Gumpaste Flowers

I am now starting my gumpaste flower classes. Each class my students will be shown 2 flowers and how to make the special gumpaste for the flowers. The flowers will be split into 2 classes , the first to make each of the necessary components for the flowers, the second class to paint/petal dust and assemble them.
Here is a selection of my flowers-

                            Remember, stay sweet my  fellow sugarcrafters until my next blog!

Birthday Owls

On Sunday 17th November Saige turned 7 years old and had a camping themed birthday party. It was a lovely party filled with camp inspired games, a bounce house ,delightful camping themed decorations, food and even a real canoe in the swimming pool, with short (sometimes soggy) rides offered by Saiges brother. My daughter Emily and I went along to help the party goers create a delightful rice kripsie owl, for them each to take home.
We had 18 kids in all and I must say that there were some great creations and no two owls looked alike, each very unique. Here are some photos from the party, I believe a great time was had by all!

A picture of the lovely Birthday girl with her Sisters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jungle Theme Cake

Jungle themed cakes are still a popular choice for kids today. I have been asked many times "How do you make those cute gumpaste animals?" So I have finally managed to create a display cake featuring some of the gumpaste figures, used for a jungle cake.

I started by covering 3 tiers (or cake dummies in this case) with a chocolate marshmallow fondant. I love using this fondant because it is easy to make, rolls out smoothly, is pliable and best of all taste delicious. Next I built the tree , to make it sturdy I inserted a medium sized dowel in the top tier around 8 " in height, then built up rice krispie treats around it to create the trunk. The branches were made out of floral wire and tape and I added gumpaste leaves to make it more realistic.
The trunk was covered in dark chocolate marshmallow fondant and after it had dried a little I scored it using a "Dresden" tool. This is a great tool to use and a must have if you are a serious sugarcrafter.
The lion, tigers, elephants, giraffe and snake are all made out of gumpaste , the monkeys  are made from dark modeling chocolate.
Please post any questions or comments, I hope this has inspired you to create your own jungle cake.

Hello fellow sugarcrafters, just wanted to let you know we had great fun last Saturday, attending our very first Arts and crafts Festival here in Countrywalk. It was a great event and we met some wonderful people, who all share our love of the Sugar arts. Our best sellers were the French macaroons and I was happy to see that many people were already familiar with this very delightful French Pastry. We offered 5 flavors, hazelnut and dulce de leche, Pink Raspberry, Yellow passion fruit and chocolate ganache. We offered a selection box with each of the flavors and they proved  to be the most popular. 

Another big hit was the kids table, where everyone was given the chance to make (or at least finish) their very own penguin. These sweet treats were made out of rice krispie treats and covered in chocolate fondant. We sold out of these fast, and it was great to see all our young aspiring pastry chefs, trying out their pastry skills.

 

 

 

 

 

GINGERBREAD HOUSE EVENT



 

 

I will be hosting a gingerbread house event on Saturday 14th December 2013, from 10.00 am -1.00pm

. Each person will be able to decorate and take home their very own gingerbread house, ready to get them in the holiday spirit. I have spaces for up to 10 people , it should be lots of fun. please contact me if you would like to sign up-

E-mail- thesugarcraftplace@gmail.com    

 

Land Ahoy!

I was asked last week to help make some showpieces for a cake which was going to be donated to help children in need. The theme of the fundraiser was pirates of the Caribbean. The ship I made out of Rice Krispie treats and then covered with rolled chocolate fondant. The only items that were non edible were the dowelings that I used for the masts of the ship.

The island is built up of Rice Krispie treats covered with a sand colored  fondant. The treasure chest I made from pastillage then covered with rolled fondant. It was painted with metallic luster dust to get a more realistic look. The tree is made from chocolate rolled fondant and green gumpaste leaves.

 

 Ahoy Me Mateys!

Baby Shower Cake

 

 

Over the summer I was asked to do a baby shower cake and the mom to be had a theme of bumblebees and sunflowers. She gave me a copy of her baby shower invitation which is where I drew inspiration for the above cake. The flowers, bumblebees, hedgehogs, and the bumblebee baby are all made out of gumpaste.

French Macaroons

Here are a selection of French Macaroons that I made last week for a customer. There were four flavors: chocolate with a chocolate ganache filling, the pink ones had a blackberry white chocolate ganache filling, the orange macaroons had a passion fruit white chocolate ganache filling, and the white ones were coconut macaroons with a coconut white chocolate ganache filling. These colorful, delicious, dainty cookies are trending right now as wedding and baby shower favors.

Ozzie Owl and Friends!

 

These feathery friends are made using the same concept as the penguins. The only difference is that the feathers in the front are made from white chocolate fondant.

Percy Penguin and Family

These cuddly penguins are made from Rice Krispie treats and chocolate marshmallow fondant.

They are sure to be a big hit with any kid!

Elegant Cupcakes

These vintage style cupcakes were made for Vicky's 16th birthday, my daughter's best friend.  

 

 

 

 

The green and purple cupcakes were chocolate fudge cake with chocolate ganache. The blue and pink cupcakes were carrot cake with pineapple and dried cranberries, filled with a light cream cheese frosting. The cupcakes were topped with pastel colored rolled fondant and piped with white royal icing and the little cage handles were made using gumpaste.