2 posts tagged “digital imagery”
For those of you who have already read this and are wondering, WHAT THE HECK? I'm moving it up because I get SO MANY requests for information on the subject that I want to keep it on the first page. We all have short attention spans these days and if it's not right in front of our face on the Internet, we tend to scurry off to the next site because, well, it's GOT to be cooler than the one we're on now!
Anyway, my updates here are crossed out or in red:
When I first saw those tacky supermarket birthday cakes with the blurry photos of kids, I thought, hmmm, cool idea but I'll bet the technique could be utilized in a more tasteful manner. It took me a long time to actually get into it because, like everybody else, I thought it meant a major investment and it seemed a little mysterious. Well, no big investment and not very mysterious. It involves a scanner, a Canon printer, HP Deskjet 9800 printer (this is a wide format printer and will accomodate 1/2 sheets as well as 1/4 sheets. Another benefit is only 2 cartridges-color and black. So far, I love it.), food color cartridges, and frosting sheets. All of which can be purchased through Kopykake, PhotoFrost, or some distributor's like Ambassador/Qzina. It does take a lot of experimentation and familiarity with a photo program such as PhotoShop or Adobe Photo Deluxe (PhotoShop for the common man).
I'm often asked, "can I purchase any printer for this process?" No. Check with the companies that supply the accessories for photo printing and see which printers they recommend. They generally sell the printers/scanners/starter set of inks/ cleaners, etc. but I personally don't recommend this route unless you're just in a huge rush and need it all immediately. Most of us have a scanner these days and you can usually find the printer you need online for less than they would sell it to you for. I found mine at BuyDig.com for almost $100.00 less than anywhere else, but last time I checked, they weren't offering it.
There are those in the cake biz who feel that this is not a legitimate decorating skill and therefore should not be allowed in such competitions as the Oklahoma State Sugar Arts Show. Hopefully, that will change. I feel it's as much a skill as any other when used as a part to create a whole. Generally, I don't use it as the main technique unless the point of the cake is, well, photos! Such as the cake below where romantic old French photos were the focus.
When I was invited to participate in the Food Network's Surprise Wedding Cake Challenge, I looked at it as an opportunity to change the somewhat dubious perception of this process and take it out of the realm of the supermarket bakery case. The judges in this particular competition would not be choosing the winner so I knew that I could design freely. The couple for whom the cakes were being made would decide the outcome. I think the cake which my assistant and I created really showed the heights to which this technique can be taken. No, we didn't win (that darn Michelle Bommarito!) but we chalked one up for bringing technology into the cake decorating arena.
In the December 2007 issue of American Cake Decorating Magazine , I was featured in an article called The Perfect Wrap. Craig Gustafson, the Editor in Chief, and also photographer extraordinaire, did a super photo essay on the subject. While very well done, I think it may have done more to confound and confuse than to enlighten. Read it for the outline of the general technique rather than how to make that exact cake or you'll be throwing in the towel before you even get started. Hopefully you can still get a back order of the issue or I'll be happy to fax it to you.
Everybody is under the impression that June is THE wedding month. Well, maybe in other parts of the country it is but in San Diego, everyone knows that June is usually the WORST month for weddings because of a little weather phenomenon we locals fondly call June Gloom. There's also May Gray which is why May, too, is very wedding un-friendly. The TV meteorologists could record "Low clouds and fog along the coast...." and go on vacation for 2 months.
This year, I'm becoming a true believer in the Global Warming theory. There was no May Gray or June Gloom. Even April was blazing hot. What's going on here?
Anyway, whatever. This past weekend sort of caught me off guard because, well, June isn't usually a big wedding month, right? It was really.......Wedding Hell. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I love designing cakes. I love weddings and baby showers and birthday cakes. And so does my wonderful staff. But this weekend was definitely not for the faint of heart. It put all of us to the test. And we lived to tell the tale.
To the left, you can see our Door of Orders. Or, the Door of Terror. Each of those sheets of paper represented a cake. And not one was a "normal" cake. Oh no, there wasn't a "simple but elegant" one in the bunch. Not one cake that we could auto pilot through.
And, it wasn't enough that we were pushed to the very limits of what human beings should have to endure workwise. It was so bloody hot in our kitchen that we probably could have baked the cakes without actually putting them into the oven! I think we all sweat off about 10 pounds. And just imagine the condition of our buttercreams and ganache. Oh, and how about getting that second coat of icing over the crumb coat before it turns into an oil slick? AND IT'S ONLY JUNE! That's the really scary part.
But, the cool thing is, we turned out some pretty freaking amazing cakes. I'll show you a just a few.
This beautiful black and white Parisian wallpaper style cake was featured in The Knot magazine and was designed by Truli Confectionary Arts. As stunning as it was, I truly hope to never make it again. My index finger split at the knuckle, swelled up like a little vienna sausage, and eventually went numb from cutting out all those fabulous swirly floral and leaf motifs.
The Winery Wedding cake was made almost entirely by Brittany. She's developed quite a talent for making figures that really come alive. These clients basically wanted their wedding ON their cake. And the groom IS indeed dressed in a bathrobe, Hawaiian shirt, shorts and flip flops. I don't know if he actually donned that attire for the wedding but I would guess NOT.
This cake was based on the couple's wedding invitation and was done using the digital imagery technique. It also featured silver wired fuschia (VERY hard to find) and clear glass beads as well as edible jewels on the cake itself.
We also had: a pale blue, square, 3 tier, stacked cake with handmade seashells and coral. a 3 tier, round, square, round stacked cake with big pink bows and sparkly beads with silver accents. a 3 tier, square, stacked pink cake with a paler shade of pink "mod" flowers, a fuschia fondant ribbon around each base, and sparkly crystals scattered all over. a mini pirate's treasure chest, slightly opened, filled with edible jewels. a pool party cake featuring.....a swimming pool with 2 swimming kids, stone deck, deck chairs, an umbrella and palm trees.
AND, a Day at the Beach cake. Which is where we all wished we were.
The End
