ABakels pettinice has just become available here. Can anyone tell me anything about how user friendly it is?

Did anyone go to the Cake and Sweet Show?  Did anyone enter a cake?

I went and thought it was amazing!!! I do hope it will become an annual event.My cake decorating teacher won a 2nd place for his beautiful underwater cake.

Disappointing.  I went looking for pictures of the winning cakes and can't find any reference to them, even on the cake show facebook page.

This one was the Winner I believe... it says they will have the photos on their website this week.

Looking forward to seeing them!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=505365699567504&set=a.397235263713882.1073741829.372256159545126&type=1&theater

AI'm in America, but I know this is good reading if you ever don't want to be confused about the "Massa" fondants. There are two different companies who have that word in their names and they're totally different! They're both from Switzerland, not Italian. But only one is the expensive, delicious one you would want to get.

http://fromscratchsf.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/fondant-massa-throwdown/

Thanks Kimdarella.

On another note I made cake pops today for the first time ever.  I used the shavings from my strawberry mudcake and the leftover white chocolate ganache from the same cake.  They are disgusting.  A total waste of good cake and ganache. Is this normal?  They are overwhelmingly sweet with a yuk texture (well not really any texture).  I've never had a cake pop before and don't think I'll have another one but I would be interested to know how you guys feel about them.

hehehe... that is my exact reaction to cake pops too!  

Some of them look adorable, but they are way too sweet and I don't care for the smooshed up texture either.

lol but you are not 5 years old!

Yes, you do need to "fiddle" to get a good recipe.  I use white chocolate or dark chocolate mud cake and don't add all the other stuff like pudding mix etc. 

Even so, I wouldn't make them as a matter of choice as there are other ways for portion control that you can jazz up.

I hate cake pops, too sweet, mushy texture and after making them a couple of times decided life's too short to ever touch or make one again.

Well, I have never heard that Australian people use ceiling fans!! My brother lives somewhere near  Edmondstone Street,South Brisbane,Queensland. I have visited his place a few times but I have never seen houses fitted with ceiling fans.
 

AHas anyone here tried to make cake pops with ganache instead of buttercream?

chevirwasen I have ceiling fans in nearly every room of my house.  I live in W.A.  I also had them when I lived in Victoria.   Not sure what the relevance to any of this is or if you are in the wrong place.

Hey I have fans and Aircon here in QLD , I often have both going at the same time in summer. 

I agree cake pops are yuk . I would rather throw the cake scraps out.  I do have a little machine that makes them as little balls of cake . But I only use it when the kids come over and Mimi needs cake in a hurry because my three year old great nephew "Needs Cake" 

I had to get a new account by the way I am Chelle. I can't remember my password and no matter how many times I try to get it sent to me it never shows up. 

Kimdarella , the lady that did that cake is from here on the Gold Coast , she and I were taught by the same teacher. 

Hi Chelle, I had been wondering where you had got to.  Great to see you back.  I hope your health has not been giving you too much trouble. I have now made both your passionfruit and your strawberry white mud cakes and they are both fantastic but the passionfruit is the winner by far.  Next I think I will try a mango one.  YUM .  It is going to be difficult thinking of you as Aussie Mimi

Cake pops =

I made them a few times - using different types of cake with different *fillings* - must agree, i think they are for the 5 year old age group

From what i have read over the years it must be an Auzzie thing not to like the texture. ;)

Re the ceiling fan comment - i *think* i mentioned that  some pages back when i suggested someone place their ganached cake under a ceiling fan as it helps to set up the ganache during those horrid humid times....

It works for me - lollll

Have them throughout the house - would be lost without them - even in wionter - we flick the switch and it pushes the warmer air down from the ceiling.... just saying.

Heyyyy Chelle - welcome back... don't you hate that when you forget a password @@ <--- rolling ones eyes lollllllll

Bluehue, now that you mention it it might have been in reply to my cake that was sweating so much I couldn't touch it.  I had forgotten all about that. 

Thanks Kimdarella for posting the link.  Sometimes I find it a bit intimidating looking at these absolutely awesome cakes.  I know I will never be in that sort of league, I just don't have the dedication or the artistic ability.  My favorite is the gremliny thing holding the cupcake.

It is incredibly annoying to forget one's password .All my photos are under my old account .

 Cazza my health had been what you would call interesting lately , I am still managing to knock out a few cakes though. I did a demo on silver leafing for our branch last month and I still haven't got around to photographing what I did . 

 I just thought I would give the Aussies a heads up on the National Seminar ,  the fabulous ANCDA 18th National Seminar will be held at Jupiters Gold Coast from 23 to 28 August 2015.  It is being hosted by Queensland on the beautiful Gold Coast. 

There will be registration packs released soon if anyone wants some more info just PM me or email me if you have my email. 

Glad you are enjoying those recipes Cazza. 

I picked my new name because my three year old great nephew calls me Mimi, and if you ask him what Mimi does he says Mimi makes cakes. He also barrels in here every Saturday telling me " Mimi, I neeeeed cake "

Mimimakescakes...It is incredibly annoying to forget one's password .All my photos are under my old account .

Chelle - isn't there a Password hint for you to click so as it can remind you or an action for you just to reset it....... :/

I *thought* it was you cazza - because i can remember we were having horrendous humidity problems and someone said they were too - and i knew they were in WA

Thats when the fans come in handy :)

There is Blue , but it doesn't work . I have tried to retrieve it at least a dozen times , in the end I just gave up and had to accept the password went with the old computer. 

I love how you came up with your new name, Chelle.

HAPPY EASTER everyone.  Not sure how many of you will see this as I am presuming that you have all been over spammed on this site like I have.Do you think that it is coincidence that spam is called spam.  After all, think of that amorphous muck in the tin, isn't that similar to what we have here?

AHappy Easter Australia! Hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread, we've been talking about Spam on the UK thread too, both kinds. I love Spam (the tinned stuff), sliced, floured and fried, yum. :-)