Diamonds and Pearls 50th Birthday Cake

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite cakes made last October for a friend who loves jewelry and diamonds.  There were a lot of firsts with this cake:  1st time making a tiara, 1st time working with pearls and sugar diamonds (diamond shaped sugar glass), 1st time making the scalloped edge on the bottom tier, 1st time carving the top tier, 1st time doing a diamond pattern...a lot of firsts!  But all in all, it has been and still is one of my all time favorite cakes.

 

The tiara!  There is a great tutorial on CakeCentral.com by carrielynnfields on how to make one with Royal Icing.  I used the same technique but with gumpaste instead.  Draw a template, tape over a cylinder and in this case, I used a candle wrapped in saran wrap then in foil to keep any scent from escaping or leaking out - LOL, it was the only thing I could find with the right diameter!  Tape a piece of wax paper over that then roll out ropes of gumpaste using sugar glue (melt a piece of gumpaste in a little bit of water to make sugar glue) to attach each piece to each other.  I didn't have a clay extruder to make the ropes with so instead, I used the fondant smoother to roll out the gumpaste over a smooth, flat surface:  Using the fondant smoother helps with getting no finger grooves in the gumpaste.  Once I got the whole thing assembled, I brushed the entire tiara with another layer of glue and let it sit for 2 days in the oven with the pilot light on to dry.  I then took the tiara out of the mold very carefully and brushed the back side with another layer of glue and let that sit overnight to dry again.  I only made 1 tiara and did not want to risk it breaking...it was hard as a rock and was not going anywhere!  The tiara was finished off and painted with a mixture of almond extract and both disco dust and shimmer dust...I wanted it to really sparkle and shine.

The top tier was 2, 6" rounds carved down to 4" along the bottom.  Sugar pearls were glued one by one using piping gel and then sugar diamonds were added below each strand.  I searched all over the city for a mold to make the sugar diamonds and failed miserably.  I was lucky enough to have stopped by a cake supply store, far far away during one of my business trips, to find an assortment of premade diamonds.  I bought a few of each size - they were not cheap either and stored them right away it an airtight container with a silica gel pack to help absorb any moisture which would make them sticky.  The sugar glass diamonds were placed around the top tier, a large one was added to the front of the tiara, and another one was added to the name plaque placed beside the bottom tier.

I used Satin Ice for the 1st time too.  The top tier was Dark Chocolate that I tinted black.  I had such a hard time working with it and couldn't get the sides of the cake smoothed out.  I improvised and added a white, ruffled collar around it to hide the imperfections and finished it off by adding a sugar pearl to the front of the collar as a button.  I loved how it turned out!  Completely unplanned and a perfect addition to the cake.

The middle tier was Red Satin Ice and a nightmare to work with.  And although a lot of people suggest to buy the red and black premade, I have since figured it out and make my own with marshmallows - see Marshmallow Fondant Recipe (honestly, I love the way MMF works and tastes over Satin Ice).  I got so many hairline cracks with the Satin Ice, it drove me insane!  I used a diamond impression mat to get the outline of the pattern in then went over it with a ruler to press the diamond pattern in more then added silver dragees to each corner.

Here is a picture of the tools used:  a fondant smoother to roll the fondant ropes with for the tiara, leaf cutters and a scalloped cutter used for the bottom tier, and a diamond impression mat (or grid) used on the middle tier:

The bottom tier was a challenge to get the scalloped edge to neatly and evenly sit over the cake.  I tired several things and ended up mixing the white MMF with tylose to help it not be as stretchy and to also help it dry faster.  Cut out a circle (about 15" round) and then used a scalloped cutter to cut out the pattern flat on the table.  Let that sit for a 1/2 hour to dry and set a bit, then loosely rolled it over onto a rolling pin and carefully rolled it back onto the cake.  Letting it sit helped the fondant not stretch and loose it's shape once picked up.  It looks very odd at this stage but once the black beaded pattern and leaf pattern were added, it came together very nicely.  I made fondant leaves with the black Satin Ice and attached it to the sides of the cake and the black piping was done in Royal Icing.

