Over the course of 2 weeks, 8 batches of sugar, and over 40 pulled ribbons, some success:

My patience and the ability to withstand the occasional shatter was also tested. Let’s go backwards…

Disclaimer: I cannot stress enough the requirement of proper equipment and safety in working with boiling sugar upwards of 300 degrees Fahrenheit and above, open flame, and gas. There is a risk of burns.

Shattered pieces are a common occurrence. Often there is no repair.

Pulled sugar ribbons.

Testing pulled sugar recipes. Each colour represents a new recipe.

Interesting shapes created at the end where the ribbon is held and stretched.

Recipes:

For a basic recipe as a starting point, see Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen, now available online on Google Books.

I compared numerous recipes using a spreadsheet. Recipes compared were from the following library books:

• Sucre d’art, by Stéphane Glacier
• Sugar Artistik, by Louise & Othmar Fassbind
• Professional Baking, by Wayne Gisslen
• The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef, by Bo Friberg
• The Art of the Confectioner, by Ewald Notter
• Plus various recipes from college

The basic recipe contains granulated sugar, glucose, and acid. I found similarities and patterns are found in ratios, batch weight, and temperature.

The Effect of Temperature:

I noted in the books, final boiling temperatures varied from 300F to 340F.

Higher boiling temperatures result in:

• Better shine
• A firmer consistency
• Better ability to hold shape
• Increased yellowing/caramel colour
• Warming to a higher temp under the lamp to work with
• More force/energy to work with

Time also plays a special role. I am still figuring this one out as I had inconsistent results in shorter vs. longer boiling time.

Longer exposure to acid can soften the sugar as well, so the timing of when the acid is added plays another factor.

The Effect of Acid:

For an in-depth look at the effect of acid on sugar, see this research article from the Center for Advanced Food Science and Technology, Korea University, “The Effect of Organic Acids on the Hygroscopity and Browning of Sugar Candies”

To summarize, acid inverts (also known as hydrolysis) sugar by acting as a catalyst, speeding up the split of sucrose (common granulated sugar), into glucose and fructose.

The effect of acid on pulled sugar art:

• Reduces crystallization
• Increases attraction to moisture/ stickiness
• Increases softness/fluidity and elasticity
• Darkens colour

Glucose also prevents crystallization, as noted in the article.

Troubleshooting:

The challenge for me was determining the cause of grains.

In my trials, grains appeared immediately upon pulling the sugar, done shortly after boiling and cooling. This led me to believe the ingredients or recipes themselves were the factors.

From my research, there appear to be multiple possible causes of grains. This includes, but is not limited to:

• purity of the ingredients
• cleanliness of the equipment
• length of time the sugar is boiled
• temperature the acid is added

Batch upon batch resulted in grains. I tried to eliminate factors one by one. Frustration began to settle in and I really began to question. Were the textbooks fooling me? Were they leaving information out? Where the images photo shopped? Did their cameras have filters and lenses that only focused on the grain-free portions of the ribbon? Was isomalt used? Was the purity of the sugar, glucose or water itself the issue?

I began modifying recipes, which created some interesting results.

Troubleshooting grains in pulled sugar.

Sugar too soft and does not hold shape, however, fewer grains. 12 drops tartaric acid added at 275F.

Purple: acid added earlier, and then boiled to 320F. Fewer grains, but lost shape, worsening overnight (top). Orange: acid added later using the same recipe and temperature as purple ribbon. Greater grains, but shiner and held shape better. Burgundy: the grains are fewer, but the ability to hold shape is still not ideal (bottom).

The lessons I learned – slight adjustments in acid, quantities, and temperature make a huge impact on final results. There is no one correct recipe. It is more practical to take a base recipe and adjust it accordingly. This is due to the numerous combined variables of time, temperature, quantities, environment, and ingredients.

I finally adjusted a recipe to achieve acceptable results. In this recipe, a common quantity of sugar, glucose, acid was used. The acid was added somewhat earlier, and then the batch was boiled to a higher temperature:

I interpreted these adjustments as:

• Longer exposure time to the acid allows more time for the acid to act on the sugar
• Higher temperature allows for a firmer sugar, counteracting the softening nature of the acid.

