tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:40:31 +0000businesschocolate claytoolsreviewsbudgetgroom's cakescookiesgingerbreadcandy claygumpasterandom musingsdecoratingNot cake-related/random weirdnesswedding cakescustom cakestutorialswedding horror stories3-D cakesdeliveriesplanningbakingclassesvideointerviewsdesignbirthday cakesfondanttvguest blog entriescricutGiveawayrecipescandyCake thoughts for decorators, brides and businesses.http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)Blogger555125ACakeToRememberVahttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7551569638779632762Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:56:00 +00002012-01-27T07:56:07.116-05:00tutorialsMaking your own silicone molds is useful because you can customize them for different cake designs. On Wednesday I wrote about where to get the materials for mold-making. Here's the entry for reference if you missed that. For this mold I used Amazing Mold Putty and a Peace Dollar, since they look nice and they're deep enough to make a good impression. Coins that are really thin won't http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/5BPdCPO01Pk/how-to-make-flat-silicone-molds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/5BPdCPO01Pk" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-make-flat-silicone-molds.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-1163732622461617219Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:01:00 +00002012-01-25T08:01:00.637-05:00toolstutorials Mold making for cake decorating has become a big industry. You can shell out a pretty penny for certain molds, but it's also possible to make your own. The main thing to watch for when you make molds is to verify that the silicone that you're using is food-safe. If you're shopping at a craft store there are brands that are and brands that aren't, so make sure that you double-check that. Therehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/TLkuwdNPffo/making-molds-for-cake-decorating.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/TLkuwdNPffo" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/making-molds-for-cake-decorating.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-774368544399273900Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:58:00 +00002012-01-23T07:58:38.332-05:00businessLast week I wrote about keeping money in the bank for this series on wedding business money management. This week I'll explain how I handle the retainer payments that my clients give me. First, in my contract I don't deal with deposits, it's all retainers. A very simplified reason is that a retainer is a payment to retain the services of someone else. A deposit is a payment toward a specific http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/68Ec52N-vX0/how-i-handle-retainer-payments.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/68Ec52N-vX0" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-i-handle-retainer-payments.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-904549017285152891Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:09:00 +00002012-01-21T08:09:00.251-05:00tutorials This week I posted a tutorial on my etsy shop about how to make gumpaste hydrangeas for cakes...I usually do the quick version, but after doing the wired version for the tutorial I'm thinking that I should be doing them all like that. I just like them better. This tutorial joins my peony tutorial and the one that shows how to make a football helmet cake in the ones available in my etsy shop. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/eAPrh7vhbmQ/new-on-etsy-and-amazon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/eAPrh7vhbmQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-on-etsy-and-amazon.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-5744923173764119920Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +00002012-01-20T07:00:12.590-05:00wedding cakesplanning I've been getting more calls and emails from brides asking if I do small wedding cakes. Sure, why not? The issue is how small do you mean...For 20 guests you can do two tiers, for 30-40 you can still do three, but they'll be smaller in diameter. This cake was a smaller one. Height-wise it was the same as any other three-tiered cake, but the diameters of the tiers were 4"-6"-8". This size, nothttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/ZTFwAjrBB6o/little-wedding-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/ZTFwAjrBB6o" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/little-wedding-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7936614302499248584Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:56:00 +00002012-01-18T08:56:00.808-05:00recipes I had a client last week who had gone through liver failure, and who now can't eat any fats at all. Usually when a client has dietary restrictions you can get around it by using soy products or egg replacers, that kind of thing. But not being able to use any fat is a little difficult. That eliminates butter, sour cream, oil, and also egg yolks. Also any soy products that have a fat content. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/3G_qPFj9wK8/fat-free-pumpkin-cake-recipe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/3G_qPFj9wK8" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/fat-free-pumpkin-cake-recipe.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-1900715693937377563Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +00002012-01-16T08:30:19.743-05:00businessA strangely common question that I see on cake decorating forums is the question of when to spend the money that people earn for a cake. This usually goes along with the question of "I have to buy supplies for the cake, how soon before the cake is due should I do that?" Well, in the first place, you shouldn't really be spending ANY of the money that you got for making a cake until the cake is http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/gtQSQDE5QQU/keeping-money-in-bank.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/gtQSQDE5QQU" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/keeping-money-in-bank.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-6115000846872684164Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:43:00 +00002012-01-15T11:43:01.352-05:00wedding cakesI did a purple ombre wedding cake for a photo shoot recently, and the photos are in...The cake was done in ombre modelling chocolate with modelling chocolate flowers and isomalt details. Check it out on Stephanie Yonce Photography's blog. Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in Richmond VA http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/rnIV0JJMEes/purple-ombre-photo-shoot-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/rnIV0JJMEes" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/purple-ombre-photo-shoot-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-3744880181836255978Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +00002012-01-14T09:00:06.192-05:00wedding cakes This cake was made for a bride who had gone through liver failure and wasn't able to eat any fat at all. The top tier was fat-free pumpkin, and I'll be posting the recipe next week. The bride and groom cut that tier, and the guests ate the rest of the tiers, which were "normal" recipes. The cake was covered in champagne-colored fondant and royal icing decorations, then pearlized with an http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/xlejNwqefOs/pearlized-wedding-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/xlejNwqefOs" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/pearlized-wedding-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-8834774362330217568Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:56:00 +00002012-01-13T06:56:35.240-05:00groom's cakeswedding cakes For the last cake of 2011 I made a car cake that was actually the wedding cake. The bride wanted the lights on the car to light up, so I made the headlight covers out of isomalt and used some bulbs behind it to illuminate them. The streetlights also had bulbs in them. I used the little bulbs that you twist to light...They should stay lit for up to 8 hours, which will generally give you long http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/x_hnI8X6Mg0/car-cake-with-working-lights.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/x_hnI8X6Mg0" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/car-cake-with-working-lights.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-1652582204109702399Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +00002012-01-11T08:30:00.533-05:00tutorials A paste consistency Edible glitter is sometimes edible and sometimes not...To be safe, you can make your own out of gums and edible luster dusts. I read an article by Lindy Smith about how to make your own glitter using gum arabic, but I didn't have any of that. I decided to try some of the fairly useless Wilton GumTex that I have sitting around, and it worked just fine. Spread out on thehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/PPLUT_I9-RU/how-to-make-edible-glitter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/PPLUT_I9-RU" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-make-edible-glitter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-1975523886201594919Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:33:00 +00002012-01-09T08:33:01.517-05:00business It never fails to amaze me how many wedding businesses have a really hard time coming up with the money to cover basic expenses. I'm not talking about unexpected expenses, I mean things like advertising that you buy every year at the same time, supplies that you buy on a regular schedule, and other expenses that you know are coming. The key to paying for your expenses is to have the money http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/pAgeIxT0rEY/money-management-for-wedding-businesses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/pAgeIxT0rEY" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/money-management-for-wedding-businesses.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-8670381569043912183Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:38:00 +00002012-01-07T08:38:00.204-05:00videobakingrecipesHere's a video that I did of how to fix a broken buttercream. This was an Italian meringue, but the principles are the same for any kind of meringue buttercream that can separate if the butter is too cold. Click Here! Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in Richmond VAhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/nbNyF8xspZo/when-buttercream-breaks-fix-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/nbNyF8xspZo" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/when-buttercream-breaks-fix-it.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-314094799458053094Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:11:00 +00002012-01-06T07:11:02.118-05:00decoratingNot cake-related/random weirdness Yesterday my son's specialty center had their annual open house, and the kids in his year were in charge of getting things ready for the prospective students. I got an email that the center director sent to all of the parents, asking for cupcakes for a cupcake display that the kids were making. Since I wanted to be an involved parent I gritted my teeth and wrote her back to offer help if they http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/40tDO7Qi93c/in-which-i-am-made-to-touch-cupcakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/40tDO7Qi93c" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/in-which-i-am-made-to-touch-cupcakes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2883652826302466571Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:38:00 +00002012-01-04T10:30:18.087-05:00businessI was directed to a terrible facebook page by a friend recently. Why was it terrible, you ask? Well, it was full of horrifying examples of how NOT to photograph your cakes. Looking at the various photos of cakes with all kinds of interesting backgrounds and exposures inspired me to do this post about bad ways to photograph your cake. I used a display cake to illustrate the things to keep in http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/fiGfUQFH0yY/how-to-not-photograph-your-cakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/fiGfUQFH0yY" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-not-photograph-your-cakes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-8279864387317778759Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:49:00 +00002012-01-02T07:49:00.866-05:00random musingsAs a former art student, I have a REALLY hard time referring to myself as an "artist" when it comes to decorating cakes. It's always seemed pretty pretentious to me. I have no problem describing what I do when I pick up a paintbrush as art, but making a sugar flower doesn't rise to the bar of "art" in my mind for some reason. I find that's firmly planted in the "craft" category. I also knit and http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/09BYJyrIhFQ/art-vs-craftapparently-ongoing-debate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/09BYJyrIhFQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/art-vs-craftapparently-ongoing-debate.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-6242442566608915027Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:51:00 +00002012-01-01T18:51:59.587-05:00Not cake-related/random weirdnessOkay, last year I did a year-in-review thing, but I'm too lazy to muster that up today. I also have to go play Zelda soon, so I don't have a lot of time to write this. So I decided to look at what the most popular blog entries were from last year's posts. Interestingly, the most popular ones consistently were just posts that described a cake and put a picture of it up. But there were two big http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/3QYC-tV5cWo/most-popular-posts-from-2011.