Fixing a Broken Gumpaste Flower

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Edna De la Cruz Design Me a Cake

I know I’ve haven’t written a Blog for awhile and I need to write a few of them for videos I have posted in You Tube, so here I am trying to catch up.

One of the videos I posted earlier was about doing a simple fix on a broken gumpaste flower. I remember years ago I was working at a custom cake store and one flower broke. I was about to throw it away and my good friend Maria told me not to. She said we can use it in the back of the cake and hide the broken part. So I adopted that way of thinking.
For cake shows and competitions this is not something I would suggest doing since judges do thoroughly inspect the arrangements to make sure that all of the flowers are done perfectly. But when you are dealing with weddings, some things are more forgivable and hiding a broken flower by using it as a filler works great, as long as you place it in such a way that the broken piece won’t show .

On a cake I was working on, the flower that broke was one of my favorites. Yes, I do have flowers that turn out better than others and I prefer using them for the front of the cake. A petal from the flower broke off and it was a clean break. When you get a clean break at the base of the petal, it’s a bit easier to fix and can be easier to hide. When done well, no one will notice the break. I do make sure to place the broken area in such a way that it’s less visible.
I remember when I was just starting to decorate cakes, there was a cake decorator who told me he used crazy glue to fix broken flowers. I just don’t feel comfortable using it near anything that goes in my cake. I know that gumpaste flowers are really not for eating but I still have my reservations.

I prefer to soften a small amount of gumpaste with some gum glue (click here for gum glue tutorial), and place it in the broken edge and let it dry. This usually works great but you have to let it dry well before you can use the flower. So if I am in a hurry and I can’t wait, I use a small piece of super thin gumpaste and add it with gum glue. Sometimes putting this super thin layer on one side will give you a strong bond but if you want an even stronger bond, I recommend that you do this on both sides of the petal.

Watch the video tutorial to see how I do it. I hope it helps when one of your flowers gets broken while you’re working on a cake.

Click here to watch tutorial.

Hope you enjoy this tutorial and soon I will post a Blog on the cake I design with them.
Until next Blog, ta ta!

Edna 😉

Rosette Cake Design

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Edna De la Cruz Design Me a Cake

I just got 2 new molds and I asked on Instagram which one you guys would prefer to see in a tutorial. I should have known that most of you would say both. LOL. I’ve decided to do both but I started with the rose mold first.

The Rosette Mold comes from a very popular design that creates beautiful roses by using stripes of fondant that are ruffled, and then placed strategically on the cake forming roses. This technique reminds me of the lace fabric I used to work with years ago when I designed clothing. Even though the design is so beautiful, you can expect long amounts of hours working on this design. It’s very time consuming.

I always love anything that shortens the length of work time when I am working on a cake. Not only can the customer save some money but I save time and earn more money too, so for me this is a win win. Now I can give the customer an option and if they want the original design, then they know they have to pay more for the work it involves, or just simply save some money and labor by using this shortcut.

I decided to see how the mold looks in a 2 tier cake and this is the finish product.

I finished the cake with some of my favorite flowers gumpaste Orchids and Roses with some filler flowers and tropical leaves. I have a tutorial on Orchids posted in the website already but soon I will be adding a section with advanced tutorials that you can access anytime and will include more flowers, plus I plan to add more tutorials to it.

And here is a close up of the pattern for the Rosette Mold.

I will do another tutorial as soon as I can using the other mold I got. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this tutorial. I am posting the links to the products below for those of you who ask.

You can click here to watch the tutorial!

You can see it in You tube if you prefer. Here’s the link. Don’t forget to Subscribe to my channel!

Until next time.. ta ta!
Edna 🙂

Click here for more info on this beautiful mold.

Guava Cake Filling

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Edna De la Cruz Design Me a Cake

I grew up with a Guava tree in the backyard of our house. It made me a guava lover. This is a very common filling in baking and it’s pretty easy to do. I have a hard time finding the fruit where I live now but I can find the guava paste easily in the Hispanic section of most supermarkets. It’s also easily found in the internet. I will post some links below.

