Originally Posted by mlsousa

Hi After reading this thread Im not entirely sure if I should be posting this here but several CC members emailed me asking me to reply to their questions with this link I see the conversation has turned more about the cake controversy as opposed to the cakes themselves. Sadly, a trend that seems to have started on the show itself. Ill answer the questions I have been asked about my Miley cake below

Q: How did you make the beads?
A: the beads were made from isolmalt (a sugar substitute that is less temperamental than sugar) The sugar was melted down and tinted with liquid airbrush food coloring.

Isolmalt- once cooked can be re-heated in the microwave to keep it in a liquid state, which is what is required to pour it into the molds. The best part of microwaving it (as opposed to re-heating it over the stove top) is that it does not caramelize- so there is no color change. If you have ever worked with sugar before you know what a plus that is!

Q: Where did you get the molds?
A: the molds were such an issue! Ultimately we ended up making our own molds but that was after several attempts by a mold making company that just didnt work quite right. We used Silicone Plastique from: http://www.culinart.net/silicone.html
There are really good step-by-step instructions on the website.

I bought plastic beads from a craft store and used those to form the mold. We ended up using pretty basic ribbed round beads however, we tried several different shapes and sizes. We really liked some of the more typical chandelier shapes but consistency & weight was an issue.

Once the molds set we took a very sharp exacto blade and made a very shallow slice down the center to create a space for the string to sink into. Once secured the isolmalt was poured into the molds and removed once they were set.

It was definitely a trial and error process that Dawn spent a lot of time perfecting. Patience is key ☺

Q: What kind of string did you use for the beads?
A: we used beading string which I got in a craft store in the beading section. Any type of plastic or fishing line will melt when the sugar is poured into the mold. Any type of metal, wire thread etc. will kink up and wont hang straight.

Q: How were the strings attached?
A: the strings are individually attached to foamcore rings. Little slits were cut into the foamcore and the string was secured into the slits. Varying sized rings created the depth.

Q: Was this the same way you did the beads that we saw on Keegans wedding cake?
A: No. For Keegan & Lisas cake I made all of those beads by hand from fondant and pushed a pin through to create a hole in each bead. The beads were then individually strung on clear-stretchy beading string by knotting the string to secure each beads place.

This was a much more time consuming process that is why I really wanted to come up with an alternative way to do it for the competition. I think I spent 20+ hours making the beads and stringing them for the wedding cake- so clearly not the best competition technique!

Q: How much time does it take to prepare for a challenge?
A: Well that depends how you quantify time really! Honestly its pretty all consuming from the second you get the first phone call- mentally at least. I always say that 75% of the battle is just getting there. Packing and shipping and all the prep work can easily take a few dozen hours. The eight hours that are on the clock are seriously a fraction of what actually goes into the final product.

Q: Was Miley nice?
A: We spent 8 minutes with her. Literally 8 minutes- someone was standing there with a stopwatch! She was very sweet, funny and extremely grateful.

Q: Are you going to do another Challenge?
A: Im not sure. I was supposed to have competed in the big multi-week elimination Challenge that was filmed in January (will air in April) but backed out when my mother passed away suddenly. You never know what the future holds but Im not too anxious to get back in the ring anytime soon ☺

*Ive also been asked about the cake sabotage situation which I agree was blown out of proportion. I was pretty disappointed that was the emphasis of the production as opposed to the artistry of the cakes themselves. I heard nothing of it until after I finished my face the judges- which was right after Courtney, they aired them out of order. It was really an insignificant incident in the grander scheme of the day. Jorg won 2nd place & the silver metal so obviously was not hindered by it.

At the end of the day its a TV show and in exchange for the publicity we sign a stack of waivers and documents and inch thick that signs our lives away. In every competition that I have been a part of there is SO much that happens that never makes it to the final show time frames and the sequence of events altered, phrases from hours of interviews taken out of context, thats just part of the deal. As with all things there is a flip side to every story. Even though I haven't always agreed with some of the editing choices - I love what FN Challenge has done for our industry and really hope that future episodes focus on the reason we all show up to compete CAKE!

Feel free to contact me anytime with any other questions about the cake.
Thank you all so much for your support, e-mails and well wishes!
-Marina @ Just Cake