It's here...my second class, "Simply Modern Cake Design"

If you've wondered why I haven't done very many of my own posts on cakes recently...I was busy all summer working on these six beautiful cakes I created for this new Craftsy Class.  And, they all have one thing in common...they are all covered in metallics with bold graphics.  I SO enjoyed putting this class together!!  I knew after Clean & Simple Design I wanted to do another class because there was so much more I wanted to cover. I know a lot of you squirm at the thought of doing an extra tall cake, so I wanted to show you how to do it simply with several techniques.Here is the tallest of the cakes!  The center tier is 8" tall and 6" in diameter.  I call this beauty my "Art Deco Cake" because of the beautiful scallops set against a dark gray scalloped background.  I show you how to make this cake without any special cutters.  You just need a circle cutter!! :)  The flower is a wafer paper flower and I show you two variations of it.  You can use wafer paper or edible image paper for either technique.  I just love the transparency of wafer paper flowers!  Something you just can't get with gumpaste!!  - and they are SOOO easy to make!! This next cake is one of my favorites!  I love the colorful offset chevrons!  There are five colors all stacked to make these beautiful vertical panels.  The white, gold and silver are all luster dusted.  The pics don't do it justice, but this cake is bold and sparkly!  It's a pattern any guy would like! - it's my husband's fav of the class!! :)  I also show how to make that simple little wall flower with one tear drop cutter.  Such a sweet little flower!!  Simple elegance...and easy, easy techniques! :) Hexagons/honeycomb prints are SO hot right now! - and there are so many beautiful ways to use that pattern.  I love bold colors and contrast so I threw in a few dark gray tiles into mine.  The entire back of this cake is painted gold.  It has two layers of hexagons.  Such a fun cake!  I can't wait to see your color combos with this design.And, this is another edible paper flower...with edible paper, not wafer paper.  This is the second variation
This is my "Hidden Design" cake.  There is a design hidden away under the fondant that gives your this 3D look to it.  There are endless possibilities on what designs you can  put under there and I show you some simple techniques to apply designs onto the ganache crumb coat then cover it in fondant and still get razor sharp top edges with complex designs.The mint pinwheel flower is my new favorite modern looking flower!  The front of the cake is actually to the right of the cake.  The flower was supposed to sit off to the left so the mint squares rise up to the flower.  But, it's all good! - you get the idea!! :)  There are some fun variations you can do with this flower once you learn how to make the petals!!  It's got a fun shape to it!! These last two cakes are my silver leaf cakes!!  I show how to apply silver leaf onto a cake and then give you some super fun, top secret, really easy ways to put silver leaf designs onto your cakes!!!  Check out the "Lace Cake" above with beautiful silver leaf lace!!  Or the cake below with the silver leaf polka dots!!  SO much fun can be had with silver leaf...simple fun! :)And, here are two more flowers I show how to make.  All without wires...easy, simple techniques with templates I provide and circle cutters! :)  Here's a close up of the wafer paper flower I make! :)  OH I love this sweet thing!!  It seriously would only take you about 30 min. to put this together!! It's so easy and so quick that you'll want to have it in your tool kit of ideas for those last minute cakes! :) So, remember to click HERE for 50% off and to watch a little promo video about the class.  You can also see some more pics and see the lessons laid out for you too! :) Now there is one more thing I just wanted to share with you!!  Something the Lord really spoke to me after this class.  When I was at Crafty filming this class, I hardly slept!  The altitude caught up with me so bad in Denver that I literally cat napped throughout the night for 5 nights straight!  I was SO upset!  I was a walking zombie during the day and had SUCH a hard time focusing and getting my lines out and executing things the way I did at home this summer.  I felt like I was back in the days of being up all night with an infant...only there was no sweet, chubby, cuddly thing for me to hold!!  - just cakes! :)During filming, things went on crooked, I had to redo things multiple times, I messed up some of the finishes, I touched a cake right after I sprayed it, I did things in ways I wouldn't normally do them.  We had to re-shoot things SO many times...way more than my first class...which was my FIRST class!!!  I left there feeling like I had wasted such an amazing opportunity because I thought I literally train-wrecked the class.  I was exhausted, emotional and felt so low when I got back home. I even told them I wanted to fly back and re-shoot a few things!!!Then...three days later, my mom had her surgery...and the Lord showed me what was important! - and it's NOT cakes!! :)  We can get consumed with projects and making things perfect and doing everything with such intensity, that we forget to look up and see what's important.  Our sweet Lord created us to be in relationship with Him and He created us to be in relationship with others.  My joy will be full, my life will be complete when I have loved...and loved deeply.  When I pour into others, I am filled.  My mom was the most amazing example of that.  She loved deeply and she had deep joy!!  We can't see the future, we can't see why bad things happen.  I may never understand why I felt the class went so horribly wrong and why my mom had to die.  But, what I do know is that the Lord will be glorified.  And He'll be glorified more in our weakness.  When things seem out of control, when things seem like they can't go any worse, He shows up...walking on the waves during the storm.  And He speaks into our hearts, "Do not be afraid for I am with you!"  He knows the plans He has for me...for you! - and they are always meant to bless us and give us life.My husband told me some great truths when all this went down.  He said, "Jessica, it's perfect your class went so bad because now if anything good comes of it, you know it's the Lord's hand of mercy and grace and you can't take the credit for it!"  Amen!!  How much more glory will HE receive when His strength is made perfect in our weakness!!That sweet husband of mine also told me something else that made all the craziness of the summer worth it.  When I told him I felt like I wasted an opportunity because he had to "babysit" all summer while I worked on cakes, he said, "It wasn't wasted...I got to be with my kids all summer.  I got to know them, deepen my relationship with them more than I ever would have had you not done the class!"  He knew it was about relationships.  And, if the only good thing that comes out of this class is my husband's amazingly wonderful and deep relationship with my kids, then it was worth messing up again!! :) :)  See...we never know how the Lord will redeem something...how HE will take the bad and create something beautiful with it!My mom left me with an amazing passion for the Word of God and an even greater desire to share His love.  That passion and that desire wouldn't have happened had she not passed away.  It was a springboard for me...and it was such a gift.  I'm going to miss her deeply, but her passing gave me such a huge desire to be the mom she was, to pour into my kids in a greater way, to turn off technology and pour into my relationships, to tell others about the marvelously wonderful love of Christ and how to know Him more deeply.So...bad things happen...but great things can be seen...better things are left in their place when we can stop and look at them.  My sweet Jesus showed me how much He loves me and how much He wants my life to not just be lived for the here and now...for the things that burn...for the things that ultimately leave us bummed out and disappointed.  He wants my life to be filled with deep joy that can only be found by HIS love, and sharing that love with others.Know Him, and find joy!  Read His love letter to us and find a Savior that desires to pour out His love and forgiveness onto you!!With all my love,
Jessica

