Wilton Basics - 4

Side view with cascading flowers



Final cake





Ribbon rose

         I had my final basics class on Saturday.  We learned how to write and make ribbon roses.  This was my best rose.  I didn't end up using it on my final cake since I had already planned it out with the pinwheel flowers.  A couple other students also made some flowers and brought them in as well.  I ended up changing my final design slightly.  1) I used the flowers around the base of the cake since I had more than enough. 2) I didn't do the french dots (groups of 3 dots) since it would be too busy with the flowers. 3) I cascaded the flowers down the side to look like it was a pile of flowers dumping off the cake and into the bottom border.  I really like the way it turned out.  We each received a Wilton Basics "diploma".  I'm very happy with what I learned these last four weeks.  One thing I definitely learned was that I need to save the next class for when the kids are in school.  I was soooo hard keeping the house clean, the kids busy and obedient, and prepare for each class.  I was plain exhausted when I got home on Saturday.  However, I do really love cake decorating and plan to do this for family and friends that wish me to do this, I don't plan on making this a career.  P.S. My final cake was chocolate with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream icing.  It was sooo yummy!

Flowers, flowers and more flowers

    I am getting ready for my final cake to be decorated on Saturday.

Final cake draft

       The first picture is my sketch of what my design is going to look like. Hopefully it turns out nice. Looking online I saw many people who took the class chose a phrase like "Happy Birthday" or "Congrats" even though they didn't have a birthday or other occasion to celebrate. So I chose a "Just Because" phrase since we'll be enjoying the cake at my in-laws at a bbq Saturday evening. 

About 100 pinwheel flowers and...

...77 more!

  Here are my pinwheel flowers I made ahead of time to dry so I can just place them on the cake, such a time saver.  The hardest part of getting ready for this week's cake is dividing the icing and coloring it.  I am so indecisive that it took forever to decide what I was going to do.  I still have to bake and ice my cake.  I will be working on that tomorrow.  So I have more icing to make (gotta go to the cake store to pick up some more Sweetex, this is what I use instead of Crisco or butter as it has a higher fat ratio and doesn't taste nasty and it is the best), another cake to bake and torte, fill and ice the cake...all of this tomorrow!!!  Busy day!

Wilton Basics - 3

Rosettes

Crysanthemum

Pom-Pom flower

     I had class 3 on Saturday.  This class was fun.  I made gluten-free chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling.  We learned how to fill and ice cupcakes.  We also learned how to make pom-pom flowers, crysanthemums, rosettes and leaves.  For the pom-pom flower we started out on the flower nail but when we were practicing on our cupcakes I decided to do it directly on the cupcake.  I almost forgot, we learned the drop flower and pansy.  I'm not a fan of the drop flower as it looks like a lumpy star.  But by adding a twist, it was cool.  We also learned how to do the shell border.  This week we need to come up with a cake design and make any drop flowers and pop-pom flowers we would like to put on our cake.  We have our final cake and "graduation" this Saturday.  Now to come up with a fun design.  Last week I took my cake to my church for a potluck.  This weekend I took my cupcakes to my parents for Father's day (my dad has celiac disease so he can't have gluten).  I don't have any plans for this weekend so I don't know what kind of cake and design I should do.  I'm sure it'll be disney though...maybe carsland theme...hehe.

Wilton Basics - 2

I had my second Wilton Decorating Basics class a few days ago.  Some may think this is a butterfly.  It isn't. It is Minnie Mouse's bow.  That's okay though because I was told it could also be a molar (upside down).  So I'd rather hear it is a butterfly.  One thing you will find out quickly about me is that I am an avid Disney fan...watch for a theme in my cakes and crafts!

     Anyway, in this class we learned about torting, filling and icing a cake.  I LOVED IT!!!  I've always wanted to know how to do this stuff.  This cake was a raspberry-vanilla cake with raspberry filling.  It was sooo moist and delicious.  We also learned the piping get technique to transfer a design to an iced cake.  I wondered how people did that.  I used a #12 tip for the bow and edges and a #18 for the stars/dots.  Next week is cupcakes just in time for Fathers' Day!

Wilton Basics - 1

Okay, so I started the Wilton Decorating Basics class a couple weeks ago.  We learned how to doctor cake mixes and make icing.  If you are making your own icing, make sure to use Sweetex if you can get a hold of it.  The higher fat ratio makes a wonderful icing and it doesn't taste greasy like it would when using Crisco.  We learning the #18 tip star technique.  This class was really quite simple and spent most of the time learning about the tools and mediums we would be using.  We only spent a few minutes playing around with the tips on cookies we brought from home (this is why I didn't post a pic).  My icing was too firm so most of it didn't turn out.  Note to self...the consistency of Wilton's canned icing is firm!  This can easily be thinned with water though.  We also learned about consistency in this class.

My new adventure

I have always loved crafting.  I guess it runs deep in my family.  My aunts, great aunts, grandmother, great-grandmother, etc all sewed.  My dad enjoys woodworking and my mom was an amazing cake decorator.  As for me, I enjoy sewing, scrapbooking, center-piece arrangements, etc.  My new favorite hobby is cake decorating, following in my mom's footsteps.  For Mothers' Day this year my sweet family sent me to Wilton cake decorating classes at the local cake supply shop.  The class, so far, is incredible.  Thank you hubby and kids!  You will definitely reap the benefits.