Baking Project

Today I was a bit free and decided to try the cake stencils I bought. This is my first time trying to decorate a fondant cake with stencils.. well, I must say I’m not so lucky. You’ll see why, later. First thing to remember when buying a cake stencil is ensure the size of the stencil fits the size of the cake. In our case, Malaysian cakes are usually around 3 inch in height. So, the size of the stencil must be the same, or you could cut the bottom to fit the side of the cake. Like the flower scroll stencil on the right, below. (but make sure the line is straight )

First, I tried using the stencil with royal icing. I taped the side of the stencil so it wouldn’t move. You could also try to glue it with some royal icing, but I doubt if it will be strong enough.

Then, take a scrapper and spread the royal icing evenly over the stencil.

Here is where I made a mistake. I guess you have to scrap it in one way and ensure the stencil is wrap tightly against the side of the cake. My royal icing sort of bleed and went under the stencil . This is how it turns out (sigh .. )

There’s a big blob of icing (which looks like a leaf, actually ).. the rest turn out ok. I like the whole design, the royal icing I put on is a bit thick and you can see the thickness of it. Reminds me of touching a velvet cushion. I will surely use royal icing again, hopefully with practice it will come out perfect.

Next, I tried using my colour spray on the stencils. This is a bit easier. Be sure to cover other areas of the cake, or else you will get sprays on them, too.

And the results -

As you can see, some colours do seep underneath the covering, but I think this can be corrected with practice.

Lastly, I experiment using my luster dust to brush on top of the stencil.

And the design came out beautiful (in my eyes).

Just be careful to brush on only the minimum amount of dust required, so as not to smudge the cake.

I bought the stencils online from UK. For those of you who asked, these are the sites that I normally get my supplies :

http://www.duskyroseveiners.co.uk/

http://www.sugarshack.co.uk/index.html

http://www.celcakes.co.uk/Home.htm

http://www.surbitonart.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.squires-shop.com/ibf/index.php?p=home

http://www.design-a-cake.co.uk/

Thanks for reading, and do share with me if you have other techniques on using the stencils.

I’m sure most of you have heard the term “steam buttercream”. Everyone seems to be talking about it, now. I’m not a fan of buttercream, obviously I’m more into fondant. But curiosity kills the cat, I attended a class to see what the hype was all about. Seriously, I think the word “steam” is quite misleading. More appropriate would be sort of, “melted or poured buttercream”. Here are some pictures using the “steam buttercream” technique.

First you have to make sure all the cake edges are not sharp. So, we need to trim and make it slightly curvy. This will allow the buttercream to flow down smoothly.

For the buttercream, you could use any recipe. But avoid any meringue or egg based recipe, and also whip cream. It is best to prepare more than needed, coz you need a lot to ensure it covers all sides of the cake. Boil some water in a huge wok. Put the buttercream in a plastic container (not steel as it would be too hot). I don’t like the idea of putting the very thin plastic into hot boiling water, any other altenative, anyone ? Anyway, hold the cointainer above the water, and dip the bottom a few times into the water. All the while, you need to stir the buttercream. Keep stirring until the buttercream is softened to a pouring consistency. It would take probably about 3 minutes. But to a person who doesn’t exercise like me, my hands started cramping after a few seconds of the constant stirring .. Never allow the buttercream to get too hot, if it starts getting oily, remove from heat and mix well again.

Place the cake on top of a wire in a big tray (see the picture above). Now you have to be quick. Start pouring on the edges. Then pour all the balance in the middle on top of the cake. Immediately after this, you have to shake, shake, shake the cake (kasi gegar same dia..). Then all the buttercream will flow down. Never tilt the cake. The pouring technique needs practice, as you can see below, not all of the cake surface is covered and the top is not so smooth.

Just leave the cake for a few minutes and the buttercream will hardened. You are left with a beautiful smooth finish. You could actually patch any uncovered area using a spatula, as usual. But try not to touch the top of the cake or you’ll ruined the smooth buttercream. The cake is ready to be decorated in any way you like.

The balance of the buttercream can be kept in the fridge and recycled. But make sure any cake crumbs are removed first. I like this technique, but first I have to ensure I have a maid, who will do the cleaning up ! Good luck to you.