Ooooh Baby! Easy sugarpaste booties by Jen Dontz

This week's tutorial is on the adorable and VERY EASY baby bootie.  It's lifesize, so much fun to make and will really impress your customers!

Step 1 - Roll out your paste about 1/4" thick.  You can use fondant or gumpaste.  I'm using gumpaste on these.  The set comes with three cutters.  Taking the sole cutter, cut one of the thick pieces for each shoe you want to make. 

 You can let these dry, but really don't have to.  I started working right away on them.  Since the paste is so thick you will not be able to totally cut through it with the cutter so just make an impression on top, then use the scissors to cut it out.

  By cutting the paste thick, I feel it's easier to put this together.  I'm sure there are many ways to make these, but this is my way.  :-)

 

Step 2 - I use my tiny little scissors and cut off about 1/4" from each end of the sole.  If you don't do this step, the final result looks more like a moccasin than a bootie.

Disgard the end scraps.

Step 3 - Cut out one of each of the other two pieces for each shoe you want to make.  You can use any thickness of paste, I cut mine on #4 on the Kitchen Aid pasta machine.  The next part we will apply is the part that looks like a little helmet.

Step 4 - Take the sole and moisten the edge with gumglue or water and wrap the "helmet" part around the sole, making sure the paste edge goes right to the bottom of the sole edge.

Step 5 - Take the longer piece and moisten the edge shown by the brush, just this straight edge.

Step 6 - Wrap this back part of the shoe around the back part of the sole.

Step 7 - Using a clay gun, make some tiny strings for the ties of the bootie.

Step 8 - You can make whatever little tie like finish you want.  You can make a bow or just leave the untied strings.  You also can use your imagination to decorate these in numerous ways.  I used the little daisy punch and the snowflake cutters to embelish the ones below.  You might have to stuff some plastic wrap or a cotton ball in the shoe until it's competely dry.  I guarantee your customers will LOVE these, especially when they find out they are made of sugar :-)  If you have any questions at all, please contact me, cakebabe1@aol.com  All of these cake toys are available through Sugar Delites, I'll make a list of just what I used and post it below.  Aren't these just to cute for words?  I LOVE using them on my baby cakes.

Equipment used to make the booties:

Click on item to order:

Jem baby bootie cutter  -

Daisy punch cutter -  

(I used a tip #7 to cut out the center of the daisy)

PME snowflake plunger cutters -

Rainbow disco dust (brilliant) -

Sugarcraft clay gun -

Tiny scissors -

Tutorial courtesy of Jennifer Dontz
2010
All Rights Reserved

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

"Hush Little Baby" Crib Cake

Materials:

Cookie sheets or cake cardboards
Tape
Waxed Paper
2 cups Royal Icing
Blue, Green, Red and Yellow coloring pastes/gels
Parchment or pastry bags
Piping Tips- #2,#3,#12,#86
Art Brush
10” Square Cake Layer
Quarter Sheet Cake Drum
Black Food-coloring Marker
Matching Ribbon
Glue Stick


Instructions:


1. Make several copies of each animal-shaped pattern and the letters from patterns below. Attach them to a firm, smooth surface that can be set aside. Cover the patterns with waxed paper and tape them into place. Remove 1/3 of prepared royal icing and set aside. Divide the remainder into 5 portions and tint with light blue, dark blue, green, red and yellow. Load a small handful of icing into a small piping bag fit with tip #3, then pipe the outline of each figure, being careful not to leave any gaps in the outline. Use a damp brush to help correct mistake and join line together.

2. Add drops of water, one at a time to the remaining colored icing until a ribbon of icing melts into the icing below it in 10 seconds. *Use tip #2 to flood each outline, building it up until the icing has a puffy, raised appearance. Allow the decorations to dry at least 24 hours. Repeat the process with the crib rail panels using the white icing.

3. Cut the cake in half, creating two rectangular 5 x 10” layers. Fill and stack on a cake drum, using a dab of buttercream icing to secure. Cover the cake with buttercream icing. Carefully remove the dried floodwork from the waxed paper with a thin, flexible spatula. ( Or you can pull the paper to the edge of a table or countertop; then pull the paper slowly over the edge, catching the piece as it comes from with your other hand.) Attach the bed rails to the cake, positioning them 1” above the surface cake drum.

4. Pipe green and red stripes across the front of the cake using tip #12, ending the bottom of stripe 1” above surface of cake drum. Alternate the colors randomly, piping 1-3 stripes of the same color before switching.


5. Pipe a red bead border around the base of the cake using tip #12.


6. Using tip #86, pipe a green ruffle around the entire cake just above the bead border, splitting the distance between the bead border and the bottom edge fo the rails/stripes. While piping, wiggle the tip in a very tight zigzag motion to achieve the ruffled appearance.

7. Pipe another green ruffle across the top of the stripes at the top edge of the bed’s front side.

8. With tip #86, pipe a second ruffle around the base of the cake in red. Expose just a little of the green ruffle below, keeping the top edge against the base of the bed rails and stripes. Add facial details to the animals using a black food-colouring marker. Arrange animals and letters on the bed and around the base, using buttercream to prop them up. Finish the cake drum by attaching pretty matching ribbon using a glue stick.

