how to video series - I'm Topsy Turvy

How to cover a cake with Fondant part 1- video series

March 14, 2012 by Ashlee · 5 Comments

The questions I get the most often in regards to cake decorating all revolve around fondant! Usually problems people are having with fondant. The key to working with fondant successfully is buying quality fondant to begin with. Your already spending a bit of money making this cake, spending a bit more to buy higher quality is going to make all the difference in the world.

The most affordable is Wilton, and while they make cake decorating affordable for the at home cook, and I LOVE most of their products I’m NOT a fan of their fondant. Next step up is Duff’s Fondant, which is definitely a huge improvement, but it works best if you slightly warm it in the microwave first. My favorite while still affordable (although more than the other two options) is Satin Ice. It’s my go to for accessibly and quality. And the top tier is Carma Massa Ticino, which if I could find it locally I would for SURE spend the money on. From what I’ve heard it’s no only AMAZING to work with, but tastes incredible too! Fondant that tastes good???? Worth every penny!

I get asked a lot of about marshmallow frosting and I am not a fan. It’s too soft and pliable, not a pure white. It’s just okay for covering a cake, but not at all useful for any fine detailed work. It doesn’t dry and hold any shape and it always looks wrong to me. Too… soft? Cakes covered it in always look a bit droopy, or even melting to me. Anyway, if your going to take the time to add fondant, and want that clean smooth look, use good fondant. If your going for taste use buttercream.

Anyway, this is a long video, and we don’t even get to covering the cake, which is why it’s a 2 part video. Covering a cake is coming, I promise, it’s the next video! I hope some of the tips and tricks I mention are helpful, even though some of the kneading keeps drifting off frame (I was 8 months pregnant and home alone doing my own camera work!)

Basic Cake Decorating Series:
How to prepare a cake board
How to cut a cake layer to prepare for frosting
How to fill a cake
How to frost a cake
How to cover a cake with Fondant part 1
How to cover a cake with Fondant part 2
How to cover a cake board with fondant

Filed Under: cake tutorial, Cakes, how to video series, me, vlog · Tagged With: fondant, tutorial

How to frost a cake- video series

November 30, 2011 by Ashlee · 6 Comments

It’s time for the next video in our series! How to frost your cake. This is BASIC frosting, nothing fancy. After we finish the basic series we’ll move on to more advanced techniques. I plan on showing you how I “iron” a cake for when I’m not using fondant, along with other frosting idea’s. But for today super basic and fast. Esp for when your covering your cake with fondant (next video!)

My basic rule for frosting thickness on a cake is about 1/4 inch if your not using fondant. 1/4 inch is always too much for frosting haters and never enough for frosting lovers, but a good in between the two camps. I go even thinner when I’m covering a cake with fondant because if you go to thick the fondant will squeeze out quite a lot of the fondant and you’ll be left with a pillowy soft look instead of nice sharpish corners!

I hope this was helpful! Here is a classic buttercream recipe (again- same as the last videos). Any buttercream recipe will work, just remember to use THIN (not thick or medium) for frosting a cake. If your frosting is too thick you’ll get tons of crumbs and basically rip apart your edges. The frosting in this video is on the thin side of thin, you can go a bit thicker and still get great looking frosting!

Buttercream
makes 3 C frosting
1 C shortening
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp butter
¼ tsp almond
2 Tbsp water
1 lbs powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Mix shortening until smooth. Add flavoring and water, mix again until incorporated. Add sugar and salt, mix again until smooth.
This makes 3 C thick icing.
To make medium add 1 tsp for every C of icing.
To make thin add 2 tsp to every C of THICK icing or just 1 tsp for every C of med icing.
For Chocolate butter cream add ¼ C cocoa and about 1 Tbsp of water.

Filed Under: cake tutorial, Cakes, how to video series, me, vlog · Tagged With: tutorial

How to fill a cake- video series

November 16, 2011 by Ashlee · 9 Comments

It’s been WAY too long since our last video in my series. It’s taken longer than I thought to get back to editing the videos. Hopefully over the next few weeks I’ll get the rest of the video’s I already filmed edited and posted. It’s funny to see me pregnant again! And I was only about 28 weeks when I made these videos!

This video is about filing your cake, next week frosting.

Here is the classic buttercream recipe that’s easy to use. Any buttercream recipe will work, just remember that for filling the cake with a dam (yes I say “dam” a lot in the video) and a filling, like my Chocolate Mousse, you want to start with THICK frosting. We’ll be thinning it down for covering the cake later.

Filed Under: cake tutorial, Cakes, how to video series, me, vlog · Tagged With: tutorial

How to cut a cake layer to prepare for frosting- video series

September 7, 2011 by Ashlee · 9 Comments

I meant to post this last Wednesday but as previously stated I got a bit caught up in some book series and I kind of lost track of all time! Silly thing is I already had it edited and ready to go, CRAZY! Anyway the plan is to put out a new video every two weeks. I hope it isn’t too slow for you guys and I hope (I hope) someone actually enjoys these and even learns something!

Remember I like to cook with 3 inch pans instead of the normal 2 inch pans. I also like to cook one tall layer, rather than deal with two short layers. If your looking for it here is my instructions for how to prepare your pan for baking, as well as how to cook a tall cake layer!