Ask Me Anything - Post 5

Ask me anything is a weekly post where I answer any questions you may have about me. Cake decorating related or not :)

When ganaching a cake, many people recommend to let set overnight before applying fondant (to achieve sharp edges and so on) but in a professional environment when time is precious, isn't it the same to just put the cake in the fridge to chill and then cover in the same day?

While it is possible to ganache and cover a cake on the same day, I would recommend letting the cake 'rest' over night. This way the ganache sets nice and hard. It is also possible to place the ganached cake in the fridge for a couple of minutes to quicken the process, but I find that it is still not as firm as letting rest over night. If you put the cake in the fridge for too long, you will find the condensation will make the fondant sweat and you will need to allow it to come back to room temperature before covering.

In a professional environment, I would spend one day ganaching all the cakes I have for the week and then the next day covering them all.

Do you think community college cake decorating courses are old fashioned in terms of techniques used in comparison to all the other classes on offer by private companies?

Personally, I think community college classes are old fashioned in terms of the design styles they teach. Their techniques however, are still great and they will be a good solid foundation to your cake decorating skills. It's then up to you to apply these techniques to more modern designs.

I love the vertical stripes that you do, I have struggled doing these so precisely and straight in the past, what advice would you offer how to do these well?

Firstly, make sure the fondant stripes you cut are straight/even. Then the first stripe that is applied to the cake is the most important. It pretty much sets the 'bar' for the rest of the stripes. So when you apply it, take the time to ensure it is really straight by using a edge of a ruler to push against the fondant stripe. If it's a bit wonky, use a clean knife to trim off the uneven parts. Then when you apply the next stripe, it should sit right against the first one. Again, use the ruler and knife (if needed) to even it out. ALWAYS make sure you take a step back and look at the cake as a whole after every couple of stripes. This is to make sure that you catch any wonky or uneven stripes before it's too late.

If you’d like to ask a question feel free to email me (creations_at_sharonwee.com.au) or send me a message through Facebook.

Two Little Birdies

It all started years ago with an illustration....

From that, two little humble birdies and a cake design was born...

And since then these little birdies have inspired countless cake designs and melted lots of hearts with their cute nature and their original cake design. Here are just some of them -

Tweet, Tweet! I have a feeling they will continue to be around for awhile :)

Ask Me Anything - Post 4

Ask me anything is a weekly post where I answer any questions you may have about me. Cake decorating related or not :)

So this post is to answer the mother of all questions. I got so many messages, emails and posts about this question I have decided to dedicate a whole Ask Me Anything Post to answer it. In fact, I think no one will have anything else to ask me after this :P

How do you get those sharp edges on your cakes?

Ok so sharp edges on a cake is not magic. It's about using the right ingredients (ganache), setting up the cake correctly and using the right pressure when dealing with the fondant.

The most stable way to set up a cake is to use ganache. I don't use buttercream because it does not set hard (unless it's placed in the fridge but then that is another whole basket of problems). So please don't ask me how to get sharp edges using buttercream. If you really must have buttercream in your cake, I would suggest filling the layers with buttercream and using ganache for the sides and top - kind of like creating a shell.

Once the cake is ganached properly (sides are straight and top is flat) with nice sharp edges, you will find that it also sets nice and hard. If needed, you can use a spatula dipped in hot water to smooth out any lumps and bumps. I usually let my ganached cake sit in an air-con room overnight before covering it.

If you don't have a solid foundation like the above it will not be possible to achieve the final result.

When you roll out the fondant to cover the cake, it needs to be around 3 - 5mm thick. Too thin and it becomes really hard to cover the cake and the fondant will become see through. Too thick and you are guaranteed not to get neat sharp edges.

Once you cover the cake, you will find that that if you have done the above correctly, the sharpness of the edges will begin to show. All you need to do now is to smooth the cake and sharpen the edges a little more.

This is done by using two smoothers like shown below. You need to place equal amounts of pressure and work on going back and forth along the edges of the cake in smooth strokes. This is where you need to practise to understand the amount of pressure you need to use to achieve your sharp edges.

I promise, it's not hard. But it does take practise and getting all the above elements correct.

If you’d like to ask a question feel free to email me (creations_at_sharonwee.com.au) or send me a message through Facebook.