P.S...Now, you may be thinking, hmmm, I'm not going to take her class because she said it was a train wreck!! LOL!! - but what's amazing...and for sure miraculous is I was able to watch it back a few weeks ago and was surprised how well it turned out.  Seriously it was ALL God, and I think some great editing to remove all the dumb things I said!! :)   I was crying my eyes out, and the whole time God kept whispering, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness!" - and it was.  Somehow HE turned it all around for good and I praise HIM.  Yes, it's not perfect, and not my best work, but you will learn some amazingly fun techniques to make some beautiful cakes!!! :) - Crafty guarantees it!! LOL!! :)

Wedding Dress Cake Tutorial

 A BEAUTIFUL new Craftsy Class is out and I have a discount link to share!!!Rachael Teufel from Intricate Icings is showcasing her amazing gift to create beautiful wedding dress looking cakes!!  She'll show you how to design the cake using inspiration from fabric and pictures, then teach you some amazing techniques to get the fabric look!!And, I have a 25% off discount link that never expires!!  Click HERE!Enjoy this beautiful class from a very talented lady!!

Commercial Fondant Review

She does a review on the most popular commercial brands of fondant.  Her article includes pros and cons for Satin Ice, Fondarific, Fondx, Wilton and Carma.  I have to agree with everything she says!!  This is a very accurate and well written review!!!

The only one that is left out is the Bakels Pettinice fondant.  This is a really popular brand in Australia and when I tried it, I really liked it.  For me is was similar in texture to marshmallow fondant but a little drier.  I don't remember all the ins and outs with it and need to buy some again to play with it...but I do remember really liking it and I'm pretty picky! :)

Nice work on your first article with Craftsy Lesley!!!

Modeling Chocolate Questions - Answered!!!

Since my Craftsy class launched I have been hit with so much excitement and questions regarding modeling chocolate!!  I love that it's changing the way you decorate your cakes!!  I've loved it for many years, so it's been great fun for me to share it with you!! 

