And now I am off to bed! I was baking bread at 6am today, it's a wonder I'm still going! I'm sure I will be back tomorrow!

AWe're women, we hardcore dont forget!

I have a cake room too!  According to my husband .... it's my entire house! :)

Kathy

AGood morning everybody. :-) Hahaha! Poor husbands! I wanted to tell you it's one year ago today that I first covered a cake with fondant! :-) I haven't got that much better either but that's beside the point. I love making cakes, I love decorating them and I love that you all put up with me and make me feel so welcome here. :-)

AMaisie, we have to share our knowledge and experiences with everyone else and help each other, and I think that's what makes us better people!!:D

AThanks Bashini, I agree. :-) What a lovely start to the week. :-)

A;-D:D

Has anybody made their own modelling chocolate?  I was in Choccywoccydoodah yesterday and feel inspired.....  Have read various things on the internet ranging from very easy to make to total disaster...what's the feeling?  Buy or make?

It's far, far, far cheaper to make.

It's just melted chocolate and liquid glucose.  The quantities depend on whether it's dark, milk or light.

I've made it a few times, with varying results!!!! 

Dayscakes I have made my own modelling chocolate with white chocolate and it was so easy. I just used golden syrup and added about 3.5tbsp for every 100g of white chocolate. I just melted the white choc, let it cool slightly and then mixed in the syrup. I left it overnight then warmed it up the following day and it was easy to model with and set firm again once I left it alone. I've heard you can make it with liquid glucose or golden syrup but because I only have golden syrup to hand I thought I'd just try that and it seemed fine. Tasted yummy too!

PS. I love your avatar Dayscakes, I have been wanting to make a garden cake for a while yours looks great!

AHi, I've never made it myself. Yes, you can colour it. Hope this helps,

http://jessicakesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/modeling-chocolate-questions-answered.html

I went on a chocolate course at Squires and made a few roses out of modelling chocolate.  I have also made from scratch chocolate covering paste which was proper tasty.

AI haven't coloured modelling chocolate I've only made it white so far but I make a lot of cake pops and always use chocolate instead of candy melts for them so I colour white chocolate a lot. I think if you use the rule of only using gel based colours and no water based colours I don't see why you can't colour the chocolate as you melt it and then add the syrup - I might give this a try next chance I get!

AThe best modelling chocolate I have ever made was a recipe by chokolate found here http://chokolate.be/shop/en/tutoriaux/18-tutorial-aloha-english-version.html her creations are incredible and her recipe is so easy to make and work with. I find with chocolate/ glucose recipes it can get oily quickly but with her recipe it doesn't. To colour modelling chocolate use dusts, chocolate colours (oil based) or gel colours. Add to the liquid if you're colouring the whole batch or knead it in afterwards if not.

Hi everyone, I'm a hobby baker from Leeds, just wondering if any one knows the process for registering with Leeds council environmental health and / or the kitchen requirements? I always work in a clean disinfected kitchen & have got my food hygiene certificate but a little concerned as I've read online about people being asked to have a double sink fitted and draining of the washing machine altered, we live in a rental house and even though the landlord is aware of my plans to run a business from home we're obviously limited in terms of the alterations we can make. Also any tips on storage solutions for cake equipment? Limited space and find myself swiftly running out of room for my growing 'cakey' collection! Thanks in advance :)

AI used a tool box for all my equipment when I worked in my parents kitchen. I have a double sink cos I knew they would want it, its for the handwash solutions part of the checklist that they have. Means nothing really but it is a requirement.

What I would do if I were you is contact your local council and apply for food hygeine to come out stating that you are planning on starting a business, they can then send someone out and tell you everything you need to do. I have my hygeine certificate and have worked in various places where we had to abide by food laws and I still missed stuff that I needed to do and the lady that came out was lovely about everything because I was a start up and she was basically there to say if I had anything wrong and advise how to rectify it.

AHi hellosugarcakes.:-) Storage solutions..... Get a cake room! Only joking, Natt's got one and we're all jealous! I've got a toolbox though, it's handy for tips, cutters etc, little bits that clutter drawers up. Sorry I can't help, just wanted to say hello. :-)

I would love a cake room but sadly don't think I'll get one until we buy a house (many years in the future!) I was thinking of investing in one of the big toolboxes, my dads a joiner and has one that is a bit like a trolley on wheels with loads of compartments, I didn't want anyone thinking I was crazy haha. Is it a double sink or would a 1 and a half sink be ok too do you think? I'm probably over thinking things but I don't want to take the plunge into being a business rather than just hobby baking if my kitchen hasnt got a hope at passing. I will give the local EH a call tommorow, was just wondering if there was anyone local on here who could give me a bit of a heads up so I can begin looking to make improvements that may be needed :) Thanks for your replies too, great to finally find a UK orientated thread on here!

That sounds like a perfect size.  I started life as a cake maker with a fishing tackle box but for Christmas my husband got me the most amazing toolbox on wheels (it is truly huge!) and I have been able to strap my (now) smaller box on the top.  He said he had never seen me so excited over a Christmas present before!  I still have other boxes but now most of it is in one place. 

A1 and a half would be fine too! They basically want you to be able to say 'i use that part for dishes and this other part for hands' it could be worse, they could want us to have hand wash sinks!

They expect to see 2 stage cleaning of surfaces (soap and water or a detergent and then antibacterial spray), kitchen roll for drying hands which also has to be used for turning the taps off), cloths and aprons washed at 82degrees or higher, nothing stored directly on the floor, open packs of flour, sugar etc stored in airtight containers.

I know I'm missing things but they are the basics I think.

Thank you so so much :) those are the main sort of things I was wondering about, I keep all my ingredients in airtight containers & have a large seperate cupboard that I keep everything in. Do I have to keep a log or anything regarding when ingredients have been purchased or will they go through that when they come out? Also do I need a seperate fridge? Our Landlord is relatively happy for us to make changes to the house as long as theyre not major structural changes so I'm sure that us fitting a double basin sink wont be an issue. Theres so much I need to think about before I jump in at the deep end but knowing that I have an idea of the changes I need to make helps reassure me a lot!

AThey give you a log book, well Swansea do, I imagine other authorities do too. The fridge thing might come down to how they feel about it as a county, I didn't HAVE to have a second fridge, but if I used the house fridge I would have to be more on top of where stuff is in the fridge. As it happens I have a second fridge and its pretty much full of a variety of fats.... I do have to take fridge temps though on the days I work (most days)

AEvening all, I need emergency help....... With what should be a straightforward cake. It's my husbands birthday Thursday, I've made the cake and the plan was to marzipan and ice it tonight ready for decorating tomorrow. I ordered edible pens online, they were supposed to come by today but they didn't. I emailed and to cut a long story short they haven't even been despatched. I'm going to Hobbycraft tomorrow but I'm pretty sure I've only seen black, gold and silver there, that's why I ordered them online. Anyone know where else I can get them?

AOops, I mean where I can get primary or pastel colours. :-)

AMaisie I get a lot of mine from TKMax,got blue and red, I'm sure I've seen more there.

Hiya Maisie,

I don't know what's in your area, but Hobbycraft do have concentrated paste colours.  I don't know what your project is, but I never use the pens. I dilute paste colours with a clear alcohol and make edible 'paint', then use a small paint brush. Would that work for your project? Hobbycraft have wilton, I usually use squires kitchen, but I would think it's much the same!

I did this with paste colour and a brush:

If you're worried about the design etc you could trace it on first using greaseproof paper.

(Give me a shout if this doesn't make sense )

ACake-sprite, that looks absolutely fab, love your painting.