is called to order.

Who's up?
Whatcha workin' on?

OK you lurkers, I see you! Pop in and say hello.

No weddings for me this weekend. Can you believe it? I had a consultation for tomorrow's date, but the MOB or the bride hated me and the feeling was extremely mutual. She was an absolute witch to her daughter. It was quite apparent that I wasn't going to get the order, so I didn't watch my tongue very carefully at all. There's little filter between my brain and mouth on a normal day . . .

Anyway, two little anniversary cakes and one party cake, all pickups. Wedding show on Sunday, so I've actually got time to properly prepare for it.

Watching "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" at the moment and making cake balls for the wedding show.

Hehehe I was LISTENING to My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding while coloring fondant (looked up every now and then).

Anywho..... working on a first birthday cake -- jungle animals. My sister is traveling an hour away with it, and has never transported a cake, so I'm doing a 14" square with flat decorations. I figure that should make it safely (knocking on wood). Got a late start and working pretty slow, so I'll probably be up all night -- again. But at least all is going well so far

Light weekend for me too. Two 2-tier birthdays, mostly finished except adding the toppers in the morning. So I've had a pretty relaxing day. Just "retired" from my day job a few weeks ago, so trying to get into a routine at my appointment only shop.

Since they just passed the Texas cottage food bill, I'm looking forward to having something to work on on Friday night. Not that I'm not usually working, it's just usually for free since I haven't been able to charge. Have been experimenting with cake pops tonight...might be something worth investigating further.

Well, I got to bake in a commercial kitchen today. A charity I bake for offered it to me as I was making 600 cookies for them today. Wow, 3 Wolf ovens, a 20Qt mixer (it wasn't a Hobart -started with a B - Berkel?) empty but spacious walk in refrigerator. They don't use it during the summer so it was nice to have everything like that. I know people on cc say how much time it saves you but it was astounding how much more efficient you can be in a space like that!

Going to make a test cake recipe for my husband's work on Friday. He keeps changing the design though! Now he wants a flag for the 4th on the cake! Sheesh! like he really cares about the design!

hi, I'm new to the site, but I thought I'd just jump in.

I should preface this with the info that I work at a small chain of bakeries but I also bake at home for friends and family

At work today, aside from a bunch of a la carte stuff, and a simple lemon cake, I decorated 2 whale cakes, one was a 9" with 2 orcas with a seaweed/bubble boarder. the other was a very cute cutout. I also did a 9"&12" 2 tier with a lavender and black vintage inspired design with birds and flowers.

At home my friend asked me to make a sheet cake for her husbands birthday, which she wanted me to put a photo sheet on, so I had to track down a bakery that would sell me the photo sheet, but also had a machine that wasn't broken, it was harder than it sounds.

Hey. I wasn't able to log in to CC for the longest time. Kept getting 503 Bad Gateway error messages. anyone else?

Anyone try the tips from last week? Especially the one re: bubbles?

Tonight's tip - if you buy clear isomalt gems (I do) you can color them any color you want! Just mix color and vodka per usual and paint it on. Then when dry add the thinnest film of oil. Voila! a diamond becomes a ruby, or emerald, or sapphire.

I did a cake using the billowing technique. It's gorgeous, but time consuming.

I'm up. Listening to Gypsy Weddings...love that show!

I'm finishing 3 cakes due tomorrow. A 4 tier wedding, a 3 tier birthday and a 2 tier birthday. Almost finished, just making brooches for the wedding cake.

Leah, LOVE the edible gems tip! Would love to see pics of your billowing cake!

Hi Everyone!

Detail work for me today. I have 30 cupcakes coming up, each with a mini tablecloth, picnic basket, flowers and bugs on it so I've been handpainting and moulding all afternoon. Now everything, plus a dozen gerberas, are drying. I added a birthday cake, a babies 2nd b'day cake and a wedding cake to my lists this past week for this summer...so business is picking up nicely...I was smart this year and baked in some personal time so I can take a WHOLE WEEK off to be with my husband while our son is staying at his older sisters (our younger daughter) house!!! I'm busy as hell till then but don't care...I get a week offffff...LOL...

Tomorrow brings brownies as well as finishing two cakes for Sunday birthdays. That's it for me this week!

Cat

I tried to post after your first call out to the lurkers. Hit 'submit' and aaaaaaaargh. Yeah, I got that message. I looked at it like it was nuts and said to it ('it' being the monitor displaying the bad gateway message), "I'm not using a Gateway! It's a HP!"

I'm enjoying solitude. No cakes. No kids. No grandkids.

I am now taking a break from crocheting sweaters for the grandbabies now. While working on them, I was trying to come up with another tutorial idea (hopefully, to turn out better than the last). I can't think of any one thing that hasn't already been done. So, I may just challenge myself....see how long it takes to make x number of minis from start to finish.

Just a super quick hello. We just got back from the cousin's wedding. It has been a hellish cake week. If you want all the details, here is the story of my pain:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-722501-.html

In the end, my baker-friend-teacher bailed my booty out with a replacement for the seriously damaged tier. We both figure I got a bad batch of ivory fondant and the AC at my house sucked the moisture out of the already sketchy fondant.

Here is the final cake set up at the wedding:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2079076

The bride & groom loved it and I got lots of compliments from family & other guests. I could see the flaws but no one else could.

Also, they moved my dad out of ICU today to a "step down" room so he is on the mend.

