Birdhouse Celebration Cake Tutorial

Think outside the box when it comes to using Embossing Folders! Check out how to create a beautiful dimensional wood grain effect onto modelling paste and turn it into a Birdhouse cake topper. Use modelling paste to make the birdhouse and birds as this dries harder than standard sugar paste. Use this technique to create your own birdhouse using dimensions and sizing to suit your cake.

1. Roll out cream coloured modelling paste to around 5mm thick. Level out with a Flat Smoother. Place a washed, clean wood grain effect Embossing Folder onto the paste with the embossed side face down. Firmly run your smoother over the top. Carefully lift up. TIP You can smear a little trex over the folder first if you find it sticks.

2. Use the large veining tool and round ended tool to press into the wood grain to create a really dimensional effect.

3. Make nail holes using the end of the veining tool.

4. Trim to size. You will need 2 square sides, 2 end pieces the same size but with the addition of a pointed top section, 2 rectangular roof pieces plus a base to sit your house on. TIP Make up a template from card first and use this as a cutting guide. Use the end of a piping nozzle to cut a hole through one of the end pieces to make the bird door. Use the round ended tool to press in a hollow just underneath. Make a bird stand using a cylinder of modelling paste then stick it into the hollow.

5. Make a stand for your house to sit on - secure 4 dowelling rods together and wrap the top 5cm in wood grain effect paste. Leave all your elements to dry out on a cooling rack, preferably in an airing cupboard.

6. Make a flying bird, sitting bird and bird head from white modelling paste. Keep the shapes nice and simple and use the modelling tools to add indentations to the wings and body. Stick together with sugar glue. TIP You may like to attach the wings into the body using a little florist wire. Add wire legs and feet to the sitting bird and a strong length of wire into the flying bird’s tummy. Secure with sugar glue. Leave to dry out. NB Do not eat the birds with wire inside.

7. Paint thinned down edible concentrated brown food colouring into the deepest wood grain grooves.

8. Before this dries out, use a small pad of dry kitchen roll to lightly rub over the paint, blending the brown. Leave to dry.

9. Add the paint around all the sides of your house sections as well as the bird stand.

10. Assemble the house using cream coloured royal icing. TIP Use a dry paintbrush to blend in any icing that squeezes out.

11. Assembling continued…

12. Once you have finished assembling the house, stick the bird head into the hole and leave to dry thoroughly.

13. Use concentrated edible food colour to paint the Blue Tits. TIP Use a dry brush to blend colours.

14. Standing bird….

15. Push your dowelled stand into the top of your cake. Make sure it is level. Use royal icing to stick on a cake board which is the same size (or slightly smaller) than the base of your birdhouse. Leave to dry.

Assemble your cake! Stick the birdhouse onto the stand. Push a flower pick into the first tier of your cake and insert the flying bird into it. TIP Add a ball of sugar paste into the pick first to make the wire more secure. TIP Make sure no wire is touching the cake – pop the sitting bird onto a small plaque of modelling paste and remove before eating.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Jill x

Hedgehog Wrap Cake

I have a passion for creating both vector illustrations and decorating cakes, so I thought it was about time I combined them both! My daughter has a crush on all things hedgehog, so on her birthday, I designed a cute repeating hedgie pattern with co-ordinating stripes in illustrator then printed them onto edible icing sheets. Combine that with a gluten free mud cake and she was a happy girl!

The icing wrap sat beautifully on some sharp-edged ganache.

I made the 3D hedgehogs out of modelling paste,
using decoupage scissors to create the prickles.

Pretty blue ribbon added that finishing touch.
Now off to dream up some more cake wraps!

Thank you for viewing

Jill x 

Feeling Rosey

I love roses, my garden is full of them, so the brief for this rose cake was my idea of heaven! If you want to see how to paint the free-flowing design and make the edible roses on the top, then check out the project in full at docrafts.com

Jewel in the Crown

I love working with a monochrome colour palette and this commission for docrafts Creativity was the prefect platform for using luscious silvers, greys and black. You can see how make the edible embellishments at docrafts.com.

