Sweet Nora

Ok so we've all had one of those weeks right?

I came across this lovely little poem yesterday and, like many other cake decorators/sugar artists, thought it just about summed it up.

So with the kind permission of Amber Murphy Hughes from the lovely Sweet Nora's Bake shop I am sharing this with all of you that may be having 'one of those weeks'

Hello! Hello! Can you make this cake?
We saw it on Pinterest, looks easy to make.
I looked at the picture and what did I see?
A four tiered confection, staring at me.
All fondant & lovely, sugar flowers galore,
with scroll work & stencil from top to the floor.
"Sure I can help. When is it needed?"
"I need it tomorrow!" My customer pleaded.
With a roll of my eyes, I went all in,
"How many guests are expected?" She said, "Ten."
I gave her a price -which I thought quiet low.
She sent back a message that simply said, "Oh!"
"That's absurd! she said, "Why's it so much?
It's JUST A CAKE with fondant & such!"
She said, "My mother's friend's daughter is cake maker too."
I said, "Well give them a call! I'm not the baker for you!"

Procrastibaking with pastillage

Today has been one of those days....you know the sort...lots you could be doing but instead of doing them you are playing with cake stuff!

Yep that was me today, so instead of finishing my practice cake, or better still, attacking the 5ft pile of ironing, I decided to have a play with some pastillage.
This bag of powder has been happily sat in my Cake room for months....so long that I can't even remember why I needed it, but I clearly ordered too much of it as it was still there, almost full, making me feel like I just had to come up with something.

A quick google later and the answer was a teacup and saucer.

My daughter had picked me up a lovely little set from a charity shop last year because i wanted to use the pattern on a cake.....and yep you guessed it...they had also been sat there ever since!

I mixed up my powder and boiled cooled water, kneaded it well and rolled it thin. 

I had to work very fast as pastillage dries so quickly you don't get a lot of 'mistake' time.

I gently persuaded it into my cup and used a cookie cutter the same size as the top to cut a perfect rim. I then checked it hadnt stuck and set it aside to dry while i got on with the handle, base and saucer.

Now we all know the ninja has no patience, so after three hours I decided I had waited long enough and carefully released it from its mold. It still felt damp even though it was solid to the touch, so i set it upside down on a sponge form for another hour.

Tick tock, tick tock.....I could wait no longer and proceeded to get my paints out!

It clearly wasn't ready to be painted but I just didn't care...off I went painting pagoda type shapes, willow trees and birds that vaguely resembled my little set.

Voila!

I cannot tell you how happy I am that I have found a use for my sad bag of powder :)

It just needs a cakey home now!

What did I do!?

For some bizzarre unknown as yet reason this week I had a spontaneous moment and did this!

Ok so what was I thinking! Certainly not that I can win, and definitely not in the sculpted cakes category!

Having been to Cake International last year I know only too well that there is some amazing talent in the cake world ...... So why have I done it? Because it will be fun is why and we all need a bit more of that don't we.

Having now done the deed I cannot even let you know what I am intending to do as the rules are pretty strick but it will be something fun and something that makes me smile, and I hope when I finally can show you all, that it makes you smile too :)

WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Fast Flowers!

Ok so anyone that knows me knows I hate making flowers. Now don't get me wrong it's not like I can't make them, its just the whole process....cutters, foam pads, cornflower, glue, wires, and......drying time! Gahhh! Thats the worst thing ever, especially when your a ninja, which in essence just means i have absolutely no patience and like to get everything done as fast as is humanly possible :)

So this week i decided that I would have a play with the packet of wafer paper that has been sat in a drawer for months on end, waiting for a use. I can now say a) I am glad it was there and b) I have now found a use for it!

A quick google and an hour later and I had these

If you have never tried, or if like me you have the patience of a flea, then please give them a go. I don't think I will stop making sugar flowers but I can tell you that I will now be having a play with different flowers to see just what can and can't be done :)

A quick tutorial has been added in the tutorial section if you would like to see justhow easy it is :)

Game of Thrones

Game of what now?

Ok so I admit...I have never watched an episode! My 22 and 18 year old sons do though and they keep telling me I should....how good it is...how I will be hooked if I just watch one....

So I decided to do the next best thing...impress them with cake!

Now don't get me wrong, if I am in the cake room working and they pass by they will pop their heads in and say hello, and I may even ask them what they think about whatever creation I am working on at the time but despite my efforts all I ever get apart from the odd nod or grunt is..".thats nice"...or something similar.

So in a bid to actually get them to notice I thought what better way than to recreate the thing they love most. A Game of Thrones Cake that would get a reaction.....or if I was lucky two grunts and a smile :)

Having never watched even a trailer for it I had no option but to google! I soon discovered that the most impressive visual was the Iron Throne everyone wants so decided to go with that as a topper. It looked pretty impressive and I was sure my sons would think so too.

Five hours later.....this was the result!

         

Made using a mixture of gum paste and my homemade modelling chocolate (tutorial above)

Suffice to say I love my pasta machine very much! Oh and my sons reactions?...."Oooh thats pretty good that is...let me take a picture" and "very impressed mum"

My job here is done...well no its not because that's just the topper so watch this space as there very soon will be a cake that I am hoping will equally impress them!

Square eyes!

"I'd like to order a minecraft cake please"

Words that make quite a few cake makers/decorators shudder.

A labour of love for sure, spending hours cutting a sticking tiny sqares of fondant over a cake, mixing all the colours, going squared eyed looking at it :)

Not any more!

From my very first request I vowed to never again spend that much time doing the squares and decided to try and find a way to make it not only easier to do but to look better, because lets face it...its hard to line squares up, never mind stick them on perfectly straight!

So I tried several ideas and came up with this

Not one cut square!

I was so pleased to have finally mastered the cake we all dread to get an order for that I want to save all my cakey friends from the same square eyed fate.

So I have made a little how to video which is in the tutorial section above. It really is so easy to do I hope everyone has a go and agrees :)

Mario Mayhem

This has been a fun week at Ninja HQ

I have been playing with Modelling Chocolate again, this time making figures.

For a reason unknown I decided on Mario and pals, I think mainly because of the bright colours but also because, even if it did make me feel my age, they took me back to my childhood :)

Here is the result

Of course they then needed a home so I got to work and made them a cakey one. I had so much fun remembering all the little blocks and chimneys.

Best of all it was entirely made using homemade fondant and was a real test as to how well it would work on smaller details and the result was great.

I was inundated with requests for a tutorial for the figures so this has now been added to the tutorial page above. Please have a go :)