Fancy Buttercream Rosette Cake Tutorial

NOTE: Sara’s blog has moved to a new location: http://saraelizabethcakes.com. Feel free to browse around my tutorials here, then come check out my new site!

Rosettes are always so gorgeous on a cake! This style is typically reserved for Fondant, but when a customer requested it in buttercream, I couldn't resist the challenge!  Unsure how it would play out, I was delighted with the final result. Especially since, at one point during the decorating, I came SO very close to scrapping the whole design.

I haven't seen this design done much in buttercream, and as I was searching online for some direction and sign that this could be done with good results, the only tutorial I found was one you had to pay for. So, dear reader, I hope this is helpful!

To do this design, I used the basic technique of using a petal tip, piping a buttercream design on wax paper, freezing it, then quickly "glueing" it to your frosted cake with a blob of buttercream. I then piped more ruffles in the gaps.

Before beginning, have your chilled and stacked cakes prepared. Each should be frosted with a base coat in the final color that your rosettes will be, so that if there are any small gaps, it will blend.

First step: Cut out several 3" - 4" or so rounds of wax paper. I placed a scrap of carpet liner on my well-worn Wilton turntable (that I'm dying to upgrade) to hold the paper in place, as I used a small Wilton Petal Tip to pipe a rosette. I did varying sizes: 3", 1" etc. Make sure the fat end of your petal tip is down touching the board, and that the ruffles press up against each other to form one solid piece when frozen.

Wilton large Petal Tip 125

2nd Step: The flowers need to be frozen on a curve in order to fit the curve of the cake. You can find round cake dummies at Michaels, etc. Ideally, they would be cut in half so as to have a round top but flat base to sit on. Instead, I propped mine up in a strainer. Using quilting pins, I pinned the edges of the wax paper to the round, fitting about 3 on. This paper was messy, as I'd used it several times already.

Step 3: Place the rounds in the freezer for 10-20 minutes. Then, using your piping bag, squirt a blob of frosting onto your cake where you want the rosette to go, quickly peel your frozen rosette off the paper, and apply to the cake, with as little handling as possible. It will begin to thaw in your fingers right away! Next time, I would use rubber gloves to give me a few more seconds.

Step 4:  Continue to do this: Pipe, Freeze, Grab frozen ones and Apply while waiting for others to freeze. I placed mine sporadically, wanting a variety of sizes and some space in between for piping ruffles to achieve larger-looking rosettes. It took a LOT of rosettes, and a good amount of time. The more rounds, the bigger your freezer, the faster this will go. I did not freeze mine in advance. 20 minutes was as long as they got in the freezer!

Step 5: Pipe rosettes directly on the top of the cake. Then, using your piping bag and same petal tip, fill in all blank areas with more ruffles. It can be hard to squeeze the tip in there, but persist! It's more forgiving than you may think.

*Note: While doing this technique, your cake may look splotchy, unattractive and doomed to be scraped clean for a fresh start. Mine did. Hence no photos. My frosting was too soft to work with easily, some rosettes slipped off; I really didn't know if it would work, and I was sure I was going to be scraping it off and piping some other design! Keep going! It will look like a dog with mange, until it's all complete. Then . . . magic.

 This lovely table and the silver 8 cake topper were created and provided by Shari Schempp, of Over the Top Events by Shari. Don't you love this table? She made my cake look even better. A party planner located in Saratoga Springs, UT, Shari is wonderful!

Buttercream Rosettes for everyone! Good luck! Let me know if you try this. :)

Suit and Tie Cake / Missionary Cake Tutorial

NOTE: Sara’s blog has moved to a new location: http://saraelizabethcakes.com. Feel free to browse around my tutorials here, then come check out my new site!

I'm a native North Carolinian, born and raised in the beautiful Tarheel state, where the ocean, lush forests, and blue mountains both provide amazing views, where eggs, grits, bacon and livermush are beloved breakfast staples, and where manners and southern hospitality rule supreme. 

However, I married a Utah boy. So, as of January 2013, I now live in Utah, another beautiful state. As most people know, the religion in Utah is predominately Mormon, or LDS--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Most of you have likely seen LDS missionaries at some point. For those who may not be familiar with LDS missions, there are lots of delightful LDS young men and women who volunteer to leave their home for 2 years to teach their religious beliefs and do service for to anyone who is interested or in need. They don't get to choose where they go: it may be Arkansas, or it may be Costa Rica. I think of it as a selfless and intimidating task, and, like anyone who is willing to put their beliefs on the line, I have a lot of respect for them! Getting a mission call (when they find out where they'll be serving), and leaving on one's mission (called a "missionary farewell"), is a huge deal, and of course, deserves a special cake!