Cake:  Bottom 12" tier was Vanilla with Lemon filling, 9" Middle and 6" top tiers were Red Velvet with Vanilla Bettercream.  The entire cake was covered in Vanilla Buttercream then with Fondant.

Superman Kryptonite Cake (and Sugar Glass Recipe)

I made this cake a year ago for a little boy turning 2.  The parents wanted a Superman cake and I wanted to make something different and this is what I came up with, a Kryptonite Superman Cake!  How I was going to pull the Kryptonite off?  I did not have a clue.  I spend weeks trying to figure out how to make a Kryptonite crystal that were edible...making and growing your own sugar crystals to working with gelatin...so much learned!

Making the Kryptonite:  I originally tried making them from gelatin sheets that I trimmed into the shape of crystals but they just tasted awful and looked nothing like a crystal or the way I was envisioning it to look.  After failing at finding a mold to use, I improvised and made my own mold using a toaster oven rack and foil.  The foil was dented in between each section to form a well for the sugar to sit with the ends curled up to help contain any sugar that may seep to the ends.  The foil along the sides were tightly tucked under - PLEASE take precaution when working with hot, molten sugar!  It is dangerously hot.  Have all your stuff ready and in one place, and be super careful!

Sugar Glass Recipe:

1/2 Cup Sugar (see note below)

1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup

Combine the sugar and corn syrup into a sauce pan over medium heat.  Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature and keep boiling until it reaches 300°.  Add any coloring and/or any flavor oils.

NOTE:  Do not add the coloring before 300° or else the finished, cooled product will be tacky.

NOTE:  Granulated sugar turns a golden yellow color when boiled.  If you want it to remain clear, you will need to use Isomalt (sugar free).

Note:  If they sugar glass looks a little cloudy, you can rub/polish with a little bit of vegetable oil

I used regular granulated sugar since I was coloring it green using ChefMaster Green Candy Colors.

I lightly brushed the foil mold with vegetable oil so that the sugar wouldn't stick to it like glue and very carefully poured the hot, boiling, 300° sugar glass over each well.  Being very careful and doing it very gently to also avoid getting air bubbles in it.  Let it sit for about an hour until completely cooled and hard.  Then, peel the sugar glass off the foil.  Store the sugar glass in an airtight container with a silica gel packet (helps absorb moisture).  Moisture will make them sticky/tacky and putting them in the fridge will melt them...did you watch the Cake Boss episode where he used isomalt to make coral for an aquarium cake?  I got my silica gel packet from inside those Nori Packets (the seaweed sheets used to make sushi).

Break off the pieces and apply to the cake.  I found that the best thing that worked at holding the sugar glass up against the fondant cake were tiny little pieces of fondant brushed with a little bit of water.  Icing didn't work...well, it didn't stick to the sugar glass, and straight water did nothing.  I'm sure you could use piping gel but I didn't have any on hand when making this cake.

Superman Cake Topper:
I made him out of fondant, all different colors put together like a puzzle, engraved in the details, then painted in the highlights using gel colors diluted with almond extract (you can use Vodka but I never have any on hand and the almond evaporates quickly and dry - using water will just leave a tacky mess behind).

The entire cake was covered in buttercream then with yellow-green tinted MMF.  I originally wanted to make it blue but the green sugar glass did not look right up against it so I settled with this color made with both AmeriColor Electric Green and Wilton Bright Yellow.

  I made some skyline silhouettes of buildings to add around the back of the cake.

The Superman symbol was cut free-handed into a"2" for the little boys 2nd birthday.

Finished off with more Kryptonite around the front of the cake.  Notice the Daily Planet globe on top of the building =).  I love adding those tiny details that pull the theme together!

Cake:  9" Chocolate Sour Cream Cake filled with White Chocolate Mousse.