My brother called today to say he is engaged. He is going to let me do the groom’s cake, but he doesn’t want anything tacky.
He likes photography, riding his motorcycle and is an engineer. I am thinking I should do something traditional to avoid being “tacky”.
Also the wedding will be 16 hours away. Should I make the cake ahead of time and transport it or just make it there. I’d be working out of a hotel room.
I completed the Wilton Fondant class last night. I used a recipe I found online to make the fondant, and it didn’t turn out very well. I had made the same recipe a couple years ago without any problems, but this time it turned out really greasy and kept tearing, although it was tasty unlike most fondant. I am not sure if the humidity was the problem or what. Anyway, that meant the cake looked a little funny to begin with. I did use the Wilton fondant and gumpaste for the rest of the decorations. I really like the daisies and can’t wait to actually use them for a real cake.
The Wilton classes are great for beginners, but I am not sure I’ll take any more, should more be offered in my area. I learned more in the past just reading others blogs, and through cake design books. The good part about the classes is that I did try some new tools that I probably wouldn’t have purchased on my own.
In speaking to my instructor I discovered that the first class he took was about a year ago. After he completed Wilton 1,2, 3, and the fondant class he filled out an online application, sent in some pictures, and a month later began teaching. The brief time I worked in the bakery taught me a lot and I think you really need to work with cakes outside of class before you teach others. Also, they aren’t really supposed to tell you about anything that isn’t Wilton approved, so it is a bit of a disservice to class participants. When I initially took the classes, I did learn a lot and enjoy the classes. That was several years ago and I was a complete beginner. I have yet to have an instructor who actually worked in a bakery or decorated more than a couple cakes a month. I know that there are instructors out there who are very experienced, I just haven’t met any yet.
Anyway, I did learn a couple of things that I wouldn’t have thought of anyway. You Tube has tons of cake decorating videos. Ironically as I was checking them out I checked my e-mail and discovered Donna, has some on there as well. I only watched one, but they are bookmarked it for future reference. I learned this is a great way to learn new techniques.
The other thing I learned is about meetup.com. It is basically a website to find groups in your area with similar interests. There are two cake decorating clubs that are over an hour away. They meet at exactly the same time each month and it is not convenient for me to get there. Maybe through meetup I can start something similar in my area where we can share ideas and techniques and learn from each other. I may even be able to find an experienced decorator who would be willing to teach a one time class.
This is the 3rd time I have tried to update this post, I may end up moving my blog if I don’t start having better luck with pictures.
Here is the cake mentioned in the last post:
