Final Lesson - Fondant & Gum Paste

This was what I came up with to include all the elements of the course. I plan to attach the flowers that I made to it at some point and maybe let the store where I taught use it as a display cake. The current one doesn't promote the course correctly and misleads the customers into thinking three other flowers are being offered. We also made a fondant box.



This cake used up all the fondant that I used in the first lesson. I also added a few elements from the second class.

Final Lesson - Fondant & Gum Paste

My last class, with my students, was last Thursday. It went really well. My students have allowed me to share their creations with my readers. I was very impressed with how talented they truly are!

Stirling's 5th Birthday

Stirling all year had been begging me for a Scooby and Shaggy cake. I used a picture from his colouring book and did another buttercream transfer like Elmo. It looked awesome! I did, however, mean to have Shaggy line up with the right side of the cake, but I was distracted when I flipped it and well, once it's flipped you are committed. Ta-daa. (laughing to ones self) This left no room for any birthday greetings and only for the candles. I'm glad they were big and took up a good portion of the void. This was a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and chocolate pudding filling. Stirling really liked the pirate cake and asked for the same, minus fondant.

Sampler Cake

I demonstrated the techniques to my students using a dummy cake for class two, for the Fondant and Gum paste Course. As I already had three of my own cake projects on the go, I chose a quicker method. I also used old fondant batches that I have - you might recognize the fondants from the shower cake I did at the end of August! The bright colours I used were to show how to make the borders, the lace draped doily, and the drape itself. I had issues with the drape as I had to assist one of my students. It dried out, as I didn't cover it, and made it difficult to achieve a nicer profile on the top portion of the cake. I showed the ladies how to cover the cake and the base in fondant the first class, and how to mix the colours in different manners.


Last week we continued on with our carnation bases that we prepared during the second class. I think they turned out beautifully. I also taught them how to make a daisy and leaf, a carnation leaf and a "fantasy" flower. I thought everyone's turned out beautifully.

I just spent the last three days prepping this one for my best friend's sons birthday. I had a lot of fun doing this, and enjoyed making the 3D pirate that took more than four hours to assemble. All was fondant with a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing and chocolate pudding filling. It was hit last night and suited the theme really well. I did; however, take this shot before I put a couple of starfish on the cake to hide the seams on the wave. The colours are off on the picture too; the fondant cake base is ivory not flesh coloured like the pirate's face.

These were built on pillar globes that are used for wedding cakes.

I didn't like the seem in the back of his head, so I made him a little bandana to cover it up.

Mom's Birthday "Wreckage"

I have to say that even someone who knows what they are doing has a bad decorating day. I made this one from a six inch pan, but each layer baked to just over 2 inches thick. So I thought I would halve them like a torte would be. Four layers was just too much and too heavy. My mom wanted the jam and whipped cream filling, so I did a good helping between each layer. Even with the edges dammed, each layer I added, the more it tried to gush out the edges. Icing it was a nightmare; with each stroke the cake would lean in any direction, any layer, they were are living on their own man :oP I staked it in the centre to make it more stable but it was already beyond saving. With my mom only less than an hour away I continued to decorate hoping no one would notice....nah, I didn't care - in true "Wreckorator" (sorry Jon) style I went with it. Note my subtle pipings to hide the mysterious lean. I had a good laugh; we all did.

I did however; unfortunately spell everything correctly and afterward wished I hadn't just to be in true "Wreckorator" style.

Halloween Cookies

These are the cookies that I did up for Stirling's class Halloween party. I think they turned out well; sorry for the close up - the ghost and the cat kept wanting to disappear. I have already decided what I will do next year to make them better. Thanks to Wilton, I sent it with a disposable box so I didn't have to remember to bring it back. I was supposed to bring carrots and celery; as someone already managed to squeeze their name into the cookie slot moments after the request was posted at school. I walked up to her and said - I've got cutters and stuff coming I'm making cookies anyways. We chuckled and she said she was bringing cupcakes, perrrfect! I brought what I was supposed to and these, they were a hit!