* Handy Tip from Mame... Begin piping the figure with two colors first. Pipe and flood the smaller portions, allowing the icing to crust. Then finish with the second color. I flooded the backside of the dry, completed figures to provide a more finished, 3-D appearance. You may choose to finish the pieces with only one layer.

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PATTERNS

Tutorial by Mame Recckio-Wolfe
2009. all rights reserved
Photography by Katie Hilbert
2009. all rights reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.
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You can find wonderful tutorials just like this one in every issue of American Cake Decorating Magazine. Order your subscription today!!

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!!

________________________________________________

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!!

Baby Animals Cake

This adorable Baby Faces Cake, designed by Mame Recckio-Wolfe, was a finalist in the 2007 American Style Competition. It was featured, along with the tutorial, in the October/November Issue of American Cake Decorating Magazine.

Supplies Needed:Patterns (Follows Tutorial)
Cookie Sheets or Cake Boards
Tape
Waxed Paper
Royal Icing (2 cups)
Paste/gel coloring: brown, red
Deep pink and yellow
Parchment or Pastry bags
Piping tips: #3, #5, & #12
Art Brush
Water
Gumpaste
Rolling Pin
Textured Pin (optional)
Ribbon Cutter (optional)
Ruler
Craft Knife
Unused hair roller
Corn Syrup (glucose)
Orchid Luster dust (optional)
Lemon Extract (optional)
Black food-coloring marker

1. Make several copies of each animal face pattern and the Onesie. Attach them to a firm, smooth surface that can be set aside. Cover the patterns with waxed paper and tape the in place. Prepare a batch of royal icing, reserving 1/5 of the icing as white. Then divide the remainder into 4 portions, tinting beige, brown, deep pink and yellow. Load a small handful of icing into a small piping bag fit with tip #3, and then pipe the outline of each figure, beginning with the detail colors first. Do not leave any gaps in the outlines. Use a damp brush to help correct mistakes and join lines together. Leave off the noses on the lion, cat, and giraffe for now, as well as the pink in the rabbit’s ears.

.2. Add a drop of water, one at a time, to the remaining colored icing until a ribbon of icing melts into the icing below it within 10 seconds. Use top #2 to flood each outline, building it up until the icing has a puffy, raised appearance. Allow the decorations to dry at least 24 hours. If you choose to flood the backside of each face, do that now. Otherwise, add the remaining facial detail with undiluted royal icing


Handy tip- remove the dried floodwork from the waxed paper with a thin, flexible spatula. Alternatively, pull the paper to the edge of a table or countertop. Pull the paper slowly down over the edge, catching the piece as it comes free with your other hand.
3. Dilute a small wad of gumpaste with water until it becomes thin enough to apply with a brush. Pour the “gum glue” into a small container and cover until needed. Roll out a thin layer of gumpaste. If a texturing pin is available, you may apply a pattern to the gumpaste at this point. Cut two rectangular strips 7 by 2 inches in dimension. Flip the strips over and brush the ends with gum glue.

4. Place a hair roller (dedicated for food use) at the center of the strip. Pinch each end to taper the strip, then bring the ends together and press to attach. Allow the bow loops to dry for 24 hours.




5. Fill and stack the cake layers on the cakedrum, using a dab of buttercream to secure. Ice the cake smoothly with buttercream icing. Allow the icing to crust, then mark a diamond pattern into the icing using a diamond impression mat or a straightedge to create the lattices of parallel diagonal lines.


6. Prepare a bag with light red royal icing, adding a small amount of corn syrup ( glucose) to keep it from setting hard (about 1 tsp per cup of icing). Fit the bag with tip #12 and pipe a bead border around the base of the cake. Next, using tip #5 and white royal icing (with the corn syrup added), pipe a small dot at each of the places where the lines cross in the side design. While the icing sets, make a pair of light red gumpaste ribbon tails measuring 2 by 9 inches. Trim one end of the first strip at an angle. Trim the second strip’s end in the opposite direction. The white dots should now be set enough to flatten any points with a fingertip.

7. Arrange the bow pieces on top of the cake, with the tails tucked under the loops, flowing toward the front. Prepare another strip of gumpaste to match the bow, measuring 3 by 4 inches. Invert the piece, brush the 4 inch edges with gum glue, then fold the edges up about 1/8 inch width and adhere them. Gather each the unhemmed edges and brush with a dab of gum glue to hold them. Tuck one end under the front of the loop ends and tuck the end underneath the ends on the backside.

Handy tip- At this point, you may choose to color the bow and border with a mixture of pearl dust and clear alcohol. Use royal icing for the border only if you plan to brush it with coloring. Otherwise, use buttercream. For this cake, orchid luster dust was mixed with lemon extract.

8. Use a black food-coloring marker to add any remaining detail to the animal faces. Position the Onesie and animal face on the cake with a dab of buttercream for each. Finish the cake by adding a complementary ribbon the edge of the cake drum, using a glue stick to adhere it.

Patterns

Enlarge baby faces by 200%
Enlarge Onesie Pattern by 120%

Cake Design and Tutorial by Mame Recckio-Wolfe.
all rights reserved 2008
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Photography by Katie Hilbert. 2008