Cake of the Week: Sleeping Baby Bassinet Cake

This week was apparently baby shower week at Sugar Mama NYC! Clearly, the leader of the bunch was this adorable baby shower cake starring Peaches, the sleeping baby. Yes, I named the rice krispy treat and fondant baby. Thank goodness, I wasn't there when they ate her!
The client that ordered this beauty was very adamant about the cake being very cute, making a statement and incorporating all of the baby shower colors...pink, yellow, blue and brown. Pro-ject!!!

I started by making the cake, with two flavors I know would work together; moist butter cake with a creamy chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.


I decide to make the bottom tier a pale pastel yellow and the top tier I sculpted into the oval bassinet shape; topped it with a layer of white fondant and covered the sides with soft pastel pink ruffles.So far so good. You can't see the clock in the background but at this time it was 6:27 in the morning. The cakes need to be fresh; the baker doesn't.


Then in was time to make Peaches! Her head and body are made from rice krispy treats and her arms and legs are fondant. I finished her look with a pink hair bow, pink and yellow binky and fondant diaper with pink flower.It's what all the fondant babies in Paris are wearing.


I then set to work make millions and millions of tiny pink accent flowers. Okay, it was like 50, but still. After I attached the hood of the bassinet with royal icing and the brown, pink and yellow polka dots with water, I attached the flowers around the edges of the hood around the base of the cake and any where else I thought could use a spring touch.

Well, it was 9:30 and the cake was finished. I was pleasantly surprised with the way the colors looked. I took tons of photos and place Peaches in a nice sturdy box where she would be safe. Then at about 10:00 a nice gentleman came and took her away. I have yet to find out what became of her, but I hope she was happy... and delicious.

Well, it's bake to work for me.

Thanks for tuning in. Until next time...

Sugar Mama explains why cakes cost what they do

Here's a re-enactment of a conversation I've had many times and I'm sure many other cake designers have too.

Me: Sugar Mama NYC. How can I help you?
Client: Hi, I'd like to order a cake in the shape of a (insert a extremely complex and detailed object).
Me: Sure, we can do that. How many people would you like to feed with this cake?
Client: Ummm, about 150. How much is that?
Me: Ok. (clickety clack of the calculator) That will be $ (what I think is very reasonable considering the time, material & labor involved.)
Client: What?! For a cake?! Does it cut and serve itself? That's way out of my budget!
Me: Ok. Maybe we can come up with an alternative design. What's your budget?
Client: About $ (pretty much what you'd pay for a cake for 150 people at your local Costco or BJ's)

This is pretty much where the conversation usually ends. I apologize and explain that I won't be able to accommodate their budget and offer more cost effective alternatives, usually cupcakes or another bakery.

So, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to explain how cakes, especially novelty & 3D cakes are priced and show that there's actually a method to what to some seems like madness.

Cake prices, whether they are regular bakery cakes, novelty (3D) or wedding cakes are basically determined by three factors: The Amount of Servings, Complexity of Design/Construction & The Baker/Designer.

The Amount of Servings is a major factor in the price of a cake because it determines how much cake will actually have to be baked. This translates into ingredients to buy, time spent decorating, what type of internal structure will have to be built and etc. Cakes are deceptively heavy, so carrying and transporting a cake for 100 may take a little more planning than a cake for 50. I should add that some bakeries charge by the pound or by the size (quarter sheet, half sheet, etc.)

Complexity of Design and Construction provide a great variable because this is solely dependent on techniques, materials and time involved to create the desired look; for most designers it's different for every cake. Does the cake require free hand sculpting vs. simple round or square design. Is it covered in fondant or buttercream? Will it require hand painted designs or airbrushed stencils? Sugar flowers or Fresh flowers? For each of these questions the former will set you back a lot more than the latter.

And finally, the biggest variable is the baker/designer themselves. The amount of "dough" a baker charges for a cake is usually based on their experience, talent & the demand for their services. There are some designers that have been baking and designing spectacular cakes for years and a booked for events 6 months to a year in advance. These cakes tend to cost more than bakers who are just starting out. When I first started I sold my first cake for $ 30.00. Now I charge a minimum of $ 200.00. In the coming years as I build up my skills, experience and clientele, who knows?

Both of these cakes were made by me.
One was made in early 2008 and cost $ 75.
One was made in mid 2009 and cost $ 200.
hmmmm? Which is which?

