Archive | July, 2008

Update, My Online Cake Decorating Video Classes are Coming Soon and Other Info

30 Jul

Hi everyone,

I thought I would give you an update on whats been going on in my world. Some of may already know but back in April my house flooded because my dishwasher went a little wacko and the valve stuck causing the dishwasher to continually refill, with the water pouring out the front bottom for approx. 7 hrs. I came home to my own personal river flowing through my house. I had no idea what would lie ahead for me and my family. We were told we should call one of those companies that does water cleanup they came out and began pulling out carpeting and setting up fans and many pieces of drying equipment. We ended up having to stay in a hotel for 8 days. Once back home we have been going through the process of having our home remodeled. The kitchen which has become the most important room in the house for me as I am sure many of you can understand why. My cabinets were removed along with the flooring due to the water damage, so I have been having a heck of a time doing my cake decorating out of a box for the past few months. I finally got new carpeting thru-out the house about a month ago and this made me feel soo much better, but in my mind I’m thinking that is nice but I NEED my kitchen back!!!  This little flood really has me thinking about all of those who have lost EVERYTHING in a flood and my heart goes out to them, I cannot imagine having to go through such a nightmare and I must say my situation does not even begin to compare to what most people have to endure. May God help them all!!! Finally 2 weeks ago the flooring in the kitchen was completed, I was doing the happy dance cause this meant we were on our way to a complete kitchen.  After the longest weekend ever, since the flooring was laid the contractor showed up ready to install cabinets on that Monday morning I have to say the sound of his drill became music to my ears if you know what I mean, I was soo ready to give him a huge hug! After 2 long weeks of one issue after another I am so happy to say I have a fully operational kitchen again finally after almost 4 months. It has been such a long road and I am the happiest person in the world right now. I sat in the kitchen today and imagined baking and decorating in it omg, it is sooo pretty and I am SOO grateful for my new kitchen. There are still some minor things that need to be completed but I can bake and decorate and this makes me sooo happy.

I remember thinking back when this first happened, Why me? It did not occur to me at that time but after talking with my mother who had been referring to this situation all along as a positive experience which left me thinking yeah, positive for you cause its not happening to you! I have begun to realize that sometimes bad things happen so that good can come out of it afor us nd in this situation it really did. Insurance ended up covering all the expenses that we have incurred as a result of the flood. And I now have new carpeting and a totally new kitchen along with MANY blessings along the way during the process. I must say that the number one factor that has been emphasized throughout this entire process was PATIENCE!

Now onto to the important details!!!! While all the work was going on in my house it gave me the opportunity to begin the job of constructing the website that I told you all that I was thinking of doing with the online video classes. I was blown away by all the feedback I have received from all of you, as well as those who found my post while searching up the wilton classes online.  So I decided to move forward with my idea and get this thing rolling because everyone wants it done NOW!!! Things are moving right along, however it is alot of work but its getting there. I have been asked by many where they can find my video classes, I promise they are coming I have been taping some really awesome segments and some of which many of you have asked to see. So hang in there with me I along with my son and mother are all working as quickly as we can to get this site up and running. Don’t worry you will be the first ones I annouce it to since you all have been the ones to stand beside me all along and working with me to make it happen by providing your feedback, ideas, tips and so on. I am working night and day now to get this site up and running along with countless hours of taping of a variety of cake decorating how to’s. If you ever have any suggestions for the website that I’m working on please feel free to email me any time I really value the input and feedback I recieve from each and every one of you. I have received some great ideas from you all and will be implementing alot of them into the new website. 

I have told some of you already but I will say it again, if you are ever in the columbus, Ohio let me know. I love getting the opportunity to meet you and spend the day talking about cake decorating as well as exchanging ideas. I am going to close for now, but I want you all to know that you made our first giveaway a big success, and there will be more in the future. Ohh and another little secret, we are going to have giveaways weekly on the new website so be prepared to recieve!!!! Ok guys I will speak with you soon, until then Happy Creating.

Donna

And the Winners to my Wilton Yearbook Giveaway Are!!!

29 Jul

Cherie and Connie congratulations to you both you are the winners of the 2009 Wilton Yearbook Giveaway. I will be emailing you both to get your shipping info so I can get your books out to you. I am so exicted that we have concluded our very first giveaway here at Designer Cakes By Donna. I want to thank all of those who replied with your comments, they are very important to me. The question that I asked you all to reply to is not just a random question. I am really interested in knowing what you are wanting to learn so that I can take the time to address the different topics as well as add them to my to do list for upcoming videos. Some of which will be free, as well as some which will be for sale on my upcoming online class website that is in the works. My upcoming website will have something for everybody in cake decorating, not just the advanced decorator but the beginner as well.  I am going to give an update on my next post so please see that for further info on my website and what is going on in my world.

I want you all to know we are going to make giveaways a regular part of my blog.  I love to bless others so that is why I am making giveaways a regualr part of my blog. I know how awesome it feels to receive but it feels just as great to give. So make sure to check in with me often to be a part of the giving!!