This cake was commissioned for a young man who had been called to serve in South Korea. This cake design was specifically requested, and can be found all over Pinterest, Google, etc, so there's not one person or design I can give credit to. This basic design is versatile! Use it for a Father's Day cake, change it to a Tux for a Groom's Cake, or tweak it for a Promotion celebration cake.

First, it's always helpful to sketch out your design. I love using grid paper, so I can plan the cake to scale, with each square representing one inch. 

To begin, I baked up three 10" square Chocolate w/ Raspberry swirl cakes, and torted each one. The third cake was cut in half down the middle, and added at the end to create a roughly 10 x 15" cake. The layers were filled with a Raspberry Buttercream, then the entire thing was frosted with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my favorite buttercream to use under fondant).  After chilling the frosted cake in the fridge till firm, we're ready to begin!

This cake is all about layers, and working from the bottom to the top. Based on my sketch, I trimmed a piece of white fondant for the white shirt underneath. On top of that, using 2 seperate pieces of fondant strips, I created the tie, first cutting out the shape, then applying thin strips of fondant for the stripes, then wrapping the smaller upper piece around the bottom. I added a bit of Tylose powder to the fondant so that it would set up a little firmer and hold its shape. A rolled up bit of paper towel helps to hold the rounded form at the top of the tie while it dries.

Form the collar using a 3 inch wide strip of fondant (again with a sprinkle of Tylose added), trimmed at 45 degree angles at the ends, then folded in half. To help maintain form and thickness, and to help it stand upright, I have another 1" strip of fondant tucked in the middle. Cardstock helps to hold a smooth front and maintain the upright angle I want while it dries. 

After allowing the collar to dry for a bit, I place it on the cake, positioning it around the tie. Using two pieces of fondant, I create the basic shape of the suit, trimming the tie as needed underneath to remove some of the bulk. A disposable scalpel (available on Amazon in packs) helps me trim the suit, tie, etc as needed. Using some wax paper and a sharpie, I make a rough template for the collar, trying to get the outside of the lapels precise in size and angle. Make sure to add about .5" on the inside edge, as that will be folded under to make the lapel look like it's attached to the suit. With the template, I can now cut 2, even, matching lapels, rather than guessing it.

I couldn't photograph the next step, as I had to work quickly so that my fondant didn't get too dry and crack:  I cut both lapels, then covered one with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out while working on the other. To attach the lapel, trace a thin line of water or edible glue paste along the cut edge of the suite already on the cake. Flipping the lapel piece right side down, match up the cut edges, then fold the lapel over into place, so that the inside edge remains tucked under. Using a rotary tool from my Wilton Fondant Tool kit, I first trace a seam line in between the top and bottom lapel, then trace stitch lines around all edges, as well as on the collar. This detail adds so much realism to the cake! 

At this point, I let out a big sigh, b/c all of the hard stuff is done! 

To create the signature missionary name tag, mix a small amount of black fondant with a good sprinkle of Tylose. Roll it out, cut it into a 2.5 x 1.5" rectangle and allow it to dry. Once completely dry, I used a fine pain brush (used only for cakes) and white food coloring to write on the young man's name, and the Korean text that says the church name on it. Set it aside to dry. Next time, after drying, I would rub a bit of Crisco, Confectioner's Glaze, or cooking spray over the tag to give it a realistic plastic sheen. 

We wanted something to indicate that he was going to South Korea on the cake, so I waffled between incorporating the South Korean flag design into the tie, or making a lapel pin. Since I hadn't seen a lapel pin done in other designs, the pin won out, and was done in the same manner as the name tag, but using Wilton's edible food markers.

Finally, a finished product that any missionary (or tailor) would appreciate!

Ombre Buttercream Ruffle Cake Tutorial

NOTE: Sara’s blog has moved to a new location: http://saraelizabethcakes.com. Feel free to browse around my tutorials here, then come check out my new site!

Buttercream Ruffles. Aaaah. My eyes are doing a lazy backstroke in sweet, methodical, creamy rows of  pink sugar.

Whether vertical, horizontal, or in columns, buttercream ruffles are one of my most favorite current cake trends! In my humble opinion, it's one of the few buttercream techniques that can rival the detail typically only achieved through fondant. And we all know that anyone would rather sink their fork into sweet silky buttercream, rather than digging through or scraping off a thick layer of fondant to get to the buttercream and cake underneath. There are endless styles and techniques, all easily replicated with the right equipment, a good smooth frosting, a little patience, and a steady hand. 

This Ombre Cake with Horizontal Ruffles was requested by a mother for her young daughter's birthday. I was so excited to get this order, as I've been dying to make a cake with this exact technique.

