It has come to my attention that a great way to relieve stress and anxiety is to punch cake. How this exercise in baker’s therapy came to pass was that recently, a fellow cake decorator friend of mine named Liz … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Chocolate
I like to use parchment paper cones to decorate cakes with melted chocolate, buttercream frosting, or royal icing. The cones allow for more control and better rotation with the wrist to accomplish swirls and finer detail work up close on cakes. They are disposable … Continue reading
THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED VIEW THE FINALISTS AND VOTE HERE Rules of the contest 1. Any cake shape or design qualifies for this contest. Extra points will be awarded for originality! 2. All entries must include the use of at … Continue reading
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS EXPIRED Winner: Julie Freund Congrats, Julie! Thanks for buying my book, reviewing it on Amazon, and helping so much to spread the word. You rock! I hope you enjoy your new pans 🙂 I’m declaring June reader … Continue reading
In this industrialized world, most of us don’t know how this wonderful thing called chocolate is made. Here’s how it’s done, from rain forest to table. The Cocoa Tree The cocoa tree, or Theobroma Cacao, is a tropical evergreen native to … Continue reading
These cupcakes were made along with some other zoo animal designs for the birthday of an adorable one-year-old boy. Items Needed Filled cupcakes, frosted with vanilla buttercream Light blue modeling chocolate or fondant Round cutter, 1” (25 mm) diameter Rolled modeling … Continue reading
The yummiest kind of motorbike for ripping up single track is made of modeling chocolate. This motorcycle cake tutorial is for bakers who find themselves challenged by designs that involve two-wheel vehicles, i.e. bicycles, dirt bikes, scooters etc. Because the problem with … Continue reading
This 3D piano cake design involves minimal carving. The cake presentation involves a raised stand that is simple to build out of cardboard, dowels, tape and screws. It helps the cake look like a real piano. Baking and Carving the Piano Cake Begin with … Continue reading
The challenge of the creature cake involves striking a balance between realistic and yummy. Here, modeling chocolate combined with fondant makes piggish features possible while yumminess is conveyed in a chocolate buttercream mud puddle, splashes of dark chocolate glaze, truffles, malt balls, … Continue reading
Here is the truth: The American chocolate industry has developed and successfully marketed so many artificial brands of chocolate that the average U.S. consumer is hooked on cheap/fake chocolate, a.k.a. mockolate. The best way to avoid buying mockolate is to first understand … Continue reading
In 2010, I was filmed making a giant cake for one episode (season 2, episode 4) of a Discovery Network reality television show called Fabulous Cakes, now syndicated on TLC. I was under contract to NOT blog about the filming for … Continue reading
This alternative wedding cake is finished in rolled modeling chocolate and piped chocolate. It was for a couple whose reception took place in Balboa Park’s Japanese Friendship Gardens, which has a zen rock garden and koi pond full of plump, spotted fish. The groom asked … Continue reading
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to get my recipe for a rich, not-too-sweet dark chocolate glaze that pours and sets well. It maintains its shiny luster due to the inclusion of oil. Here are some photos of … Continue reading
Shell/coral/beach wedding cakes are wildly popular here in San Diego, California, where the weather is spectacular all year round. I’m getting bored with the same-old beach cake design so here is a technique for making shells look a little more … Continue reading
I made this 3D sculpted booty cake with camouflage boy shorts for a 24th birthday celebration. Here’s how I did it. How to Form Butt Cheeks for a Booty Cake To form a 3D booty cake, begin with two half-sphere cakes. I used 8-inch … Continue reading
The illusion of the hamburger cake or cheeseburger cake is that it causes people to salivate for a juicy grilled beef patty that turns out to be nutty chocolate cake. I used chocolate buttercream and modeling chocolate with a little fondant for … Continue reading