Thursday, May 14, 2009
Creative Response
For my second creative response, I made a cookbook. It contains three cake recipes and three icing recipes. The cake recipes that I included are carrot, chocolate, and red velvet. The icing recipes that I included are butter cream, chocolate, and cream cheese. The name of my cookbook is "Cooking with Coleman".
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Critical Review Ten
SUMMARY: For my book source, I used the book Cake Decorating for Dummies by Joe LoCicero. This book gives a detailed overview of how to decorate a cake, including levels from beginner to advanced and recipes. The first part of the book mainly focuses on how to bake cakes as well as different types of cakes. Then, it talks about making flowers with gum paste and frosting. The end of the book discusses different themed cakes, such as children’s birthday cakes and cakes for different kinds of parties. The book is more of an instructional book, rather than a book that just talks about cake decorating. However, it was helpful to learn different ideas when it comes to the little things you add on to the cake.
RESPONSE: I have never read one of the Dummies books, so I didn’t really know what to expect. When I did read this, I realized that almost everything you need to know is explained in full detail. I thought that it was kind of nice to have a whole book that was full of ideas and techniques explained out for you. The book even gives you recipes for certain cakes that go along with a certain theme you are decorating for. For instance, a Christmas cake would be red velvet that was decorated in white with a giant green tree on it. I thought it was pretty neat how the book really put two and two together when giving you suggestions. The book says, “The easiest and most common decorations are sparkles, nonpareils, and jimmies. They jazz up a cake in a jiffy.” (LoCicero 178). I thought that this was very true, because most people just put some sprinkles on a cake and they are done. But the book gave some interesting suggestions. It said that you can use different candies to go along with your theme; for instance, peppermints can be pinwheels, jelly beans can be jewelry, marshmallows can be pillows, and cotton candy can be clouds. I thought that these suggestions were really neat and creative. Overall, this book was very helpful, and helped me to see a different way into decorating cakes.
LoCicero, Joe. Cake Decorating for Dummies. Indiana: Wiley, 2007.
RESPONSE: I have never read one of the Dummies books, so I didn’t really know what to expect. When I did read this, I realized that almost everything you need to know is explained in full detail. I thought that it was kind of nice to have a whole book that was full of ideas and techniques explained out for you. The book even gives you recipes for certain cakes that go along with a certain theme you are decorating for. For instance, a Christmas cake would be red velvet that was decorated in white with a giant green tree on it. I thought it was pretty neat how the book really put two and two together when giving you suggestions. The book says, “The easiest and most common decorations are sparkles, nonpareils, and jimmies. They jazz up a cake in a jiffy.” (LoCicero 178). I thought that this was very true, because most people just put some sprinkles on a cake and they are done. But the book gave some interesting suggestions. It said that you can use different candies to go along with your theme; for instance, peppermints can be pinwheels, jelly beans can be jewelry, marshmallows can be pillows, and cotton candy can be clouds. I thought that these suggestions were really neat and creative. Overall, this book was very helpful, and helped me to see a different way into decorating cakes.
LoCicero, Joe. Cake Decorating for Dummies. Indiana: Wiley, 2007.
Critical Review Nine
SUMMARY: Another source that I used is a short instructional book produced by Wilton. It is called The Uses of the Most Popular Decorating Tips. The book is basically a how-to book that includes many different techniques from all of the tips that Wilton makes. Decorating tips are very necessary when it comes to decorating cakes, because you can use them to make different flowers, borders, writing styles, and just a variety of different things. This book was very helpful as far as knowing what tip to use for what technique.
RESPONSE: This book was really helpful for teaching you how to do techniques that didn’t seem possible with some tips. It shows you how to use petal tips and drop flower tips to make different borders, which seems somewhat out of the ordinary. I was already aware of some of the techniques that the book gives you, but it also gives some advice on how to use different sized tips. I also thought it was really neat to see that the book gives you advice on what consistency of icing that is recommended for different types of flowers and borders. Overall this book was very helpful. It was interesting to see what all you can do with just icing and a few decorating tips.
