How to Make Disney Frozen Cake Push Pops!

Hey Everyone!
Disney’s Frozen is now out on DVD! While I admit, I haven’t seen it yet, I have heard great things! Frozen has been the most popular birthday theme at the shop for the past few months! Check out my video of the frozen inspired push pops I made! Super easy and fun to make! Kids and parents love this alternative to a cake or cupcakes. It is no mess and kids get a kick out of it! I hope you enjoy watching the video and remember you can use this idea for any other occasion! Having a rainbow party? Color your batter with rainbow colors and layer them in the push pop container…that would be super cute!

Happy Baking,

 Christy

Push Pop Containers: http://www.christymaries.com/collections/featured-products/products/push-pop-containers
FROZEN Rings: http://www.christymaries.com/collections/featured-products/products/frozen-rings

Gumpaste & Fondant….What’s the Difference?

   One of the most common questions I get asked every day is, “What is the difference between gumpaste and fondant?” Many people who come in and want to work with fondant or gumpaste for the first time are confused about which one is better to use for their particular cake project. They look exactly the same, sometimes on the outside, depending on the brand, as well as on the inside. I thought this would be a perfect question to explain on here!

                                     The most simple answer to our questions is, Fondant is used to cover a cake and gumpaste is used to make flowers, bows and 3-D creations.

Fondant is a soft, pliable, roll-able  icing to cover cakes, cupcakes and even cookies. It comes in an assortment of different colors as well as flavors (depending on the brand). My favorite brand to use is Satin Ice. Satin Ice is wonderful to work with and tastes good as well! The ladies and I at the shop even sometimes eat it right out of the bucket! I will be honest though, not all fondant has a good taste and is not so fun to work with. If you heard not so good things about fondant or have used it in the past and didn’t care for it, I defiantly recommend giving it another try! 🙂

Gum paste is a soft, mold-able substance used to make flowers, figurines, and other decorations. It will dry very quickly, while fondant doesn’t dry as quickly. It is very strong when dry, but will break if dropped or bumped. Gum pastes takes like an un-flavored neco wafer. You never want to cover your cake in gumpaste.  If you want to make sugar flowers you want to use gumpaste. You can roll the gum paste thinner, so your flowers have a more realistic look to them, rather than fondant. Gumpaste also dries faster, so it will keeps its shape.

You can also mix fondant and gum paste together and get the best of both worlds: the flexibility of fondant and the strength of gum paste. We refer to this as a 50/50 mixture. Any time you want to make figurines or something 3D, I always use half gumpaste and half fondant.

To sum it up….If you are covering a cake, you want to use Fondant. If you want to make sugar flowers, 3-D accents and even bows, you want to use gumpaste.  50/50 mixture is used to make figurines. Hope this helped clear up the difference between the two!

Be sure to see our selection of Satin Ice fondant that we carry at the shop! Also, click here to go to Satin Ice’s website to watch some fun video tutorials on how to work with fondant! 🙂

Happy Baking,

             Christy Marie

A flower spray made out of Gumpaste

My favorite Cake Decorating Book!

 

Hello Everyone! I thought I would share one of my favorite cake decorating books with you!  This is simply the best book out there for novice and expert cake decorators! The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating is a comprehensive how-to book about all of the most popular cake decorating techniques, including piped frosting, fondant, and hand modeled figures. For each technique, there is an overview of the tools and materials used and complete instructions with photos! I am a visual person and usually when I look for cake decorating and recipe books, I always look for pictures. This book has step-by-step directions and more than 600 full-color photos! Even in the back of the book, there is a gallery of decorated cakes thats great to flip through for ideas!

Techniques & Ideas Featured:

• Covering a cake with buttercream, ganache, fondant, and even textured buttercream
• Covering a board with foil or fondant
• Stenciling
• Painting & coloring on fondant
• Gelatin accents & Isomalt
• Chocolate molding & painting
• Gumpaste flowers
• Hand- modeling animals & people
• Buttercream roses
• Sculpting cakes
• & much more!

We call this the textbook for cake decorating, as it has almost anything you’d like to know about decorating cakes! It even covers a little on candy making! Stop in the shop and see why we are IN LOVE with this book!

–Christy Marie 

Sugar artist Carpenter perfectly explains her book: “If you are a beginning decorator, this book will serve as a step-by-step course in cake decorating. If you are an experienced or professional decorator, this book will quickly become your go-to guide when seeking out new techniques.”

Batter Babies!

Love chocolate and vanilla cake and sometimes feel guilty for eating two cupcakes? Wish you could have the best of both flavors? Well now you can! Bake one of a kind cupcakes containing two flavors and/or or colors with Batter Babies! These dividers fit right in your cupcake cups and pans and divide your batter perfectly! Want to color your batters to match your party theme? Easily color your batter and use these babies to create two-color cupcakes! Your cupcakes will sure to be the talk of the party!

Batter Babies fit most standard size cupcake pans and cups. Made from a foodgrade plastic, they are reusable. Dishwasher safe.

The Batter Babies are quite simple to use, just follow these steps:

1. Simply place the Batter Babies in individual cups
2. Pour the two separate batters into each cup
3. Remove Batter Babies before baking

              Best of both flavors! 