Madison's Birthday Cake

I did a chilled buttercream transfer that I iced up the night before I decorated the cake. I apologize for any copyright infringements I might cause. I am not distributing this picture to make money. :o)This was a simple two-layer lemon cake with lemon pie filling. It was very good. I went really thin on the buttercream icing and managed to use only one recipe to make Elmo, ice, and decorate the cake.

I've decided that even with stencils, my hands are too shaky to make a straight line. I think next time I would do it like a line border and see if its straighter. A larger tip helped a little too. Note to self: More practice and figure out how to keep my hands from shaking.

Baby (Girl) Shower

I quite enjoyed making this cake; aside from the 12 hours of almost solid labour and a glass of red wine spilled across the top moments before I was done the beading on the border, I would say all went well. Thank goodness fondant is forgiving and didn't absorb any liquid! Emotionally though, I recommend leaving out the red wine (smirk).

This was based on a cake in the Wilton Yearbook; but I modified it to what I had available - Chocolate with Raspberry Buttercream underneath all that pink fondant. I didn't have the template book either so I eyeballed it from the book; the letters took forever because the chocolate fondant was getting too soft to work with - the knife would just drag the fondant around the table; so I had to sit and poke it to death with a tooth pick, lol! Needless to say I have since bought the fondant cutting tools for the more intricate work and should be able to pull it off in a more timely manner. I also am looking forward to my purchase of the template book.

7 Year Anniversary

The first picture is of our original wedding cake - made by Twig n' Berries, whom sadly are no longer around.

The shot doesn't do the floral arrangement justice. My actual bouquet had another callalily in it that was kind of orange.

I painted the fondant callas with edible paint to look similar to my bouquet more so than the original floral cake top.
This is what I did for my smaller version last Friday without breaking the bank so to speak.

Carrot Cake

I was really bored the end of July, and put a little more effort into this cake. I've still had some fondant left over from another project and made the carrots/leaves on top; it was really good. I cheated and used store bought creamcheese icing, but I used buttercream for the borders. Ahhh, either way it was delicious!

I chose a creamcheese and chopped walnut filling.

Canada Day 2009 - Wilton Course 3 Final

(sorry about the sunny background)
I started making this cake for my final class that was on June 30, the Saturday before. I made from scratch (no store bought this time) and baked four layers of cake - one at a time. I used so much ingredients! A dozen eggs and almost 5lbs. of cake flour are among the lot, if that gives you any idea. I didn't finish the fondant on the bottom layer until Monday afternoon as I was a pound of fondant short to completing this seemingly 50lb. monstrosity! This took almost another pound of fondant to do all the fondant "beads" on the borders! The beads and leaves I did during class Tuesday night, although I had to finish three of the sides on the bottom tier at home; very time consuming, I am very happy with the results. We have all been enjoying it since Canada Day. One third of the top layer left and the entire bottom to go!

Royal Icing Flowers - Wilton Course 3

This was last nights class, although I'm not sure why you would use craft stamens, they aren't edible. Yes, it gives the full affect, I suppose. Turned out not too bad, I think for a first try, with practice I'm sure they will get better.

Luau Cake

I was thrown into a theme that same weekend when I took Stirling present shopping for Dad. We ended up with a Hawaiin themed party, and I tried to take it a step further with the cake. David gave me so many ideas and I ran with one of them. I made all the royal icing flowers and leaves that Sunday, baked on Tuesday and decorated that Wednesday. I really liked how it turned out and everyone at the party was quite impressed.



David chose chocolate with orange flavoured icing (tasted like creamsicle) and I chose fresh strawberries and whipped cream (3 dams high) for the filling. It was delicious!

The Gift - Wilton Course 2 Final & Course 3 Fondant Rose

This is the fondant cake that I made last weekend and decorated in the fondant during class that Tuesday. I was working on this one as well as David's birthday cake pretty much at the same time. I needed his for last Wednesday.



