A

I'll be honest, I've been mega lazy and haven't even tried yet. I'll add it to the list.... ;)

AWow that's a lot to catch up. I hope everyone is feeling OK everyone seems to be under the weather lately. I hope everyone/kids/Pets feel better soon.

I agree about covering the cake board it does make a huge difference to the overall finish of the cake. I'm not sure why though kuuushi but that lovely dress cake you put up doesn't look too bad on a plain board. That's just me though. And how much do you think it actually adds to the cost of the cake to cover the board? I know it depends on the side of the board but I wouldn't have thought it added that much really, maybe £2 tops? What do you all add onto the price to cover the cost of the board?

Hope you don't mind me asking, just interested.

Marvel looking forward to your christening cake, I love seeing your 'busy' cakes.

AOh the cake artist is the one with the nasty boyfriend. I'm not a fan. I like the white flower shoppe - haven't seen the cake girls yet.....I think. I get them all muddled up! I'm off now - nite all!

ASugarluva it depends if you have to mix a separate colour. You may not have any left over to cover do you have to break in to a new pack. PB says that it adds £6-8 to your price.

A

Maisie I'm sure I've seen the icecream van stand in the latest Lakeland catalogue!

AFound it Maisie! http://www.lakeland.co.uk/19275/Ice-Cream-Van-Cupcake-Stand

Morning!  Here you go Maisie: http://www.johnlewis.com/talking-tables-ice-cream-van-stand-multi/p1141139

 

They were the cheapest for us since we can "click and collect" as Westfield is just up the road to us.  We also have this one:

http://www.johnlewis.com/talking-table-hot-dog-van-display-red-white/p1141140

 

I wanted to make popcorn cupcakes but I can't find red and white stripe (vertical) cupcake cases/holders - so if you have any ideas....

 

Check in later as off to work in a minute - but got to see if I can buy my Pretty Witty subscription before I leave (there's apparently a discount!).

 

Kathy

Morning kuuushi - didn't notice you were on line!  Enjoy your piping course - Iooooove piping!!  There's another thread where they are all talking about pressing their icing through nylon tights to get the lumps out!  Really??  I never get lumps so I can't understand what they are doing wrong!

Kathy

A

Morning Kathy! You know you can call me Kelsey if it's easier right? Lol. I've got family in Chiswick so not too far from you if you're near Westfield!

Reluctantly, I think I'm going to have to wait until about 3pm to decide if I'm even going to go! Been up all night for the last few days from coughing. Gonna go to docs again today to see what she says!

Yeah it's called pantying! Haha it's because sometimes if you use a tiny nozzle and you get a lump it'll clog the nozzle and you'll ruin your piping. So it just elevates it!

Hi Kelsey (thank goodness I now know your name --- it was really a struggle to work out how many "u"s I had typed - lol).  Ahh - sadly not THAT Westfield but the one in Stratford.  I prefer the Shepherds Bush one to be honest but that's like 50 minutes on the tube for me.  Sorry to hear you are still not well - it's always the best thing to get checked out properly.  You know I never have any problems with piping in a 0 tube - I think it's because I was taught well back in the 80s!  My tip for icing - never use your icing straight after making it.  For fine work - leave it a couple of days and paddle it every day.  Loosen it with some made up Meriwhite for run outs - I find albumen difficult to work with but I know that's what you should use.  Hopefully you will get to go on your course - let us all know what it was like.

 

Kathy

AMorning all, aw Kelsey, still got baddie cough have you?

Had a wicked book yesterday from The Works shop, Pretty Witty Cakes book of sugarcane characters, £4.99, really detailed.

Was down your neck of the woods yesterday Kelsey, we went to MaCArthur Glen retail park, bought lovely wedges from Clarke's.

AHi Kathy, yep I was taught in the 80's, old school I guess where we used merriwhite and to be honest I still still on a regular basis, so easy to use, never had lumps though, always told to beat it and beat it til glossy.

AMorning all :-)

Sugarluva re icing the board i don't think when I say I can't afford to do on my hobby /favour cakes it's all down to actual £'s but mainly the time I spend doing it and getting it perfect ! As I said I've only ever covered the WHOLE board not done a skirt thingy. So I will def look into it :-)

Have a good day on the course Kelsey glad to know your name and what a pretty name too ;-)

Off out on picnic to country park today then going to see the best lady that has ever lived my dear Nanna, not seen her in a couple of weeks that upsets me but been so busy with one thing or another.

AAlso thinking of you Tiddy hoping your ok xxx

Morning all

 

Kelsey hope your feeling better for your course it would be a shame to miss it when you've been looking forward to it so much. I'm gonna get muddled up with names 

 

Maisie I watch amazing wedding cakes on freesat but think that freeview shows the same ones, they seem to be showing old ones and new ones at the same time now. Enjoy your lazy day with Leah you deserve one with all the cooking and ironing you do for everyone.

 

Jo have a good day at the park with your girls.