Lauren Kitchens also did a Craftsy class on modeling chocolate.  Click HERE for 25% off that class!

Because of all this excitement and all the questions, I felt the need to do a post on it!  That way it's all in one place and you can use this post for reference if you need to!  I'm going to organize it like a Q&A so it's simple and easy to find answers to your puzzling questions! :)What I use is actually referred to as "Candy Clay" since it's not made with chocolate! :)  I mainly use Wilton candy melts to make my "modeling chocolate".  The reason is because they come in a great variety of color and I don't have to mess with kneading in color or coloring them unless I need to adjust the shade, saturation or tint of them.  You can also use real chocolate to make modeling chocolate..which gives you a cream color (from white chips), a light brown (from milk chocolate) or a dark brown (from dark chocolate).  Then, you'll have to add color to get the final color you need for your decorations. Modeling chocolate is basically a chocolate play-doh...and OH so tasty and easy to work with!!  Modeling chocolate cuts like a DREAM, doesn't stretch, bend or tear like fondant and WILL give you cleaner more precise looking cakes.  It only takes a few minutes to make (compared to home made fondant which takes me about 20 and leaves the kitchen A MESS).  So, it's my preferred decoration medium and I use it all the time!!

The method to make candy clay and real modeling chocolate (made with real chocolate) is the same...the ingredients change a bit.  You use only two ingredients...chocolate (or candy melts) and light corn syrup (or glucose if you can't get corn syrup in your area).

How do I make modeling chocolate?There are two versions due to the type of chocolate you use.To make modeling chocolate with candy melts, here's the recipe I use:1.5oz of corn syrup for dark colored melts (or if you're in a warmer zone) 2oz of corn syrup for light colored melts (or cooler zones).  The ounces of corn syrup above are by weight!!  If you want to figure out how much corn syrup you need per cup, then remember that one cup of corn syrup weighs 11.5oz.To make modeling chocolate using real chocolate, then use his recipe:
1/2 cup of corn syrup (5.6oz) Whichever chocolate you use, the method is the same. For a video to help you make real modeling chocolate, see HERE.  Remember to change the quantities if you're using candy melts.

*If you work in grams, then use THIS website for conversions.  You still use the same multipliers! :)

IMPORTANT NOTES on the method: 1.  This is super important!!  When making modeling chocolate make sure you DO NOT over work it.  After you add your corn syrup, you only want to mix 20 strokes at the most!!  If you mix it past that, you run the risk of breaking it and turning it into an oily mess.  When that happens, you can trap that wax/oil within pockets of the modeling chocolate and you'll get little bits in there that are near impossible to work out.2. I do things a little differently than Lauren in that video above.  I pour out the seized chocolate onto a piece of plastic wrap and I flatten it down to about 1/2" thick.  I dab it once with a paper towel to press out any "wax pockets" then leave it sit for about an hour.  It will set up firm, but not hard.  After an hour to an hour and a half I trim off any wax around the edges and start to knead it together nicely to work in any trapped wax before it cools completely and gets rock hard.  After I work it to a smooth consistency, I wrap it and let it sit overnight before using it (or at least 6 hours). 
See how it's still a little swirly...it still turns out beautiful!! - DON'T overmix! :)

I used a 14oz bag.  Also notice how dark it gets when you make it.  It does darken from the regular melts when you mix it...FYI! :)
 All done!  Nice and smooth and ready to store away!

What if I want to make a smaller/larger batch of candy clay?

If you have a candy melt bag that is 12oz or 14oz or you just want to make a small batch, then use a multiplier for how much corn syrup per ounce of melts you need.  For dark colors (or a warmer zone) use .15oz of corn syrup per ounce of meltsFor lighter colors (or a cooler zone) use .21oz of corn syrup per ounce of melts

What if I want to make a smaller/larger batch of modeling chocolate?

 If you want to make more or less than 1lb of modeling chocolate than you need to use a .35 multiplier for chocolate to corn syrup.  So, take the ounces of melted chocolate you have, and multiply it by .35 to get how many ounces (by weight) of corn syrup you need to add.