The Uses of the Most Popular Decorating Tips. Illinois: Wilton Enterprises, 1986.
RESPONSE: This book was really helpful for teaching you how to do techniques that didn’t seem possible with some tips. It shows you how to use petal tips and drop flower tips to make different borders, which seems somewhat out of the ordinary. I was already aware of some of the techniques that the book gives you, but it also gives some advice on how to use different sized tips. I also thought it was really neat to see that the book gives you advice on what consistency of icing that is recommended for different types of flowers and borders. Overall this book was very helpful. It was interesting to see what all you can do with just icing and a few decorating tips.
The Uses of the Most Popular Decorating Tips. Illinois: Wilton Enterprises, 1986.
Critical Review Eight
SUMMARY: For my interview, I went to the same place that I took my cake decorating class, Louise’s Cakes and Things in Hoover, Alabama, and interviewed a cake decorator there. Her name is Allison Linville, and she is a personal assistant to the owner Mrs. Louise. During the interview, I asked her several questions such as how she got started in the business, where she received her training, and what she thought was the easiest technique. Overall, the interview went well and provided me with more information about her that I wouldn’t have been able to get if I had not done the interview in person.
RESPONSE: I asked Mrs. Linville several questions, but one answer that she gave that particularly jumped out at me was after I asked her what advice she would give to someone who was aspiring to become a cake decorator. She told me that she would say not to set limits on yourself, because the sky is the limit. She said to “take art classes, flower classes, anything to do with the art in the world” (Linville). I thought that it was really interesting to see that you could take classes on any type of art and still have an inspiration for cake decorating. I didn’t really believe her when she said that flower arrangements can help you, but after I thought about it, I realized what she meant. Nowadays, people want cakes that are so life-like, if you don’t make your flowers realistic and put them together in a logical way, people are going to notice. I thought that Mrs. Linville gave me some really good information during the interview, and I was happy that I was able to interview someone with thirty years of experience.
Linville, Allison. Personal Interview. 24 April 2009.
RESPONSE: I asked Mrs. Linville several questions, but one answer that she gave that particularly jumped out at me was after I asked her what advice she would give to someone who was aspiring to become a cake decorator. She told me that she would say not to set limits on yourself, because the sky is the limit. She said to “take art classes, flower classes, anything to do with the art in the world” (Linville). I thought that it was really interesting to see that you could take classes on any type of art and still have an inspiration for cake decorating. I didn’t really believe her when she said that flower arrangements can help you, but after I thought about it, I realized what she meant. Nowadays, people want cakes that are so life-like, if you don’t make your flowers realistic and put them together in a logical way, people are going to notice. I thought that Mrs. Linville gave me some really good information during the interview, and I was happy that I was able to interview someone with thirty years of experience.
Linville, Allison. Personal Interview. 24 April 2009.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Critical Review Seven
SUMMARY: For my live interaction, I took a cake decorating class at Louise’s Cakes and Things in Hoover, Alabama. It was a beginner decorating class that was designed to help you get started on the basics of cake decorating. We worked with butter cream icing in a few different consistencies to be able to use certain techniques. In the class, we were taught how to make and fill a piping bag, add on a tip, ice an entire cake, and other techniques with different tips. We learned how to make dots, borders, shells, puff daisies, letters, and roses. The class was very helpful because it was hands-on and was taught by an actual decorator. Now, I am interested in taking the second course to learn more about cake decorating.
