Strawberry Centerpiece from Tara Wilson

Posted by Khris in Ceremony & Reception Accessories, Food + Catering

Event designer, Tara Wilson, shares with us this lovely – and easy – edible centerpiece idea. This is perfect for a cozy, casual outdoor wedding, your bridal shower, or a brunch for your wedding party.

Steps:

1. Wrap each of the wreaths with the red ribbon, making certain that none of the Styrofoam is visible.

NOTE: if the ribbon is too thick it will be challenging to push the pins through. Selecting a ribbon that is not tightly woven will make this process easier.

2. Attach the (2) largest wreaths together using the floral cleats to form the base of the cake.

3. Remove the stems of each Driscoll’s strawberry, making sure to create a clean even cut. Then cut the each berry in half length wise.

4. Begin to cover the outer edges of the (2) largest wreaths with berries in a circular pattern until outer ring is covered.

5. Attach the (2) medium sized wreaths together using the floral cleats to form the second layer of the cake.

6. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

7. Attach the (2) smallest wreaths together using the floral cleats. This will form the top layer of the cake.

8. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

About the Expert: Tara Wilson is the owner of Tara Wilson Events, a full-service event company committed to providing creative, well-executed and memorable events for individual and corporate clients.

Photographer: Stacey Reeves Photography • Berries: Driscoll’s

Repost: Cupcake Wrappers

Posted by Khris in Food + Catering

This is one of our most popular requests recently: a cupcake wrapper. What is it? It’s a band of paper that wraps around the outside of a cupcake.

Instructions:

1. Download the template here

2. Print it onto a piece of cardstock

3. Cut it out and use it to trace the shape onto paper. You can fit multiple wrappers on a single sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ paper.

4. Cut out your shapes.

5. Use strong double-sided tape to adhere the cardstock

6. Decorate to your liking

Tips + Hints:

• Linear patterns like lines and plaid don’t work very well because the template is curved. It’ll look wonky.
• Use decorative scissors to cut out the top of the wrapper to add a bit of pizazz.
• Paper punches are great for adding a little extra cuteness, too.

Cake Month Extended + Recap

Posted by Khris in DIY Guides, Food + Catering

Hey DIYers,

I’m extending Cake Month through the entire month of June. There’s just too how-to, resources, reviews, reader questions, and other confectionery goodness that I’m not able to squeeze into the remaining days of May.

For those of you who’re just hearing about Cake Month, we’re dedicating an entire  month to do-it-yourself wedding cakes, cookies, and candy.

Here’s what we’ve covered so far:

• Is a DIY cake for you? Things to consider.
• Getting started: the first steps to cakey nirvana.
• How to figure out appropriate cake size/number of slices for your wedding.
• Where to find cake decorating classes.
• Which is better: boxed mixes or scratch recipes?
• Fondant taste test: no, they’re not all the same.

Some of the awesomeness coming up: DIY cake and cupcake stands, icing basics, best baking books, cookie, cake, and candy how-to, best recipes, knock out techniques, cool decorations, hundreds of resources… and much more!

If you’d like to follow Cake Month-Only posts in your favorite RSS Reader (we love http://www.google.com/reader), our Cake Month feed is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DiyBrideCakeMonth .

DIY Cake Month – Slices: Size Matters

Posted by Khris in Food + Catering

Wedding Cake,
originally uploaded by virtualphotographystudio.

One of the most important things in determining your DIY cake design is knowing the amount of servings you’ll need. This will determine the pan size, amount of ingredients, decor, plates/napkins/forks, etc.

It’s a safe bet to have 1 serving per guest. Some couples go a little lower because not everyone will want cake. I think it’s better to have a little left over than run the risk of not having enough.

A word about serving sizes: The standard wedding cake slice, 1″ wide x 2″ long x 4″ high, is typically much smaller than a piece of cake you’d get at a party or other event. Doesn’t seem very big, does it?

When you go shopping for pans, you’ll need to know how many slices you can get out of each size you buy. For example, a 3″ tall, 8″ diameter round pan will yield about 24 slices. If you’re serving 150 people, what size pans do you need for a 3 tier stacked cake?

Don’t worry; sizing a cake is not as complicated as it seems. There are some fantastic resources for determining cake size that show serving sizes and provide cutting guides to show you how to get the maximum amount of slices per tier.

• PastryWiz’s Cutting Guides
• Wilton’s Cake Cutting Guide (Weddings)
• Better Homes & Gardens Downloadable Cutting Guides
• Baking911 Pan Serving Size Chart

Of course you can serve slices as big as you please BUT it’s important that the person(s) cutting your cake knows how big to cut the slices. Most caterers and cake pros can do standard slices in their sleep. However, your auntie or whomever is left in charge of the cake may not be as slice-savvy as the professionals. I highly recommend that you whip up a trial tier and practice cutting with your designed cake person.



DIY Cake Month: Finding Cake Decorating Classes

Posted by Khris in DIY Guides, Food + Catering

Later in this series I’ll be recommending a few wedding cake books. Surprisingly, there are very few that are worth the money for beginning-intermediate home bakers. The best way to learn cake decorating techniques, in my estimation, is from good old hands-on experience. There’s simply no substitution for wrestling with real fondant or getting your fingers stained with freshly mixed colored gum paste. Having an experienced instructor is also a huge bonus to guide you through real-time dilemmas and to lend the helping hand of someone who’s “been there”.

You’ll find that most major cities and metro areas have ongoing decorating classes. They’re usually offered by:

• Michael’s Craft Stores. They’ve teamed up with Wilton (the leading consumer cake decorating company) to offer classes in many (if not most) Michael’s stores. I know my local Michael’s offers a discount on Wilton supplies if you sign up for their classes, which is a nice bonus. These classes are taught by Wilton-approved/trained instructors. (Wilton has their own curriculum and decorating techniques that each certified instructor must master.)
• Independent Cake Decorating Supply Shops. If your town is lucky enough to have a local cake decor supply, do ask if they offer classes. This is a great way to support local businesses and to be exposed to different supplies and techniques than you’d find at Michael’s. Like just about anything, the quality of cake supplies varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. I think it’s important to try out different ones.
• Community College/Adult Education. Some community colleges and adult education programs offer cake decorating classes. {Community Colleges by State}
• Culinary Schools. Some culinary schools/institutes offer pastry/cake decorating classes to non-culinary students. You’ll be taught by industry professionals, which could be very challenging (and fun!). {List of Culinary Schools}
• Private Individuals. Check out Craigslist or other community boards for individuals who teach cake decorating. My impression is that most are Wilton-trained.

Evaluating Classes

When evaluating classes, there are some important things to take into consideration:

1. What’s the teacher’s background? What training does she have? What’s her professional experience? How long has she been teaching?
2. Does the class require any pre-requisites?
3. Is there baking involved or is it just decorating?
4. How much hands-on time in each class student have?
5. What techniques are being taught?
6. How many projects are due in the course?
7. What’s the total supply cost for the class/course?
8. Must the supplies be from a certain manufacturer or from the store you’re taking the class in?
9. Check out the teacher’s portfolio. I highly recommend this because I’ve seen some reeaaaaally outdated styles being taught in some classes. (Lighted fountains and tiny plastic stairs, anyone?)
10. What’s the cancellation/missed class/refund policy? What happens if you miss a class or if you have to drop out?