Shipshape

'In good order, trim and neat' - the definition of shipshape. I hope my latest creation looks good, trim and neat! It took quite a bit of time to work out how to scale the ship and the figures for this cake and it took a lot of time to create it - in excess of 15 hours at a guess.

Cathy, who was celebrating a big birthday, and her husband Mark had spent a memorable holiday on board P&O's Arcadia cruising the Baltic Sea. The Arcadia is almost 300m long, with 11 decks carrying on average 2000 passengers and nearly 1000 crew. 

I tried to replicate the basic shape of the ship and some of the main features and then personalised it by modelling a couple in a lifeboat surrounded by champagne bottles and added bunting which spelt out in flags 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHY'.

I needed a cake base that would carve cleanly and a lemon flavoured Madeira cake fitted the bill.

Carving,cutting and sizing up before covering with sugar paste

About 3 weeks before the party I crafted the lifeboat using orange modelling paste. When the lifeboat had dried I started modelling the couple. Not having much experience of making large scale bodies I watched a few tutorials online - picking up a useful tip of lining the moulds with cling film. This certainly made it easier to handle and release the limbs from the moulds and I carefully removed any excess modelling paste with a craft knife.   

I used the Eatmyface company to print the bunting, P&O flag, Bermudan flag and a nautical chart of the Baltic Sea onto rice paper. Careful cutting of the rice paper sheet was required to create the bunting which was strung between four points on the ship.

 

Cheers and Happy Birthday Cathy!!
(with thanks to Cathy's daughter Charlotte for providing this photograph)

Putting theory into Practice

Term 2 of my NVQ3 in Patisserie and Confectionery started last week and we were given folders containing various sections for completion. Some are multiple choice Q&A sections to complete to show we understand the theory and science behind the baking. Other sections are to evidence that we are covering the syllabus and cross referencing the products we've made against the various units. Having done an NVQ before in Business Administration it's not alien to me but I wonder how my 3 colleagues, whose first languages are not English, will manage. I treated myself to a book from Amazon which contains all the theory and hundreds of recipes, from basic sauces to fancy sugar work, problem is that everyone is on a January diet (I should be too!) so there's no-one to cook for!

Over 13 weeks last term we produced a wide range of items. Thankfully I kept a diary and photographic evidence of what I made each week, the photo's aren't great (iPhone camera plus low light) but the grid below gives an indication of what we have made. Although each session is supposed to last for 6 hours starting at 4pm, the caretakers, keen to get home, are turning the lights and gas off well before 10pm. This limits what you can accomplish in an evening, especially if items need proving, resting or chilling at various stages.

We also spent a couple of weeks in the college's training restaurant called 'Merits' in the run-up to Christmas. We were responsible for the desserts section and worked alongside student chefs following other courses at the college. It was a little manic at times as there was only 2 of us producing 3 different desserts for 60 people in unfamiliar surroundings, but we survived - just about!

Owen has created a portfolio for me and I'm hoping to get a bit of work experience in a commercial kitchen to put on my CV. Fingers crossed! 

Grand Piano Cake for Grandad

After Beth's family saw her handbag cake they asked whether I would make a cake for her Grandads 80th birthday. With plenty of notice and a well thought out plan for getting it to the party venue (up Manchester way) I willingly agreed. They wanted a cake in the shape of a Grand Piano which sounded like an interesting challenge!

There wasn't a great deal I could prepare in advance but I did manage to make the keyboard, the pedals, the lid, lid prop and the sheet music stand. These were made in modelling paste to ensure they dried hard. I also ordered some 'Happy Birthday' sheet music printed onto rice paper and drafted Dave into painting three white pillars black with water-based modellers paint. 

I spent quite a while working on the design to make sure the proportions looked right. An oblong Madeira cake was carved into the curved piano shape and placed on a thin cake board cut using a sharp craft knife.

It all came together really well and Beth and her family were thrilled with the finished article. I think it is one of my favourites too.

Happy Birthday Barrie!

Tea for two

One week - three cakes to make and decorate. The difficulty was fitting it in around my full-time job. Anyway just after midnight on Thursday night all were done. Here's the first - my interpretation of Afternoon Tea on a cake. 

This birthday cake was for a friends elderly mother. Anne provided me with a image of the design she had in mind. I felt the pressure was on to match this. It must have been how my hairdresser used to feel when I turned up with a photo cut out from a magazine of a hairstyle I wanted created on my impossible to style thick wavy locks!! Thankfully her comment on seeing the finished cake was "it's better than the picture I gave you" which was a nice compliment. Here are a selection of photographs including close-ups of the finished article.

Moulding and assembling the individual components was quite time consuming but very rewarding. The crockery set was moulded from flower paste to ensure they held their shape and, once dry, were 'painted' with edible gold colour and edible felt pens to create the rose design. The scones were dusted with icing sugar and the cupcakes topped with royal icing rosettes to represent cream. Battenberg, little eclairs and sandwiches completed the selection. I used rice paper for the doilies on the blue plates, the 'Happy Birthday' topper on the large cake and the 'Afternoon Tea' menu. The lacy tablecloth was made using an Impressit embossing square and the frilly edge made with a special cutter. Time wise it probably took in excess of 7 hours to create!

 

I think I need a cuppa now.......

Gone fishing

Fishing is supposed to be a very relaxing pastime - I don't feel very relaxed at the moment as I am under pressure to get 7 cakes done in the next couple of weeks. That includes 4 Christmas cakes and 3 birthday cakes.

I've spent the last couple of weeks planning the designs, buying 'stuff' (cake boards, boxes and icing) and preparing what I can in advance - 1 cake down, 6 to go. I see a few long days ahead of me but however much pressure I'm under you'll never find me swapping cake decorating for fishing as a hobby!