November Wilton Classes at Michaels start 11/1

Hi Everyone-

We have new classes starting tomorrow and Sunday please check the class schedule tab on my web site for dates and times. Space is really limited so sign up ASAP.

Tara

Michaels on Two Notch Road has a New Instructor - Meloney Rever!

Congrats to Meloney Rever, the new Wilton Instructor at the Michaels Two Notch Road Store. Meloney took her Wilton classes at Michaels on Harbison a couple of years ago and did some wonderful work. If you would like to check out her week day classes contact her at positivelycakes@gmail.com.

In the meantime, here is some of her work!!

South Carolina's New Cottage Food Law for Selling Home Baked Goods

Everyone is asking me about this, so I am posting this so you can investigate it on your own. As you know South Carolina recently passed a Cottage Food Law that would allow some of us to bake and sell items from home. The law is posted on the following link for those of you who are interested in baking and selling items from home. As always you need to do your research and check out any legalities on your own.

Here is the web site link:

http://www.sccottagefoodlaw.com/

Photo from the SC Cottage Food Law Web site.

Wilton Stabilized Whipped Icing Recipe.

Hello Everyone-

I have had several of you asking me for a less sweet icing. This is very similar to the recipe I use and more stable. You cannot decorate with this but, you can use butter cream flowers or decorations on top of this. It must stay refrigerated before and after you work with it . It is really yummy- just follow the link below



http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Stabilized-Whipped-Cream-Icing-1

Favorite Cake Web Site Ever ( Except for my own of course)

Hi Everyone-

I just wanted to let you all in on my 2nd favorite cake web site. If you love a bit of humor and cakes you will love Cake Wrecks at http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2009/5/4/happy-falker-satherhood.html . It is a web site dedicated to cakes made by "professionals" and delivered to clients with hilarious results.  The photo below is an actual cake someone photographed in a bakery case....

I am sending you straight to my favorite blog entry on cake wrecks. Read the story about Happy Falkersatherhood and see if you don't crack up!!

For those of you in my class who worry about your writing. Imagine a bakery actually bringing you this cookie cake?? No joke.....

Cake Class -- Tina B's cake for the SC State Fair.

I wanted to show you all what is possible with a little practice and our Wilton Classes at Michael's. The South Carolina State Fair actually had a new cake class this year called, "Special Techniques not on a Cake". Basically they gave us no ground rules, you could do any technique and put it on a cake board.

Tina B. is a really talented flower maker ( she started in Course 4, Advanced Flowers). This is a photo of her entry for fair this year! This is her first time entering any kind of decorating competition. She won second place in the category, FANTASTIC!

Stay tuned for the first prize winner.. Jackie S. who is also a student at Michael's.

Cheap Thrill- Domino Sugars News Letter

Do any of you get this newsletter? If you don't you should subscribe at the Domino Sugar website. Domino's sends out recipes and coupons every time they send a newsletter. Scratch baking is almost always cheaper and better than the supermarket variety.. if you don't bake, give their simple recipes a try.

http://www.dominosugar.com/bakers-circle/sweet-inspirations?utm_source=domino&utm_medium=email&utm_content=AIsForAppleNewsletter&utm_campaign=fall2012newsletterblastarket

Is anyone watching Halloween Wars? The cake decorators are amazing!!

Is anyone watching "Halloween Wars" on Food Network? It is such a cool show they combine three food artists and mediums and give them a Halloween themed challenge. The next new episode is this Sunday night.. let me know what you think?

Here is the link to some thumbnails from the show....

Tomorrow I will post my photos from the fair and you will see my take on the subject!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/halloween-wars/pictures/index.html

New Wilton Instructor Starts at OC Tech next week

Hello-

If you haven't seen me in a while you probably don't know that I have stopped teaching 4 week classes at OC Tech in St. Matthews. The new instructor is amazing, her name is Henrietta Wilson and she will be starting Course 2: Flowers and Cake Design, this Tuesday night. If you are interested please contact Kim Miller at (803)874-2445 and she can get you registered.  If you want to see me in class again I will be offering a parent child ginger bread class on December 11- contact Kim and she can give you the details.

I know I can tell you how wonderful Henrietta is but, I would rather just show you. Here are a couple photos of her past cakes!

 

 

SC State Fair - Decorated Cake Entries Due Monday!

Hopefully, you have your decorated cakes for the State Fair done by now. Fair drop off is Monday the 8th from 7 am to 10 am. Any later and they won't take your entry.

For those of you entering, please remember to pick up your cakes on the 22nd and 23rd of October between 8am and 6pm. Otherwise they keep them.

If you entered and would like to display your cake at Michael's over the holiday season contact me by email. We will be doing some version of the fair cakes display we did last year, I will be emailing you the particulars with my next monthly email.

For those of you who have never seen my work - here is a photo of  a fair entry prior to my illness.

Oh my goodness- I am icing my cake and there are crumbs all over it!

The trick to icing a cake with no crumbs is two fold:

 Trick number 1-

Never let your spatula touch actual cake . Put a big blob of icing on the cake and use the flat of your spatula to move it around. As soon as it starts to thin out add more icing. Never let your spatula touch the cake!

Trick number 2-

Use thin consistency icing. If you are unsure about this, check out Wilton's Decorating Basics book page 7. It tells you how to make thin consistency icing. If you are using thin icing already and still picking up crumbs try thinning the icing just a bit more ( like 1 tsp water).

Usually one of these tips will solve the issue of crumbs in your icing!!

Great Christmas Gift Idea- Wilton tuition special ends on October 13, 2012

Hey Everybody-

Jennifer, one of our Store Manager's at the Harbison store had an excellent idea today. If any of you would like to buy a "Wilton Decorating Basic's Class" as a Christmas gift for a loved one, we have a great way to do it for only $5.00! Simply come in to Michaels on Harbison and pay for the class. Ask to register on the "gift"registration sheet in the front of the Wilton Book. This way you don't have to commit to a time for your loved one to take the class - they can take it anytime in 2012 or 2013. All they have to do is give us the name of the person registered for the class and we can put them in the class of their choice.

The $5.00 gift special is only good at the Harbison Michaels store through October 13, 2012. Contact me if you have any questions at sweetcakes@sc.rr.com .

Happy Holidays-

Tara

Final Course 3 & 4 Photos from Sept. 29th! You could do this too.

 Sunday September 30th Graduates! Good job ladies!



Isabelle- Course 4

Elizabeth- Course 4

Amber Course 3