Time to get comfy & relax in a briefly child-free house.

Kristy

Just finished my anniversary cake (6 years have flown by and we are still honeymooners and now I am about to finish up a baby shower cake. Slow still, holding off doing too cakes while I patiently wait for the contractor to finish expanding my kitchen...sigh....I have my cake stacked and decorated, one last detail and my least fav...rolling on the little fondant balls for the boarder!!! OH IS THERE AN EASIER WAY!?!?!? I measure them out with a little measuring spoon, but it is just a tedious job!

Confections, I put the fondant through the pasta roller, then use a tip/cutter to cut out a circle, then ball it up. Goes pretty quickly.

I'm working on a #1 birthday cake and 2 dozen cupcakes for a birthday party tomorrow. The theme is polka dots in neon colors. So the question is... Should I keep the buttercream white and do the polka dots in the neon pink, green and purple? Or tint the buttercream one of the colors and use the other 2 as accent colors? I"m having cakers block and searching for inspiration. Thanks!

PS: So glad your dad is on the mend Kristy!

Good evening, ladies.

Leah, I don't know what I do wrong, but no matter what, my fondant sticks in my pasta roller. I've tried cornstarching both the fondant and the roller, I've tried using powdered sugar, but no matter, it sticks. I'm craft-challenged! I'm worried about the fondant tasting too much like cornstarch so maybe I don't use enough. However, my fondant tastes fine. I make the mmf and then Michele Foster's. Now, I just roll the fondant out on my pastry board.

As a side note, I survived my 32 dozen cookies from last weekend. Apparently, they were a hit, and even a chef at the first party asked about my chocolate chip cookies. People throughout the week contacted my friends about the cookies from both parties! I can't get over it, I know I'm not a chocolate person, (and I'd much prefer a Fig Newton) but I don't understand why get so excited about a chocolate chip cookie?? Heck, at the second party, one of the cookies were no bakes, (and in my opinion, there is no easier cookie on earth) and they went fast! I was happy to see both graduates appreciated all the hard work on the sugar cookies with fondant tops and RI accents. That's why I bake - I bake for joy - my joy in seeing others happy! (Incidentally, I'm not a "cake person" either! I'd much prefer "birthday pie" and could eat a piece of pie every day of my life! What is your favorite ladies?? I did go strawberry picking so I'm making a strawberry rhubarb pie tomorrow; I think I've sufficiently recovered from my fibromyalgia flare-ups this week).

Have a great weekend you all!

If you want to color the buttercream, I'd suggest using the green. To get the purple or pink vivid enough, that's probably gonna be some NASTY tasting icing. I lean towards leaving the buttercream white, though. The colors of the polka dots will "change" against a colored background. They'll appear more true on the white background.

It's been a long time since i've been up late enough on a friday night to join in the cake club, but tonight it's almost 12:30am and i still have 1 full wedding cake to assemble, and a bottom tier and decorations on another wedding cake to do. This week and last week did not go as planned and didn't get enough time to work on things ahead of time as orginally scheduled. After spending the whole morning and part of the afternoon at the dr's office for my daughter i'm taking a break to enjoy the beautiful night outside. And get off my feet for a bit.
And have to head out around 9am to deliver both, to bad i won't get a nap tomorrow afternoon... have a family reunion. usually i do a decorated cake, but this year i think it will be chips and dip LOL

I'm so sad, I haven't made a cake in weeks I can't wait for the food law to go into effect in Texas though! Hopefully when that happens I'll be busy like the rest of ya'll

Have a great night everyone! Stay positive and make some lovely cakes

Hey yall!!
I did a Caillou bday cake that was picked up this morning. I now have a 50th ann. 3 tier stacked in the fridge, just debating on piping dots on it or not. I will have the 50 cake topper and I have made several red roses to go on it and there is god ribbon on all 3 tiers.

On a side note, I had to rush out to go get fondant for the ann. cake and I am in love w/ Duff fondant!!!! It taste great and I had no problems at all rolling it out and covering the cakes. This was by far the easiest and quickest fondant experience I have ever had!!!!!

Thanks DSMO. I think you're right. Even with the neon coloring it would look garrish.

Hello! Just checking in. My Friday night was earlier this week so I went to the drive-in movies and saw Cars2 and Green Lantern.

Leah- all is well? I've been hearing about Louisville and the tornado on the news all the way up here.

I made sure to break the seal earlier this week. I got 2 air bubbles on the top before doing so. All is well, though. I popped those suckers, broke the seal, and no more bubbles popped up.

I received my first criticism this week. Two people said my cake was dry. I'm working my way through it to see if it's scratch vs. box taste buds or if I overbaked or something. The customer isn't asking for money back but I'm considering dropping off a few cake balls or cupcakes anyway. Unfortunately, the second comment is on Facebook in reply to someone asking where the cake was from. I'm turning over ideas in my head for that to minimize the damage and the potential loss of a few future customers. Small town means jumping on these things ASAP so hopefully I'll come up with something.

Night all!

We are fine here in Louisville, although Churchill Downs, just 2.6 miles from me took quite a hit with an EF2. I believe there were 5 actual touch downs in different parts of the city. (Our new mayor was Tweeting during the storm saying how everything was fine and weren't we lucky the storm had passed us by. #clueless)

Sounds like he's one of those "as long as I don't personally see something, everything is fine" kind of people. Scary.

Cheatize, did you go to the Swan?