Thrilling Quilling Sugarpaste Style

When the editor of docrafts Creativity asked me to create a cake with quilling on, I thought she was joking! Well, she certainly wasn't, so off I went to spent several evenings experimenting with different techniques to recreate a quilled design using sugarpaste - here’s the result…

 

I have to say that I LOVED the process of making this quilled hummingbird and I am now an official sugar quilling addict! Our Creative Director Katy Godbeer and Senior Photographer Jon Mackenzie made a fabulous job of taking the perfect snap of this cake – hats off to you both!

If you would like to find out how to make this cake step by step then pop down to your nearest stockists of the docrafts Creativity Magazine Issue 47 which is available now (June 2014 whilst stocks last). 

 

Find your nearest stockist and more info at www.docrafts.com

Thank you for looking!

 

Jill x

 

 

Gluten Free Naked Cake!

I am being converted to loving the new trend of Naked Cakes which is getting more and more popular in the cake world. They skip the iced covering and show off the actual cake and filling in all their glory! You need to consider your cake and filling colour, flavour and consistency in a different way to when you cover cakes with icing - you can have no runny fillings or burnt edges - there is no room to hide!

 

Here is my first Naked Cake which I made for my Mum on Mother's Day. With three coeliacs at the tea party, gluten free vanilla sponges were the order of the day! I am a massive fan of Orgran Gluten Free Self Raising Flour - it is an ideal swop for normal SR flour- there is no difference in the taste or consistency and is so easy to use (I'll give you the recipe further down the post)...

 

 The beauty of Naked Cakes is that you can use simple decorations - I know I have combined flowers and fruit on this version, but assorted fruits and any other relevant edible offerings work perfectly. I sprinkled mine with a little icing sugar just before serving to get a lovely finish.

The flowers were made with gumpaste (sugarpaste mixed with Tyo powder in this instance) and shaped using the Little Venice Cake Company Modelling Tools and Mat. They were possibly the quickest flowers I have ever made as time was short (10pm the night before!) but I was happy with the overall effect. The flowers were wired and inserted into mini flower picks which were pushed
into the sponge at staggered heights.

 

Here's the gluten free recipe for 3 lots of 8" vanilla sponges (base tier) 

(swop the vanilla extract for other flavours if you wish)

 

12oz Soft Margarine (at room temperature)

12oz Golden Caster Sugar

6 Large Eggs (at room temperature)

2 tsp Vanilla Extract (spend more on a quality one such as Nielsen Massey -

it is worth the expense as it makes such a difference to the flavour)

12oz Orgran Self Raising Flour

 

Heat the oven to 180 0C then grease and line your cake tins (I used the Little Venice Cake Company Professional Grade Anodised Cake Tins as I love the quality). Cream the margarine and sugar together until fluffy then gradually add in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and use a metal spoon to fold it onto the mixture. Divide the mixture equally between three tins and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until light golden brown and springy to the touch in the middle.

 

If you do not have three tins the same size, make each layer one at a time using freshly prepared mixture. It is worth the effort as the baking agents in the mixture can start to work whilst it sits in the bowl and can spoil the sponge.

 

For the top tier, use 6" tins and alter the quantities to 9oz of margarine, sugar and flour and 4.5 eggs

(add one egg to a cup, beat it then measure out half) - use the same amount of vanilla extract and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

 

 

 

The cake was filled with beaten double cream and strawberry jam and went down a storm! Apparently, it even freezes well too (just as well as there was rather a lot to eat!). As you can see, I used Little Venice Cake Company Dowelling Rods to support the top tier and prevent it

squashing the base.

 

Thank you for looking - I would love your thoughts or ideas on naked cakes or gluten free baking!

 

Jill x

Cath Kidston Inspired Birthday Cake

My favourite mug at home was a gift from my lovely girls and features a beautiful Cath Kidston rose design on blue. I've always planned on making a cake using it as inspiration, so when my Mother-in-law's birthday came around, it was the perfect opportunity! The cake is completely gluten free (so my daughter, Nan and I could tuck in too!), vanilla sponge on the base with lemon on top.

 

It was actually a very quick cake to make and probably one I have enjoyed the most. I love that each time I design a cake, I learn something new to take onto the next one - I hope that never changes!

