Sugar Blogged by Ro Zinniger

Working with Fat Daddio's Silicone Bead Molds

05/02/2012 15:07:00

I have just stocked the new Fat Daddio's bead molds in my store - Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio, and have used the rose mold. Wow! Now I have bought expensive bead molds in the past, and have had a heck of a time getting the fondant out the mold. The Fat Daddios bead molds (braids, beads, roses, triangles) are easy to use and over half the price of online bead molds. You really do not need to use any corn starch in the mold unless your fondant / gumpaste is sticky. I used fondant in the picture below with no corn starch in the mold.

High Ratio Shortening

02/11/2012 18:02:00

High Ratio Shortening vs. Crisco Shortening:

High ratio shortening is "purer", as it has no added water or salt, and has micro-emulsifiers that allow you product to hold more sugar and liquid compared to Crisco shortening or shortening that you find at the grocery store. High ratio can only be found in cake supply stores or specialty stores at this time. High ratio shortening used in an icing recipe (instead of Crisco or butter or along with butter) allows you to create a fluffy, stabilized icing that is not greasy and holds up better than butter than Crisco. High ratio shortening has no after taste and does not break down like Crisco does, as Crisco has added water and salt (and the butter version has added color). There are several brands of high ratio shortening on the market, which include Alpine, Sweetex, and Ventura. All brands are quality brands. In many States you may still find high ratio shortening containing trans-fat (which creates a creamier icing). If you happen to live in the State of California, then you are only able to purchase trans-fat free high ratio shortening. (Any store/retailer/wholesaler in California, will be fined $250 if caught selling shortening containing trans-fat.)

Be aware that over-mixing or over-beating will cause the shortening to become grainy, thus your icing will be grainy. Also, do not store shortening in the refrigerator. It should be stored in a cool, dry place. Trans-fat free high ratio shortening tends to have a 'harder' consistency in the container (much like butter when you buy in a bar). It is suggested that you combine some of your liquid in a bowl with your shortening and mix slowly with a fork. Add all of your dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, and while mixing add in some liquid, then the shortening, then the rest of the liquid to the consistency you desire. Keep your mixer on low.

For stabilized versions of cream cheese icing, I use 1/2 C cream cheese and 1/2 C high ratio shortening. Same with stabilized butter cream...I use 1/2 C unsalted butter and 1/2 C high ratio shortening. You can even substitute Mascarpone for cream cheese.

Regardless, do not get frustrated. Experiment too! You never know what you might create!

Questions? Feel free to ask the question in the comment section, and I will answer it!

Base Recipe for Gourmet Cupcakes

09/26/2011 15:00:00

Gourmet Cupcakes - a Specialty Cupcake that is not just a basic cake! I am in the process of creating a cookbook that will have all of my recipes that I have created over the years. Here is a basic Gourmet cupcake recipe that you can use.

Gourmet Cupcake Base:

3/4 C unsalted butter, softened - room temperature

3/4 C sugar

3 large eggs, beaten and at room temperature

1 1/2 C Cake Flour (is more tender than all-purpose)

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/8 t salt

1 T heavy whipping cream

1 t LorAnn Flavor

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your muffin tin (I use Fat Daddios) with a glassine cupcake liner (I carry them in my shop).

Beat butter until light and fluffy - 2 to 3 minutes, beat in sugar. In another bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt, whisk and set aside. Add eggs slowly to wet ingredients. Slowly alternate the dry ingredients with cream and flavor and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix or the gluten will form too much and create a tough product.

Add batter to liners 2/3 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes. Let Cool. Makes approximately 16 to 18 cupcakes.

Once cupcakes are cooled, you may fill with a Gourmet filling (found at Ro Z's) with a pastry bag and #1A tip. Then you can ice with buttercream with #1M tip!

Enjoy!

Cake Pops

06/29/2011 22:12:00

Cake Pops - Hmmm, the greatest latest trend? I cannot be in agreement because honestly it is such a time consuming endeavor, that I prefer spending the time baking scratch and decorating an awesome cake. But, noooooo. All my peeps are asking for the pop. Pops, cupcakes, cake balls, really?! What happened to a good old fashioned cake? With yummy ganache or with homemade ice cream!? So, I have been teaching lots of cupcake deco classes and lots of cake pop demo workshops, and I have to say, they are both so time consuming that it kind of takes away from the whole decorating process. With cake pops, you have to form them correctly - period. You can read a book, read this blog, watch a video, or even call me on the phone.....but you need to see the crumb in person to get it right. At least that is what the feedback has been from my students and guests at the demos. Once they are prepped correctly, then you are the right page, so to speak. There is nothing worse then rolling the dang ball and then have it drop in chocolate, lost to your stick and even the fork you dredge up to get it out! I know most of you are nodding your head right now! It is frustrating.