It is important to boil the sugar until the correct consistency – to slow moving molten bubbles. The boiled sugar should not be fluid, but of a honey-like viscosity.  It is not only about reading the thermometer, but also reading the consistency of the sugar.

Technique:

There are YouTube videos on pulling sugar ribbons, such as this one and this one.

My Tips…

The consistency of the sugar should not be too firm or too soft

• A sugar too firm results in difficulty in sticking ropes together, breakage while pulling, difficulty in folding, and greater time & temperature to warm up
• A sugar that is soft is easier to pull and form ribbons, but it will not hold shape well, will absorb moisture, and loses shine more quickly.

It is better to err on the side of a stiff sugar consistency rather than a soft one. The ideal consistency is a sugar where:

• Initial strands barely adhere to each other without excessive heat
• The ribbon pulls without excessive breaking or cracking
• The ribbon sets shape quickly without the addition of cool air (depending on thickness).
• The ribbon holds shape overnight, without deforming.
• When a piece is broken, the ribbon appears as round ropes stuck together:

When shaping, start with a minimum of 6 strands, and up to 10. I find 8 is ideal. 8 doubled up twice results in a ribbon with 32 strands. A finished 64 strand ribbon is also possible, but may require a set of two hands because of the width.

Start with strands even in size, shape and weight. Aerate just before forming strands. The thinner the ribbon is pulled, the greater the shine.

Shine is also affected by:

• Proper aeration
• Quantity of acid
• Temperature the sugar is cooked to
• Storage and exposure to humidity
• Temperature the ribbon is pulled at

There are unlimited possibilities in pulled sugar. For inspiration, check out Stéphane Klein, one of the greatest masters of sugar art of our time (some images NSFW).

“But all things must have a beginning, and the student who is about to embark on a career of icing and piping must study well the aspect of his own fitness for the work, his adaptability, his will to overcome obstacles, and his willingness to practice.” (Nirvana, 1953, pg. 1)

I like to say that cake is not always just cake.

It’s a symbol of the achievements of people and the relationships that we have with each other. It’s a tangible, and edible, representation of love & appreciation.

In my adventures in cake, I’ve been blessed to be part of these celebrations. This is no exception.

There is a special story behind this cake. A few years ago I made a Nikon D300 DSLR camera cake for the most amazing couple, as a special surprise birthday gift to him from her. This camera cake quickly became one of the most talked about cakes I have ever created.

I was overjoyed that not too long after, they were engaged! As a photography enthusiast, the goal for me was to create a wedding cake that featured their photos – personal photos that captured the spirit of their relationship and the special moments in their lives:

Creating the look of this cake…

The plaque was cut out craft knife and template as a guide. It was then hand painted using a paintbrush:

Tape was created using beige-coloured gumpaste, by rolling it out thinly, then “tearing” the edges.

Blue, red and white tacks were hand-shaped out of modelling chocolate:

The images were created by using a computer printer and food colouring ink to print on edible image paper. Each image was then cut out, then attached to a thin sheet of edible sugar gumpaste.

This is one of my favorite photos:

I had the pleasure of seeing the cake cut, and was delighted when a little boy kept coming up to the table to pick up slices for his table. He was sure to pick up the slices with the edible images.

He knew that they were special.

(Congratulations to Erin & Tyler! May you enjoy many countless years of happiness together!)

A modified sphere shape used in a jack o’lantern cake:

As a very angry, irate, bird:

In a global cake:

Another example in a modern chocolate cake:

Tips & Tricks

Structure:

The issue arises when a sphere is carved out of all cake, the bottom of the cake sinks and compresses due to lack of support from the inward curve:

This results in gravity compressing the bottom few inches of the cake over time. The bottom of the cake or fondant may bulge and/or ripple.

The secret is to construct the bottom 1/2 to 1/4 out of material other than cake. This can include a number of materials. Most commonly used are rice cereal treats, modelling chocolate, or polystyrene foam.

A similar concept is used here in the building of a cylinder shaped cake, used here as a camera lens in a cake. Here the side of a fondant bucket was used in the bottom 1/4, to allow for maximum cake content:

It is also possible to create the look of a sphere using all cake. This can be done creating only the top 3/4 of a sphere, and having a flat base. Another option is to use a heavy dense cake.

