Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Welcome… …to your March 2022 issue! Spring has sprung, so what better way to celebrate the start of a new season than seeing all the new colours and themes that appear this time of year! Florals play a big part in spring themes, so we get this issue off to a blooming marvellous start on page 8 – Karen Keaney shows a simple way of painting dainty flowers directly onto cake using petals dusts, the finish is so pretty! Our March cover star, Emma Stewart, adorns her sugar flower and foliage with a floral wire wreath – the delicate topper is perfect for rustic themed weddings! There are not one but two super tutorials featuring succulents, which are not only on trend but completely edible too!…

Artist spotlight As Veganuary comes to a halt, vegan-themed baking is still very much in people’s minds! The Cake Decorating Company recently worked alongside Freya Cox from the recent season of The Great British Bake Off in a live video session. She was the show’s first-ever all-vegan baker and she stopped off to answer some questions on the ins and outs of vegan baking! What are the best alternatives to butter for buttercreams? You can often find suitable vegan baking blocks in most supermarkets that make for great bases. For more complex buttercreams or meringues using Aquafaba, the high-end blocks are better as they help avoid curdling. I made a Swiss meringue buttercream over the weekend with the standard baking block and it did split a little bit. So go…

TECHNIQUES Modelling SUPER SUCCULENTS Build up a beautiful plant pot bursting with succulents, all edible of course! Cake artist: Marie McGrath YOU WILL NEED EDIBLES: EQUIPMENT: MAKE THE PLANT POT 1 Use the white and black sugarpastes mixed/kneaded together to create a marbled grey. Add CMC whilst kneading to help the pot dry hard and keep its shape. Top Tip If you are making a larger pot model (like here with a 6in bottom) and are concerned about the weight, you could make it from rice krispie treats and cover that shape to make the pot. Alternatively, add a board as in this tutorial and support the weight of the model using dowels. 2 Shape the grey marbled sugarpaste into a…

RECIPE FLORENTINE BARS “There is something wildly cheering about glacé cherries. Despite tasting nothing like the fresh cherries they once were, they are gloriously retro and their lurid colour never fails to entice. However, they could be swapped out for candied citrus if you have better taste than me or – for full retro effect – angelica. This recipe is more than just a foil for glacé fruit – the combination of caramel, almond and dark chocolate is a beautiful one, and a stack of these is sure to lift spirits” Lucy Burton, author YOU WILL NEED • 75g (2½ oz) unsalted butter• 75g (2½oz/scant 1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar• 75g (2½oz) golden (light corn) syrup• 75g (2½oz/scant 2/3 cup) plain (allpurpose) flour• ¼tsp fine salt• 110g (3¾oz/1¼ cups) flaked…

SEASONAL IDEAS EASTER CAKE POPS YOU WILL NEED EDIBLES: EQUIPMENT: 1 Bake two 6in sandwich tins using your favourite recipe, cool and break into chunks. Rub the pieces together until they become fine crumb, or blitz them for a few seconds in a food blender with blade attachment. Add in most of the frosting and mix thoroughly; spreading the mixture with the back of a spoon ensures a good mix. Test the mixture by squeezing a spoonful in your hand, if it holds together it is ready, if not add a little more frosting. 2 Take about 1½ tablespoons of mixture and squeeze and roll into a firm ball, then gently roll one side of the ball between your palms to create an egg shape…

MEET THE TEAM! This month I’m… Joanne Garwell Willing on spring… fingers crossed! Emmalee Higgins Excited for plans with friends and family! Anna Lewin So ready for spring! Amanda Clare Thinking about getting the garden ready for the vegetables that need setting before Easter. Sue Ward Looking forward to a long weekend away in our Campervan. Amy Hodges I’m looking forward to lighter evenings and warmer days. Emily Warner Looking forward to a weekend away in Norfolk. © Warners Group Publications, publishers of Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft Magazine.…