Now, before I get a slew of angry emails from designers, I should clarify that a higher price tag from a more experienced designers is not simply the result of an inflated ego. As the great Stan Lee wrote, "with great power, comes great responsibility." The greatest cake designers are often supported by a great staff; a team of sugar artists, bakers, office staff, lawyers, accountants, publicists, delivery people, web designers & more. All of these people need to be paid. Don't forget retail space leases, insurance, equipment, supplies, surprise repairs & more stuff that you don't even think of until it happens. All of this is factored into the price of their goods. Even awesome cake designers who don't have an entourage (like me) need to price their cakes to be able to do what they love and pay their bills. I once spent 10 hours decorating a wedding cake, after I baked, filled, covered it with fondant & stacked it. Believe it or not, that's not unusual. Imagine how long it took Sylvia Weinstock and her team to make Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas' 10-tiered, six foot tall wedding cake covered with literally thousands of hand made sugar flowers. Was it worth over $10,000? Ummm...yeah!

Hopefully, this has given you some insight into why some cakes are more expensive than others. Whenever you endeavor to purchase a specialty cake it's great to have a clear budget and stick to it; but it's also important to understand what you are getting for your money. Sure, there are a few diamond in the rough bakers who do amazing work for unbelievable prices, but they are few and far between. Cheaper almost never means better and cakes are no exception. Check out this gem from Cake Wrecks:

One depicts what the bride wanted. One shows what she actually got. I'll let you guess which one is which.

There is so much more where that came from. Check out more of these so sad, it's hilarious train wrecks at CakeWrecks : Wedding Cakes
Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss anything and be sure to refer to it when considering choosing your cousin's best friend's sister, who just finished taking a cake decorating class and wants to try a "real" one, to make your daughter's sweet 16 cake.

Well, it's "bake" to work for me!

thanks for tuning in. Until next time...

You Can Make It: Sugar Mama's Swiss Meringue Butter Cream

I'm a self taught baker and cake designer. Everything I've learned is from books, TV, videos and trial & error...alot of error; but the things I do well I'm more than happy to share and believe me, if I can make it...
You Can Make It: Sugar Mama's Swiss Meringue Butter Cream

It's no secret that I love Swiss meringue butter cream and so do my clients. When I started using it in all my cakes a few months ago the difference was felt immediately. The cakes looked better and also tasted better. this a small sample of the yummy flavors you can create with this recipe

It's so good that our office manager, Hillary eats it with a spoon like ice cream. This recipe contains 4 lbs of butter so I wouldn't recommend it on a daily basis but once in while, stick a bowl full in the freezer and try it! It does not dissapoint.
This is my favorite butter cream to make and use in cakes; especially the 3D sculpted kind for many reasons:

• It's smooth, creamy & delicious; so you don't have the gritty texture of butter creams made with confectioner's sugar.
  
• When it sets up it makes cakes extra sturdy for sculpting and holding heavy fondant. You don't get those funky lines from your filling trying to escape from between layers of cake.
  
• You can make it almost any flavor without changing it's properties in minutes... coffee, cream cheese, chocolate, strawberry....mmmmm!
• The name sounds extra fancy, so when you tell you guests the name of the filling they'll think you were in the kitchen all day!
• Whenever I make it, I feel like a real pastry chef although I've never set foot in a culinary school.

I tried a few different recipes and tweaked them to create the one I use. This is closest to recipes found in Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes and Elisa Strauss' Confetti Cakes. Try it and let me know what you think!

* This recipe yields about 12 cups of frosting or enough to fill and crumb coat at least 3 8" three layered cakes.
* I like to always make a fresh batch and use it right away but you can store SMBC in the fridge for up to two weeks. I've heard you can freeze it for two months, but I've never tried it. If any of you do; let me know how it turns out.
* I have halved this recipe and gotten great results. I've even done a fourth of the recipe for tastings. The key is to keep an eye on the egg whites in the stand mixer. Don't over beat (or whip, technically)!
And now with out further ado...

Sugar Mama's Swiss Meringue Butter Cream

Ingredients:
2 cups of water
12 large egg whites
3 cups of sugar
8 sticks of salted butter (room temperature)
8 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoon of vanilla extract (you can change the extract to whatever you want)

Materials:
mixing bowls, measuring cups & spoons
knife & cutting board
Saucepan
Hand Whisk
Stand Mixer, Mixing Bowl & Whisk Attachment
Rubber Spatula



Directions:
Place 2 cups of water in saucepan on a medium flame. While waiting for the water to boil, start separating eggs. I recommend using a egg separator; Wilton makes a good one, but if you don't have one you can rinse off the eggs prior to doing the back & forth egg shell method to reduce the risk of salmonella. Add the egg whites and sugar to the mixing bowl.


Hopefully, by this time the water is boiling. After reducing the water to simmer, set the mixing bowl over the water and continually hand whisk. Continue to do this until all of the sugar has melted but do not cook the eggs.