Note: If you work in grams, then use THIS website for conversions.  You still use the same multipliers! :)

HELP! - I'm getting small bits in my modeling chocolate! You get these because you've over worked your chocolate when you're making it.  By over mixing, you are creating little pockets that trap in the wax from the candy melts and that wax sets hard and impossible to get out.  When you are stirring the corn syrup and chocolate together, don't mix more than 20 strokes and leave it.  Pour it out onto a piece of plastic wrap and I flatten it down to about 1/2" thick.  I dab it once with a paper towel to press out any "wax pockets" then leave it sit for about an hour.  It will set up firm, but not hard...you want it to leave a finger impression if you press on it (but not hard).  After an hour to an hour and a half I trim off any wax around the edges and start to knead it together nicely to work in any trapped wax before it cools completely and gets rock hard.  If I feel any bits, I can work them out by pressing them against the counter with the palm of my hand.  After I work it to a smooth consistency, I wrap it and let it sit overnight before using it (or at least 6 hours).

HELP! - When I knead my modeling chocolate it's really crumbly and falls apart!
If after you've left your modeling chocolate to rest overnight (after you've made it and done the initial kneading then wrapped it up) and it's real crumbly, keep kneadng it and warming it up as best  you can.  I've found that some chocolate wafers (like the white Merkens) sometimes are real crumbly...and I still haven't figured out why.  If it's still crumbly or just grainy, grab some fondant that is about half the size of your modeling chocolate (up to the same size as your modeling chocolate) and knead that in.  It will smooth it out beautifully and allow you to roll it out with a smooth surface.  It will change the consistency a bit and won't set up super hard after doing that...but it will save your modeling chocolate and still work beautifully for cake decorations.  When you roll it out on your work surface, use a little cornstarch, or for smaller decorations you can roll it out on wax paper.  Then, let it sit 10 min. or so, then cut out your shapes.  Letting it sit for a bit will help the chocolate to firm up the medium a bit and you'll get beautiful cuts!!

If you are trying to use it for flowers or figurines, you can knead in some gumpaste to it instead of fondant.  That will help it set up pretty firm and be a lot more stable! :)

There are two ways to color your modeling chocolate.

Option #1: If you are going to color a whole batch, say turning a dark chocolate modeling chocolate to black, you can add several (5-8) drops of Americolor (or Wilton) black gel to the corn syrup BEFORE you mix it into the melted chocolate.  Then, mix it up and add the coloring/corn syrup into the melted chocolate and Voila! - black modeling chocolate (or pink, or red, or green...or whatever color you want!)

Option #2: Knead in the color just like you would knead it into fondant...after you make the modeling chocolate and let it sit up, add a few drops of color and work it all together until the color is uniform throughout.

You can use basic gel colors in both situations.

Can I use modeling chocolate in hot climates?
Modeling chocolate is made of chocolate...so, it's sensitive to heat!! :)  If you are concerned about the heat melting your decorations, then make sure to use gumpaste.  It's fine to use modeling chocolate on the side of a cake in warmer climates, but don't try to use it for figures or flowers...they will droop.  In hot climates, I might not use it at all.  You really need to play with it.  I live in Oregon (USA) which is a very cool climate with little humidity...so, I haven't been able to test the limits on how hot of an environment it will work in!

Can I mix it with other mediums?
YES!  Modeling chocolate is AMAZINGLY friendly with other mediums like fondant, gumpaste and even Tylose powder.  I mix it with my fondant if I need to roll it extra thin or need it a little more elastic.  There's no set percentage on mixing...it just depends what I'm using it for.

I use straight modeling chocolate for most all my decorations.  But, I will add 10% fondant to get a real thin medium (modeling chocolate can crack the thinner you roll it because the thinner it gets the colder it gets and the firmness of it will create cracks) or to tint my modeling chocolate a lighter shade.  Since I don't have white modeling chocolate on hand very often, I'll just use white fondant.

Also, if you need it to be slightly more stable (say you're working on a flower), you can mix it with gumpaste or even add Tylose powder to it.  The reason I would use a little modeling chocolate in my gumpaste is because it makes it taste much better and keeps it from getting ROCK hard...and to me inedible.

If I'm paneling a cake (instead of draping) I'll use up to 70% modeling chocolate because I can warm up the seams and basically make them disappear with the warmth of my fingers.  You can also add it to fondant you'll use to drape a cake, but not more than 10-15% because again, as it gets thinner, it firms up and you lose elasticity...something that's important when covering a cake.

How do I store it?
After you knead it and bring it all together in a smooth medium, I wrap it up in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature for several months.  If I know I won't need it for longer than a few weeks, I keep it in the freezer.  I take it out and bring it back to room temp before kneading and rolling it out.