TECHNIQUES Painting on toppers PAINTED FLORALS Use edible dusts to paint dainty flowers on toppers that look lovely on cupcakes – the perfect Mother’s Day gift! Cake artist: Dani Brazier for Blue Door Bakery YOU WILL NEED EDIBLES: EQUIPMENT: PREPARE THE TOPPERS 1 Take some grey sugarpaste (white mixed with a touch of grey food colouring) and roll to 5mm thick. Cut out a circle that is as wide as your cupcake. You will need one circle for each cupcake you are decorating. PREPARE THE PAINT 2 Now take a side plate. Add on your dusts for your flowers and some white powder in the centre. I used a variety of colours from Sugarflair. Top Tip The brush sizes are…

SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT PAMPERED PERFECTION FOR MOTHER’S DAY The care and attention of a handmade gift can say so much… So, why not treat your lovely Maman to some luxurious homemade beauty essentials housed in empty Bonne Maman jars this Mother’s Day. This spa-at-home gift set uses all natural products which can be found in any household or wholefood stores. So, let her sit back, relax and be pampered to perfection - she deserves it! Top Tip Add that personal finishing touch to your Bonne Maman pamper gift set by tying name tags with a thoughtful note to your mum. Why not present your creations in a pretty wicker basket sprinkled with dried rose petals, tied with cellophane and ribbon at the top for that extra special present -…

RECIPE KIDS’ PARTY BROWNIES “These brownies couldn’t be simpler to make and are sure to delight kids big and small. Load them up with your favourite party biscuits, sweets and sprinkles” Lucy Burton, author YOU WILL NEED • 1x quantity brownie batter (see page 23 of the book)• 100g (3½ oz) biscuits and/or sweets of your choice PREP: 15 minutes, plus chilling COOK: 30–40 minutes MAKES: 16 bars or 24 smaller squares 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 6) and line a 20x30cm (8x12in) tin. 2 Make the brownie batter following instructions on page 23 of the book and pour the batter into your prepared tin, levelling out the surface. 3 As soon as the brownie is removed from the oven, add the biscuits and sweets. Start with…

TECHNIQUES Adding texture Wire cake topper WREATH MAKING This dainty design makes the perfect wedding cake for a rustic themed wedding. The wire heart-shaped wreath adorned with sugar foliage can be adapted to coordinate with the bridal party. Cake artist: Emma Stewart YOU WILL NEED EDIBLES • 4in cake (5in deep) pre-covered in white sugarpaste (Smartflex)• 6in cake (6in deep) pre-covered in white sugarpaste (Smartflex)• Baby blue, black and chocolate brown dusts (Magic Colours)• High percentage alcohol• Statement sugar flower and foliage EQUIPMENT • 5in dummy tier (2in deep) pre-covered in white sugarpaste (Smartflex)• 9in white acrylic board• Natural bristle brush• Small and medium soft bristle brush• Dresden tool• Scraper or flexi smoother• 24 gauge wires (any colour)• Light brown and green florist tapes• Kitchen roll (1 sheet) Top Tip Switch the…

USING YOUR ARCHIVE ISSUES BACK IN TIME Each month self-taught cake creator Heena Mistry is working on a new project recreating some of our favourite archive CD&S tutorials, to test them and show you how truly easy they are to make. This issue, Heena uses the step by steps from the June 2017 issue to make this fun and sweet design originally by Zoe Burmester. Head over to Heena’s Insta page to find out more about how she got on: www.instagram.com/heenycakes. Stay tuned for more next month, where Heena will be recreating another tutorial from the CD&S archive! MY TOP TIPS You can colour your own wafer paper if you don’t have the ready-made colours You could use sugarpaste as an alternative Take your time making the unicorn figure and…

TECHNIQUES Using rice paper Working with sugarpaste BRIGHT PETALS Using rice paper, you can create bold and bright statement petals that stand out from the crowd. Here, Aimee Ford has added additional texture by layering dried sugarpaste onto the side of the cake. Definitely a technique to try if you haven’t before! Cake artist: Aimee Ford YOU WILL NEED EDIBLES: EQUIPMENT: “If you don't have time to wait for your sugarpaste to dry out, pop in a low oven for 15 minutes then leave to cool fully” PREPARE THE CAKES 1 Ensure your cakes are ready and covered in blush pink sugarpaste. Stack the cakes using the 7in separator as a cake board and the 5in separator as…