anna w's cakes, a second viewing!

[m brown]

Anna's cakes

http://disc.server.com/discussion.cg...&article=30512

hope the link works! enjoy the beauty of the cakes and anna w is willing to discuss how she made the flowers, decorations and even what awards she has won!!

great job!

[One In The Oven]

Anna, I read someplace that you steam your gumpaste roses, why and how do you do that? Also, do you think it is easier to tint your gumpaste or make them white and spray on the color after? Beautiful cakes! My friend just finished a hatbox cake. I haven't seen the pictures yet. I will ask her if I can post them when she gets them. Thanks for your help, Beth

[Anna W.]

I steam gumpaste flowers very briefly over a pot of hot water to get rid of the chalky appearance. They will look wet and shiny at first, but that tones down and they look a little more realistic. I color my gumpaste first, usually, and then add petal dust with brushes. I do not own an airbrush yet but can see how it might benefit. When I am doing leaves on wires, I dip them in colored vodka instead of steaming them. The darker color settles into the veining and the vodka lends a nice finish!

[One In The Oven]

Anna,
Thank you so much. I will be finishing up 3 gumpaste flower sprays tomorrow. I will have to post a picture when I'm done. I can't wait to try your tips. I just recently got the hang of gumpaste flowers.(hope I'm not speaking too soon! ) Since this is your thread, I'm going to ask you some more questions....What awards have you won?
Thank you for sharing with me.
Beth

[m brown]

I love the look of gumpaste but find i have a heavy hand and do better with a blend of pastillage and marzipan.
AnnaW could you clue me in on proper handeling? one in the oven can't wait to see your pic's.
I just printed some of my wedding cakes from digital and they look great!
helpful hints when printing pic's, always center, use the landscape layout and keep all the pictures the same size so the book looks neat!

[Isa]

I only tried gum paste a few times, made basic flowers. I could never make a good rose with it yet I can do marzipan rose.


Anna your cakes are wonderful. I hope to see more of your work soon.

[Anna W.]

One in the oven- I won second place for most artistic in a local competition called Creative Confections. Big deal around here- all the local pastry chefs. Two categories- cakes and tortes and plated desserts.

M- I love marzipan but it is way more costly than gumpaste so I stick with gumpaste. I use a very strong version with gum trag so that they don't break as easily. I have found that even if you have a heavy hand, if you thin the edges enough, no one notices how thick the rest of it is- nice optical illusion.

The very hardest part of the whole cake business has always been photography. I am getting better at it but it is still my greatest challenge. Getting a great camera solved the majority of my problems but not all of them. I keep telling myself that one of these days I need to take a class.

Isa- if you can do a marzipan rose, you can do a gumpaste rose. You might want to experiment with the recipe or consistency of your gumpaste. If you have hot hands use a firmer paste, if you have cold use a softer. You may want to start with a softer gumpaste, also, to give you more play time. The faster you get, the firmer your paste can be.

Thank you everyone for the nice comments.

[One In The Oven]

Thanks for your help,
As far as my book goes, my friend talked me into this, I am going to a Creative Memories workshop on Friday. My pictures are good, it's my presentation that is lacking. She assures me my book will look fantastic. I hope so! Also, Anna- Do they have competitions in other parts of Ohio? I noticed there is a DOS in Columbus next month. I've never been to one. I am from central Ohio. Thanks again, Beth

[panini]

When you guys are working marzipan, are you working on marble? When we have to get real delicate I use marzipan and fan my petals with a light bulb. Warm hands never a problem when you have ice water running through your veins.

[Isa]

Thanks for the tips Anna. I'll have to give it another try.

[Anna W.]

One in the oven- I am not aware of any other local or regional competitions. I know of some that are national but that takes a lot more time and money. Eventually I will get to that but in the mean time...... I have heard mixed reviews on the OH DOS but have never been there. I did go to the ICES convention when it was in Detroit. That was good. If you hear of any regional competitions a friend and I would be very interested to know.

Panini- I do not use a marble slab for the marzipan. I have a Roll-pat (non stick sheet) to roll out on and cut on the smooth side of a glass cutting board.