where and what to buy for cake decorating.

[Twit]

I have just started to decorate my own cakes, I was given a cake decorating book for my birthday after constantly complaining about the quality of birthday cakes in the supermarket.
My question is this; where [online] would you recommend I buy my bits and pieces, and what should I buy?
I have had a look around and am feeling overwhelmed by the choice. What colour paste should I go for? I am also a bit confused about edible sparkle/glitter powder. Some websites say it it inedible, some say it is non toxic and you could eat it.

I do have a sponge recipe but my aunt has asked me to do a christening cake for neext Sunday

I went and stroked the Kitchen Aids in John Lewis yesterday.

I am waiting to see if I won one in an Aga comp I did a month back (have already won £50 in aga vouchers hurrah).

PlumBum you SO do have the best MIL in the world.

Can't pull a sickie, I have only been there since September, tis a fab job and I know you have to have those back to work interviews... I would blush like no ones business, I cannot lie for toffee

As for licking the bowl out, well I would be the first to admit that I actually went into the utility room and shut the door to do that this afternoon, just so no one bothered me and I could get every last scrap out in peace

I have been known to also look in the cupboard and fridge for stuff, whilst lobbing things into my mouth that I want no one else to see..

depending on tin size,
for an 8" I use
250g fat (I use butter and stork 50/50)
250g sugar
250g eggs (I weigh them and get as enar as possible)
tablespoon vanilla esence
250g self raising flour

if I am putting decorations on the top and need it to be firmer I add 100g plain flour so it is more like the texture of a madeira

enar???????????????? near

Right, will have to love you and leave you girls for now.. I have to make a pavlova, we have friends coming over tomorrow night. I feel like I have been on my feet all flippin day >

Just before you question my pavlova making abilities Slubs tis a piece of .... cake (pardon the pun)

lol at bella in the utility room. I concur. It is not a thing to be shared, and anyway it has brandy in, and raw eggs. All totally unsuitable nay dangerous for the dc, and dh.

Thanks BTPOG

Probably will be 8" as thats the biggest round tin I have, I am slowly tring to build up a collection of tins

dh was joking saying he will answer the phone and say hi Plumbums cakes, we only do round cakes no squares here

Greyskull, do you bake that all in one tin or in 2 sandwich tins?

My sponge cakes never come out right - often a bit heavy and they tend to sink a bit after they're cooked, any clues as to what I'm doing wrong?

I think maybe it's my mixing technique as much as the baking, can you tell me exactly how you mix your ingredients, perhaps I'm doing something wrong?

Moosy I always have to bake 2 seperate sponges for one cake mine never look thick enough to slice in half for one cake,
mine always raise way up in the middle

waits for BTPOG to get back

although maybe with my new mixer they may be different[excited]

I just googled Kenwood Mixer to see what you were all getting excited about, and now I understand all the faces! Had a quick browse on JL's site and there's a super dooper one for nearly £1000!

ohh bellavita I'm going to make meringue ghosties the dcs love them

I started off using this and still do depending what cake as my family love it, and found it really easy, there are a couple more on that site too

Moosy, if it makes you feel any better, I don't have one either.

Plum - they sound fun, are they little individual meringues?

Moosy that link was for you for some recipes

Yeap last year I spooned them on the baking sheet, in a ghosty shape,
this year might pipe them,
and then the dcs used Icing pens to give them eyes and mouth, was great fun and tasted even better

In the absence of BTPOG I'll have a stab at the sponge problems.

Moosy your cakes sound like there's not enough egg in there to fix the flour/fat/sugar combo when the trapped hot air inside has risen. I always weigh the eggs and then use the weight for the rest of the ingredients.

You are not opening the oven door to have a peek are you?

Are you using a creaming method or all in one (where you add baking powder to the mix)? If you are creaming make sure you fold in the flour gently to preserve the air you have inserted with beating the fat and sugar.

Plumbum your oven is too hot. I always cook my sponges on the conventional rather than fan oven setting (160 deg)

hth

Mmm yum!

Oooh I cannot remember now who said the book "Cake Decorating Basics" was good - but I ordered it and it came today - cannot wait to get to bed and read it (sad I know, but cookery books and foodie mags are my bed time reading).

Aha that must be my answer I'm using fan, will try conventional

thankyou slubber

I always bake at 140 deg in a normal oven if I'm doing sponges. I also make them in 2 tins so they're not as dense and tend not to hump in the middle as much. I don't weigh my eggs but always use large ones.

Bella, that's my favouritist (that's not a real word, is it? ) cake book. There's so much useful stuff in there but all the tables for quantities of marzipan, sugarpaste and all the various permutations of cakes in the back are invaluable.

I have a Kenwood . DH bought it for me (he wouldn't stretch to a KitchenAid so don;t award him too many brownie points!) but the Flexi Kbeater with the rubber on the outside is fab and folds the flour in beautifully on Speed 3 - that's a handy hint, now isn't it?

Slubber, would you like me to bring my mixing bowl on Tues? I'm allergic to almonds so the dishwasher usually gets all those lovely leftover bits but I'm baking 9 mini cakes on Tues am.....

That recipe looks nice PBM, I'll give it a go next time I do a choc cake, thank you!

I normally do the creaming method, I've never added baking powder, how much do you add if you're doing the all in one method?

I usually do sponges on fan setting too, perhaps I should try conventional and see, mine often rise too humpily too.

Going off on another tangent, when you do cupcakes do you aim for flat tops or rounded? If I try to get mine to rise up they always crack and go a bit pointy rather than rounded, is that for the same reasons do you think?

bella thats the book I thought I ordered but I actually ordered The Home Guide to Cake Decorating,
I wonder if there is much difference between the two

Oh I'm soo glad I can use it to fold as I have made 2 12" square cakes in a row last week and it took forever, although a good work out for my bingo wings