tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:21 +0000businesschocolate claytoolsreviewsbudgetgroom's cakescookiesgingerbreadcandy claygumpasterandom musingsetsydecoratingCraftsyisomaltNot cake-related/random weirdnesswedding cakescustom cakestutorials3-D cakeswedding horror storiesdeliveriesplanningbakingclassesinterviewsvideodesignsugarbirthday cakesfondanttvguest blog entriescricutGiveawayrecipescandyCake, business, and random thoughts.http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)Blogger825125ACakeToRememberVahttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7653128882883682341Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 +00002013-05-20T08:00:09.437-04:00CraftsyreviewsThis Craftsy class addresses some "advanced fondant techniques," or basic ones, depending on what you've done before. Like most Craftsy classes, this is more of a beginner to intermediate course so don't let the "advanced" description fool you, it's better for beginners. It also seems to repeat a lot of information in other classes, so if you've taken the Colette Peters fondant class you'll have http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/q7Yg_oh8vkk/craftsy-class-review-advanced-fondant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/q7Yg_oh8vkk" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/craftsy-class-review-advanced-fondant.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-6366247392315439185Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 +00002013-05-17T08:00:09.224-04:00decoratingwedding cakes gumpaste lace applied and overpiped There are a few ways to make lace on cakes, including piping, fondant and debossing. The quickest and easiest way, in my opinion, is to just pipe it on freehand or by using a pattern that you've traced onto the cake. This usually works better with a really small tip, nothing larger than a 2 at the most. Here's a description of the easiest way to do that: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/GWFZp7O_mZU/lace-for-cakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/GWFZp7O_mZU" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/lace-for-cakes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-4369098067268060619Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 +00002013-05-15T08:00:13.285-04:00businessHow often do you look on facebook and check out other people's cake pages? Does it seem like everyone else is perpetually happy and excited about the cakes they're doing and the work they have lined up? Are you depressed when you watch cake shows that make it look like everyone else is doing super interesting work all the time? Well, don't worry, because if you pay attention that isn't what's http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/sLLartmMVwg/cake-envy-or-whos-doing-interesting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/sLLartmMVwg" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/cake-envy-or-whos-doing-interesting.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2576656320246019699Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 +00002013-05-13T08:00:05.669-04:00CraftsyI didn't have time to watch a new Craftsy class this week (sorry, too many cakes to do) so I've listed a few classes that would be worth taking that I've already reviewed. First, the Nicholas Lodge Classic Sugar Flowers class. Good for the basics and it also covers a few different flowers, so you're getting more than just one thing. http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/01/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/K8A6pVrxqLA/craftsy-re-dos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/K8A6pVrxqLA" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/craftsy-re-dos.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-1915611574946795139Sat, 11 May 2013 12:03:00 +00002013-05-11T08:03:00.786-04:00wedding cakesThis wedding cake was based on a Wendy Kromer design, but was done in buttercream instead of fondant. I imprinted the design in the buttercream by drawing it on with skewers. The golden raspberries and leaves were all made of gumpaste and added to the cake in small bunches. A tutorial on how to make the raspberries is here: Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/7l2haBNNwC0/gumpaste-raspberry-wedding-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/7l2haBNNwC0" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/gumpaste-raspberry-wedding-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-6080575656808903348Fri, 10 May 2013 12:11:00 +00002013-05-10T08:11:21.133-04:00custom cakestutorialswedding cakesPainting on cakes with food coloring seems so simple, but there are a few tips that you can use to make it easier. First, for these tips I'm assuming that you're painting on fondant. Painting on buttercream is more complicated so fondant is the easier place to start. To do this stained glass cake I did the outlines of the shapes first using a food coloring marker. That will give you a light http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/O7_FbRr6KXs/tips-for-painting-on-cakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/O7_FbRr6KXs" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/tips-for-painting-on-cakes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-3607027005516190270Wed, 08 May 2013 12:15:00 +00002013-05-08T08:15:34.515-04:00Not cake-related/random weirdnessYeah, I said it. This is my cranky vent for the week...I'm tired of hearing people refer to themselves as a "sugar artist," then looking at photos of their cakes and seeing a bunch of basic birthday cakes with letters cut out of fondant stuck on them. Maybe it's an attempt to give yourself more gravitas as a business, since we all know that people don't take baking as a business seriously. I http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/eE8goyRTgtQ/youre-not-artist-if-you-only-use-tappits.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/eE8goyRTgtQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/youre-not-artist-if-you-only-use-tappits.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-6207124513973746700Mon, 06 May 2013 13:17:00 +00002013-05-06T09:19:35.022-04:00Craftsy Craftsy offers a bunch of mini-courses that are free, so why not sign up for one or two, or more if you have the time? The difference between the mini courses and the regular ones are the length, obviously, and that the discussions aren't monitored by the instructor. They still cover the topic in enough depth that you'll learn something, but if you don't who cares, you didn't pay anything http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/Vlvawhvsj6U/craftsy-class-reviews-free-mini-classes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/Vlvawhvsj6U" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/craftsy-class-reviews-free-mini-classes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-1822460295102057169Sat, 04 May 2013 12:39:00 +00002013-05-04T08:39:00.367-04:00wedding cakes This cake was covered in buttercream that was roughed up to give the feeling of a tree bark texture. I added a fondant heart on the front and green hydrangeas to match the bridal flowers. Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in Richmond VAhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/K2JGpC6Aesg/textured-buttercream-wedding-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/K2JGpC6Aesg" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/textured-buttercream-wedding-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-1862466433434257918Fri, 03 May 2013 12:32:00 +00002013-05-03T08:32:00.262-04:00etsytoolswedding cakes This wedding cake had details on it that I made using molds, including some that I made myself. I used a combination of fondant and gumpaste to make these, since that will give you a firmer paste to make the details of the molds stand out. If you just use fondant it can be too soft and you might lose some of the shallower details. I painted the pieces with a gold luster dust and vodka painthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/wSMtVJPwJus/using-molds-for-architectural-details.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/wSMtVJPwJus" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/using-molds-for-architectural-details.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-4930744276144201459Wed, 01 May 2013 13:40:00 +00002013-05-01T09:40:00.366-04:00businessPeople posting nasty things on your facebook page...I've had them, I'm sure that you've had them, and although they make for good reading for other people, they're irritating at best and destructive at worst. I did a question of the day recently about what people do when they notice a "facebook fight." the majority said that they find it embarrassing, but heck yeah, they're going to watch it http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/pGbstC_5zLw/delete-those-nasty-posts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/pGbstC_5zLw" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/delete-those-nasty-posts.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2059558915562259947Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:23:00 +00002013-04-29T09:42:22.219-04:00CraftsyreviewsclassesThis is a new Craftsy class that's taught by Roland Winbeckler. When I first saw the title of this class I thought that there was no way I'd sit through this one to review it because it's SO BASIC a topic. Every decorator should already know how to pipe borders, unless you're a total noob, right? But then I started thinking about it. This really bothers me for some reason... I realized that http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/vuoqgDeho60/craftsy-class-review-piping-buttercream.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/vuoqgDeho60" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/craftsy-class-review-piping-buttercream.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2487788773535153615Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:47:00 +00002013-04-27T07:47:00.146-04:00wedding cakes This cake had white chocolate fondant pleats applied unevenly to the cake, and yellow hydrangeas as a focal point. Of course these were gumpaste hydrangeas, since we all know that real hydrangeas are both poisonous and wilt quickly. So in spite of what fake wedding photo shoots suggest, it's not a good idea to put them on cakes. Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/N6BjfdQe7lw/pleated-cake-with-yellow-hydrangeas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/N6BjfdQe7lw" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/pleated-cake-with-yellow-hydrangeas.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-3104561268550732497Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:30:00 +00002013-04-26T07:30:06.008-04:00gumpastedecoratingtutorialsI did a cake with a ton of gumpaste raspberries on it last week, and someone asked if I used a mold.  Heck yes I did, that would have been waaaaay too time-consuming otherwise! Here's a video on how to get the raspberries in and out of the mold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuqaPm01Yow If you make them in the color that you want you're pretty much done, but I think that dusting them a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/PAXGjwyneoY/how-to-make-gumpaste-raspberries.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/PAXGjwyneoY" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-make-gumpaste-raspberries.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-6406815967226564868Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:30:00 +00002013-04-24T07:30:00.084-04:00businessI have come to the conclusion that we should all relax a little and not be so offended when people say things like "That's too expensive" or "I can't afford that" when they're asking about a custom cake price. I see so many people who are mad because someone told them they didn't want to spend that much on a cake. I'm just as guilty of it as anyone else, but I do think that we really need to http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/9lN9BYGSq_Q/maybe-we-should-all-relax-little.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/9lN9BYGSq_Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/maybe-we-should-all-relax-little.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7150892730409124400Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:30:00 +00002013-04-22T07:30:02.179-04:00CraftsyreviewsgumpasteThis Craftsy class was taught by Maggie Austin, who also did the ruffle cake class. Since the dogwoods and magnolias are blooming this time of year I decided to go ahead and review this class now, but I'd suggest that you wait to buy it until it's on sale for a few reasons. Now, I have to say that I give the instructors of these classes credit for having to answer some of the moronic questions http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/fIIPsDNTrj8/craftsy-class-review-southern-sugar.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/fIIPsDNTrj8" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/craftsy-class-review-southern-sugar.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-6983617207393849835Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:14:00 +00002013-04-20T08:14:00.177-04:00wedding cakes The top tier of this wedding cake had a door that opened to a little heart inside. The door opened and closed and the little compartment was lined with gold.  The bottom tier had gumpaste flowers that mimicked the bride's bouquet around it. And here's a video of the door moving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaTDGJ1PPXk Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/b17tqdrsQRA/wedding-cake-with-moving-door.