Coloring Fondant to a Deep Hue

One of the biggest challenges I had when I started working with fondant was how to get a deep red, blue or black.  I usually ended up with a big sticky mess, finally deciding to go to the cake supply store and buy the premade colored fondant.   Using a large amount of gel can change the consistency of your fondant.

Others who have tried using only powdered cake colors find it compromises the elasticisty of the fondant, making it unflexible and difficult to work with.

So I have found several ways to make a deep colored fondant...

I will show the different methods using different colors.

Let's start with the color

BLUE

This method is effective when you need a small amount of fondant for decorating.

Knead blue gel into your fondant until it is a nice robin's egg blue. Your fondant will be barely sticky. Once you find it becoming rather soft stop adding gel color.

Mix about 1/2 tsp blue candy/cake powdered food coloring with a tablespoon of confectioners sugar.

Knead into your fondant.  If you desire a deeper hue, sprinkle a small amount of color

on top and knead into your fondant until your fondant is desired color.

 Double wrap your fondant in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. It will continue to

deepen in color as it sets.

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Here is a technique for making fondant

BLACK
This method is for achieving a deep black without a lot of mess. It will, however, taste like chocolate!

The easiest way to acheive a nice black fondant is to start with chocolate fondant.

 It is a very dark brown, so by the time you knead in black candy/cake powdered color you will have a nice dark black hue.

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Here is another method to make a deep colored fondant.

I will demonstrate the color

RED
This method is effective when you desire a larger amount of fondant to cover an entire cake.

This  is an easy and tastier means to an end.

Make red candy clay using red candy melts.*

It is easy to make candy clay by mixing candy melts with white corn syrup.

Use around 2 parts white fondant to 1 part colored candy clay.

Knead your candy clay into your fondant.

Once your candy clay in incorporated into the fondant, you can deepen the color by adding powdered food color. Knead into the fondant. 

Keep adding powdered color until you achieve a deep red hue.

If your fondant is too soft, knead 1 tablespoon of confectioners sugar at a time until fondant is desired consistency.

Wrap with plastic wrap and place in an airtight container until ready to use.

 I used all three of these methods to color the fondant  used for myThomas the Train pictured below.

Try experimenting with different color candy melts, gels and powdered colors. The more

you practice, the easier it gets to get that dark rich color for your decorating needs.

*

CANDY CLAY RECIPE

1 lb Colored Candy Melts
1/3 cup light corn syrup
Melt Candy Melts following package directions. Stir in corn syrup and Blend will. Place mixture onto waxed paper and let set at room temperature until ready to use.  When ready to use,  knead candy clay until malleable before adding to fondant.


Tutorial and photography by Jacque Benson. copyright 2010 all rights reserved.
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Creating Scrolls on Your Cake by Denise Talbot

Scrolls 1

 

 Scrolls 2



Scrolls 3







 Scrolls 4

Tutorial by Denise Talbot

Copyright 2010- All rights Reserved

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

Christmas Trees Tutorial

Supplies :

Waffle Cones for Ice cream

Small bowl with 1/2 inch water

scissors

Forest Green Royal Icing

Piping bag with #67
Piping tip

Yellow colored Gumpaste

3/4" Five petal or Star Cutter

Gumglue or piping gel

Wilton Pastel Candies
Dragees

Place two waffle cones together as shown.

Place in shallow water for 15- 20 seconds.

Remove from water and, using scissors, cut away soft edge of cone

until bottom edge is even and level.

Using royal icing, attach the cones to make "trees".

Starting at bottom of tree, begin piping leaves pulling out as you pipe.

Continue until you have filled the tree with "fir branches", leaving about 3/4" at top bare so you can move your tree into place. When the tree is placed where you want it on your cake or board, you can fill in the remainder of the top of the tree.

Roll out yellow gumpaste to about 1/4" thickness and cut out a star using your cutter. Place a yellow pastel candy on both sides of star, using gumglue or piping gel. Place on top of tree and secure with royal icing. Hold in place until firmly set.

Decorate your tree with colored pastels and dragees, securing with fresh royal icing if needed.

Photography and Tutorial by Jacque Benson
2009 copyright all rights reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

 

To make these cupcakes, use any vanilla cake recipe that you wish, replacing the liquid in the recipe with pink lemonade concentrate, undiluted. You can also add a few drops of food coloring if you want it more on the pink side.

For the icing, use:


1 lb. unsalted butter (softened)
2 stick salted butter (softened
1 small pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar ( or more to suit your taste)

pink food coloring

In mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth and silky. Turn speed to low and add the pudding mix. when it is all incorporated, slowly add the cream, a little at a time. When fully incorporated bring speed up to high and beat for 5-7 minutes. Turn speed back down to low and add food coloring and add powdered sugar by tablespoons, tasting along the way. When it is sweet to your taste, beat again at high speed for a good 5 minutes to really break down any graininess that you might get from the powdered sugar. Bring back down to low speed and beat for a while to get rid of air bubbles. this recipe needs to be refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before decorating or serving.

For this cupcake stand, I just used foamboard and cake dummies I found how to make this cupcake stand from Cake Journal.

