It's A Bird, It's A Plane... It's The Lambeth Method!!

I had another class today, the Lambeth method class with Nancy Linstead at Do It With Icing. Lambeth is a decorating technique or method that consists of piping the same designs over top of each other over and over again with different tips and sizes to create a dimensional or 3D cake. This cake took no time at all but looks very intricate. We added some color so you can see the design better but I like it without color better, I think. The cake is milk chocolate cake.

“Put 'eat chocolate' at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.”

-Unknown

15 Minutes of Fame

UPDATE: The footage that Channel 8 News took of our class today will be aired in a segment about Grossmont College on Tuesday. I will record it and hopefully we looked good. They seemed very interested in everything we were doing. I can't wait to see it!

TV Appearance

The Grossmont College culinary department is going to be on San Diego Channel 8 News! Tomorrow (Thursday), the news crew is going to be filming our Advanced Baking & Pastry class while creating the desserts and breads for the Fine Dining dinner later that night. I'm not sure if we will be on the news tomorrow or Friday but I am setting my DVR to record every new program for both days. I don't know how it will go tomorrow since I woke up this morning with a huge pimple! I'm sure God is laughing at me, but I am not amused.... Okay, maybe a little amused. I'll post the details tomorrow. Wish us luck!

In The Wonderful World of Sugar

Today in sugar class, we used the pulled sugar technique to make hedge roses, leaves and a spiral thingy and put it all together. Here is the finished product:

Next, I finally found time to finish the roses (or semi-finish) that I made in class two weeks ago. I didn't have the exact colors I wanted but the structure of the roses turned out perfect. I like these better than the other I posted before because they are fuller.

I didn't, however, have time to finish the callalilies that we made. They are constructed but not dusted so I won't post a pic of them until I finish them, which may be this weekend if I get time (but since I have a Lambeth method cake decorating class on Saturday, I probably won't). I would work on them now but I'm not feeling at all well today and staying home from my night cake class because of it. I hate missing it, but I feel crappy and after that long class today and the long class tomorrow, I need a break. It's the perfect time to be sick, too, when Erik is gone. Poor, poor, pitiful me. Haha.

UPDATE: I no longer have to stress about the 120 red hats for the Red Hat Society. We are not making them until May so I have a lot more time now to prepare and practice. Whew!

“Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.”

-Unknown

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me... Pearls!

After a long day of grocery shopping, I decided to sit back, relax and make some pearls. They are 100% edible fondant pearls. I used black fondant because it made the silver stand out more. They were dried and then tossed in some edible pearl luster dust to make them shiny.

They can be used for many things so I will continue to stock up on them and make white pearls next. Maybe even make some pink ones. Oh, the possibilities..

“It is easier to swallow angry words than to have to eat them.”

-Unknown

It Isn't Over Til The Fat Lady EATS CAKE!

Ooooooooperaaaa Cake! Out of the several cakes we have made thus far in my cake class, this one is by far my favorite. I absolutely love the coffee buttercream and even though it had dark chocolate ganache (and I'm more of a milk choc gal) I still couldn't stop eating this Opera cake. There are so many layers of yummy goodness. Here is each layer from the bottom up: cake, syrup, ganache, cake, syrup, buttercream, cake, syrup, buttercream, ganache. Wow, that's a lot of layers! And it was deeee-licious! Jealous?? Haha.

“You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.”

-Unknown

Here Comes The Ranunculus

My day today was full of classes. I accidently booked two classes in one day so I had to go straight from one to the other. The first was a rolled fondant class at Amy Malone's School of Cake Decorating with Susan Carberry, who owns The Cake Cottage in Murieta, CA. She demonstrated several fondant techniques in addition to covering several different shaped cakes. Then I was off to Do It With Icing for a gum paste class with Tami Utley. We made the Ranunculus flower. Here is a picture of what the flower normally looks like. (I found this picture after I got back home and it's funny that my flower was the same colors. Haha)

And here is what MY flower looks like: (It was almost dusk when I got home so it was too dark to get any really good pictures.)

I have been challenged by my Chef to make 120 red hats out of gum paste for the Red Hat Society meeting on Thursday and I am a little nervous. I will let you know how it goes and post lots of pictures.

“Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up.”

-Unknown