Blog

Why, YES! I do teach.

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:31:00 -0500

A lot of people have asked me if I teach classes. There is a movement out there to have Personal Chefs come to your home to teach a class on everything from French Cooking to Cake Decorating.

Thank GOODNESS, people still love to eat and they love to be creative. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE teaching...but I will be perfectly honest with you, I don't like going into people's homes because I am by myself and I don't like to put myself into any potentially dangerous situations, but I do have a location that I teach out of.

You can contact Kristina at Fiesta Cake in Hollywood, Florida for a schedule of classes and as soon as she has them posted on her Web Site I will post a link here.

I am going to share some photos of some classes that I have taught, so you can see how fun they are. I love teaching small groups because it's just so nice to share with others who are interested in sharing your passion.

Here are some photos of the cookie stenciling class we did close to last Valentine's Day. We had an 8 year old boy who's work was so excellent that for a minute I thought he was taking one of MY cookies! lol

Here are some photos of our cupcake class. The cupcake class was even more fun because the students were really creative!

Playing with Sugar!

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:59:00 -0500

I am so excited to share this new technique! Easy gems in the microwave? No way! YES WAY!!! On my weekend away I took this class with Kathy Scott and even though I was not able to buy the molds I was ( after many burns!!! OUCHIE!!!) able to make my gems and learn this technique that takes the cakes to another level.

Unfortunately, the weather in Miami doesn't cooperate as it's so hot and humid in the MIA...( insert sobs here.) I love the way the look as I am a "BLINGER" from waaaaaaaaaay back. lol

I can't wait to make a display cake for the ICES day of Sharing in PLANTATION taking place in March!

This was made using a 2 pc mold and adding the rainbow glitter to the purple gem.

And these are just the clear gems using the mold that was included in the starter mold box.

So, I finally decide to take the proverbial "BULL" by the horns and grab my bag of ISOMALT that's been gathering dust in one of my storage drawers since I got back from OCALA in October ( some time thereabouts) and decided that I am a big girl and need to stop getting intimidated by the process. I took 2 cups of the ISOMALT and 8 TABLESPOONS of hot water ( I heated the water in the microwave, and it saved me some clean up time at the end. I put the sugar encrusted PASTRY BRUSH and CANDY THERMOMETER into the warm/hot water and clean up was a breeze!)

I poured the clearn ISOMALT into the silicone cupcake shape I had gotten from WILTON and so hate them. (They don't make any papers to fit them...)

I have been using them to play with my hot sugar. I had left over from the Kathy Scott Kit in the blue and purple so I added more hot sugar and in about 30 minutes they set wonderfully. Enough that I can pop them out of the silicone molds and cool further.

I put a drop of orange color in the diamond shaped one, before it got to cool to stirl. My little silicone spoon was still coated with green sugar so I didn't want to mix the colors. When I get to use the Orange I will melt it and mix it better. So off to wrap my little beauties and let you guys guess what I"m going to be making with my sugar.

If you "PEEK" into the green plastic storage container you can get a hint...lol

Cricut in da House!!

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:52:00 -0500

Well, even though I am in the middle of major close down/renovations I am a die hard caker. I saw the Cricut Expression on a TV informercial and fell in love with it, lusted after it and desired it with all my heart...knowing that I could somehow make it work for my bakery even if I just did stencils like they did on the informercial.

Cricut caking has been a quiet movement that has been creating a buzz all over the cake world and I am so happy to have found that I'm not as crazy as I thought I was when I found out other cakers were thinking the same thing and there was someone out there that actually took the time to put the techniques onto some DVD's that of course I have purchased, but has made PROVO CRAFT take notice and come out with a Cricut Cake Machine! An electronic cutter fully food safe!

I've not had the pleasure to have completely decorated a cake with my Cricut, but I have done a few tentative things.

I have even signed up for some SCRAPBOOKING classes over in Pinecrest to become more and more familiar with all the features of the Cricut, I mean...it doesn't make any sense to have a "RELATIONSHIP" with something or someone without knowing more about them and how to "PUSH ALL OF THEIR BUTTONS!" lol

Here are some pics of cakes that I have embelished with my Cricut Cut out letters.

These cakes were made for CAKES ACROSS AMERICA. A company that finds you a baker to bake, decorate and deliver a cake for you when you can't be there to do it yourself.

Here are the actual letters on the cake

I'm very excited to expand my skills with this new tool. My next class is January 28 and I'm about to learn how to use the Software that manipulates scanned images into "cut" files to use with the Cricut!

Cowgirl themed cake

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:15:00 -0500

A few weeks ago, one of my clients asked me to make her daughter’s First Birthday Cake.

I was excited when she told me what the theme of her party was. She was going for a Girlie Cow Girl theme and I told her I had just the very thing to take her cake there.

I had gotten a set of Baby Cowboy Boot cutters that I was keen to try, and thought they would make a great addition to the cake.

Here are step by step instructions on making the little boots and a photo of the finished cake at the very end.

Enjoy!

This is what you need to start. Your “MIS IN PLACE” should include the cutters, a stitching wheel, and some cardboard rolls cut to size. About 4” is a good size to work with, when making this little cowboy boot. Also, make sure that you have made enough paste of whatever color you will be using as it’s sometimes hard to match your batches.

The cutter is available through:

www.cakesbyximena.com

She makes the most adorable shoes and they have now released a baby shoe instructional video with at least a dozen versions of a baby shoe and how to make them with the different cutters that she has available.

This is what my little cowboy boot looked like after I made it for the tutorial. It wasn’t really dry yet, but I just couldn’t wait to show it off.

You start out by rolling your paste out to a thickness of 1 or down to about 3 on your pasta machine.

Here is a photo of the ATLAS PASTA MACHINE

It has the crank, and a vice to hold the PASTA machine onto your work surface.

After you roll your GUMPASTE or your 50/50 mix ( ½ fondant + ½ Gumpaste) to a nice workable thickness, you place your cutters onto the paste always making sure that when you are cutting shoes you have your LEFT and your RIGHT.

After you pull the excess paste off the cutter, you will make sure you keep it in an airtight container because you will be using it again.

To make your Cowboy Boots more realistic looking, you will mark them with your stitching wheel, all around.

This just adds more detail to your items and shows that you are very detailed in your work.

There are 2 ways to dry your pieces. You can drape the shaft of the boot over your cardboard rolls and “glue” them together with royal icing, or…

You can fuse both halves of the shaft together with a little gum clue and insert the cardboard paper roll inside to keep them upright.

This method is excellent when you are in a hurry and your paste is rolled out a little thicker than usual, as rolling it out thicker will make it sturdier, but slower to dry.

Here is a view of the Boot Shaft with the Cardboard tube inserted, upright.

When the boot shaft is dried, you can paint it to make it look more realistic

When the boot shaft is dried and painted, you can then proceed to make the accents, the toe, the back heel and the boot straps.

Here I show you which cutter cuts what.

You will then add the boot toe, heel and straps and when they dry, you will finally place the sole. Taking your gum glue you will run the glue around the rim of the dried “BOOT” and place it on the freshly cut sole.

Here is the boot, painted and dried.

Here is the Cake that I made the Cowboy boots

Win an EXCITING 5 Star Honeymoon and be on TV!

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:35:00 -0500

The Lifetime Channel is now casting an exciting new show that features MIAMI BRIDES getting married in NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 2009 or JANUARY, FEBRUARY or MARCH 2010.

This very fun show gives you the chance to compare notes with OTHER brides-before-during-and after your big day! We will introduce you to other Brides who you can compare notes with and talk about your wedding (Every Bride's favorite topic) What the planning has been like, how stressed out you are, how excited you are, all the things that you encounter when planning a wedding, etc. Then, you'll get to attend each other's wedding to see how it all turns out!