Rhonda Christensen
2009
All Rights Reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Ballet Slipper tutorial by Shirley Wilson

 Shirley Wilson's Sugarpaste Ballet Slipper Tutorial

STEP 1-

 I bought the smallest pair of childrens ballet slippers ( size 7) from Payless Shoe Source for $19.95 but they can be used to make more than one pair. Cut off the elastic strap from shoes, it wants to pull the sides of the shoe in too much, without the elastic it may be too wide. So I made a large basting stitch with thread going from side to side and over the instep. to get the right shape. VERY IMPORTANT, Lightly coat the entire outside of shoe from toe, sides and heel with Crisco shortening so the gumpaste will release easily. Stuff inside of shoe with wads of plastic wrap inside the toe and instep. Put a 1/2" styrofoam ball inside the heel area.

 STEP 2-

Roll out pink gumpaste to 1/8" thickness and into an oval large enough to cover entire shoe with 1/2" excess around the entire bottom of slipper.

 STEP 3-

Carefully cut out center of paste from the instep and smooth cut edges with your fingertip.. Allow to dry for at least 30 minutes or until gumpaste will hold it's shape.

STEP 4-

Allow to dry for at least 30 minutes or till paste holds it's shape. Carefully remove paste from the real shoe by turning the slipper upside down into palm of your hand. Carefully ease the fabric slipper away from the gumpaste. Then turn slipper right side up. Carefully tuck 1/2" overlap of gumpaste under the slipper sole

STEP 5-

 Remove plastic wrap and styrofoam ball from shoe. roll out some white gumpaste to 1/8" thickness. Lay dried shoe on top and cut around to make the sole piece, also cut a small piece to fit inside the instep of shoe. Glue on with gum glue and allow to dry completely.

 STEP 6-

Make some pink gumpaste strips for the ribbons. Attach with gum glue to sides of shoe and overlap a bit to inside of shoe. Arrange strips into a furled ribbon look. I did the top stitches and little bow with gumpaste in a clay extruder and attached with gum glue. Allow to dry completely and then dust with super pearl luster dust for sheen. These shoes will fit on the top of a 10" round cake.






This tutorial and photography is the property of Shirley Wilson- copyright 2012- and used with permission from the author. This material may not be used, copied or printed without expressed permission from the author, Shirley Wilson.

Ganaching a Cake--The Upside Down Method by Eleanor Heaphy

 

Ganaching a Cake

the upside-down method

1.              Cut cake into three even layers, flip the layer which was the top of the baked cake over and attach to a base board (the same size as the tin the cake was baked in) with ganache. Spread ganache over the (now) bottom layer and then add the next (middle) layer of cake. Spread with ganache and then flip the last layer (what was the bottom of the baked cake) over and place on the top of the ganached layer. 
The bottom of the baked cake becomes the top, flat surface.

 

2.             Spread some softened white chocolate ganache on a larger “work” board. Attach layered cake (on its base board) to the workboard. Leave to set or put in fridge for a few minutes (no more).

3.             Trim all around the sides of the cake ensuring a 5mm gap between cake and base board- we will fill this gap with ganache.

4.              Apply ganache thickly to the outside of the cake, ensuring that you bring the ganache slightly above the top edge of the cake.

5.               Use a metal scraper (or straight edge) to remove the excess ganache from the sides of the cake. Place the bottom edge of the scraper against the base board and hold scraper completely perpendicular to the cake side. The bottom edge of the scraper should remain completely in contact with the workboard as you scrape. A turntable is useful here.

6.              Fill any gaps around the sides and scrape again- repeat process until the sides are smooth and perfectly straight.

7.              Using a spatula tip the top edge of the excess ganache over and smooth out towards middle of the cake.

8.              Add additional ganache to the top of the cake if required and make top of the cake as smooth and level as possible. Chill in fridge for 10 mins to firm up.

9.              Prepare a large square board, covering with florist’s cellophane. Using sticky tape on the paper side of the board, stick sides down, stretching the cellophane tightly. Then use scissors to cut cellophane off at corners.

10.              Soften some ganache slightly in the microwave. It should be pourable but not too runny. Spread a circle of ganache  0.5 to 1 cm thick over the prepared board. The circle should be slightly larger than the cake.

 

11.              Take the cake out of the fridge and flip over onto the circle of ganache. Working quickly, use a spatula to loosen the seal between the base board and the work board and remove workboard (we will reattach this later). Using a spirit level on the topside of the cake (ie against the bottom of the baseboard) move cake around on softened ganache until the top is perfectly level. Leave cake undisturbed until bottom layer of ganache is firm, but not hard.

12.              Scrape around the outside of the cake once again, use a heated spatula if necessary.

13.              Scrape and fill sides until they are perfectly smooth and straight.  Reattach workboard to top with a little ganache. Turn upside down and place in fridge for ½ an hour.

 

14.              Remove cake from fridge and use a knife to cut through sticky tape attaching cellophane to board. Remove square board.

 15.              Carefully peel back cellophane.

16.              Fill any small gaps caused by air bubbles on top of the cake. Leave to set up at room temperature for 12 hours before covering with fondant.

COPYRIGHT Cakeage Pty Ltd  2011

This tutorial was published with permission from the author,

Eleanor Heaphy

This tutorial may not to be reproduced without

permission from the author.