How to Make a SugarPaste Princess Crown--- by Sharon Zambito

When I say Princess, you say Cakes.....

Me: Princess
You: Cakes!
Me: Princess
You: Cakes!

OK, so I get a little excited about cake.

And princess cakes have been a very popular design for a few years now. I have made more than I can count. I get asked quite often how I make the gumpaste crowns, so here are some step by step pictures I took many years ago. The pictures are rather craptastic, due to the fact that I had a craptastic camera at the time, and had no idea how to take a good picture back then. But I think you can get the idea of what I am doing in them. (PS. Craptastic = if crap was fantastic, this would be it)

MAKING A GUMPASTE CROWN:

Paper template:

Cut the metal rim off one end of your can (like a shortening can; I use the gumpaste mix can):

Wrap parchment paper (or wax paper) around your can and tape it in place. The end with the metal lid still on goes down on the counter:

Tape parchment or wax paper down well on counter (you do not need the blue mat under it) and grease it well with shortening:

Roll out gumpaste onto the wax paper and lay the paper template over it and trace over it to cut out the crown shape:

Apply shortening to the surface of the cut out crown with a brush:

Cut the wax paper with a knife along the bottom edge of the crown, and proceed to cut out the rest of a rectangle around the crown. Do not cut out the wax paper along the exact shape of the crown, except along the bottom edge:

Take the can and roll it onto the crown, lining up the base of can with the bottom edge of the crown. The greased side of the crown is sticking to the parchment paper wrapped around the can:

After crown is in place, wrapped all the way around the can, stand it up. Wax paper is still in place on top of the crown:

Gently peel off the wax paper from the top side of the crown. The side of the crown that was face down on the counter, touching the wax paper, is now the upside of the crown and exposed to the air:

Let that sit and dry for 1-2 days. Do not rush it or you will surely break it. (Ask me how I know):

When the crown is dry enough to hold its shape, grab the top of the parchment paper extending above the can and gently slide all of it together off the can:

Sit that on a board and then gently peel the parchment paper off of the inside of the crown:

Let that sit and dry for a few more days. When the crown is really firm you may need to wipe the excess shortening off the inside of the crown, and then dust it with a tad of cornstarch:

When fully dry, you can airbrush or paint it silver or gold. (This photo below is a lie. I was not actually airbrushing it at this time because I had to hold the airbrush with my left hand while my right hand took the picture. Impressive, eh?):

Then you can add plastic craft jewels, or even better, make edible ones!:

Pretty easy but you have to plan a few days ahead at least. Make 2, because if you make only one I guarantee you will break it. (Ask me how I know.) I like to use the Wilton gumpaste mix in the can for these because it not very elastic and rubbery, and that cuts easier than other types I have tried.
Here is a template for the crowns shown above. This is only one half of the crown. And you will have to enlarge this template to the right size for your cake:

Here is another template, the first one I ever made, an older design:

So there you have it! Now go get to making crowns!
Lots of crowns!

All kinds of crowns!
We love Princess cakes!!

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Want to see more of Sharon Zambito's work? Then visit

SugarEd Lagniappe

And to order Sharon's fantastic instructional DVDs and other great decorating supplies, visit

SugarEd Productions

Tutorial and Photos by Sharon Zambito-SugarEd Productions- copyright 2008

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

This material was used with the permission of Sharon Zambito, SugarEd Productions.

THANK YOU SHARON!!

How To Make Victorian Style Gilded Gumpaste Fruit

Victorian style Gilded Gumpaste Fruit

Supplies

Firm Gumpaste
Green Royal Icing in Piping Bag
Cornstarch
Red, Green, Orange and Brown Gel Colors
Gold, Silver, Champagne, Copper, Super Pearl luster dusts
Gum Glue
Assorted Plastic Fruit
PME cutter or Pizza cutter
Scissors
Wire cutters
Everclear
Brushes
32 gauge wire
28 gauge white covered wire
White floral tape

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Pine Boughs

Cut 32 gauge wire into 3-1/2” lengths. Place together 8 wires and wrap the middle with floral tape. Spread the wires at the ends.

Insert each wired end into the tip of the piping bag and withdraw gently. Set aside to dry. When dry, fold the ends together and set aside.

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Grapes

Cut 28 gauge covered wire into 3” lengths. Make a hook at the end of each wire. Roll a ½” oblong ball of gumpaste. Moisten the hook end of the wire with gum glue and insert into the end of gumpaste grape and turn a quarter turn to secure.Moisten the hook end of the wire with gum glue; insert into the end of gumpaste grape and turn a quarter turn to secureMoisten the hook end of the wire with gum glue and insert into the end of gumpaste grape and turn a quarter turn to secure.. Pinch and smooth the end of the grape to the wire. Set aside to dry. Twist together the grapes in groups of 3. Wrap 3-4 grape clusters together with white floral tape. Paint grapes with Super Pearl mixed with everclear, then brush ends with gold luster dust.
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Gilded Fruit

Color your gumpaste to match your fruit. Orange for oranges, red for apples, green for pears, ect.

Liberally dust one side of plastic fruit with cornstarch. Roll out gumpaste on a well dusted board into a circle about 1/8” thickness. Dust underside of gumpaste well with cornstarch and lay over one side of plastic fruit, smoothing
To fit over half of fruit. Using your PME or Pizza Cutter, Cut in a straight line on the half. Lift to make sure your gumpaste is not sticking and lay back on fruit to dry. When dry, Mix your gold, silver and champagne luster dusts with everclear and paint onto fruit. Steam fruit to set in the color.
Attach to cake using white royal icing piped around the edge.

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Gilded Pinecone

Color Gumpaste brown, and roll into a 1” oblong ball.

Placing scissors at a 90 degree angle, snip V shaped using the very end of your scissor blades. Repeat the process just under the first row, alternating the cuts to create the pinecone seeds. Continue the process until the cone is cut all way to the end. Using a small spatula or knife, make a vertical indention on the middle of each seed.
Set aside to dry. Mix copper lusterdust with everclear, and lightly paint the pincone. Steam to set in color. Attach to cake using white royal icing.

For more flair and interest, add pearlized gumpaste green leaves, gumpaste pink roses, and pearlized gumpaste feathers to your guilded fruit groupings.





Tutorial by Jacque Benson 2008-all rights reserved

Photography by Morgan Jackson 2008-all rights reserved

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

PIZZA CAKE

Bonnie Merchant tells just how she made this darling pizza cake!!

"This is my first "food" cake. A little girl who was turning 8 asked me to make it for her. It was a banana flavored yellow cake baked in a 3" deep round pan."

1. I colored buttercream with burgundy/red/orange coloring to make the sauce. I spread it to within 1.5" of the edge of the cake.

2. I melted white chocolate for the cheese.

3. The pepperonis were made from strawberry fruit-roll-ups.

4. I had some brown fondant left from another cake so I made tiny balls and pushed them together to make small mounds of sausage.

5. And the mushrooms were more of the brown fondant mixed with white fondant and cut with the edge of a large icing tip to form half moons. I brushed a little brown food coloring onto the mushrooms to give them that mushroom look.

6. I then iced the rest of the cake in a pale golden color... Building up the edges to make the pizza crust.

Pizza Anyone?

Bonnie Merchant 2008 all rights reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.