 

 I found that by being relaxed about the decorating process, making more impulsive decisions rather than mapping everything out, made the creative process much more fun. I am looking forward to my next docrafts Creativity Magazine commission now!

Thanks for looking!

Jill x

 

Festive Wedding Cake

Hello and Happy New Year! I hope you have all managed to escape the flooding and power cuts the recent weather conditions have resulted in - we have been blessed in our part of Dorset, so, so lucky.

 

One of my New Year's resolutions is to catch up on my blog posts - I have a backlog of craft/cake projects to put on...here is the first!

 

I was recently asked to make a wedding cake for my Boss's sister - the brief was to make it festive with a cranberry/silver and white colour palette with a touch of holly, making a sugarpaste ribbon the feature on the top tier...

 

To create the ribbon loops, I mixed some Gum Tragacanth (a plant derived powder which is used to stiffen sugarpaste, making it set harder and hold it's shape), into the cranberry paste, wrapped it in clingfilm and left it overnight. I then created the loops from lengths of paste and secured a cocktail stick into the end of each loop using a little cool, boiled water, shaped them and left them to dry out.

 

 

 

I opted to use the cocktail sticks as the cake had to be transported across country

and they prevented the loops from slipping!

 

 

What I love about cake decorating, is that each cake teaches me something different and

new and inspires me to try out more techniques!

 

Thank you for looking

Have a great 2014!

 

Jill x

 

 

Gingerbread House Cupcakes as seen in the docrafts Creativity Magazine

If you fancy being a little creative with your cake making this Christmas, then
why not have a go at creating this little collection!

 

The cupcakes and houses were all made using the Little Venice Cake Company Tools, 

which you can view at docrafts.com

 

I have to say, I really enjoyed this project - it was just a little tricky stopping the girls 

from eating them before they were photographed!

To see how to make them step by step visit my docrafts gallery here

Thank you for looking!

Jill x

Jewellery Birthday Cake

Phew, things have been a little crazy to say the least – I have a backlog of creative projects to blog about and no time to do it! Anyway, here are some photos of a cake I made for my friend Kerry’s birthday the other week.  I wanted to try out using jewellery as a cake topper – I have seen some amazing designs by cake artists online, LindySmith for example. I have to say, I love the effects that you can achieve with a little jewellery wire and beads. I will definitely be using this technique again!

 

You will have to excuse the lighting - I have about 10 minutes to take the shot before I
delivered the cake and I had very little natural light!

 

To create the topper, I selected a variety of purple tones and crystal beads in an assortment of designs and sizes then threaded them onto some 26 guage gold wire. I then looped the wire around the beads to hold them into place. I made the twirly bits by wrapping the wire around a pen, then secured all the ends into a flower pic, which was already inserted into the cake. If you stuff the flower pic first with a little sugar paste, it will hold the wires steady.

The cake design was inspired from the label of a bottle of bubble bath! I used a mixture of
silicone molds and Little Venice Cake Company nozzles to create the paisley effect. I loved the dimensional result, but make sure you allow plenty of time for this technique as it can take ages!

 Thank you for looking!

Jill x

Cupcake Celebration Cake (as seen in the docrafts Bake magazine)

I have been lucky enough to be commissioned to make a series of cakes for the docrafts Bake magazine which was on sale with the newsstand September issue of the docrafts Creativity magazine! One of my briefs was to create a celebration cupcake design using the Little Venice Cake Company products. I am always looking for ways to challenge myself, so I decided it would be a good idea to push the boundaries of gravity! Here’s the finished result.....

There were about 45 cupcakes in total, both large and small, and it was a challenge to figure out how to assemble them into a tower! The theory was a type of helter-skelter, with bands of chocolate, violet and lavender cakes tumbling down the sides. 
 

 

After much experimenting, I decided upon creating a tower of polystyrene rings, secured together with glue. I covered them with two sheets of pale lavender and silver tissue paper, securing into position with pins, then stuck the whole creation to my cake board with butter cream.

 

Then for the fun bit! To determine how many cupcakes I needed to make, I attached cupcake cases to the tower with cocktail sticks, then played with colours by adding stickers/felt pens to the cases to get a feel for the design.

 

Full steps and instructions can be found in the September docrafts Bake magazine.

Have fun and thank you for looking!