AND

Brides have the chance to:

WIN AN EXCITING 5 STAR HONEYMOON ( or first year anniversary trip!)

We are looking for ALL types of weddings:

Traditional, over the top, u nusual venues or event spaces, married on a cliff, at the zoo, while sky diving, fairytale, on a bota, very small & intimate, themed...

ANY and ALL types of weddings.

It can be your first, second, third or thirteenth wedding. Any and all ages welcomed!

If you'd like to be considered for the show, please email or call immediately at:

4WeddingsMiami@gmail.com or 212-505-77775

We need to consider our brides soon, so please drop us a line ASAP!

New York Cake Convention

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:18:00 -0500

Mara Tirado is a fan of

US Confection Connection

Create your Fan Badge

There will be a HUGE cake convention in New York City in January from January 2-4 of 2010. I would LOVE to attend but will be going to Orlando for 5 days in January to take a series of classes in January so I can't do both. Sigh....

Tsunami in Samoa

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:33:00 -0400

If anyone is interested in helping here is the contact info for the different states:

http://www.helpsamoa.com/contact

Just Click the link!

We also need to remember the Victims of KATRINA!

OCALA ICES DAY OF SHARING...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:20:00 -0400

October 4th and car packed ready for a road trip, up to OCALA, FLORIDA for an INTERNATIONAL CAKE EXPLORATION SOCIETY meeting. We call these DAYS OF SHARING.

Many talented cake decorators get together to share ideas, methods and plain fun! The following are photos of the event.

Here are photos of some of the great displays brought in by some of the members that attended.

(computer is having issues, will continue at a later time)

SNOW WHITE BLU RAY DVD

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:42:00 -0400

Imagine my surprise when I got a call from the Event People that I worked with on the movie premier of THE PROPOSAL CAKE to work with them again! I was excited because they asked me to design something special for the Release of the DIAMOND EDITION of SNOW WHITE BLU RAY DVD SET. I designed a 5 to 6 tiered cake display cake that was supposed to be taken to 3 local TV stations to promote the SNOW WHITE EVENT.

The cake would have a SNOW WHITE DOLL on the very top made out of sugar and I was going to use the separator legs covered in chocolate paste to resemble tree trunks and ?hide? the 7 DWARVES COTTAGE in the woods. The bottom would be a CASTLE as suggested by the client.

Unfortunately, Disney did not approve the budget, we agreed to something smaller along the lines of the talented and frequest guest of FOOD NETWORK GUEST, COURTNEY CLARK'S version of the SNOW WHITE DRESS:

Cuteness!

I was going to make 3 similar cakes, of course with my own "twist" for the 3 TV stations, unfortunately that was not to be eighter. I finally agreed to something MUCH, MUCH smaller...

Making Apple shaped cookies at a local day care center,

Unfortunately the event was not to be.

I was very disappointed of course because I had bought some things to decorate the cake; I got the SNOW WHITE, 7 DWARVES heads from a cake supply shop that attended the DAY OF SHARING in OCALA. I will post the photos in a blog update! I also bought the CASTLE CUTTER with INSTRUCTIONAL DVD.

Heads made with purchased mold.

So, now I have a CASTLE that I?m dying to make, even though I cannot make the Licensed sugar figures, I still think that the Castle would be an awesome decoration for any cake with that Medieval, Fairy or Princess theme!

Here is the photo of the CASTLE made with the cutters.

Buuuut................Because I agreed to work with them and was able to be flexible I SCORED!!!

They are sending me:

Which I will IMMEDIATELY give to my Grand Daughter who is crazy about MISS WHITE!

Some of my favorite & Challenging Cakes

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:51:00 -0400

I totally enjoyed making this cake, it was a bit of a challenge to keep the lens from dropping, but I manged to make it out of Marshmellow Rice Cereal treats and took the weight off the dowel rod that I inserted to hold the lens in place

This was a nightmare to finish. I was without my airbrush and the design that I had worked out didn't pan out so I had to wing it as I was making it. Needless to say the cake was a hit!