What’s New! Character Sugar Pieces!

 

We just received one of our orders today and guess what we now have available?! Licensed character sugar pieces! Completely edible, these sugar pieces will sure to be a big hit on cupcakes or even candy! Great to add around a cake as a boarder too! Kids will love these and  the best part is- they will match their party theme! We have Barbie, Dora, Thomas, Mickey and Minnie currently in-stock! Pack of 6 sugar pieces for $2.89.

-Christy Marie 

Free Candy Demo Thursday!

Hello everyone! I just wanted to remind you all that we’re having a FREE Candy Demo this Thursday, February 9th from 6-6:45 pm. We will cover the different ways to melt chocolate, how to fill a mold, chocolate painting, dipping and more. If you are already a chocolatier or have always wanted to learn how to make candy, this is a perfect time! This year, make something sweet for your Valentine! If you are interested in attending, just give the shop a call at 717-235-6555 to reserve your spot! Space is limited.

-Christy Marie

Cake Boss is Coming to Lancaster!

Attention all Cake Boss fans! Buddy Valastro is coming to the American Music Theatre in Lancaster on March 15!  Here is the description of the show featured on the American Music Theatre website: “You’ve seen him on TV, now come see him in person!  Buddy Valastro’s “Bakin’ with the Boss” show is an evening of cakes, stories, and fun.  In this live, interactive event, TLC’s Cake Boss will share the stories behind his hit series and his colorful Italian family, answer audience questions, and give demonstrations of the techniques that have made him one of the most successful and renowned cake artists in the nation.  In this all-ages, family-friendly show, Buddy will even invite a few audience members on stage to join in the fun.”

We saw Buddy at the Strand-Capitol Theatre about a year and half ago in York. It was such an enjoyable evening and we loved listening to him as he told his stories while decorating on stage. Last time we went, we found out he was coming to the area about a couple weeks before the show. A customer mentioned that he was coming to York and we went right away and ordered tickets. Luckily, there were still tickets available! We had so many customers that didn’t know he was coming to the area and would have loved to have seen him. So, fortunate enough I found out early and  thought I would let everyone know! It’s a fun show for the whole family! We are so excited to be going again to see his “Touring with the Boss” show and hope to see some of you there!

–Christy Marie 

To purchase tickets, visit http://www.amtshows.com/Buddy-Valastro-The-Cake-Boss/

Add Sparkle to your next cake!

Our Diamond Wrap been getting a lot of attention at the shop! Almost everyone who stops in, mentions or compliments the cake! It’s looks beautiful and can add such an elegant touch to your cake. Not only is it great to wrap around cakes, but as well as cupcake stands, wedding bouquets, tables, candles, vases, cake stands and more! We’ve  had a lot of crafters who’ve been enjoying it too! So what is this Diamond wrap? It is a bendable, simulated rhinestone ribbon. It’s easy to cut and doesn’t fray. The ribbon bends to fit around all shapes and sizes! Ideal for Weddings, Bridal Showers, Anniversaries, Sweet 16s and more! This diamond wrap will be sure to be the talk of the occasion! Available in Gold or Silver. $2.00 a foot.

Next time you’re making a cake, why not add some bling!

-Christy Marie

My Favorite Baking Tools!

Hello Everyone! Today I am going to show you my favorite go-to tools when I’m in the kitchen baking! These are all great products and a must-have of mine when I am baking a cake! Let me know if you use any of these products or tools and what your favorite go-to tool is!

1. Professional Pans– When baking a cake, the quality of your pan has a lot to do with how your cake turns out. I love using the professional pans that we offer at the shop because they bake more evenly and last forever!

2. CK Pan Grease- This is a must have when baking in a cake pan! No Flour needed! Just brush a thin layer of pan grease in your pans! It is great to have on hand for character pans, as it gets right down in all the details! We suggest to apply it with either a pastry brush or your hand, rather than a paper towel. When using paper towels, you are wiping away more of the pan grease than you are applying.

3. Silicone Brush- This is my favorite brush to use when applying pan grease! I love using my pink silicone brush and it gets right into the small areas! The best part is I can drop it right in the dishwasher!

4. Magi-Cake Strips– These strips really do work magic! Do you ever have trouble with your cakes coming out uneven? These strips help prevent  high-rise centers, cracked tops and crusty edges and your cake bakes evenly! All you do is soak the strips in water and after squeezing the excess water off, simply wrap around your cake pan and pin together.

5. Cake Tester- Another favorite tool of mine is a cake tester! I not only use it to test to see if my cakes or cupcakes are done, I use it when I am cooking meals as well! I also love to use the tester when I am taking my cupcakes out of my pan. Simply stick the tester down between the pan and the cupcake paper and the cupcake will pop right out! I have about 4 cake testers in my kitchen because I am so worried I won’t be able to find one! Say goodbye to toothpicks! also great when cleaning out your decorating cake tips!

Welcome !

Hello everyone and welcome to our blog! I hope you find all sorts of sweet information here! From tutorials and recipes to what’s new at the shop, this will be a great way to keep up with Christy Marie’s! Check back for more updates soon!

Happy Decorating!

-Christy Marie