Of course having the right tools are essential. A deep bowl for dipping; microwave and pyrex measuring cups; quality confectionery coating (found only at cake shops or specialty food/kitchen stores); paramount crystals; flavoring - optional; Americolor color oils; Americolor Flo-coat; wax paper; cookie sheet; latex-free gloves; 6" candy sticks; fork; sprinkles and sanding sugars; and, a glass of wine....so you can chillax while you are creating these pop things!

Yes, I can show you how to create perfectly rounded covered cake pops, no problem. Can I help you shave some time? Maybe, maybe not. It is time consuming to yield a nice final products. Rushing through never produces a quality product. So, if you are having issues, take the time to come by one of my demonstrations. It is worth it, and you will go away with a lot of knowledge and hopefully will be able to be successful at these tiny cakes that have caused a craze!

Silver Icing? How do I make it?

06/21/2011 09:01:00

This blog is dedicated to my customer, Tiphanie! Tiphanie came in to purchase items to make silver icing. I had not known that you can be successful at making silver icing. She showed me the recipe and pictures that a decorator posted that showed the silver piping - without painting or airbrushing! So, I sold her the silver luster dust she needed, and she went home and tried it. It worked! Here is where she got the recipe and the recipe is attached. Thank you Tiphanie and Cake Central!

Piping silver and gold

2 ts. Powdered sugar
2 ts. gold silver or silver luster dust
clear alcohol (like vodka or ever-clear)
1 ts. clear piping gel

On a small ceramic plate, mix sugar and dusting powder. Add a few drops of clear alcohol and mix with a small palette knife to create a stiff paste.

Add the piping gel, a little at a time, mixing well until the consistency for piping in reached. Use a very small piping bag and tip as needed. The leftovers can be put into a small container and stored in the refrigerator. It will keep indefinitely.

Researched and invented by Brenda and posted on Cake Central

Gumpaste - Why I choose Satin Ice

06/18/2011 07:41:00

Gumpaste - to make gumpaste or not? For me, I prefer Satin Ice Gumpaste over any other brand on the market because it is always consistent and never sticky. I know what to expect every time I open a tub, which for me is important, because I teach with it on a weekly basis. My beginner students, especially, are successful in any modeling or flower they attempt, and stay motivated to continue to use gumpaste. Years back, I used to make my own gumpaste, and it came out okay however it was the time I had to take to make the gumpaste. Present day, I do not have the time to make gumpaste for myself and students, and am quite pleased with the Satin Ice product.

The question arises - will it do the same thing when I roll super thin for competition type flowers that need to be botanically correct? Yes, it will! Of course, you can take recipes from the greats, like Ron Ben-Israel, and be successful - if and only if you follow that recipe to a tee. You can achieve those results. However, if you do not have the time to do so, yes, you can create the most beautiful delicate flowers!

To work with gumpaste, you need to condition the gumpaste by massaging it until it is ready to roll. Then use a small rolling pin and roll thinly. Remember that gumpaste dries very quickly, so you must keep the gumpaste under wraps or it will crack and dry too quickly. To color, simply add a bit of color Satin Ice fondant to the gumpaste, as the color is already deep and consistent, and add what you need to achieve the color you are looking for. Or, you may add Americolor color gel or Americolor powder color to your gumpaste to achieve the color you are after.

At Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio, we have a Satin Ice color mixing chart, that has virtually every color combination to help you achieve the color you are after. It is free. In addition, we carry every color of Satin Ice Rolled Fondant and Satin Ice Gumpaste.

Questions? Feel free to ask!

Tips and Techniques for Working with Fondant

06/15/2011 08:52:00

I wrote the Tips and Techniques section for Fondarific fondant last year, which is posted on their website and follows below. I graciously wrote this page for them because I felt that it was important for decorators to know the challenges that they would face with this particular product, and that they would be successful with a little input on how the fondant reacts in different climates.