Sometimes you will find the jam but I find it too soft for cakes. Even though you can still use the jam in a cake, I do prefer a thicker consistency which provides a less slippery cake. This is something important that you need to consider when you’re stacking a cake.

I always tell people that if they are using jams as fillings, they have to make sure not to overfill the cake and use a dam. Usually jams have a lot of flavor and a little goes a long way. If you want to have more filling, you can always add more layers to the cake instead of trying to pack a lot of filling the same layer and making everything slippery and hard to work with.

I love using guava paste. You can control how thick or thin you want the filling to be and fix the consistency at any time. You can do this with a food processor, in the stove or the microwave. I do get lazy sometimes and use the microwave, mostly because it works fast. But the other options work well too, especially if you don’t use microwaves or if you don’t own a food processor. I do go through all the steps in the tutorial I posted, (click here for tutorial).

I know some people love to add orange juice as the thinning agent. I personally don’t use it. I feel the guava tastes delicious without adding other flavors but if you like the idea, then go ahead and try it. Some people also like using lemon and others like adding some of the zest of the fruit they are using.

I posted a basic recipe in the website. Even if you prefer using the fruit, keep in mind that you can thin the recipe more if you prefer a thinner consistency just by adding some warm water. If you want a thick consistency, you can warm the paste and add it warm to the cake. This is a matter of preference and that’s why I am giving you the options so you can choose the one you prefer. Do keep in mind that if you plan to use it on top of an iced cake, if the paste is too warm, it will melt the buttercream.

Since I love a medium/thick texture on top of the buttercream, I do warm it a little but not too much. I also make sure that my buttercream is cold. I won’t lie, it’s a bit harder to ice a cake with the thicker paste over buttercream, especially if it’s too hot. So make sure it has a medium consistency so it’s easier to spread. If you already placed it on the cake and it’s giving you a hard time because it’s too thick, you can place the spatula in hot water. Once the spatula is hot, dry it with some paper and this will help smooth out the paste. If this doesn’t help you, then you can take some of the leftover paste recipe and thin it a bit with more water and then add it on top of the thicker paste. This will help you smooth everything out.

You can test all of these techniques but, if you prefer to avoid the trouble, adding the guava on top of the buttercream is just done for looks. You will get enough guava flavor by just adding it as a filling. Then again, people like me love guava that much. I never mind the extra guava flavor! Lol!!!

Check the tutorial for the Guava Filling Recipe. Click here or on the photo for the step by step tutorial.

I am posting below links for recipes you can use with this filling.
I hope you enjoy the tutorial and the recipe.
Until next Blog, ta ta!

Edna 🙂

This is the paste I used in the video.
Iberia Guava Paste

This is a delicious paste. I used it many times!
Goya Guava Paste

Guava Jam is a bit more runny but it can be used.
Guava Jam

Condensed Milk Buttercream it’s super easy.
Click here for recipe and Tutorial

Cream Cheese Buttercream goes great with this filling.
Click here to check this recipe and tutorial.

Moist White Cake Recipe pairs well with fruit fillings.
Click here to check this recipe tutorial.

For those who can eat eggs, this is a delicious cake!
Click here to check this recipe tutorial.

Learn to Ice a cake and also check many other
tutorials for basic cake techniques.
Click here.

Learn to pipe shells with this tutorial.

The Knitted Cake – Product Review

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Edna De la Cruz Design Me a Cake

I love to knit and crochet and I just got beautiful molds that are just perfect to create a cake that looks like you have knitted a sweater for it. With fall coming, tons of ideas roll in my head on how I can use these molds!

I love molds and I understand that some people don’t like to spend the money on molds because they might be able to do a design without one. For a person that don’t do cakes often and has the time to spend tons of hours on a cake, saving the money seems fair but for those who have many cakes to do in a day, the right mold can make you move faster, so you don’t have to spend so much time making just one cake.

A cake that looks like it has been knitted is one of those designs that can take a lot of time and effort if you do them without a mold. You would have to use an extruder and take 2 strands, twisting them together and then placing it on the cake, one line at a time, so you can cover a whole cake. It will look beautiful, but the hours spent doing that is not something I look forward too. I love making cakes, but I love to enjoy my life too.

