Last week I saw the show for the first time. It was great. During the last part of the show when they were racing the clock to get the cake to the site they had forgotten something at the shop for the cake. Those little wire things with the jewels on them that they place in the cake and they stick out. (I hope that makes sense) I don't remember what they were called. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

I would like to know what that is so I can make some. I am assuming it is something that is safe to stick in the cake. It looked like wire. Does anyone have any info on those? I tried to find a picture of it but I couldn't.

TIA!!

I can't remember what kind of wire it is but the technique is described in the latest Wilton book (2007) It's in a couple of cakes, the one I remember is the Lady Liberty one. The instructions are in the back of the book.

if you go to his site you'll see many many cakes of his cakes have those 'sproingy balls' on them (charm city cakes). I cant recall what he called them but it was just a term they use in their shop--Im pretty sure it wasnt an 'industry standard' label. They are just balls of fondant on wires bent to shape. You use different guages of wire for more 'sproing'

Thank you so much!! Duh, I have the yearbook, I didn't think to look for those!

So, it is ok to stick wire in cake?

there are different schools of thought on this one. SOME people wont put anything in a cake you cant eat, including flower stems. Some people thread wires and flower stems into plastic straws and then into the cake...others just stick them in. Of course you'll want to confirm the flowers or metal you're sticking in (if you go that route) are non toxic. I seem to recall some folks prefer a stainless steel wire because it reacts less(?) as a side note if you are doing something more involved than just putting sproingy balls on--like if youre soldering for a monogram--you'll want to use lead free solder

I use the same fabric covered wire you use for gumpaste flowers. That way, the wire actually never touches the cake.

I think he just called them "curly cues". And I come from the "don't put it in the cake if you can't eat it" school of thought. If I put wires in a cake, I would use flower spikes filled with fondant to hold them in place.