olsjhs, your cake is beautiful. You have done a brilliant job. I would have used a posy pick for the starburst thingy. But I'm sure now you know what to do next time!

Olsjhs, your cake is brilliant! It's my son's 1st birthday in 2 weeks, and I may try and do something similar. I am just unsure of covering a shaped cake in sugarpaste, but I guess I have to learn some time.
Anyway, well done on your lovely cake.

Pauline

Beautiful cake! Congrats xx

Olsjhs, your cake is brilliant! It's my son's 1st birthday in 2 weeks, and I may try and do something similar. I am just unsure of covering a shaped cake in sugarpaste, but I guess I have to learn some time.
Anyway, well done on your lovely cake.

Pauline

thanks bashini, Pauline & sares.

Bashini : I think ill be investing in some posey pics, I love the starburt on cakes but im hoping I can avoid them where possible ha ha.

Pauline, go fo the number one cake!! Its not as hard to do as it looks, it was easier for the 1 than the 2 I did. Plus I calved it instead of doing in a tin so i made the head of the one stick out wider if you know what I mean. This time as I said I used Asdas 1kg blocks of icing and it was so much better than regal ice IMO it was easier to handle/roll etc and didnt tear as much. I kneeded 2kg together rolled it thick and a fair bit bigger than I needed and lay it on top then I started at the bottom gentley teasing it in to the shape and I was able to lift and move the icing to to provide more give in the bits where it was needed and then I could tease that bit in to shape as well. If you need anyhelp then just send me a message and ill answer if I can!!!

Hello every1!
I've ordered a face/head mould from the Karen Davies site & I was wondering if any1 had used one before? R they easy to use, or any good. I'm excited about it arriving 2moro & trying it out!

Got a Mr tumble cake to make in June & need help with heads/faces, can't do them @ all. animals is my limit! so thought a mould might help me

LOL! Here here!
I think your princess looks really good! How did you find putting the hair on? Did you do that before you attached the head to the body? And did you use a cocktail stick to attach it? I'm going to have a practice with it later, not got it out the packet yet, had a busy wkend with my daughter, painting, making cookies etc.
Like u said, paint red nose & he's done so shouldn't be hard. It's the arms & fingers I'll have to practice!

Thanks Olsjhs, if I decide to do that I will definitely be calling on you for some advice.
It's a joint first birthday between my son and my nephew, as they are only 3 weeks apart in age. I had thought of maybe doing a two tier cake, so that it's almost like a cake for each baby, but I am struggling to come up with ideas that would be suitable for a 1st birthday.

If anyone has any ideas, would be really grateful.

Pauline

bashini, bonjovibabe; I made a loop bow yesterday. Thanks for the link and translation. It didn't turn out perfect at assembly time, maybe coz I was rushing it, but I was much more happier with this one. Will post a pic as soon as I get hold of the USB.
Now on to my next project!

Hello All,

I am an American living in the UK. I hope I can join the thread and learn some great UK techniques from you all. I am currently enrolled in a sugarpaste flower making class at the local college in my village. I've had so much fun learning with these ladies, it's my 3rd course with them.

I have been scoring some awesome cookbooks from charity shops for like 1 pound or a bit more. I just got this Chcolate Extasy book yesterday and stayed up late reading through it. It reminded me a lot of my Death By Chocolate book, but better.

I was wondering if any of you have tried this stuff called "Camp Coffee" in your baking? I just opened the bottle I purchased and it has a bit of a woodsy taste to me. I'm not too sure I would use it. The bottle does say to try it in your baking.

SkisInOkinawa,welcome to the thread.

Yes, its a coffee essence. I make my coffee cake with that. Here is the recipe I use,

8 oz - butter
8oz - Caster Sugar
8oz - Self raising flour
4 large eggs
50ml Camp coffee essence

You cream the butter and sugar as normaly you would do and add one egg at a time followed by a spoonful of flour. At the end add the essence. Its really nice.

For the filling, cream 8oz icing sugar and 4 oz of butter and add 2 teaspoons of Camp coffee essence.

HTH.

You are welcome. Happy to help. Let use know how it went. Good Luck!

Thank you for the kind welcome.

I have another question for you all. I want to make a cake for my wonderful British neighbor who will be 80. He is going to have a big party and has invited my whole family. I am going to talk to his daughters and offer to make a cake. The problem is, I have no idea how to decorate it. I will make a sponge cake with jam covered in fondant, but I have no clue what to do for decoration.