Another way to do a knitted look it is by creating your own mold. It’s a fun thing to play with and create your own molds. But let’s face it, getting the materials for this can get expensive and you need to keep in mind that you need to treat the thread so it can be molded properly (Basically you have to buy a product to spray on the knit so it don’t stick to the mold). It can be time-consuming and not necessarily cheaper option, but if you like to play with making your own molds it can be a fun craft.

I like to use many techniques in my cakes. I will never say no to something that will save me time just because someone in the world might think is better to do things this way or that way. If I can make it fast with a mold I will. I also have learned to use the same mold for different purposes to create versatility on the cake by cutting the molds or simply manipulate the pattern to create another design with the same mold. I see them as an investment that will save me time so I don’t have to spend days making a cake that won’t pay me for all that time I spent making it. I say this all the time and I will say it again: “Time is Money” and my free time means I can relax and enjoy life. Something I value very much.

Sometimes I get molds because I use them over and over in my designs. Sometimes I get them because the mold has a unique pattern and sometimes I get them just because they are gorgeous. Whatever the reason I get them for my pleasure and my customers cakes.

You can say it’s one of those addictive habits that I won’t give up easily…lol. Just like my stash of fabrics in my sewing room. I love that it’s there and I can use it at any time I want especially for those last minute outfits you want to create.

For this video I used the Braided Knit Border and the Classic Knit. I think all of them can be used by themselves and make beautiful cakes, but I really wanted to combine them for this cake tutorial.

I also added a brooch detail using a mold call Devonaire Brooch and Medium Leather buttons just to finish the look. I painted them in Silver highlighter to brighten the whole cake and the Gumpaste Flowers just soften the whole look. These I teach in my DVD’s.

Marvelous Molds is a great company and constantly creates new and innovated molds that I have yet to encounter to be poorly made. I have used their products since they started making their fabulous molds and they haven’t failed me yet. So my review for this knitted mold in particular is 5 STARS!!! I have worked with many molds throughout the years and a mold with a good design and impression quality of the silicone is very important. I have tested some of the products that are coming from China that are being copied from good companies, but the silicone impressions don’t have the same quality, complete disappointment. It can be a hit or miss with them so I stay with the companies I trust to avoid losing out on money, and save myself from the torture. I have to do a tutorial-review on those products coming from there.

I love the finish look of this cake and I’m so excited to use these molds! Not only for my fall and christmas cakes, but for baby cakes also. Feel free to leave me comments below for products that you want me to review. If it’s accessible to me I can try to add it to my list. Click here to watch the tutorial or click on the photo below.

Until next time, Ta Ta!!!

Edna

*The small earnings from advertisements in this Blog are used towards making more tutorials. Reviews are 100% honest and I stand by them.

How to Stack a Cake

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Edna De la Cruz Design Me a Cake

Years ago I posted a tutorial on how to stack cakes. It was just me showing how I,
as the title suggests, stack cakes. But back then I didn’t know much and I used
music from the radio as background. For many years it was playing fine until
You Tube put a copyright notice on it and it was banned in some countries.
I finally re-edited the tutorial and this time I added a more detailed explanation
on what I was doing.

The way I stack cakes in this tutorial is a very basic way of stacking and it moves pretty fast once you get used to it. I was working on so many weddings at that time that moving fast was important. But I will say that anybody who does cakes should aim for this if you are trying to be part of the cake business:“The faster you work the more money you will earn.”

A lot of times we see all these amazing cakes that are posted on the internet. Some of them look very complicated and time consuming. Cakes like that do happen but mostly for show, cake competitions and that special client who is willing to pay for “amazing”.Your typical client wants that kind of cake but their budget in reality only allows for something more basic. Most of the time they end up with a simpler cake than they originally fantasized. They don’t realize the time that goes behind these amazing cakes and TV makes them seem easily achieved in an hour or so, when there’s really a whole day of work and days of preparation before that one hour show.