I must say I was quite impressed working with the fondant, it was much easier than I thought it would be. I'm terrible at over thinking things to much and overwhelm myself. This was far from overwhelming.
We also made fondant roses, which I really loved. Tedious but simple. June 2009.


I made the fondant centres that Sunday too.

Daisy Cupcakes

Making royal icing daisies, and leaves (all set up for 4 days) and affixing them onto the coloured lollipop sticks.





I had everything done by the night before his grad; I chose to put the daisies in the cupcakes at school for easier transportation. Everything was edible except the food coloured lollipop stick (Wilton doesn't make them anymore, I was told, so I improvised) They were a hit with kids, and I especially enjoyed all the comments from the parents.

Flower Basket Cake - Wilton Course 2

Course 2 I took in May 2009; while making all of the Royal Icing flowers each class to prepare for the final result of the Basket Weave Floral Cake we had to make, I was also making some cupcakes slowly for my son who had seen them in my course manual. Some red colour flow icing, four days and a little edible marker we had ladybugs.
The cake I assembled was a few days before I had to have the cupcakes finished for my sons preschool graduation party. The final class was tedious, but I really liked how it came out in the end. I enjoyed the process of making the Royal Icing Flowers and have made many since.

Grape Vine Loaf Cake - Wilton Course 1 Final

This was the cake I chose to make for my final Course 1 Class. April 2009. Thank goodness for all the new toys I learned that existed. I know so many techniques, I'm having a ball!

Black Eyed Susan's

With the leftover icing from Class 2, I did something similar to these in the colours that were on the "Rainbow" cake. The following class I had these colours left over and iced some simple sugar cookies with the buttercream icing; my "Black Eyed Susan's". I enjoy working with the Wilton recipe better than my own true buttercream recipe, the shortening version has a better consistency to work with. I sent these to my son's preschool, they were a hit.

"Rainbow" Cake - Wilton Course 1

Course 1 Wilton Cake Decorating; this was the first cake we had to make in the course; April 2009. Kayley is our dog ( I couldn't think of anyone else to put on it that would make sense at the time), she did not get to eat it though.

"Train" Character Cake

My next character cake November 2008; the only problem was I couldn't find Royal Blue Wilton icing colourant so I had to use Delphnium Blue instead; kind of dull blue grey but over all it turned out well. My son loved it and so did his friends. Unfortunately, we had arguments on who got to eat the licorice and the people's faces.

"Purple Pansie" Cake

November 2008, I decided to work on my icing skills, but I just couldn't get my buttercream pansies right. I also didn't do much in the line of cakes the year before (I felt I owed my mom a great cake), as I was pregnant and on medical leave at six months until September when she was born, followed by sleepless nights and no energy. I loved my mom's reaction; she loved it!

"Butterfly" Character Cake

This one I did two of; it was my first character cake and I tried it with store bought icing to see which was better. The one that didn't turn out so well I made on her birthday and the better one I made with real buttercream icing (not the Wilton recipe) for her party with family and friends we had on the weekend. September 2008. I must say I stopped using store bought icing after that, if I recall. I guessed as to where the raised portions of the cake were. Considering most of it stuck in the pan again. Ahhh, thank god for cake release.

Strawberries & Whipped Cream

This one I did for my husband's birthday June 2008. I stuck with the whipped cream for the icing and fanned fresh cut strawberries on the top. I also chopped some for the filling as well.

Blue Smiley-Faced Disaster

Stirling asked for a cake with a blue smiley face on it one day. This was before I knew what wilton cake release was, I was always having problems getting my cakes out of the pan in one piece. So this would be one of my cake disasters April 2008.

Light Blue Whipped Cream w. Sprinkles

This is November 2007; I went simple; I was going through a whipped cream faze and that was my icing of choice. Nothing too special, but it sure was delicious. Sorry it's not the greatest shot, I didn't make it a habit of taking pictures of my cakes until recently.