He is so very active, he bakes pies, sings in choir, and grows the most beautiful roses all along the side of his house.

Do you think roses are manly? He has some yellow with red coming out right now I could get inspiration from. How about a mini pie on top of a cake. I have never modeled before, so I don't think I could make a choir boy...

Is there a website for British style cakes??

Hi, I think rose idea is good . They are his passion. I would make some roses and atatch them arround the cake.

Here is a link how you can make a choir boy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts7usro36q4&feature=channel


And adding a pie on the cake is also a good idea!

HTH.

Oh that is so awesome, I think I could even do that! Thank you!

His roses came out a little more today and I am going to copy them like you said. They are a dark orangey red and yellow. I am going to take some photos before they change too much, so I know how to dust them.

Thank you, I am getting motivated for this cake.

Can't wait to see what you come up with, SkisInOkinawa. Let us know when you make it and post a pic!

This is the cake I made with loop bow on it. What do you guys honestly think?
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1369968

Wow Sabz! the bow is fantastic! Well done. I love the colours you have chosed as well.

First of all, I am so impressed that you made buttercream! What recipe did you use? I brought cupcakes to my sugarpaste class with American BC on it and they loved it. Their eyes were like this when I said that it has crisco or trex in it. They just couldn't believe that it still tasted good. I love bringing in American things that the ladies have not tried. I made some marshmallow fondant and brought some in for tasting and they liked it too.

I love your bow. It's shaped perfectly and the twists are so cute. I haven't made one yet, but plan on making one for my daughter's cake later this year.

Aww thank you bashini! SkisInOkinawa, thanks for all the lovely comments you left on my pics. I started icing the 1" cubes, but as you can imagine it didn't work out. So instead, I iced the back of fondant squares and attached those to the cake cube.
I used the Wilton buttercream recipe and added 1 tblsp meringue powder as Tonedna suggests, to end up with crusting buttercream.
Its amazing how far I've come after being on CC. I used to make cakes and decorate them by sprinkling nuts, or putting cherries here and there and I used to be proud of my work! haha, obviously I was deprived.

This is where all the Brit's are hiding here !!!!

I've been a lurking member for quite a while, posted a reply a few days ago and got a surprise PM from Sabz, who it turns out lives very very close to me (will send you another PM later hun!!) I've been baking forever, got the bug from my late Nan, and about 10 years ago started to 'decorate' cakes for my nephews, the cakes tasted lovely, full of chocolate and fresh cream, but the decoration led alot to be desired - 100's & 1000's, nuts, my nephews favs at the time - silver balls etc......... Actually found some ols photos the other day of their birthdays, what a laugh!!!! I now decorate mainly in sugarpaste, but do the odd buttercreamed one (last one my niece after her masters in financial science). I LOVE AINE2, I have all of her online tutorials. I was lucky enough to *know* her via another forum, met her at a demo in Nottingham last summer and went upto Scotland for her famous Bride and Groom class, she has become a friend and I'm lucky enough to be attending a class she is running in London this coming Sunday along with Debbie Brown (can't wait to meet her), half a day with each - PURE BLISS. Up until now I've only made cakes for family but am just sorting out EHO and website, then will be going public. I'm also hoping to do some wedding fayres next year along with my sister in law (who is an amazing photographer). I'm also starting my English Degree in October, with a view in becoming a primary school teacher (7-11yr olds) in the future. Phew......I do go on !!!!!!!

Well, off to sort my 3 1/2yr old out and get on finishing some cala lillies and roses I started days ago......and planning the 7 cakes I have for the beginning of June

I think I'm going crazy, I was sure that somewhere on this thread someone had recommended a good place to buy edible images, I have just spent over half an hour searching 21 pages and I can't see it.

Can anyone recommend somewhere? I can see that there ares shops on ebay and I googled it too but I think I'd rather go for somewhere recommneded.

Thanks
Sara

Sara, a member of the BSG forum, LeeAnn, does the Edible Images. I got two done last week. She is a CC member too. Here is the link to her blog,

http://www.allofmycakes.blogspot.com/

Send her an email and she will send you the prices. She is very helpfull.

HTH.

Hi

Does anyone know where I can buy blue plasters from. I want to buy them in person as the p&P on line is horrendous and I only need one pack, I don't cut myself that often

I'm in the west Yorkshire area.

Thanks Claire x

I think you can get them in sainsbury's as well

Thanks Sara and Slush I'll try the chemist later on. The online site I tried was £3.50 for 100 so I thought ok not bad and then postage was just short of a £5

Thanks again x