Cake Decorating - Week 2

Week Two was a lot of fun! We were supposed to bring an un-iced cake to class, so I brought a chocolate cake. YUM.

My first basketweave. :o) I love this technique. Seriously, one of my favorites so far!

We also learned how to use piping gel and transfer a pattern from parchment paper to your cake. I choose to outline a cupcake in piping gel. Basically, you trace a pattern onto parchment paper using a pen. Then you take a disposal decorating bag, put a small amount of piping gel in the bag, and cut a very small hole. Re-trace your pattern using the piping gel. Put your parchment paper down on your cake, and trace again with a small brush (paint brush).

A tip: Make sure that your parchment paper is curling up - not down - if it curls at all. If the parchment paper is curling down, it won't pull off your cake easily and it will ruin the icing.

I really need to spend some time working on crumb coating my cakes BEFORE I do the final icing job, but in a class room without a fridge and a two hour time limit, that just wasn't an option. I also need to spend some time on my borders. These look horrible.

Overall - I'm pretty happy with my cake, since it is my first time to try some new techniques. I like taking pictures and looking back at them over time, because it'll be nice to see where I started from, and where I'm going! :o) Plus... I can really determine what areas I need work in for the next week.

P.S. Look forward to a basketweave cake coming from me hopefully soon! I'm going to attempt to bake the cake tonight after class, and decorate tomorrow after work.