1 post tagged “frosting sheets”
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, 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).
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.