Attach the sugar/egg mix to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on med/high speed for 10-15 minutes. The sides of the bowl will be cooler and the mixture will appear white, fluffy and form stiff peaks. Be careful not to over whip. When you pull the whisk out it should form what looks like a birds beak.

While you're waiting for the white, fluffy magic to happen you can chop your 1 sticks of butter into tablespoons. That's roughly 8 pieces of butter per stick. Don't worry about mixing the salted and unsalted. It's all going to the same place. A note about warming your butter to room temperature: The longer you leave food out between the temps of 40 - 140 f. the more at risk your food is for contamination. So be careful.

Once you've gotten your birds beak, lower the speed of your mixer to med/low speed and add the butter one table spoon at a time making sure each piece is incorporated before you add the next. This can actually become a fun game. There's something oddly satisfying about tossing the butter in mix and watching it disappear. You could also try to hit the back of the bowl without getting intercepted by mixer.

When you first start adding the butter you'll see the mixture start to deflate and think you've ruined the recipe somehow. Then about half way through adding the butter it will start to thicken and actually look like butter cream. Once you've added all of the butter, stop the mixer, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom and poke out any chunks of butter that may be stuck in the whisk attachment. Mix again on low/med speed for another minute or two to be sure all the butter is incorporated.

Ta-Da! Sugar Mama's Swiss Meringue Butter Cream!

Let's play a little if & then:
if your frosting ends up to loose or soupy, then you over whipped or you added the butter too early. Sometimes if you refrigerate the buttercream it's salvageable.
if your frosting is grainy or crunchy, then the sugar wasn't completely melted before you whipped it. There really isn't a way to fix it. Sometimes mixing the BC on low speed for a few minutes will help.
if you have big chunks of butter in your finished frosting, then your butter was too cold or the frosting wasn't finished. Keep whipping on med/low until it's smooth.
Unfortunately, these are the only mistakes I've made and know how to fix. If anyone else has tips I will gladly update them.

Well it's "bake" to work for me.
Thanks for tuning in. Until Next Time!

WeTV's My Fair Wedding- Season 3 Casting Call!

If you've never seen My Fair Wedding, it's basically a show where "less design aesthetically inclined" & budget challenged brides get a total celebrity matrimonial makeover 3 weeks before their wedding. If this sounds like you, keep reading. Unfortunately, I'm getting married in Barbados. David, will you come to Barbados!?!




Would you like to be on WEtv’s hit series “My Fair Wedding” Celebrity Wedding Planner, David Tutera, is waiting to make your wedding the dream you’ve always envisioned. We’re casting for new brides getting married in the Tri-State area between March 13th and April 9th of 2010.

 Specifically, we want brides who have a theme that is different, creative, fun, interesting, maybe even a bit over the top. If you have a vision/ theme and you need David Tutera’s help, let us know! Include the following information in your e-mail:

-

NAME
-

ADDRESS
-

PHONE NUMBER
-

WEDDING DATE -

WEDDING CITY/STATE& LOCATION
-

CURRENT PHOTO OF BRIDE/GROOM
-

YOUR THEME-

TELL US HOW YOU’RE INCORPORATING YOUR THEME INTO YOUR WEDDING-

BRIEF BIO 
-



Please also include a brief description and/or photos of any existing wedding plans (i.e., Dress, Venue, Decor, Etc.)

Email applications to: mfw3casting@pilgrimfilms.tv.

The Glenn Beck Show 1st Anniversary

Last Tuesday, The Glenn Beck Show on the Fox News Channel celebrated it's 1st anniversary on the air and called me to make a cake commemorating the occasion.

I didn't know much about Glenn Beck other than what I've seen on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report but the producer that ordered the cake provided me plenty of photos and details to create the perfect cake for the occasion.

The cake was to be a simple blue cake with a sugar figure of Glenn Beck holding a piece of chalk and standing in front of chalk board with the logo of his 9-12 project.

The chalkboard was a piece of food safe corrugated
cardboard covered with wood grained fondant and painted with food coloring. The logo was printed on an edible frosting sheet and affixed with royal icing. The chalk and eraser were gumpaste and was supported by two wooden food safe dowels.


The Glenn Beck figurine was sculpted entirely of gum paste. The suit jacket with the jeans and converse were specifically requested. I used a photo to sculpt his face and I was quite happy with the results. My office manager said it was one of the best sugar people she'd seen.

The cake was a big hit, with his staff at least; I never actually met Glenn Beck. Every one I did meet loved the cake and remarked on its authenticity. His staff was a pleasure to work with and the cake was a lot of fun to make.

see how excited I was to be delivering a cake to The Glenn Beck Show on the Fox News Channel