RESPONSE: I am so glad that I took this cake decorating class. If I had not done this, I don’t know how I would have been able to teach myself to decorate a cake. Online, you can find tips and strategies, but it is a lot easier to learn if you are actually trying it yourself. When I went in to the class I thought that it was going to be really easy, but I soon learned that a dot is one of the hardest things to perfect and not have peaks. And I am a perfectionist, so it was very frustrating to me to not be able to make them look like the instructor’s. I remember that she would always tell us the phrase that everyone has heard, but is so true. She would say, “Practice makes perfect”; and it really does. The class lasted for four weeks, and I had practiced so much that by the last week, I had gotten puff daisies down to a science. And once I taught myself how to use pressure control, I was able to do roses easily. On the last week, we brought in a cake and iced it and decorated it all by ourselves. It is really surprising to see how only four weeks of class can really help you to improve. Now, I can write, make flowers, and do borders on a cake. I think it is safe to say that I am ready to move on to phase two of cake decorating.
Miss Claudia. Beginner Cake Decorating. Louise's Cakes and Things. Hoover, AL. 17 Mar 2009 - 7 Apr 2009.
RESPONSE: I am so glad that I took this cake decorating class. If I had not done this, I don’t know how I would have been able to teach myself to decorate a cake. Online, you can find tips and strategies, but it is a lot easier to learn if you are actually trying it yourself. When I went in to the class I thought that it was going to be really easy, but I soon learned that a dot is one of the hardest things to perfect and not have peaks. And I am a perfectionist, so it was very frustrating to me to not be able to make them look like the instructor’s. I remember that she would always tell us the phrase that everyone has heard, but is so true. She would say, “Practice makes perfect”; and it really does. The class lasted for four weeks, and I had practiced so much that by the last week, I had gotten puff daisies down to a science. And once I taught myself how to use pressure control, I was able to do roses easily. On the last week, we brought in a cake and iced it and decorated it all by ourselves. It is really surprising to see how only four weeks of class can really help you to improve. Now, I can write, make flowers, and do borders on a cake. I think it is safe to say that I am ready to move on to phase two of cake decorating.
Miss Claudia. Beginner Cake Decorating. Louise's Cakes and Things. Hoover, AL. 17 Mar 2009 - 7 Apr 2009.
Critical Review Six
SUMMARY: On the episode of Ace of Cakes, “Pinball Wizard”, the team of decorators had to create a giant pinball machine for a convention that was being held in Pennsylvania. However, the convention lasted for three days, so the majority of the cake wasn’t actually cake; it was Styrofoam covered in fondant. Another cake that they had to do was a Fenway Park groom’s cake. It was really neat because it was carved out of cake completely free-handed. The last cake that they had to do was a “Diana the Huntress” wedding cake. It was a very strange wedding cake theme, but it turned out to be really pretty.
RESPONSE: I thought that the Fenway Park cake turned out to be amazing! Most of it was airbrushed, which gave it a very polished and flawless look. The technique that they used to make the field was really creative. They took a piece of fondant that was cut in the shape of the field and used painter’s tape to make stripes. Then, they airbrushed over it to give it the checkered look like a real-life baseball field. The groom’s cake was a complete surprise, but the bride also got a surprise too. The team decorated a huge tiered wedding cake and stuffed fresh pink flowers between the tiers. It was something that I would have never thought about doing, but it turned out beautiful.
The “Diana the Huntress” wedding cake was very interesting. Each layer was airbrushed with a light blue. However, they wanted to make them a midnight blue color, and instead of making them just solid, the colors varied and faded in and out throughout the cake. To give it this effect, the decorator would just airbrush layer after layer onto the cake until she was able to achieve the color that she wanted. The cake was also going to have stars on it, and they wanted to use small LED lights to make it actually light up. Geof, one of the decorators said, “Do you think that people will be disgusted by earrings in their cake?” (“Pinball Wizard”). It was so funny because the smallest LED lights that they could find were actually earrings. I think that I would be grossed out to find that earrings were in my cake, but I think that it was a very creative idea which really paid off in the end product.
“Pinball Wizard.” Ace of Cakes. Food Network. 21 Aug 2008.