 

Jill x

Ombre Ruffle Rose 80th Birthday Cake

Hi, I feel a little rusty as have not had a chance to blog for a while but here goes!
I was asked a while ago to make a pretty 80th birthday cake using a colour palette of lilac
and pink and here's what I came up with...

 

The ruffles are really easy to make (and quite addictive too!). I simply cut lengths of sugar paste then used a ball tool to ruffle the edges. I then stuck them to the cake sides from top to bottom using a little water as adhesive. To create the depth of ruffle, I concertinaed the strips as I stuck them on.

 

 

To create the ombre effect, I used a graduation of colours from top to bottom.

To get the colours right, I found it much easier to create a range of coloured sugar paste balls first and lie them next to each other on my worktop. Start light then darken to suit until you get the perfect colour mix.

 

 

I created the roses by making a cone of sugar paste for the centre, then wrapping cut circles

of thin sugar paste around it, tweaking the petals as you go to achieve a natural shape.
The roses were left to dry on greaseproof paper in a Yorkshire pudding tin, then dusted with
edible pearl lustre for a pretty sheen.

 

The 80 was made but pressing a Papermania 8 and 0 clear backed stamp into a thick section of rolled sugar paste, which I then cut out, left to dry, added the sheen and mini flowers.

 

 

I made the mini flowers using a metal cutter and molded them to a 3D shape and

used these to decorate the 80 and fill in any gaps!

 

 

Thank you for looking!

 

I would like to enter this cake into the Craft Blogging Central August challenge (I know it is not specifically craft but it is sugar craft so it may count!)

 

Jill x

 

 

 

Fordson Super Dexta Sugar Paste Challenge!

My lovely husband has an interesting hobby - he spends most weekends in the autumn (a few are creeping in in the spring now as well!), ploughing up farmer's fields, along with many others, the aim being to win a trophy!

It may sound a little mad to many of you - these boys go out regardless of weather - but I have to say, after having a little dabble pre-kids, I do get it. It is exhausting but the sense of satisfaction at the end puts you on a high! There is an extraordinary sense of community, support and encouragement from the fellow ploughmen (and women), and at the end of the day, these colourful characters are helping to preserve a tradition, which would soon otherwise be lost.

To celebrate this, I set myself the challenge to create my hubby's Fordson Super Dexta and plough in sugar paste as the centre-piece of his birthday day (45, bless him!). It had me up late but I loved every minute of it...I used the modelling tools from the Little Venice Cake Company which were fabulous when constructing the tractor and plough! I also used their Deep Circle Cutters to create the wheels.

 

I made a few mistakes along the way - I was too eager to get going with the model that I tried to use a liquid food colour to get the blue. After using nearly half the bottle, the resulting sugar paste hasn't dried quite as I would have liked it, but it worked (note to self - concentrated colour next time!)

 

 

I also forgot to take off the plastic wrap from the cake board in my haste to get on with things!

 

 

I would also have covered the board with a square of textured sugar paste before

I put the cake on; it would have been so much easier!

 

 

However, I was pretty pleased with the overall effect, and every cake made is another

lesson learned for next time!

 

I used the following Little Venice Cake Company piping nozzles...

 

No. 22 To achieve the ploughed earth effect.

No. 47 To achieve the wooden fence effect.

No. 233 To achieve the stubble effect.

 

 

I find that it's the little details that you add to the cake that give it it's character. In this case, my hubby's faithful lunchbox, sighting poles and match contestant number (his age) that did the trick!

 

I made a plaque from two layers of sugar paste to add my message (although the writing could have been better, I did this very late at night with tired eyes!).

 

 

 

 

The girls added their own touch at the end - some personalised trophies and plaques!

The cake itself was a gluten free chocolate sponge with chocolate frosting, buttercream and sugar paste used to fill and decorate it. Every slice is filled to the brim with calories, but it did taste good!

 

 

Jum was really chuffed with it which made all the work worthwhile! A rough guess would say it took about 15-18 hours in total (this includes a lot of washing up time too!).

 

Adding the candles actually brought the tractor to life!

The sad bit...!

 

...and there it was, going, going, gone!

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post. It would be lovely to hear what you think!

 

Jill x