Because I work with, and Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio carries, a variety of fondants, I felt that it would be beneficial for decorators to know the differences and how to work with all fondants.

In the tips and techniques below, the covering a cake section applies to all fondants. In the case with using Satin Ice, Fondx and Wilton, you will not experience the melting and very soft problems that you experience with Fondarific. However, what you might experience is cracking and / or "elephant skin" if you do not work quickly enough as these fondants tend to "set" quicker than Fondarific. Satin Ice Fondant will create a nice Satin finish compared to the Fondarific where the coating will be more oily looking or matte in color. Satin Ice is definitely more consistent in coloring, consistency and subtle flavoring, and you may even add LorAnn Flavor oils to these fondants to change the flavoring without changing the consistency or color.

Tips to work with Satin Ice: I would definitely recommend conditioning the fondant by massaging in your hands. You do not need to grease your hands with shortening, unless you have sweaty hands. Ideally, if you can wear gloves, number one it is more sanitary and two, you won't have the sticking problem. Once conditioned, you can roll out with a very small amount of corn starch. There is no need for powdered sugar. If you are using black or dark chocolate, use a little cocoa powder. You will find then you do not have to wipe corn starch away. If you want a little shine to your fondant, give it a steam with a home steamer or air brush.

Tips to work with Wilton: Upon opening your package, make sure that the fondant does not have any hard, dried pieces at the top or bottom. If so, discard those hard pieces completely. Because this fondant does not taste good at all, you might want to flavor with LorAnn Oils that you can find at Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio. Use 3 to 5 drops per pound. Keep in a ziplock bag and "marinate" over night. The next day you can check the flavoring to see if it is to your liking. If not flavorful enough, add more oil flavoring. Wait about a half hour, then proceed with use. Condition the fondant by massaging until smooth, and roll out on a lightly cornstarched surface. You need to work very quickly with this fondant and it begins to crack if you do not.

Tips to working with Fondx: Fondx is a marshmallowing flavored fondant and is airy, which explains the bubble type appearance to it. You can color this fondant, however many times color fades with this fondant due to PH issues (see my color fade blog). Prepare the mat as above, condition the fondant, and roll out. This fondant tends to "elephant skin" quickly, so you need to work consistently and in a timely fashion to prevent this.

Following below is the tutorial on cover a cake with fondant:

*Below

· Covering a cake: Prepare your cake with a "dirty coat" or crumb coat of icing to seal in the crumbs. Measure the cake – height times two plus the diameter which will equal the amount of fondant that you will roll out. (ex. 8” + 4” x 2 = roll out to 16 inches) You will want to roll evenly (feel surface to make sure there are no bumps) to the height of a nickel = about 1/16 of an inch. Once you have rolled out to the appropriate amount, you will then lift the fondant (with your rolling pin or hands) to set it on your cake evenly. Then, using a fondant smoothing tool, you will smooth the top of the cake to adhere the fondant to the icing and smoothing out the air bubbles. After the top is smoothed on, slowly smooth around the top half of the cake continuing around moving down to the bottom of the cake. By smoothing slowly and evenly, you will ensure that any excess air will be moved out to the bottom of the cake. If you encounter any wrinkles, slowly lift the fondant away from the cake and smooth that portion down. Remember, if the fondant is too thin, you will encounter wrinkles and tearing.

MORE TIPS:

· Fondant that is too soft:

Weather or over-microwaving your fondant can play a part in how your fondant reacts. If the weather is hot and humid, you may encounter soft, sticky, and oily fondant. If this happens, set it in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Use a light dusting of corn starch on your rolling mat to help prevent the fondant from sticking. Follow the above steps if you over-microwave.

· Fondant that is too hard:

Weather that is dry and cold can affect your fondant, making it hard to roll out. You will want to put your fondant in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time until you can press into the fondant and fondant is firm – not hard and not soft. All microwaves have different power settings, therefore it is important to use a low setting when warming the fondant. If the weather is dry, you can massage in some shortening to help soften and make the fondant more pliable.

· Modeling:

Modeling is easy with Fondarific. If you require a more firm fondant base, you may mix ½ gumpaste and ½ Fondarific or 1 tsp of Tylose powder per ½ pound of Fondarific.

· Fruit-flavored Fondarific:

You will not be able to add gel paste to fruit-flavored Fondarific, however if you use a powdered color, you will be able to achieve a deeper color.