I am working on a post for later in the week to get your feedback as to what kinds of things you would like to see me giveaway during our giveaways here as well as on my upcoming website. I really appreciate all of your comments and feedback so very much. I want the new website to be tailored towards helping all of you since you are my cake buddies. Well thats all for now, you all have a very blessed week, and Happy Creating!!!

Donna

Free Giveaway, Enter for a chance to Win A Wilton 2009 Yearbook

21 Jul

2009 Wilton Yearbook
2009 Wilton Yearbook

Ok all my fellow Cake Buddies I am soo excited to tell you that we are having our very first free giveaway here at Designer Cakes by Donna. I thought I would give all my faithful readers a chance to win your very own copy of the new 2009 Wilton Yearbook which is full of all kinds of great cake decorating ideas, you will love it. The cover is so cute and is just the beginning of all kinds of cake decorating fun.

This newest yearbook has over 200 all-new designs for party cakes, cupcakes, cookies, candy and more!  Ideas to please everyone, including an expanded wedding and shower cake section, birthday cakes for all ages, favorite character treats and holiday desserts. Complete product section, step by step instructions and a website link to more designs.

This giveaway will end on July 28, 2008

Two winners will be selected.

To enter you must post a comment saying one thing you would like to learn in cake decorating, such as working with fondant, making sculptured cakes, how to ice a cake, and so on whatever it is. Post this giveaway on your blog or website, linking back to this post and you will be entered into the giveaway twice.

The (2) winners will be drawn with a random number generator. The winner will be posted on my front page on July 29th. I will also be contacting the winners via email.

I must have your email address so that I can contact you and get your shipping details.

 

Donna

Why are my cakes always dry? Is this something you ask yourself?

17 Jul

I know through out the years when watching my mom bake a cake I always asked her,  Mom how do you know when the cake is done? She would always pull out the little trusty toothpick and stick it in the middle of the cake and tell me when the tooth pick is clean that means the cake is finished baking. Well moms are always right, right. So that is how I baked my cakes over the years while my 2 sons were growing up. There were times that my cakes were drier than the clothes I had on my back. I always blamed it on that old oven I had, because you know I was doing it the way mom always did.

Over the past year while making up different cake recipes for my cake decorating business I became very conscience of my cakes being dry, and this was something I had to get to the bottom of. I would just get myself all worked up trying to get my cakes moist and I would try different things. One day I had to leave to take my son to band practice and I had a cake in the oven, It seemed as though it was taking forever in a day to bake, I checked it with a toothpick and there were still some cake crumbs on it but I said to myself oh well I will just have to deal with it I have to go and I don’t have them time to leave it in the oven any longer. Lo and behold this cake was one of the most moist cakes I had ever baked. After much thought, I began thinking maybe I had been over cooking the cakes this entire time by waiting for the toothpick to come out  clean when checking the cake. So I now take all my cakes out of the oven just when there are a few cake crumbs still showing on the trusty toothpick and let me tell you it seems to work perfect each time. The cakes never come out dry anymore. I let the cake cool in the pan on the stove after I take it out of the oven for approx. 20 mins and then put it on a cooling rack to finish cooling before I begin to ice the cake. I get compliments about how moist my cake are now and its a great feeling, there is nothing worse than a dry cake. So the next time you bake a cake try taking it out of the oven when your toothpick is still showing a few cake crunbs and see how it turns out.

Happy Baking!

Donna

Your emails and questions!!!

17 Jul

Hello to all my cake friends out there, I just wanted to speak with you all for just a moment!! I want you all to know I really enjoy getting to know you via your different emails you send me and I love answering your questions so don’t ever feel that you are bothering me at all. I was once a new cake decorator and I soooo understand how it feels to be so confused or now know what to do next. You are the reason I do this blog!! I know when I first started I looked everywhere for answers to my questions and different issues I was having and it was awful trying to find the correct info. So that is why I do this blog so that at least you can come here and find answers to some of your questions or maybe just to get an idea for that next cake project you have coming up. So please do not hesitate to email me, I try to get back with you within 24 hrs or even sooner if I can. If there is something you are wanting to learn to do, just let me know and I will do my best to cover it on here for you. I want your cake decorating experiences to be simple so that you can learn and then you will be able to help others along the way. You all have a fabulous week!!

Donna

Making your fondant look shiny

17 Jul

While talking with other cake decorators about getting a fondant cake to look shiny, we were all throwing out different ideas we had tried, like using a paint brush to put a very small amount of water all over the covered cake would give it a nice shine. There were others who talked about using different luster dusts to get a shiny appearance on a cake or particular object. Then I brought up what I had recently tried that worked very well and many thought I was a little crazy, but I have been using the spray pam and it works like a charm. I have used the name brand spray, and I have used my local stores brand and they both worked equally well, the nice thing is I used the butter flavored ones and they seemed to soak into the fondant very nicely and left a beautiful shine. I did not discover this great thing on purpose. I had a cake on the counter that was covered in fondant, and I was spraying a empty baking pan to get ready for baking a cake, and noticed the over spray got on my cake, I was very surprised to see how cool it looked, so I sprayed the entire cake to see what would happen. I thought I would let all my cake friends in on this cool little technique that I am sure will have the need to make their cake or object shiny in the future.

