17th October 2013 // 37 Comments

Review: Step by Step Cake Decorating by Karen Sullivan

When we were asked to review Step by Step Cake Decorating by Karen Sullivan we jumped at the chance. As professional bakers and cake decorators we have amassed an impressive collection of cooking and baking books.

In order to review Step-by-Step Cake Decorating we decided to be hands on and re-create a playful and seasonal cake from within the book… the fun jack o’ lantern! We put our own spin on this cake and added candy corn (a bit of an addiction in the Juniper Cakery office) which we made using strips of coloured sugarpaste / fondant. We also decorated our cake board with wood effect painted fondant. The pumpkin cake itself was created by following the book’s instructions step by step.

Pumpkin Cake by Juniper Cakery

Step by Step Cake Decorating by Karen Sullivan is a great beginners guide where novices will find an array of cakes to re-create. The instructions for this fun, ‘fangtastic’ cake were clear and concise and prove to be a prime example of how accessible other tutorials are in the book. Whilst the tutorial is simple and straightforward you’ll still be eased into learning some handy terminology throughout. There are a good few pages dedicated to introducing the decorator to a selection of tools and equipment with explanations of use where needed. These tools range from basics such as scrapers and turntables to specialist items such as airbrushing machines and florist tape. The difference between a cake drum and cake board is also discussed as are other basics such as how to fill and cover a layer cake. Step by Step Cake Decorating Book Step-by-Step Cake Decorating by Karen Sullivan, published by DK, £16.99 at dk.com

For advanced cake decorators this will still become a reference book where quick ideas, tips and tricks of the trade are at the ready as we all have our ‘designer’s block’ days. Though the jack o’ lantern cake is one of our personal favourites, and a fitting choice for this time of year, there are still plenty of projects to take you though winter, spring and summer too! There are also great ideas for children’s birthdays including, but certainly not limited to, a pirate ship, dinosaur and a train.

Pumpkin Cake by Juniper Cakery

Step-by-Step Cake Decorating by Karen Sullivan is a book filled with fun and vibrant projects. This book a great introduction to those eager to begin learning the craft and the book even includes and a collection of basic cake, icing and buttercream recipes ready for you to get creating!

Pumpkin Cake by Juniper Cakery

If you’d love to get your hands on a copy of Step-by-Step Cake Decorating by Karen Sullivan why not try your luck at entering our giveaway! We have two copies ready to send out to two lucky winners. All you need to do is comment on this post! Entrants must reside in the UK and have their comment submitted by November 1st. The two lucky winners will be chosen at random and will be announced via our blog and social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram) on November 4th. Good luck!

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13th March 2013 // No Comments

Review: Tala Cake Marker

In this review we share how we used the Cake Marker by Tala as a guide in creating a macaron tower. The Cake Marker is designed to help you find the centre of a cake, create custom patterns and add decoration accurately. To test this versatile tool we put pen to paper and designed an elegant cake with a simple repetitive pattern. The swirls and swags mimic those seen on the marker itself and helped add those all important finishing touches to our multi-flavoured macaron tower.

The tower itself, from base to top, is a vanilla cake filled with blackberry jam, covered in lemon buttercream and fondant icing and adorned with lemon sherbet, pistachio and turkish delight macarons (some of which are painted with 24 carat edible gold leaf).

Macaron Tower Cake Made Using Tala Cake Marker

Placing the tower in a central position is essential for creating an aesthetically pleasing cake. The spacing from the edge of the cake to the base tier of the lemon macarons is relatively small but if it is even slightly off centre the entire cake could look uneven. We used Tala’s Cake Marker to ensure our tower was central by opening the marker fully and laying it flat upon the cake. The pivet is fitted with a hole so it can be held in place by a pin or used to pin point the centre. Once the centre is found a circle can be drawn using an edible ink pen with a fine tip, or a pin, by placing it through the appropriate hole for the required size. Using the circle as a guideline full control over the tower’s placement is achievable.

Macaron Tower Cake Made Using Tala Cake Marker

The cake marker’s usability really becomes evident when it is time to take the design drawn on paper and place it on an actual cake. The spacing between the swags, like the placement of the cone, is integral to the over all design. We found that Tala’s cake marker gave us the freedom to mark dots where each individual swag would begin and end. Simply place the marker horizontally onto the side of a cake and mark each dot with an edible ink pen accounting for the distance you need between both. Had we not used this method we may have encountered trouble matching up the last few swags.

A great point to make about Tala’s cake marker is that it will lend itself to creating extravagant and simple designs alike. We chose a design inspired by the cake marker itself by taking the ‘C’ shaped swirl and repeating it around the base of our cake. Not only was this a great way to add simple detail it was also incredibly easy to achieve. Using the ‘C’ we marked the shape with a pin and simply followed the pattern using a 2.5 writer tip; we even painted the same design on selected macarons with 24 carat edible gold leaf.

Macaron Tower Cake Made Using Tala Cake Marker

Tala’s cake marker maneuvers well when in use enabling the design to flow seamlessly. Also, it is light and flexible enough to be laid upon icing without causing any damage at all. The cake marker itself is made from plastic making it easy to clean and upkeep. At the same time it is durable enough not to break, chip or crack with pressure leaving your cakes free of dents and scratches.