 

Nanny I think I have reserved that book from the library I will have to look in the works when I go to town and see what it's like sometimes the library takes forever to get them.

A

Kathy that's the correct way to so and and what I was taught to do, only for royal though, if you are piping with a 00 0 or 1 nozzle you have I do it or it clogs the nozzle.

Hi Sian - well, I never....  Who'd have thought that you would need to do that!  Seems that Nanny and me are the only ones who don't do that.  I might try it with the next batch and give you feedback as my nozzles have never clogged!  But then....I have always been scared of 00.....so I may change my mind. 

 

Kathy

AYou'll be surprised at the amount of grit left in the tights.

I haven't tried piping yet but did see them pass the icing through tights on amazing wedding cakes once.

AIt's happening was taught in my city and guilds last year

ALol it's just sugar that won't dissolve, but it means you get blockages and bubbles and breaks in your piping.

Juts get tesco value or Asda value or whatever they are called. As long as they haven't been worn you can use any tights, you can also use nappy liners apparently and Muslin cloth works ok but tights works best IMHO

AHaha thanks Jo, is it princess pretty? :princess:

Just come from the docs and she says the cough is just a side effect from the antibiotics so had even more meds. Gonna be rattling as I walk hahah!

I saw them do the tights strain on amazing wedding cakes too Roxy!

OOOH, nanny I love mcarthur glen, love love love the discount ted baker shop and the whittard of Chelsea!

AJo I use old scraps of SP if i have it there! Just leftovers that haven't got any ganache or buttercream on it. Put in a ziplock bag and then in a rubber seal airtight bucket!

I knead it until rollable and roll into a long sausage about 25" x 5", cut off the edges with a pizza cutter do it's clean and then in half again. Brush the board with water and then wrap around the cake joining in the back. Simple!

AMorning cakey peeps!

OK, so now I want all of us to go to the supermarket and ask for 'cake tights':-D

I bet you can't work out my name. Oh, wait.... :-D

Sorry your chest is still bad Kelsey, I hope you're good enough for your piping tomorrow.

I'm just watching cake boss with my youngest, and bless him he did a huge groan when it finished, then proceeded to flick around the channels and suddenly there's a massive 'yay' when he found another one. Love him :-) I've not seen amazing won't cakes, but I do the same when watching cake boss, I see the mistakes that I couldn't send out. Even my kids point things out! I think the lesson is that the more well known you are the sloppier you can be!

Off to make party food now for Saturday's leavers do. I want to play with my new toy, not make tarts!

Have fun today lovelies :-)

AMorning all. :-)

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/181428655734?nav=SEARCH&clk_rvr_id=673745916015 Red and white striped cases on eBay Kathy. I put the link on last night, maybe you didn't see it or it didn't work. They're round though, not s

AGaaaahh help please, trying a new recipe for lemon mud cake. The batter ended up so liquid it has leaked out the bottom on my pan into the oven. My choc cake is liquid but never been so bad it's leaked out the bottom of my pan before. I'm going to end up with a stodgy soggy mess aren't I :(

ASiany just roll with it! It won't all seep out so you end up cooking the cake at the bottom of the oven lol but should form up a bit when it's cooking. You'll have lovely crispy bits when it's done lol

Argh it's absolutely pissing it down. I wish for once it would just go in my favour. I have to venture out today so the sun decided to hide. Argh!

Guys we haven't heard from tiddy in a while, she's meant to be on this course with me but I haven't heard anything from her. I'll let you know if she's there or not

AThat's whatni am going to do princess Kelsey :)

It's stopped dripping now so I don't think I lost too much. If this cake is naff then I'm going to try grays recipe next, this one was very close to the normal choc one I do so thought it would be good but has 150ml more liquid, well, it did, that 150 is now on the bottom of my oven lmao

AHi Everyone

Sorry I've not been on for ages, it's been chaos here with loads going on just when I don't need it :/ Mums back in hospital and probably having an op in the next few days, it's not anything too major but she's really worried and I just can't go out again at the moment..

Sorry for the woe is me post, but I'm having a really bad day! Nothing is working at the moment and I'm having a mental and physical meltdown :( Cakes all baked ok, but just used a new leveller on the larger cakes and it's bloody wonky, so when I stacked the layers the cake is now leaning a bit! Plus my ganache simply will not firm up, and the kitchen in general is waaay too hot, even though I've had the aircon unit blasting as much as I can, and I'm petrified of the whole thing melting into a puddle or falling over or something. Just needed to step away and vent for a moment, sorry! God knows what I'm going to be like when I get to the sugarpaste..... :(

Flowers are all made - just need to wire them up for the cascade arrangement (another thing I really don't like doing as it's not something I've done much, mostly it's single flowers dotted on with RI) and got finishing bits on the topper....argh!

Sigh, sorry, I'll get it together in a bit! Will catch up with everyone's posts when I have some time, better get back in there......