Carving:

For carving itself, I prefer to carve from  sheets or rounds of cake, as they bake evenly, however ball cake pans do exist.

Here is an excellent tutorial on carving a sphere out of ice. The same concept applies for cake – start with cylinder shape as tall as it is wide, then round the shape from all angles. Another tip I have learned is to use a half circle (negative) template as a guide.

Covering:

The greatest challenge is covering a sphere cake in fondant. To give plenty of fondant to work with, if my sphere is 8 inches tall, I roll out my fondant in a circle to at least 16 inches wide. About 1/3 of this fondant will be cut away at the bottom.

Considerable excess fondant will gather around the base. From my own struggles, I have learned to pinch and cut away excess fondant using scissors, then blend in seams.

Another option is to divide the job in two, by splitting into a front and back section, then blending the seams.

Summary:

For more details about cake sculpting, the book “Cake Sculpture and Sculptered Figure Piping” by the amazing Roland Winbeckler helped me. This book contains practical directions on building internal cake structures, plus lots of detailed information on sculpting with buttercream. Also, the phenomenal Mike McCarey has specialized class events on cake sculpting.

And if you share my fascination with spheres, you might also enjoy the art of the dorodango mud ball. I made one once. It was neat.

1. Cake Decorating Tutorials on Pintrest

Pintrest has been fast exploding with collections of cake decorating photo tutorials, allowing users to group, or “pin,” these photos onto a shared board. The photos are either hosted on an outside website/blog, or they have been uploaded by the user.

I welcome users to pin my work.

Examples of some popular boards on Pintrest:

• http://pinterest.com/sugarsweetcakes/sugar-craft-tutorials/
• http://pinterest.com/bonnie050250/tutorials/
• http://pinterest.com/veruscascake/step-by-step/
• http://pinterest.com/kylakae/cake-techniques-tutorials/

2. YouTube

YouTube allows users to upload videos, allowing the audience to visually see cake decorating techniques. The quantity of cake decorating videos has increased substantially.

While videos are not necessarily grouped, the YouTube experience rather takes you on an adventure of video browsing by following recommended or suggested videos or channels.

3. Discussion Forums

Discussion forums are a great place to ask open ended questions. Users reply with their own personal experiences or opinions.

Anyone can ask and find the answer to any cake decorating question. My favorite discussion forums are at CakeCentral.

Tip: Instead of searching within the website, you can easily use Google to search within a website by adding “site:url.com” to the end of your search query.

For example, if I wished to find out how to make fondant shiny, but wished to search the CakeCentral website without going through the pages of the site, I would type into Google: “how shiny fondant site:cakecentral.com”

Final Notes

Because of open sharing, the skills of the cake decorating community has grown together as a whole. This is not limited to just cake decorators, but all other interest groups. I hope that the net will be used as a tool to make our world a better place, by becoming a representation of shared knowledge and wealth. I foresee people creating more quality, concise content, and by doing so with intent.

Remember, just because it isn’t online, doesn’t meant it didn’t happen. Although great to look at, it’s hard to eat cake through a computer screen.

The campus is open to the public.

You can purchase lunch meals and delicious pastries here, or learn about food through evening cooking classes and baking classes.

I had the amazing opportunity to create the showpiece in celebration of the opening of the campus:

This showpiece measured over four feet tall. It was hand sculpted, covered in fondant, then airbrushed and painted. It took about 30-40 hours of labour to create.

The Culinary Campus is located on the 2nd floor of the Scotia Centre (226, 230 – 8th Ave SW, Calgary AB).

Upcoming cake-related classes held downtown:

• Baking Cakes from Scratch
• Creative Cupcakes

I hope you will find the opportunity to enjoy the new campus!

