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Original poster

where and what to buy for cake decorating.

634 replies

Twit · 23/10/2009 10:31

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.

OP posts:
Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 19:53

A veritable smorgasbord of plunger cutters

So the technique is

1)cut (press cutter down onto paste)

DO NOT LIFT CUTTER

  1. plunge and imprint design

LIFT CUTTER

  1. plunge and pop cut out shape onto bit of kitchen towel, or bit of sponge or lap (if being careless).

very easy. I love em.

bellavita · 26/10/2009 20:00

Ah, see, that is where I went wrong - only half the equipment!

Will definitely go into cakey shop tomorrow and purchase one

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 20:07

The holly leaf ones are v useful imo for the festive season. You can jazz and christmassy up a simple fairy cake in...well...a plunge of a cutter.

bellavita · 26/10/2009 20:16

Will look at the holly leaf ones too, seen as I have committed myself to making cakes for the cake stall at the school where I work! I have already made whole cakes which are in the freezer, but fairy ones will come in handy too.

Olihan · 26/10/2009 20:17

Bella, I know Slubber, I have met her in RL and she is very lovely .

You can get pointy cranked palette knives too, which are very useful for teasing up the edges of tiny shapes.

Ruby, the other way of doing the butterflies is to roll the paste very thinly and cut out 2 shapes, put the wire along the middle then brush the shape and wire with sugar glue and stick the other one on top. Dry in a V shaped bit of card so it's a more natural shape and it should be fairly solid when it's dry.

bellavita · 26/10/2009 20:20

at Olihan meeting Slubber!

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 20:24

hullo there

Olihan is very lovely too and is much much better at cake decorating than me. I am hating our course atm Olihan, I hope next half term will be better.

bella, I did a load of fairy cakes for the christmas fair last year. White icing with a couple of tiny holly leaves and a few dots of red royal icing, they looked really good (evenifIdosaysomyself) and sold out v quickly.

Olihan · 26/10/2009 20:29

Aw Slubs , wondered what happened to you on Tues. I think there's less RI work next half term, afair we're doing quite a bit of christmassy stuff so it might be more enjoyable. We're doing some ordinary paste work next time - if you want the list of what to bring let me know.

After Christmas is definitely better, lots of modelling and things.

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 20:32

I had a monumental headache and that room was so hot, and the flickering strip light, and the stupid arsed teddy bears and that WOMAN (not sheila) who never stops butting in and talking

aaaaaargh

I had to escape.

I've got the list for next week. Quite looking forward to swags.

apologies for hijack

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 20:36

Although I don't think we are doing swags next week are we? Those funny curved cut out things to put on the top of a christmas cake.

Olihan · 26/10/2009 20:38

Sheila had a few digs at Annoying Talking Woman which was mightily amusing for the rest of us but washed right over her head. She drives me up the wall too. I just want to shriek 'SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPP' at her very, very loudly. Or gag her with a huge wodge of greaseproof.

Olihan · 26/10/2009 20:39

Yeah, funny curved things and....... christmas jelly piping I think. Last Tuesday was a long time ago .

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 20:41

LOLOLOLOL

Oh I'm so glad it's not just me then. I will have to actively NOT look at you when she starts up or I will loudly guffaw as we simultaneously are thinking about the wodge of greaseproof.

Xavielli · 26/10/2009 20:43

I want to plunge!!!!

bramblebooks · 26/10/2009 20:43

Ah, I have now spotted your link.

I am LANGUISHING in bed (day 3 of painful abdo infection) and my attention is v. short. Am considering making trip to garden tomorrow.

Whilst languishing, ds1 has been requesting cakes. I shall send him round.

Must be recovering as I am considering whipping up a batch of Scottish tablet.

To add insult to injury I can neither drink (anti bs) nor take foamy baths - allergy.

But thank you. Should I need to separate ds1 from his xbox controller, now I know the ideal tool for it.

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 20:48

awww bramble. I have cake. I'll send some round tomorrow (orange and sultana mary berry). I'll do a plunger cutter flower for you too to cheer you up.

Olihan · 26/10/2009 20:48

Snowflake plungers are vv nice for Christmas cakes and you can put them on wires so they bounce prettily too.

Slubber, J and I always have a good bitch moan about Annoying Talking Woman on the way home. I will come armed with greaseproof next week. May check optimum amount needed on the dcs this week as it is half term .

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 20:51

I concur the snowflake cutters are soooo pritty especially with a bit of lustre on. The paste snowflake that is. Don't put lustre on the cutter.

ByThePowerOfGreyskull · 26/10/2009 20:55

ruby did you get your butterflies finished?

I have done a few butterfly cakes (pic of one on proile)
I found that using the cutter on petal paste that is so thin you can see through it, make a tiny body from a small cone of petal paste and wire up the body - leave to dry.
dry the butterflies over the side of a box or rolling pin for square once dried glue the body to the center and voila flying butterflies.

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2009 20:56

Snowflake cakes with pearl lustre spray are so last year...

Come to think of it, would anyone like a slightly used set of snowflake plunger cutters so that I can spend the money on some new toys for this years Christmas cakes ? Or could I swap with someone else's last year's idea [hopeful]?

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2009 20:57

LOL at 'don't put lustre on the cutter' - Yeah, right - our entire kitchen was pearl-lustred by the time I was done last year

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2009 20:59

And at shared cake-decorating courses (partly for the course and partly for the sharing, you understand)

Slubberdegullion · 26/10/2009 21:01

at stealthy's plunger cutter rudeness

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2009 21:04

No no no no you misunderstand me Slubber. I am a big fan of the plunger cutter - I have daisies, and ivy leaves, and would like lots more - it is merely that I gave everyone I could think of mini christmas cakes with snowflakes on last year, so I need a new idea to steal from CoV for this year

Olihan · 26/10/2009 21:12

I dropped an entire, brand new pot of snowflake pearl lustre powder a few months back and my kitchen cupboard still sparkle slightly in the right light.

I didn't do Christmas cakes last year so my sparkly bouncy snowflakes will only be outdated on MN, everyone else will with delight at my creativity, so ner ner .

Slubber, The Isle of Man cake on my profile is done with the figure piping we did last week. It looked really good but it was SO fiddly and I think I have RSI now, from folding those ruddy bags and 'start squeezing and lifting and stopping squeezing and downing' for about 3 hours.