Can I paint on it?
Yes and no! :)  You can't use water based colors (like Americolor or Wilton gels) very well on them...it just beads up.  However, the more fondant that's mixed with the modeling chocolate, the better it becomes and the less beading you'll notice.  So, if you're going to want to paint something, perhaps mix fondant with it.

You can use dry dusts or dusts mixed with vodka on modeling chocolate.  It works beautifully.  In fact, I think the gold/silver luster finishes look better on modeling chocolate than on fondant because modeling chocolate is so smooth and the finish on the metallic is therefore nice and smooth!!

Edible pens can work too...the best are Americolor Gourmet Writer.  I've used Wilton and they don't work as well...again, they bead up a bit.  It is slightly difficult to write on modeling chocolate as the pen can get hung up on the soft chocolate...but if you use a soft hand and keep the pen flat/at an angle, it works!! 

I think that's it!! :)  If you have any other questions or something I miss, please leave a comment and I'll add it up above!!  I hope that clears up any mysteries and helps you all make modeling chocolate a bit easier next time!!   It will change the way you decorate your cakes!! :)

OH, and remember my Craftsy Class is always 50% off right HERE!  I make it during the class and show you how to use it to decorate four beautiful cakes! :)
To see a post on what this class is all about, click HERE.

Blessings!

Counting down to my new Craftsy Class...giving some hints! :)

I'm so excited!!  In less than 2 weeks my new Craftsy Class is launching! I've been sworn to secrecy, but that doesn't mean I can't give you all some hints!! :)Here are a few fun pics to peak your curiosity!! :) :)  Don't worry...I'll be back to share more in the next few days!!What do you think it'll be about?!?!

Exciting News...

I'm going to be heading to Denver in August to teach my second Craftsy class!!  Well, after two months of planning, designing and brainstorming, the class has been approved and the designs are ready to go!!  My new sweet friend Liz from Artisan Cake Company came over today and got a work out!!!  She helped me cover 17 tiers of cake!! WHEW!  Thanks Liz!!  Seriously you were SUCH a blessing to me and I praise the Lord for sending you my way!  Got to love two girls who love marshmallow fondant!! :)  You are a rock star...and a machine!See what we did in 3.5 hours???  We had quite the assembly line!!  I gave Liz the hard part!! :)  Rolling out the fondant and draping!  She was SO fast I could hardly keep up with her!  Crazy fun!Now, I can't divulge exactly what I'm teaching and these cakes are no where near where they're going to be!  Lots of fun stuff will be added to them...fun stuff as in graphics, metallics, flowers of all different kinds of mediums, etc etc etc!!  It's going to be a HUGE class full of at least 6 different cakes and LOTS of different finishes/techniques!!  There are lots of flowers in lots of mediums and TONS to teach!  I'm SUPER excited about this class so stay tuned!!  Now...the bad news:
Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit.  I know...Boooohoooohooo! :)Due to vacations and trips my family and I have planned for a while, I won't be heading to Denver until mid August.  Then, it takes them a bit to make the videos so pretty!!  But, it'll hopefully be worth the wait and you'll see it sometime the end of Sept!!  Stay tuned!!
I might be able to share a few more sneak peek pictures as we get closer...but not much! :)  I don't want to ruin the surprise!!! Thank you so much for all of your support!!  It's because of all of you buying my class and leaving me such amazing reviews that I have another chance to teach for Craftsy.  I'm so thankful and feel so blessed the Lord has given me this opportunity to help thousands!!!  I praise Him for it all!!OH, and for the next two months I'm going to be pretty quiet online...because I'm going to be enjoying my family, the sunshine, our little trips and finishing A LOT of amazing cakes!! :)

Kara's Party Ideas + Jessicakes = A Giveaway!!!

Hi friends!!

If you've never heard of Kara's Party Ideas then you need to head over to her beautiful blog to check it out!!!  She has SO many brilliant ideas you can use for your next party!!  

Kara also has a book sharing some of those ideas!!  She used my hot air balloon design for one of her parties!!  A friend of hers (Sweeten Your Day Cakes) re-created it using the templates found here on my blog and then Kara used it to put together a darling party for her son!! :)  And, it made it to the cover of her book!!  I've been published! - hahaha...well, sort of! :)  So, Kara and I have hooked up to give away TWO of my Craftsy Classes!!!!  If you know of someone who has been wanting to take it, or you've been waiting for a chance to check it out, it's here!!!  Enter HERE!! And, if you want to pick up her new book and have a little piece of me with it, you can buy her book HERE.