This cake was baked in three 8" pans, using my favorite "scratch" chocolate cake recipe. Once baked, chilled, and leveled, they were filled with a delicious all-butter Whipped Vanilla Buttercream (a classic frosting recipe that can be found anywhere online). All-butter frostings are by far the tastiest (compared to shortening-based), which is my number 1 priority for the inside of one of my cakes! Following the filling and stacking of the cakes was a light crumb coat of the same frosting, then back into the fridge to chill let the frosting get nice and firm. This makes a cake much easier to frost. 

Crumb-coats: not pretty, but essential for a smooth, crumb-free frosted cake! 

Next comes the fun part: let the frosting begin! I opted for an American Buttercream (versus a Meringue-based Buttercream), incorporating both butter and shortening. Butter adds flavor, while the shortening adds a better medium for decorating (piping). The shortening in the frosting also keeps the frosting nearly white, better for coloring. The shortening also will help your piping hold up longer on warmer days, whereas an all-butter frosting will quickly . . . well, melt like butter.

Top frosting: recipe ratios involve 1/3 butter, 2/3 crisco [w/ 1 t. pure vanilla, 1 t. clear vanilla]
Bottom frosting: All butter Buttercream [1 T. pure vanilla]  The pure vanilla added even more color to this one, which is already off-white due to the butter color.

I used about 6 cups of frosting for a base coat (over the crumb-coat) and for the piped ruffles on this cake:

Back to decorating the cake! First, cover your cake with another layer of frosting (I colored mine light pink--it was a good medium to test my shade of red--Americolor's Super Red, with a touch of Americolor's Soft Pink in the darker shades), over the chilled, firm, crumb-coat. This gives a nice, soft, smooth, level base for the ruffles to adhere to.

TIP:  To make this ombre effect easier to do: prepare as many piping bags as you need, one for each color of frosting you will use in your ombre cake. Disposable, re-usable, parchment, any.  If you don't use parchment, this is where couplers come in handy, so that rather than having 5 petal tips on 5 bags, or having to dig out your piping tip from a frosting-covered bag to put it in the next, or worse yet, emptying and WASHING the bag in b/w colors, instead you can simply unscrew the coupler, remove the tip, rinse the tip, place it on the coupler that is already in the next bag, done. BIG time saver.  You can even find the 4 packs at most Walmarts, along with pastry bags. Inexpensive but crucial tools for this cake: it makes the difference between feeling almost effortless or nearly impossible.

I used a medium petal tip, Wilton 104. First I lightly marked some horizontal guide marks in my frosted cake with a toothpick, then starting at the bottom and placing the wider end of the tip lightly against the cake, I piped my ruffles in a smooth, slight up and down motion to achieve the frills, while turning my cake turntable slowly and steadily with my left hand.

TIP 2: If this is a new technique to you, practice on wax paper first! You can always re-use the frosting. If you do goof, these are ruffles are surprisingly forgiving. Smooth your goof, or scrape it off, and carefully continue over it as if nothing happened. YouTube videos are great for watching piping techniques. I tend to be a perfectionist, but since I wanted a more natural, free-flowing look, I intentionally tried to pipe imperfect ruffle patterns and vary my angles a bit.

After 3-5 rows, add a couple (or 20) drops of food coloring to your batch of frosting till desired color increase is achieved, then mix well. I ended up using more than half of a (small) bottle of the Super Red coloring for the whole cake. It takes a lot to achieve the darker shades! Fill the next piping bag, and continue to pipe your ruffles. Stop after a few rows, and repeat with a darker color. I used the top of my cake to test my final color. Follow these steps till you reach the top, and done!

For the very top of the cake, change the angle of your bag/tip, start at the outside, and pipe ruffles standing up in one continuous round till you get the the center. Again, the fat side of the tip is trailing against the cake, with the thin side up.

This cake looks gorgeous with one large jumbo flower on the top or side (real or sugar). Since my customer was applying her own decor to the top, mine was left plain. 

Now comes the hardest part of making cakes for others. Not eating it.

Let me know how yours turns out!

  Happy Ruffling!

   

Chima and Chocolate

NOTE: Sara’s blog has moved to a new location: http://saraelizabethcakes.com. Feel free to browse around my tutorials here, then come check out my new site!

I'm glad to know my 9 year old is not the only one obsessed with Legos. It used to be Lego Ninjago. Now it's on to Lego Chima. I have no idea what exactly Chima is . . .  I'm not sure my 9 year old does either. All I know that Lego Creators and Marketers are genius, due to the response. And, I'm happy to see my boys self-entertaining with imaginative play and building!


