[Sca-cooks] re: cake pans

[Nikki McGeary]

>You know those tubes of cake decorating gel you can
>buy at the grocery
>store? Well, if you take your design and draw it on
>parchment or wax
>paper, then trace it FROM THE BACK with the gel, then
>lay the paper
>gel-side down on the frosted cake, and smooth gently
>with your hand,
>then
>peel the paper carefully off, you have a nice outline
>of your chosen
>design on your cake

That sounds like an interesting idea, but, and no
offense intended, I see many potential problems with
that method.  That gel is a bit runny, plus it smears
easily.  If you do your design on paper and try to aim
it at the cake, one false move will ruin the top of
your cake.

I haven't been able to read the entire thread
concerning this yet, so I apologize if I repeat
something that's been suggested.  I would use fondant
to cover the cake.  It's a nice smooth, non-tacky
surface, perfect for decorating.  Get some baker's
parchment and draw your design.  After the fondant has
set (about an hour should be sufficient), place your
parchment (or other thin paper) over the cake and use
a cleaned straight pin to poke holes along the drawn
lines, through the paper into the surface of the
fondant.  When you remove the paper (you may want to
secure it with stationary pins, so it doesn't move on
you), your design will look like connect-the-dots and
will be very easy to follow, and there will be no
evidence of what you've done in the finished product.
One thing -- I recommend not doing the pinpricking for
very small, intricate designs, because the pattern
gets lost when you look at it.  Instead, mark (through
the paper) where the intricacies will be, and do an
outline.  Then you'll be able to eyeball the design
from your source.

Heloise

=====
"There's a light (over at the Frankenstein place)
 There's a light (burning in the fireplace)
 There's a light, light...in the darkness, of
 everybody's life."
--The Rocky Horror Picture Show

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