*PLEASE NOTE: THE VERBAGE ABOVE WAS NOT COPIED FROM THE FONDARIFIC WEBSITE, IT WAS PROVIDED TO FONDARIFIC TO HELP EDUCATE THEIR CUSTOMERS BY RO ZINNIGER - CREATED JULY 21, 2010; MODIFIED OCTOBER 7, 2010 AND PROVIDED TO LAURA DARNALL, OWNER OF FONDARIFIC FONDANT

Why does my cake bulge? How can I fix it?

06/08/2011 22:27:00

Cake bulge? Hmm, it means you have overfilled your cake. If you like the taste of filling, I would recommend torting your cake a couple of times, then create a dam of icing to hold the filling in. Do not go over that dam because then you will have filling leakage. Then once you have all your layers on, make sure your rounds are even and level. If you have any cake over hanging or uneven, you will want to trim the cake so it is all even. Once your cake is level and even all the way around, you will want to crumb coat the cake. Refrigerate for a bit, then put a nice even coat of icing on the cake. If you are covering with fondant, then you will want to cover with 1/16th thickeness of fondant over the cake and finish with your fondant smoother.

Can you fix the bulge? No, not really. However, if it is iced, then you will have to remove the icing, remove the layers, remove the extra filling and re-do. Now many times, this is just not feasible. So creating a new cake is the only answer.

I hope this helps!!! Until next week, best Ro....

What you didn't see - building the cake

06/08/2011 22:13:00

Wow, what a challenge the building of the cake was. All the baking was done by Jen. She solely bakes from cake mixes. Now there is nothing wrong with cake mix; however, when it comes to carving, building and creating a tall cake, you need a solid foundation. When planning the cake, I suggested and advised that she bake scratch pound cake to have a sturdy foundation. However, she had never baked from scratch and does not bake from scratch. I then suggested that she needed to create a box mix into a pound mix (more eggs) to provide the needed structure. So, after the major cracking and falling apart of the base layer, it was back to the drawing board. Pound cake was then baked. Although, that set back took up time and messed with the original drawing. So, it was time to come up with Plan B. The base was now a lot smaller - 16" instead of the 22" we wanted to begin with. And the bottom base was now covered with a crumb coat, fondant, and I created the waves with icing. It is the strength of a decorator to be flexible and be able to overcome shortcomings. So, that is what we did as a team, we overcame what was presented to us and moved on.

So, all you seasoned decorators, you know what happens as I am sure you all have had your share of debacles and experiences. Jen just happened to have hers on national television, and that is okay, because it shows her perseverance and that she is able to overcome obstacles. For you new decorators, don't be afraid to try and make mistakes. It is all part of the learning process!

More to come.....

Edible Images - The New Hot Trend

06/08/2011 21:49:00

Edible images are now the latest and greatest trend in cake decorating. What is an edible image? It is an icing sheet that has been run through a copier that is equipped with edible ink, and when a picture is scanned, the image will be a nearly identical image of the original. It will never be a perfect scan, as the icing sheet tends to soak up a little bit of the edible ink, but it is pretty darn close.

What you need to bring us at Ro Z's, is a clear copy of the image you would like copied. It must be a 7x10 image on an 8 1/2 by 11 non glossy paper. We do not have a computer hooked up to the printer, and we cannot print out a quality print for you, as our regular copy machine is not the greatest. It is best for you to go to a Kinkos or copy place to get the best quality image for scanning. The icing sheet is 7x10 centered on an 8 1/2x11 acetate. To remove the icing sheet, you just need to take a metal spatula and carefully move the blade under the sheet to remove. Then you can place it directly on the cake and put an icing border around it or not!

Just a few tips: wait until the very last moment to use your edible image. The ink like a regular photo scan does not like light, and it will tend to fade if you use it too soon. So, if you have a cake due on a Saturday, wait until Saturday (if you can) to put the image on the cake. Do not put the image in the freezer or refrigerator. Keep it flat in a cool place, like a cupboard. You just need to loosen the EDGES and carefully peel the image from the acetate liner. If you place the image in a freezer or frig, it can get soggy or even brittle.

A customer, Lisa, came to me to get edible images to create an art gallery for her cake. She had a very special client, and wanted to create the ultimate cake for her. Well, she did it, and here are her pictures! (Please respect the cake artist, and do not copy her designs, she gave me these pics out of the kindness of her heart.)