As cake designers we love to

create, to design. It’s really great to

have that beautiful cake at the end
that will look amazing, and we can
take photos of so it can be admired forever. But let’s face it, the money
is behind those simple cakes that
can be made fast and charged well.
The beautiful, amazing cakes are
mostly our goal as artists and a
great way to present our skills
especially in cake competitions.
In reality a big percentage of the population can’t pay for them.
Also, simple is fast and easy when
we start comparing. We all have
that day where we just want to get
our work done and that simple buttercream cake looks like heaven
in comparison to anything more complicated.

The true art of cake lies behind fast cakes made with quality. This is important especially when it comes to wedding cakes. A simple white wedding cake will stand out just because of its clean lines and smoothness. This in itself is hard to achieve but not impossible and it can be done fast as well. Practice does make perfect.

I use this stacking method to move quickly and it works. There will be many opinions, ideas, and choices on how to stack cakes. Some people prefer to use other systems and they can be great, but there’s an extra cost for those. That cost you can always pass on to your clients.

I will talk about other systems in another blog but for now I will leave you with this basic
stacking method. I have posted links to the website where you can get the cardboard dowels since I don’t sell those myself. Here is a link to the page.

Keep in mind that this tutorial is for your basic 4-tier cake or smaller. Cakes that are taller or are sculpted, require stronger base structures. I have many friends that dedicate their lives to do sculpted cakes because they have a passion for it. Sculpted cakes do take more time and the cost of making them are a lot higher. Make sure to charge accordingly to the type and level of work of the cake you have created.

Click on the photo to go and watch Tutorial!

Hope you enjoy this Blog, until next time, ta ta!

Edna 😉

Cupcake Holiday Wreath

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Edna De la Cruz Design Me a Cake

Hope everyone had a great New Years! I posted the tutorial on New Years Eve to end the year with a tutorial but didn’t have time to write the Blog so here it is.

I don’t do cupcakes often but it’s a great way to teach basic decorating techniques that can be used in your regular cakes. Plus cupcakes are always cute!

Look below for the video tutorial if you want to go ahead and see it. It will be posted in the website under the Cupcake Tutorial section.

Here is the cupcake I made for the tutorial. I used the small snowflake plunger for this tutorial once again. I honestly love things that help me work fast.

The bow can be done a million
ways. I love the cutters from JEM. These cutters in particular I had for years. Some people will wonder why I am using a cutter for a bow and I will answer that.

Click for more info.

Years ago I found this bow cutter and I thought it was cute. But what I truly liked about it was the fact that I could do the same bow over an over again and it would look exactly the same way and I could do it really fast. This happens while I was working on a Topsy Turvy cake I designed and I was doing the same cake over and over again. Topsy Turvy’s are usually busy cakes and time consuming. I am very fast at making cakes but this cake would take me 6 hours to decorate no matter what I did to try and work faster. Using the cutter did help me save some time. Here is the cake below.

Click for more info

One thing I love about this cutter is that it can be placed in this roller foam and can be cut upside
down. It’s simple and fast!

I painted the bow in gold just to have a white and gold theme but I will say that if you want to save some time, just pick a holiday color for the gumpaste so you don’t have to hand paint, or simply leave it in white. There are so many colors variations
that can be used for this cupcake and all of them can be lovely. I do have a tutorial on how to use the gold highlighter. Click here for the link.

I have 2 favorite gold highlighters. The one to
the right I like because it’s less expensive and
you get a good amount for the price. The color
is gold but it has a more rose gold tone. It works
great if you are all about saving money. If you
want a really bright gold then below it’s a great highlighter. But the difference in price might
make you think twice.
You can click on the photos for more info on these products.

I will probably do another tutorial for the bow since
I was using white gumpaste. It might show better if I do it in another color and that way I can do a more
detailed explanation on it.

You can also use a mold
for the bow like this one. I love this mold and it’s so detailed! You can see in the photo below how pretty it is.

I also used Super Pearl on the snowflakes. You can see in the photo above how lovely
it looks when used on pearls. Click here for info on Super Pearl dust.

I always use gumpaste for my details.
You can click here for the Gumpaste Recipe.
Remember all tutorials and recipes are posted in my website. If you are
looking for more holiday cupcakes, check my earlier blog for
Santa’s Hat. Below I posted the tutorial.