RESPONSE: I thought that the Fenway Park cake turned out to be amazing! Most of it was airbrushed, which gave it a very polished and flawless look. The technique that they used to make the field was really creative. They took a piece of fondant that was cut in the shape of the field and used painter’s tape to make stripes. Then, they airbrushed over it to give it the checkered look like a real-life baseball field. The groom’s cake was a complete surprise, but the bride also got a surprise too. The team decorated a huge tiered wedding cake and stuffed fresh pink flowers between the tiers. It was something that I would have never thought about doing, but it turned out beautiful.
The “Diana the Huntress” wedding cake was very interesting. Each layer was airbrushed with a light blue. However, they wanted to make them a midnight blue color, and instead of making them just solid, the colors varied and faded in and out throughout the cake. To give it this effect, the decorator would just airbrush layer after layer onto the cake until she was able to achieve the color that she wanted. The cake was also going to have stars on it, and they wanted to use small LED lights to make it actually light up. Geof, one of the decorators said, “Do you think that people will be disgusted by earrings in their cake?” (“Pinball Wizard”). It was so funny because the smallest LED lights that they could find were actually earrings. I think that I would be grossed out to find that earrings were in my cake, but I think that it was a very creative idea which really paid off in the end product.
“Pinball Wizard.” Ace of Cakes. Food Network. 21 Aug 2008.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Critical Review Five
SUMMARY: On the episode of Ace of Cakes, “The Eagle Has Landed”, the team has to make three cakes in one day. After all of those cakes are due, they have to finish the other cakes for the week. They are making the Make a Wish Foundation 25th Anniversary cake, a golfing Santa cake, a fork lift, the Philadelphia Eagles Stadium, and a Nikon D60 camera. The Make a Wish Foundation cake was going to be seven tiers tall and was completely covered in blue fondant with white and silver details and a logo. The golfing Santa was five feet tall, and the stadium was so lifelike! It was amazing to see the team work together to get all of this done in a matter of five days!
RESPONSE: There were several neat techniques that the team used throughout the show. When they were making the stadium cake, they needed to make the stands look like they were full. My first instinct would have been to either sculpt all of the people, or to paint them onto the chairs. However, they used tiny sprinkles and gum paste to make it look like there were a ton of people there. What was so neat was that it really looked like tiny people! For the Nikon D60 cake, the decorator had to carve it all out of sheet cake. However, the first time that she tried, she made it too small and had to start over again. Duff said, “She really put herself back, but it was all in the name of doing something excellent” (“The Eagle Has Landed”). He was very right about that cake. The decorator did such an incredible job creating all of the buttons and knobs. She didn’t leave out one detail! One tip that they used was to make the lens. They melted sugar and poured it into a round mold. Once it hardened, they placed it in the fondant and it looked incredibly life-like! The cake turned out great and made you just want to play with the camera instead of eat it!
“The Eagle Has Landed.” Ace of Cakes. Food Network. 2 Apr 2009.
RESPONSE: There were several neat techniques that the team used throughout the show. When they were making the stadium cake, they needed to make the stands look like they were full. My first instinct would have been to either sculpt all of the people, or to paint them onto the chairs. However, they used tiny sprinkles and gum paste to make it look like there were a ton of people there. What was so neat was that it really looked like tiny people! For the Nikon D60 cake, the decorator had to carve it all out of sheet cake. However, the first time that she tried, she made it too small and had to start over again. Duff said, “She really put herself back, but it was all in the name of doing something excellent” (“The Eagle Has Landed”). He was very right about that cake. The decorator did such an incredible job creating all of the buttons and knobs. She didn’t leave out one detail! One tip that they used was to make the lens. They melted sugar and poured it into a round mold. Once it hardened, they placed it in the fondant and it looked incredibly life-like! The cake turned out great and made you just want to play with the camera instead of eat it!
“The Eagle Has Landed.” Ace of Cakes. Food Network. 2 Apr 2009.
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