Modeling Chocolate

Start with 12oz of wilton candy melts in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 20 seconds intervals and stir the candy melts every 20 seconds until chocolate is melted and smooth. Take great care not to overcook the candy melts. They tend to burn easily if microwaved too long.

Add 1/4 cup of light corn syrup

Gently fold in the corn syrup until the chocolate tends to firm up and change texture. When the texture change occurs it is time to move your mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap. The modeling chocolate will need to rest for 12 hours before use. 

Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap and let it rest for 12 hours before using. The modeling chocolate will have to be kneaded in small batches prior to use. 

Once the modeling chocolate is kneaded it can be rolled out and used with gum paste cutters and for modeling!
Keep in mind that if your cake is going to be in a warm environment that modeling chocolate is probably not the best medium to use. It is not recommended for cakes that will be outdoors in the sun! 

Brush Embroidery and the First Attempt at Royal Icing

The magnolia trees are starting to bloom this time of year and this inspired me to try a technique called brush embroidery. The brush embroidery technique involves royal icing that is piped, and smeared with a paintbrush creating a delicate textured petal shape. 

I'm not accustomed to working with royal icing. It has always looked so involved... and complicated. 

Royal icing intimidates me. I have never used meringue powder and the idea of powder sugar all over my kitchen seemed liked a cleaning nightmare. I have even avoided royal icing when past projects have called for it. 

Today I was brave...I looked up that recipe for royal icing! The royal icing wasn't that messy or difficult to make. The thing that I found challenging was adjusting the consistency. I had to learn the difference between piping consistency and  flooding consistency. I will definitely have to build my skills with royal icing and also the brush embroidery technique. There is so much that you can do with royal icing. I can't wait to try royal icing transfers and gingerbread house accents! 

For this project you will need:

  

Shortbread Dough
Flower shaped cookie cutter
Royal Icing that is fairly thick and able to be piped with a piping bag
Small paint brush

Yum! Shortbread! - first cut out your cookies, bake then and let them cool!

Next Pipe around a petal

Use a paint brush that is slightly damp with water to drag the icing to the center of the cookie. 

Repeat the process for the inside petals. 

Let the cookie dry a bit and then add a dot for the center of the flower.

My finished first attempt at royal icing and  brush embroidery!  

Paint by Numbers, The Giant Shortbread Cookie, and Buttercream Transfers.

When I was little I had a color by number activity that I loved! Color by numbers is a great activity for children. Color by number teaches children their numbers and colors as well as introduces art into their lives! I had so many coloring books growing up. I also had the big box of Crayola crayons as well... you know the one with the pencil sharpener built into the back!! 

What does color by numbers have to do with cakes or more specifically giant shortbread cookies??? Well... I have seen tutorials on buttercream transfers and the tutorials say to start with a outlined image like the ones you find in coloring books. I did a Google coloring book search and found http://coloritbynumbers.com/online/book/flowers. Color by it by numbers is a great website for children and parents. I decided to try the the buttercream transfer method with a flower image from the site. In the buttercream transfer method you trace an image with butter cream on top of wax paper that is placed over the image to be traced. When the traced image is completed then then it is frozen, and later placed on top of a cake or cookie cake. 

I have a love for shortbread! I decided that I would make a giant shortbread cookie! I have never made shortbread and it was a learning experience. A learning experience that payed off big time! The shortbread was delicious!!! I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com

*The water lilly image rights belong to color it by numbers, a great website! I did not draw this water lilly myself and the cookie that I made has since been consumed by my family! It was delicious!

Buttercream Transfer method on Shortbread Cookie Tutorial in Photographs: 

For the Buttercream Transfer you will need:

Crusting Buttercream

Wilton gel colors

Piping Bags

Wilton small writing tip and coupler
Giant Cookie to frost
A Coloring book image
Cookie Sheet
Wax Paper
*room in your freezer

To make black frosting use chocolate frosting and black gel food color.

I used the wilton tip on my black icing bag only and just sniped a very small opening in the ends of my other piping bags. I want the black outline to be very crisp and precise. The colors do not have to be as precise as you are filling in your outline,

First pipe the black outline of your image.

When your image outline is complete put the whole cookie sheet in the freezer while you prepare your next icing color or about 5 mins. 

Next fill in your design with colored frosting and freeze for five mins between each color application .

When you are finished put the whole thing in the freezer and let sit until frozen through. This will depend on the thickness of the buttercream. I let mine chill out in the freezer overnight. 

Next I baked and frosted my giant shortbread cookie in a tart pan. When it was good and cooled I frosted it blue and applied my buttercream transfer exposed buttercream side down and then peeled the was paper from the top! 

This is the finished giant shortbread cookie! 

Blue Birdie Silhouette Cake

Practice and patience pays off! I present to you the hand painted blue bird silhouette cake:

Mini-cakes fresh from the oven!

Leveling and Torting the cake

Filling - "FOR INCREDIBLE DESSERTS!"