Book Cake

Maria loves writing! In this cake, each line of the page is individually marked using a ruler and the back of a paring knife, then pages airbrushed. The letters on the pages are hand painted using food colouring and a fine-tipped paintbrush. The ink jar is sculpted from modelling chocolate, and the feather from gumpaste:

iPad Cake

Elma loves her iPad! In this cake, the iPad is made from a hard chocolate interior, which was then covered in gumpaste. Scrabble is one of her favorite games, so they kindly sent an image with the message written as the Scrabble letters. The image was then printed onto edible photo paper, using food colouring. The cake is covered in lime green fondant, the same colour as Elma’s case:

First Birthday Cake

It’s Tristan’s first birthday! The ball is sculpted out of cake – layers of cake are stacked, then carved from all angles to form a ball. The number one is made using modelling chocolate and gumpaste. The “torn” pieces of fondant were attached after, and blended in:

Cowboy Boot Cake

And last but not least, Erin loves shoes! Here are photos of the original boot, used as a reference. The embroidery on the boot was created using piped royal icing and the brush embroidery technique, then hand-painted using various shades of royal blue.  The stitching along the seams was created using a quilting tool:

Rolled cheese, frilled lettuce, and hand-shaped fries…

And of course, there was much conversation about the best burgers in town. Boogies or Dairy Lane anyone?

Silent concentration as patties were stacked on top of buns. Lettuce, tomato, cheese and onion were carefully arranged…

An air of excitement formed as the hamburger cakes came together…

I’m grateful to have so many talented students – many had never worked with fondant before, and everyone did great! I am very proud of  everyone, and thrilled to see the class full of realistic hamburgers to take home! I hope that the cakes were shared as happy surprises to many loved ones.

Find out more about the new Calgary SAIT cooking and baking classes here.

I am honoured to have been chosen as one of the three bakers in Canada to create a special birthday cake for Oreo. This was one of the cakes, along with a number of events across Canada and the world, which helped kick off a year-long celebration of the 100th birthday celebration of the Oreo cookie. This cake was unveiled on March 6th, marking the day that the first Oreo was ever sold in 1912 in Hoboken, New Jersey.

This cake is not just about a cookie, but the millions of people all over the world that have enjoyed and supported Oreo. If you’ve ever had an Oreo, I believe that this cake is also about you.

As I was thinking of the cake design, and thinking about Oreo, I began to realize that one of the special characteristics of this cookie is that it is an animated cookie, meant to twist apart and share with others.

To me, this is a cookie that is about friendship. I really wanted to relay this in the design of the cake, to make it about Milk and Oreo’s lasting friendship, spanning the course of a hundred years.

Milk and Oreo were carefully hand-sculpted and brought to life:

In creating this cake, I grew to really admire many aspects of the cookie. I won’t lie, there were several Oreo cookies consumed in this creative process – I enjoyed the intense dark chocolate flavour combined contrasted with the creamy vanilla filling. I kept thinking – someone, or many people, at some time, decided to create this cookie to share with others around the world.

Here the cake is filled with crushed Oreo cookies and chocolate ganache:

In the design on the biscuits, I noticed that the 12 flowers are formed from triangles, and dots and lines and evenly placed as a pattern… while the mini Oreos have fewer flowers because of the smaller size. We recreated the mini Oreos out of fondant by making a mold from an actual real cookie.

In the packaging, I noticed the choice of royal blue, baby blue, and the hint of red, contrasted with white, and also the gold. pink, and confetti in the packaging of the limited birthday edition Oreo cookies. The gold was tied into the number 100s on the giftbox, and in the gold stripe of the candle. Pink was used in the smaller details, such as the miniature gifts. Our confetti was made of gumpaste, which was rolled thin, then cut into squares.

The cake was assembled in the last 24 hours before it was due. I am still in awe of it’s presence, and find it very surreal to have the idea come to life.

After the cake’s tour, the cake was displayed at SAIT Polytechnic, in the window of the Market Place, in the John Ware building.

After the cake was set up, people would walk by and stop and take a moment – slowly their eyes would move up, and they would see Oreo and Milk splashing out of the cake, and then they would smile.

And in their moment of happiness, I found my own.

Happy Birthday Oreo! May the next 100 years be just as amazing!

• See more photos of the making of this cake on my Facebook page
• Join the birthday celebration at Oreo100.ca
• Try Oreo birthday recipes on Kraftcanada.com
• See all three of Canada’s cake creations on the Oreo Facebook page