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/b17tqdrsQRA" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/wedding-cake-with-moving-door.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-8546581789387781938Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:59:00 +00002013-04-19T07:59:00.360-04:00gumpastedecoratingtutorialsdesignI had an order from an Etsy client recently that was pretty amusing. She needed one of those giant exploded flowers, but it needed to look like it was made out of burlap. Now this was a new one on me, since I hadn't seen the burlap trend creep its way onto the cake flowers yet. I thought it was funny, though, so I figured out a way to burlap-itize the flower. First, I rolled out some brown http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/bbbpKQ58Veo/when-trends-collide-burlap-and-giant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/bbbpKQ58Veo" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/when-trends-collide-burlap-and-giant.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7811095112247133635Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:24:00 +00002013-04-17T07:24:00.282-04:00Not cake-related/random weirdnessSo I was setting a cake up, minding my own business, when the person at the venue who was going to cut the cake came over. He wanted to know what the cake flavors were, so I told him. Then he asked if I brought a box for the top tier, and I said yes. Then he kind of leaned forward and said "Did you bring a box for the leftover cake? Because you people always make too much cake." Well, uh, what?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/jAXyp93Spjs/more-cake-serving-fun-or-if-youre-going.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/jAXyp93Spjs" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/more-cake-serving-fun-or-if-youre-going.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2878254678211096727Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +00002013-04-15T08:00:15.629-04:00Craftsyreviewsclasses3-D cakes This Cake-osaurus Rex Craftsy class covers how to make a 3-D animal cake and is taught by Catherine Ruehle. She's another thorough explainer, and every step of how to design a simple carved cake is touched upon in this class. It starts with how to make the design for the animal, then how to figure out the structural system based on that. It goes through each step of building the structure and http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/3ztxY6mBcY4/craftsy-class-review-cake-osaurus-rex.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/3ztxY6mBcY4" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/craftsy-class-review-cake-osaurus-rex.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-4434412921339676217Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +00002013-04-13T08:00:09.488-04:00wedding cakes This little 5-7-9" wedding cake had a piped lace pattern at the base of each tier, fondant pearls in the lace, and a large flower with an isomalt brooch center. To make the flower, I wired the petals onto a skewer that had the isomalt brooch formed on it. The wooden skewer could be inserted into the cake without worrying about any food-safety issues, so it didn't need any special treatment.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/RYcJMO4eLqA/isomalt-brooch-flower-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/RYcJMO4eLqA" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/isomalt-brooch-flower-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-7901740894777088226Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:30:00 +00002013-04-12T07:30:06.699-04:00decoratingtutorialsdesignWhen you have an icing color that's a little too bright, you might want to tone it down a bit. I was doing a cake that had a mauvey-pink piping, but the mauve food coloring made it too pink.   I could have added a little blue or purple to take it more into the mauve direction, but I didn't want it to be too purple. So I decided to tone it down by adding the opposite color. When you add http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/wVhPBlETwTU/toning-down-icing-colors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/wVhPBlETwTU" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/toning-down-icing-colors.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-758189459805623521Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:40:00 +00002013-04-10T07:40:00.396-04:00businessIn honor of the upcoming day of reckoning (Tax Day in the US) I decided to write an article about planning your income. I would suspect that most business owners have a financial goal for the year that they want to achieve. I've increased my income every year for the last 14 years, but this year I have different plans. It sounds strange, but I want to either decrease or maintain the amount of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/lPItYL8fj-g/sometimes-you-want-to-make-less-money.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/lPItYL8fj-g" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/sometimes-you-want-to-make-less-money.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-5801583180765405672Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:59:00 +00002013-04-08T09:59:22.012-04:00CraftsyreviewsclassesThis Craftsy Class was led by Colette Peters, who also did the Vintage Cake, Modern Methods class. After watching that class I was prepared to listen to Colette's very calming voice, so I knew what I was in for. She's very deliberate and is a slow talker, so she takes her time and shows you every single step. Which is good for beginners, but it makes me crazy after a while. You can always skip http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/_VrYfK7fze8/craftsy-class-review-piece-of-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/_VrYfK7fze8" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/craftsy-class-review-piece-of-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1072332562046716202.post-2370566790567889004Sat, 06 Apr 2013 11:34:00 +00002013-04-06T07:34:00.258-04:00wedding cakes This wedding cake had rustic icing and a cascade of gumpaste flowers including roses, hydrangea, daisies and hypericum. I suspect that the topper came from Etsy but I'm not sure about that! Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in Richmond VAhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~3/IOO7_0JmsMc/peach-roses-wedding-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kara Buntin)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ACakeToRememberVa/~4/IOO7_0JmsMc" height="1" width="1"/>http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/04/peach-roses-wedding-cake.html