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/3QYC-tV5cWo" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/01/most-popular-posts-from-2011.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-8316516371802383339Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:35:00 +00002011-12-31T09:35:26.190-05:00Not cake-related/random weirdnessI've heard good things about Dansko clogs from other bakers, so when I saw a nurse wearing them the last time I was at the doctor, I asked her about them. She said that she loved them, and she'd had the ones she was wearing for ten years. She then told me about a website that she knew of where you can get a lot of different shoe brands at a discount. www.6pm.com has shoes, including Dansko, at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/ijkojxdjAPg/dansko-clogs-at-discount-prices.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/ijkojxdjAPg" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/dansko-clogs-at-discount-prices.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-543618185210300047Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:58:00 +00002011-12-30T08:58:51.689-05:00businessI've been writing about weird letters we've received from clients, and I'd be willing to bet that everyone has received some like these. The client just forgets to add some minor details... I've reproduced these in their entirety, nothing is missing: "How much is a three-layered cake?" Will that be three layers or three tiers? for 40 people or 400? "I need a birthday cake for my husband. How http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/ANmR1eSVZJQ/when-customer-leaves-out-few-details.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)7<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/ANmR1eSVZJQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/when-customer-leaves-out-few-details.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2176807523872570038Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +00002011-12-28T09:27:13.638-05:00businessMy disclaimer: Most brides are totally normal. Not everyone is, though, and although encountering a bridezilla-type can be frightening at first it can be funny in retrospect. I hope that this amuses you. Another wedding business owner who I know received a bride's information from the contact form on her website. It was for a New Year's wedding. Since the business owner was going to be out of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/SLuKy6X1uu4/amazingly-overreacting-overreaction.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/SLuKy6X1uu4" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/amazingly-overreacting-overreaction.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2254639179449760411Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +00002011-12-26T09:00:07.432-05:00business My disclaimer: Most brides are totally normal. Not everyone is, though, and although encountering a bridezilla-type can be frightening at first it can be funny in retrospect. I hope that this amuses you. Let me preface this by saying that I'm not the only person who got this letter. Several other wedding businesses that I know of also received it. One business said that they keep a file full http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/vBZBfzz9S9U/my-belated-christmas-gift-to-youan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/vBZBfzz9S9U" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-belated-christmas-gift-to-youan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-5460407141602509190Sun, 25 Dec 2011 01:20:00 +00002011-12-24T20:20:00.452-05:00tutorialsgroom's cakesLast week I did an anchor groom's cake, and the groom requested specifically that the anchor be brown and rusty-looking, not shiny. I started with a 9"x13" sheet and cut the shape out of it. The length of the cake was the entire stem and round loop at the top, and I pieced the hook out of the parts that were cut from the sides of the stem. The cake would probably serve around 21 or so, based on http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/0V6pDVPL8dY/anchor-cake-tutorial.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/0V6pDVPL8dY" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/anchor-cake-tutorial.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7579053758831699742Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +00002011-12-23T08:30:01.778-05:00bakingrandom musingsChemistry test: Cake Mix Label Q:What is Propylene Glycol? A: It's an anti-caking and emulsifying agent that's not found in nature, according to the FDA. It's classified as "generally recognized as safe" for use in food in the U.S. as long as the amounts don't rise above a certain level. Q: What is Propylene Glycol used for in foods? A: It's commonly used as a softening agent and http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/ihzIj9lBxrk/chemistry-test-for-cake-mixes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/ihzIj9lBxrk" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/chemistry-test-for-cake-mixes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-5569795059999414671Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:57:00 +00002011-12-21T08:57:16.109-05:00businessOnce upon a time, in a land far away (or not so far if you live in New England), there was a baker who made fancy cakes. She put pictures of her cakes on a thing called "the interwebz" and told people about all the beautiful cakes that she had for sale. She put pictures on one part of the interwebz that lots and lots of people liked to use, and other people could also leave comments for her to http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/OhiPIUo2EKk/tale-of-how-stupid-trolls-can-be-when.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/OhiPIUo2EKk" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/tale-of-how-stupid-trolls-can-be-when.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7942560697860097963Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:09:00 +00002011-12-19T08:09:00.213-05:00Not cake-related/random weirdness Oh, my poor little blog. It's not tremendously large. It's just a humble little blog that I write for my own amusement. If other people like it that's great. Apparently certain other people like it too much, because it's attracted the attention of a group of spammers who apparently use some server in Russia. What the heck? Here's a clue, idiot spammers. When you post multiple times per day http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/wdKzZbFKeA4/weird-spam-is-pain-in-butt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/wdKzZbFKeA4" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/12/weird-spam-is-pain-in-butt.html