 

Baby Shower Cake Girls Baby Dress

14 Jul

 

Baby Shower Girls Dress Cake

My sisters baby shower was this past weekend and I did the cake, she has 3 boys and has been wanting a girl so bad, and she finally has one on the way, yeahhh. I was so excited to do a pink themed baby shower cake for her. I decided to do a pink dress on the cake with some little sandals that I hand made with gumpaste. I started with an 11 X 15 sheet cake iced in buttercream and them covered with white fondant. To make the dress with fondant I made a template out of paper first and laid it out on the cake. I then used the template to cut out the different pieces I would need to construct the dress. This was a very simple cake to make, and I can think of many other designs that could be done the same way maybe with a onesie, a t- shirt and pants or shorts, myabe even a ruffled up baby blanket laying across the cake. Thats what I love about fondant you can do soooo many things with it that just are not possible with buttercream.

Oh and the baby sandals were just soo cute, I used a little punch kit I got from Wilton that has a butterfly, a flower and a few other little designs with it. I punched out 4 little butterflies and folded then in half then placed them on the sandals to create the look of the butterfly flying I used an edible maker to make small dashes gong from the butterflies. The great thing about making shoes and other things from gumpaste is that you can save them as long as they do not get wet.

Gumpaste Baby Sandals

I made a video on how to make these baby sandals and I will be posting it as soon as the editing is done so be sure to watch for it.

My Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

1 Jul

Here is my Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

(Let me tell ya, its very tasty)

This recipe should yield approx. 3lbs

 

 

 1 bag of small white marshmallows (the bag is equal to 10.5 oz or 297g)


2 tb water


2 lb bag of Powdered sugar or Confectioners sugar (Which is equal to approx. 8 Cups)


1 tsp of flavoring of your choice, I use vanilla and sometimes almond flavors

 

1/3 cup of shortening

 

Approx 1 cup of shortening to prepare your work surface and cover your utensils and hands.

 

 Melt the marshmallows and the water in a pan (make sure you constantly stir, you don’t want it to burn. I cover all utensils that I use with shortening before I start so that it is easier to get the marshmallow off when you clean them).  You can also heat in the microwave if you would like however I think it is easier on the stove.

 

Heat and stir until all the marshmallows are melted.

 

I scrub down a space on my countertop, then place a basic sandwich baggie on your hand, use that hand to rub shortening all over the countertop space that you will be using.

 

Pour half of the sugar in the center of your work space. Make a well (hole) in the middle. Pour the melted marshmallow in and begin to mix with your hands. Be careful it will be hot!!!!  (I always cover my hands with shortening so that the mixture will not stick while you are kneading). As you are kneading, the mixture will become sticky, this is when you will add the shortening to the mixture little by little as needed. Don’t worry if you do not use all the shortening that the recipe calls for it is just to get rid of the stickiness as you go.

 

Add remaining sugar and continue kneading by hand, it will seem like a lot of work but it will be worth it in the end. Knead it until it is soft and pliable. 

 

Additional Tips

 Make sure your wrap the fondant in saran wrap very tightly, I also place it in a ziploc baggie as well.

You will need to put the fondant in the fridge for at least 3 hrs to allow it time to setup then use without any problems.

Please note that if left in the fridge for along time it can become way to hard to deal with.

If the fondant is too hard when you go to work with it, you can be put it in the microwave for five to ten seconds (start off with 5) and it will soften right up for you. I store my marshmallow fondant in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

If you notice that it is a little dry or is cracking you can always just add some shortening to it and it should become more pliable for you.

 

Donna’s Tip —— When I work with fondant or Gum Paste I always have a small container of shortening available so that if my fondant or gum paste gets dry I can just add a little shortening to it and it takes care of the dryness. The weather can have an affect on fondant especially in areas that have high humidity.

Happy Kneading!!

Donna

 

 

Cookies make a great Baby Shower Favor and are Easy to make at Home

1 Jul

By Donna Lane

 

Sugar Cookies are always a great idea to make for an upcoming Baby Shower. The cookies I did were made with a onesie cookie cutter. They are very easy to make and can be decorated to match any theme and color. You can cover your cookies with icing, fondant or even sprinkle them with powdered sugar, the cookies I created were covered in a marshmallow fondant that I make myself. A very easy way to cut out your fondant is to use the same cookie cutter that you used to cut the cookies out. Use a paintbrush to put a very small amount of water on the back side of your fondant before laying on the cookie this will help it to stick. The next thing I used to add the details was royal icing. I put it in a decorators bag and used a wilton tip number 2 to outline the cookie and add different details. After my cookies set up and dried I dusted them with some luster dust just to add a little shine. Once all finished put them into a  clear cellophane bag and tie them with some ribbon, you could even add a little tag that you can make on your computer with a message that says Celebrating the arrival of a new baby girl, boy or even the name that the parents may have already picked out. There are many little ways that you can add details to your baby shower favors. 

If you have any question regarding my cookies or need further help, feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Happy Creating!

Donna

You can find my recipes that I use for the cookies, fondant,  etc. in the recipe section here on my site.

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