With the above in mind we have scored the above Tala tools on design, quality and function…

12th March 2013 // No Comments

Review: New Cake Ruler by Tala

Raspberry Chambord Macaron Cake made using Tala Cake Marker

Review: Tala Cake Ruler

In this post we review the new Cake Ruler by Tala! It is a handy 35cm/14 inch plastic ruler that is straight on one side and features a zig zag pattern on another side. Some main uses for this tool are to measure distances between design details on cakes (especially when planning out delicate ruffle buttercream features) or for creating simple yet eye-catching striped patterns into your buttercream!

Cake Ruler by Tala

In order to test Tala’s Cake Ruler we did what we love best… we baked a cake! We decided to keep to a simple yet elegant design that would help mimic the linear pattern of the zig zag side of the ruler and created a three layered buttercream iced cake. It is sandwiched with dollops of fresh raspberry preserve, smothered in a raspberry Chambord liqueur buttercream and topped with handmade macarons and edible rose petals!

Raspberry Chambord Macaron Cake made using Tala Cake Marker

The first great thing you’ll notice about the Cake Ruler by Tala is it’s multiple uses; you can use it easily to measure where designs should feature on your cake or to measure out parchment paper or even sugarpaste/fondant work. For this cake we used the measurements to mark how far into ‘indent’ the pattern so that it coincided well with the size of the macarons. The ruler’s second use is that is is excellent for scraping buttercream to achieve a flawless finish. We used the straight side to initially smooth the buttercream surface before creating the stripe pattern. It’s third use was to create fun and simple patterns into your frosting. We kept our cake simple with a lovely straight-forward stripe pattern working around the sides and 5cm/2 inches around the edge of the top.

Another good point to note about the ruler is that it is a good length; 35cm/14 inches in fact. It is perfect to use for tall gateaux as well as for mini cakes and fondant fancies. It helps scrape a good stripe or waved pattern into the sides of cakes created with more layers than normal due to it’s height which is pretty handy due to the trend of super tall cakes that has been on the cake ‘scene’ for the past couple of years now.

This Cake Ruler by Tala is plastic and is both flexible and durable so it is easy to use and handle when cake decorating. It is of the usual excellent quality by Tala (we have never been disappointed in this brand’s products). It is also very easy to store and clean. It fits easily into our cake decorating tool box in case of a cake emergency!

Finally, we’ve found that it is often the most simplest tools that help a baker and decorator most in the kitchen. This Cake Ruler by Tala has indeed permanently found it’s way into Most Essential Tool list. We use it to measure sugarpaste/fondant, cake boxes and boards, measure and cut parchment paper for making macarons, indenting both buttercream and roll out icing, smoothing chocolate and buttercream, pressing guide lines into frosted cakes for different piping techniques and even checking how high a cupcake is! Another use that we are excited to eventually try is to create a colour ‘plate’ with mixed gel paste colours, scrape the zig zag side through it and indent a ombré or rainbow stripe into the side of a buttercream covered cake!

With the above in mind we have scored the above Tala tools on design, quality and function…

27th August 2012 // No Comments

Review: Tala sugarpaste modelling tools

Here at Juniper Cakery we have amassed a large collection of sugarpaste tools. Some things we were lacking were the above Tala products. We have to admit we did not know that Tala made plunger cutters and modelling tools. We'd always used their pastry cutters to create smooth 'doilies', plaques, and sugar paste detailings. We've also used their 1950s icing set to add detail to cakes. Tala appeals to us because of their traditional yet simplistic 1950s/60s design, however, the the quality of their products is never compromised.

We have scored the above Tala tools on design, quality and function…

In order to test these modelling tools we decided to create a Tala inspired cake. We looked at their packaging, cake tins and at 1960s cake designs (due to the 1950s/60s style of Tala's products). From their range we picked out a very simple colour palate of a sky blue, pale yellow and white. From the sixties influence we chose to create sugarpaste pearls, an edible broderie anglaise border and a bouquet of daisies and blossoms.

The designs of the modelling tools are simple, classic and un-fussy. Their tools are plastic and are in a slight off-white colour which makes them fairly easy to find in our tool box crammed full of various tools (most of which are either a bright white or a very pale grey colour). The floral plungers, especially the daisy shapes, have just enough detail on them for you to also add you own accents (we cut yellow circles from icing tips and textured them with one of the Tala modelling tools to make the centre of the daisy).

In terms of quality we couldn't fault the tools. Our previous plunger cutters usually needed a bit of a prod or a wiggle in order to shake the flower or leaf out. These simply needed one small push on the plunger and it was ready to adorn with a bead or disc centre. All of the modelling tools are of a good thick and tough plastic so they feel extremely durable.

Some modelling tools came in old fashioned doctor's 'lollipop' style shapes, or more professionally called 'tongue depressors' which came in really handy for tidying up rouh sugarpaste corners. Also, the ball tools are larger than one's we've previously used which we feel will be better when it comes to shaping rose petals and ruffle edgings.

Overall we awarded Tala a well deserved…