This cake was commissioned for a darling 6 year old Chima fanatic. His mother wanted a cake on which she could place his gift: Chima figurines. There wasn't much out there as far as design ideas for me to pull from, since Chima is relatively new. So, I'm happy to say, this design is 100% original! And had me stumped for a while . . .

I opted to pipe the wording over a template, rather than try to cut fondant around a template. I love this simple, sure-fire technique.

1. Print off your logo or wording, place it on a firm cutting board, tape wax paper over it
2. Choose your color of Wilton (etc) candy melts, place several in a zip lock bag, and microwave in 10 second increments or less until melted and smooth.
3. Snip a small hole in the corner of said zip lock bag
4. Carefully pipe/trace over the wording onto the wax paper.
5. Set aside to dry and harden until use.

Some people prefer to flip the wording backwards, then pipe, so that when you apply it to the cake the bumpy side sits in the cake, while the smooth surface faces out. I opted for the raised texture this time.

The cake was two 6" layers of chocolate cake, torted and filled with a fresh Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream (a scrumptious buttery bit of heaven), per the mother's request. The exterior is a vanilla American Buttercream, with vines and leaves piped with the same. Leaves were done with the #18 Wilton leaf tip. 

The piece de resistance? Lego Chima itself--no modeling or fondant required. Doesn't get easier than that!  Present? Check. Cake? Check. 

I'm a fan!

All Natural Red Velvet Drum Cake

NOTE: Sara’s blog has moved to a new location: http://saraelizabethcakes.com. Feel free to browse around my tutorials here, then come check out my new site!

Wow. What a challenge! For her son's 14th birthday, this particular customer requested a life-like Drum Cake. The real kicker: she also wanted a dye-free red velvet cake. Always up for a challenge, I happily accepted.

After perusing  Pinterest and Google, I found 2 red velvet cake recipes that used beets for the signature red color. One that supposedly is a historic recipe dubiously from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, found here,  and another "All Natural Red-Velvet Cake" found here. I tested them both. Allow me to save you some trouble. Do NOT even bother with the first recipe! Unless you love a brown beet-cake that sinks at high altitude (I bake at an elevation of 4300 ft).  However, the 2nd recipe, by Merissa at Little House Living, was bright red and quite remarkable. Both call for beets--I used fresh, oven-roasted beets pureed in a processor for both recipes. Both batters were identically beautiful.

Apparently, for the beets to maintain their amazing red color, you have to have an acidic batter. Little House Living's did by incorporating vinegar and orange juice, while the "Waldorf Astoria's" did not. That made the difference between a brown cake, and a gorgeous, red-velvet-RED cake upon baking. I threw out the brown cake -- no photos of that one. Trust me, it wasn't worth it, based on both looks and flavor! It tasted like beets. Enough said.

Little House Living's recipe didn't exactly taste like Red Velvet. Not that Red Velvet cake has much of a signature taste to begin with. But, it did have a deep, sweet, slightly fruity, with a hint of chocolate flavor. And maybe the tiniest of beet aftertastes, which concerned me.  But, it's made from beets. What can you expect? The true test: My kids loved it! They usually get my scraps, which is what they're chowing down on here:

I would say that the beet aftertaste deepened a bit over time. I bake my cakes a couple days in advance, freezing them soon after coming out of the oven to preserve moisture and enhance flavors. I don't think I would do that again with this cake. it was plenty moist already, and the earthy flavors are best fresh, without having time to percolate. 

After filling the 8" layers with a shelf-stable cream cheese frosting, and giving it an all-over coat of a light vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream (excellent under fondant!), we were ready to move on to decorating!

The drumsticks were made out of Wilton Gumpaste mixed with homemade Marshmallow Fondant + Tylose powder. The Tylose helps the fondant to set up hard, which is what you want for details like this. The fondant/gumpaste was colored brown, shaped, and set aside. After drying, I used a cakes-only paintbrush to apply a brown edible coloring dust. I barely dipped my brush in water and gently went over the entire stick, which gave it it's more streaky coloring as well as adding a lasting sheen. The drumsticks needed a few days to harden well, so I made those about 5 days in advance.

The rest: tedious detail after detail. The hinges (that's not what they are, but you get the idea) of the drum, as well as the pole-looking peices were all made out of the same gumpaste/fondant mixture as the drumsticks.  The top of the drum is Satin Ice fondant, in order to achieve a true white color. The black fondant is Duff Fondant. Coloring my own black fondant is not worth the time or food coloring. Black (and red fondant) is worth purchasing in my humble opinion!

My gold and silver colors were achieved with Luster Dust mixed with a clear vanilla extract for painting, once I'd applied all of the fondant onto the cake. The writing is a simple white royal icing.

All Natural Red Velvet Drum Cake. Success!