was the hat toss at the end and then watching the Thunderbirds fly over. Last year because of budget cuts, they cut the flyover... very disappointing. I was glad to see that this year they were back! Residing here in Colorado Springs, I always end up designing several AF cakes throughout the year for promotions and retirements, but at this time of year, I especially enjoy designing cakes for the new 2nd Lieutenants. When I originally started designing these cakes, everything was done with patterns pressed into the icing and filled with buttercream. The details became so much more precise and clean when I got my Cricut Electric cutter. But now... oh my gosh... with my new Zing electric cutter, I can cut out so much better details, especially with the lettering, than I ever have before. Thank you Klik-n-Kut for a great piece of equipment! And congratulations to all of the 2014 USAFA graduates!

One of the first AF seal cakes that I designed-all in buttercream... not bad, but not as precise and clean as this..

I use Tappits to cut out the letters outside of the seal.

Again, before cutter-nice, but not as precise as this...

One more... AF bars in buttercream...

AF bars in gumpaste with cutter

My Zing cutter makes it all possible. I LOVE my Zing!

Some of my other favorite AF cakes...

AF flag cake... one of my most popular retirement cakes

These are the planes he piloted... all edible images

USAFA Chapel for retiring chaplain

How's your penmanship?

Is your handwriting less than desirable? Do you stress out whenever you need to write on a cake? Here are some ideas that might help...

• Writing on paper and writing on a cake are not the same. You write differently for each. When using a decorating bag, you must use your entire arm, from the shoulder down, instead of  just moving your hand and wrist, as you would with writing on paper. 
• Make sure your icing is the proper consistency...not too stiff, but not too runny either.
• Measure or eyeball where your letters will be so you can space them evenly. Sometimes it's easier to work from the outside in, or from both ends of the lettering to the middle.
• Try using different fonts. Have your message printed out on a piece of paper just like you want it on the cake, so you can use it as a guide.
• Practice, practice, practice! Write your message several times on a practice board, if necessary, before writing on the cake. 
• Don't be afraid to scrape your lettering off with a small spatula and try again, if necessary. It's easier to do repair work on crusting buttercream or fondant.
• When your letters need to be exact, use some sort of letter cutters. I like to use "Tappits." They work best with a very stiff, slightly dry gumpaste or modeling chocolate, rolled out very thin. I love modeling chocolate. Recently, I cut out very small letters with my scrapbook letter punches using modeling chocolate rolled out very very thin. You can also use letter punches with icing sheets. (The modeling chocolate tastes much better, of course.)

Here are some examples of lettering, some done freehand, and others using letter cutters or punches. Remember, I have been decorating cakes for over 35 years and my first lettering on cakes did not look like what it does now. Practice, practice, practice!

"Department of the Air Force" on seal and capital letters on cake all done free hand.

All lettering done with Tappits except "United States of America" punched out with scrapbooking punch.

Air Force Seal-all parts except for lettering cut out with Cricut Cake. Border piped with royal icing.

Upper and lower case Tappits. Upper case set comes with strip cutter.

"Dept. of AF" and "USA" cut out of modeling chocolate. The rest cut out of gumpaste.

Scrapbook punches

 

Another font...upper and lower case funky letter Tappits

Click here for a You Tube video on using Tappits.

Graduation cakes for twin sisters...a little different font for each...all done free hand.

Don't let writing on cakes intimidate you. Just keep practicing and you'll eventually have beautiful writing on your cakes.

Graduation season

Graduation...always the start of my busy season with graduation, change of command, weddings, and birthdays. Here's the latest graduation cake for a graduate from the AF Academy. The AF seal is made from my homemade gumpaste  and cut out on my Cricut Cake. All lettering is freehand except for the "United States of America." That is cut out of an icing sheet, using a scrapbook punch. The letters are then attached to the gumpaste with just a tiny bit of water. If you use too much water, the letters will dissolve. Next on the agenda... change of command cake for Thursday, and 6 dozen cake pops for Saturday.

Air Force Flag cakes...labor of love

I had another order for one of my Air Force flag cakes that went out this morning. These cakes are a little more pricey for my customers...just because there is allot of work involved. It is a several days project whenever I decorate one of these cakes. First, I cut out all of the emblem pieces from gumpaste on my Cricut Cake. After they are all dry, I airbrush them, and again let the pieces dry. Once they are dry, I assemble all of the pieces together...it's kinda like a puzzle. I try to get these done a few days ahead of time. Two days before the cake needs to be ready, I mix up the Sugarveil, because the mixture has to set awhile before you can spread it out. That same day, I bake the cakes, so they can set overnight. The day I decorate, I make the fillings and icing, and then fill, ice, assemble, and decorate the cake...everything except the flag and emblems. Several hours before I'm ready to lay the flag and emblems on the cake, I spread the different colors of Sugarveil onto my silicone mats. This is the tricky part. The amount of time it takes for the Sugarveil to set depends on the weather conditions...how hot it is and mainly the humidity. So, usually it takes several hours, anywhere from 3-4 hours to overnight. You have to keep checking it because it has to be at the stage where it is set, but still pliable so you can work with it. If you let it set too long, it becomes brittle. So because I want the flag to drape nicely on the cake like a real fabric flag, I watch the Sugarveil very closely to make sure I catch it at the correct stage to cut and assemble the pieces. I recently purchased a new mini star scrapbooking punch, which is the perfect size for the stars I need. I cut out all of the pieces, and then assemble the flag. The pieces just stick to each other without adding anything special. I then position the flag on the cake, and put the emblems on top with a bit of icing. Each flag cake that I have done thus far, has something a bit different. This latest order had an oak leaf emblem that was half in gold and half silver, signifying the promotion from major to Lt. Col. So yes, the price is extra for the customer, but the the final product is a real showstopper!

How Awesome Is This!

When I got my new Cricut Cake machine, what I was really hoping to accomplish is to cut out some of my own patterns. Well, now I can do that...I purchased Make the Cut software which lets you cut out anything you want. You just import any pictures from your computer onto a virtual cutting mat, plug your computer into the Cricut Cake with a USB printer cable, and let the machine do the rest. It is truly amazing! Instead of creating my Air Force emblems from royal icing, I can now cut all the pieces out of gumpaste with the Cricut, airbrush them, and stick the pieces together with a little water. It still takes some time, but the design is so much more exact. I'm still experimenting with what food materials I can cut well...so far gumpaste is the best.

Gumpaste pieces layered and cut out

More pieces...

Look at how detailed some of the pieces are...

It's amazing how well it cuts out the tiny letters

Completed seal after airbrushing

and wing emblems...

Finished product with SugarVeil flag...chocolate with chocolate mousse and vanilla with raspberry mousse

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Chocolate cake with fudge filling