Wilton Fondant & Gum Paste, Class 2&3

For my second and third fondant and gum paste classes we covered a ton of stuff! (It turns out I'm the only one in the class, so the instructor offered for us to do a double class to be able to finish a week earlier...)

We went over techniques like draping fondant and the handkerchief... but I didn't use these on my cake. We also learned to make the carnation (unfortunately I won't have any pictures since my didn't survive the drive home). Carnations are very time consuming, so I'm not sure when I'll use them on the cake.

We also learned the fantasy flower - which is a made up Wilton flower. It's actually not that complicated and looks pretty when it's finished.


I decided to decorate my cake very simply w/ a few daisies and leaves (which were very easy to make) and a ribbon border (also very easy). My cake is a Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake (I think it's actually called double chocolate fudge or something like that...) and I made Peanut Butter Buttercream (YUMMY! Can't wait to try it w/ the cake!)

Wilton Candy Class

Yesterday I took a Candy Class at Michaels. It was well worth it! The class was mainly supposed to be a demonstration class, but since only two of us showed up, our instructor let us participate and practice making the candy!

It was a two hour class and in that time we learned... cream cheese mints, nut clusters (made using equal parts of chocolate and nuts/pretzels/mini marshmallows/candy, etc. and dropped by clusters onto waxed paper... then drizzled w/ colored chocolate for decoration), maple cremes (first we painted the mold w/ chocolate, next we made a paste from powdered fondant, maple flavoring and black walnuts, the filling was dropped into the molds and then we "sealed" them w/ more chocolate), chocolate covered cherries (made the same as the maple cremes, only the powdered fondant can be flavored w/ almond... you can also add some or no cherry juice depending on how you like them), chocolate lollipops (pouring chocolate into molds and letting it harden), chocolate desert cups (painting chocolate into desert molds and letting it harden, can be filled w/ ice cream, fruit, pudding, mouse or whatever!) and peanut butter cups (these were really yummy! We dropped some chocolate into the mold, then some of the peanut butter filling using creamy peanut butter and then more chocolate!) I didn't have my camera with me to take pictures and the candy we brought home didn't last long enough to be photographed! :-)

I had never heard of powdered fondant before and I'm going to have to go to my local candy store to buy some! It can be mixed w/ whatever flavoring or coloring you want to make the "creme" filling for different kinds of candy! I'm thinking I'd also like to make vanilla cremes!

(We used Wilton's dark cocoa chocolate for making all the candy... it tasted really good!)

Wilton Fondant & Gum Paste, Class 1

So last night I started my fondant and Gum Paste course. (The other woman who signed up didn't show... so I was the only one there... It was really nice having the one on one class!) Anyway, we really didn't learn anything new. The instructor went over how to cover a cake board and also reviewed covering a cake in fondant.

I have to bring a cake for next week (it's supposed to be covered in fondant, but I think I'm just going to use buttercream - I'm going to be giving the cake to my mom for a dinner she has to go to and they will enjoy the buttercream better...). We're going to decorate the cake in a sample of the new techniques we'll learn in class. The only new thing I need to buy is some gumpaste.

(I'm also taking a Wilton Candy making class on Saturday at Michaels... so hopefully I'll have something to post about that...)

Fondant Tool Package or Phone Call w/ Donna Giveaway!

Two winners! - One winner will win a fondant tool package and one will win a 30 minute phone call with Donna!

Go to Designer Cakes by Donna and post a comment to enter to win!

(Contest ends August 27, 2008)

Wilton Cupcake Stand & Extras Giveaway!

Want to win a Wilton Cupcake Stand (plus you also get some striped baking cups and pastel confetti sprinkles)! Who wouldn't!

Visit Cake Space to post a comment and enter to win!

(Contest ends August 25, 2008)

Wilton Cake Course III, Class 4

So last night I finished Wilton 3! I decided I didn't want to do the white "wedding" finale cake as shown in the book. Instead I did a variation of one of the ideas they show you in the back of the book.... I also didn't use fondant to frost it... I figured I'm going to have plenty of practice with fondant in the next class and we like the taste of buttercream icing better. I did make some fondant decorations for it, though!

So here are my pictures! (Side view and top view...)



I made the fondant flower and leave cutouts a couple days ahead and let them dry on flower formers to get the curved edges... for the leaves I used the red tool (from Wilton's 10-piece tool kit) to put the veining on... for the flowers, I made a coordinating buttercream color and did the brush embroidery technique we learned in class... then I put on the finishing touches w/ a green buttercream... I was pretty pleased with how it turned out! (Especially since I didn't really like the pinkish looking flowers when I was making them...) Also, I put 8 large flowers on each layer... I meant to have 10 large flowers on the bottom layer... but I divided it wrong! :-( But, oh well, it still looks pretty nice!

(Oh, and here's a tip for using the dowel rods... for the longer one that has to be "hammered" through the top cake and cake board down to the bottom cake board... the book says to sharpen it with a household knife... I used a manual pencil sharpener at the suggestion of my husband - it worked great!)

Next is the Fondant and Gum Paste Course... but it doesn't start until September 8!

Wilton Cake Course III, Class 3

Last night was my third class of Wilton 3 and WOW! did we learn a lot in a very short amount of time! I REALLY need to practice this week!

We started class a little late and only had time to do a couple of each flower in class... also, we had to go over the fondant rose since we didn't go over last week... (there are only two of us in the class and my classmate wasn't there last week... so the instructor wanted to wait until she was here this week to go over the fondant rose...)

So anyway - first we learned the Easter Lily - it wasn't too hard... but I made my icing a little thin and the petals wouldn't stand up right...


Second we learned the Poinsettia - I think this was the easiest flower of the evening...


Next we learned the Petunia (yellow)... not so easy... I really need to practice these! And finally, the Morning Glory (blue)... even harder than the Petunia! I need TONS of practice on these! My instructors looked a ton nicer than mine... she only made one of each and my classmate took those home, so I'm going to have to rely on the book as a guide for practicing.


Here is a picture of the Easter Lily and Poinsettia my instructor made... She made two of each of these... so we could each take one home....


The last thing we went over was the fondant rose. We flew through this! (Excuse my blue rose... I used leftover blue fondant I had from my bow from last week...) These weren't too hard... but we went through it so fast I missed doing a couple of steps so it doesn't look quite right... but I'm pretty confident I can make them fairly easily by myself when I'm not rushing so much...


So next week in class we make our tiered or stacked cake. I'm planning on doing a stacked cake... I just have to decide on the design. I do know that I don't want to make the "wedding" tiered cake in the book... I won't have time to make all those fondant roses this week...