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.

My cakes are bribes, pure and simple. Only the best liked mums get to go on the pantomime trip. Obviously the holly decorations didn't cut the mustard last year. I have high hopes for the baubles.

Mine are bribes in return for the fact that I have no intention of going on the panto trip [shudder]

MMMMmmmmmm, yummy. I have cup measurers, I will practice those this week.

4" cakes, you say Stealth? I could make 9 at a time in my Silverwood multisize tin (big hint to Twit there, another essential bit of kit for cakes, you only need this one tin to make square or rectangular cakes of any size up to 12") and capture my place as Alpha Mummy of Y1 and Reception.

gotta go to bed.

Night lovely cake decorating ladies

[the subtle hint knocks her off the stool]

I would pay good money to not go to a panto with a bus full of monsters children.

Twit, you mean you don't have one of those? With extra dividers? That needs to go straight to the top of the list. As does the mini baking parchment roll from Lakeland which is perfect for lining it.

You see straight through me, Olihan - guess how many I made last year? YR and Y1 though - be careful - that's a lot of years you have to keep delivering something even better than the previous year....

me too, g'night and thanks for the chat AND advise- it's been really nice.

Slubber, you're missing a trick here.

What you need to do is take in a batch of cakes at least once a half term and trill 'I was just experimenting with a new recipe, I though you might like them' thus confirming yourself as a Mum Who Deservers To Go To The Panto.

Night, see you Tues.

advice.

[I'm a poet etc etc..]

Goodnight all.

Oh yes, the extra dividers are absolutely vitally important. You may as well not have the tin if you don;t have the extra dividers! Mini parchment roll also invaluable to any cake maker who's worth her salt. Use it for the multi tins and lining the sides of all other tins as well, without having to trim normal parchment paper. Lakeland's ready cut square and round parchment for the bottom of tins is also great for lazy professional cake makers.

Stealth, I know, I think I have shot myself in the foot here. My MN addiction is now guaranteed until 2018 when ds2 finally leaves primary school and I don;t have to out do myself every year.

Night all.

Someone mention Lakeland .......

There just happens to be one where I live - yay!. So this morning there are now two other shops on my list - cakey shop (for plungers) and Lakeland. I already use the 21b loaf liners from there, but will definitely look at the tin with dividers and mini parchment roll.

Thank you ladies, this thread has been most helpful

Well. My son's birthday is just after Christmas so I thought I'd take the whole class a Thomas the Tank Engine cupcake...Although I seem to have lost my Thomas face mould

Maybe I could stick some baubles on them!

Xavelli - somehow I don't think baubles would be quite the same...how about pirates ?

Am now proud owner of said "cranked knife" and a holly leaf plunger to decorate fairy cakes for christmas fayre

On the side though, I did go into Lakeland and nearly fainted when I saw the price of the dividing tin and dividers. DH has just bought me a fabulous pair of diamond earings, I might just have to leave it a week or two to fudge £30 odd quid through the joint account >

It's an investment, bellavita

I know, I know stealth, will invest soooon!! Must admit, it is a fantastic piece of kit

I've just bought some snowflake plunger cutters and lustre dust. I'm so out of touch

I did a variation of this cake last year, but I expect you all did this yeeeears ago and wouldn't be seen dead cutting fondant icicle shards!

I've been wondering about a clever silverwood tin but was worried about leakage between sections. If you use separate lining for the sides and the bottoms doesn't the mixture seep out around the joins?

Moose - it seeps a little, but not as much as you might expect. For 12* 4" cakes I do lines of mini-parchment roll so a single strip goes all the way across in and out of the holes IYSWIM - and then the same the other way, which gives cakes with slightly rounded edges but minimises leakage.

Without having the tin in front of me I don't really understand what you mean! But I think I might be adding one to my Christmas list, just so that I can understand you see, not because I want one, ohh no

Moosy, they really look fab...

I will probably be going into town later this week, so I am certain I will get one and I did pick up and look at the mini parchment paper roll that you are talking about stealth - I am pretty certain I can visualise what you mean about it going in and out of the holes.

Do you have to snip the parchment so it slots together like the dividers?

My Christmas cakes this year will be very simple, DD3 is due on the 6th of december so I'll have very little time to think about icing in December - I'm trying to be organised and get the basic RI layers on before she arrives so I just have the pretty bits to do afterwards. And yes I am making 2 this year as I thought Christmas cake would make a very good midnight BFing snack

bella, (why have you got a cock btw?) I'm so glad you have a cranked palette knife now. It will open up whole new worlds of cake decorating techniques to you .

I have a silverwood tin natch

I use it for all my square cakes regardless of the size. Now I want an oval cake tin.

I reckon an oval christmas cake with bauble mould motif will be v fashion forward in mn cake trends 2009.