Aug

10

Review: Cricut Cake

Cricut Cake Review: Cricut Cake

Seldom does a craft tool surprise and delight me as much as the Cricut Cake by Provo Craft has managed to do.  The Cricut Cake, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is a food-safe electronic die cutting machine that’s designed to be used for cake decorating.

In January I got to see the Cricut Cake in action at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show. I was impressed by the demos and the sample cake displays (below) and immediately thought this machine would be a (cliche alert!) game-changer in the cake decorating world.

DSC 3535 620x415 Review: Cricut Cake

With a $400 (retail) price tag, I was concerned that the casual home cake decorator would be able to utilize this machine to her best advantage. Is it easy enough for a newbie crafter and cake decorator? How difficult is it to maintain? How good is the quality? Is it cost-effective? Can it do more than just fondant?

In early June I was privileged to receive a Cricut Cake for review purposes. I’ve been playing with it as much as I can in my free time and have to say that I LOVE THIS MACHINE and it warrants my highest recommendation but not without some caveats.

First, the Cricut Cake is easy to use. The process goes something like this:

  1. Plug in the machine. Turn it on.
  2. Insert a design cartridge.
  3. Select the design and size you want.
  4. Place a fondant sheet onto the mat. Insert mat into the feeder.
  5. Press a button to make a cut.
  6. The Cricut Cake operates a bit like a printer but instead of printing, there’s a blade inside that’s cutting the material you send through the feeder.
  7. The mat comes out of the feeder. Peel away the fondant to reveal your cut designs.

(From the January CHA show 2010 + OhMyCrafts)

The Cricut Cake works marvelously with Provo Craft’s fondant sheets. Every cut I’ve made with the Cricut brand sheets has come out perfect – except in the case of operator error. The Cricut frosting sheets cost around $14.00 for a 3 pack. They’re not super cheap but you’re paying  for the convenience here and it’s worth it if you’ve not worked with rolled fondant before. It’s worth noting that the sheets come in white, pastels, and primary colors.

While the Cricut Cake is easy to operate, there is a learning curve when getting started. I found myself futzing quite a bit with the pressure settings and learning the basic functions before I got the hang of it. I went through quite a bit of the frosting sheets and other materials in the first day. All in all, that wasn’t a big deal for me but if you don’t have patience for fidgeting with gadgets this may not be for you.

The highlight of the Cricut Cake is that it cuts more than the frosting sheets. I’ve cut tortillas (diyToddler totally enjoyed his super special quesadillas, thankyouverymuch), fondant, gum paste, and fruit roll ups (didn’t work well for me).  What really excites me is being able to cut sugar cookie dough. I love making cookies with the Cricut Cake!

I found that rolling out my own fondant to be tricky. Getting uniform thickness is important so that the blade cuts through the design. It’s best to have an X-acto knife on hand for extracting pieces and finishing cuts that don’t go through.

Somewhat of a downside is that the Cricut Cake is limited by the designs available on the Cricut cartridges so you can’t really go wild with custom design. The good news is that the Cake can use any of the Cricut cartridges and there are a lot. In addition to the ones designed specifically for the Cake, there are dozens and dozens originally meant for paper crafting. The selection is quite extensive with themes that’ll appeal to most. Even better news is that Martha Stewart Crafts has teamed up with Provo Craft to release their own line of cartridges exclusively through HSN. Martha’s cartridges are around $70. Regular Cricut cartridges vary widely in price though you can find them in the $25 range if you shop online.

MarthaStewartElegant Review: Cricut Cake

Martha Stewart Crafts Cricut Elegant Cake Cartridge Preview

I need to note that the Cricut Cake is to be used for food ONLY. While the paper craft cartridges work in this machine, it is not meant to be used for paper or anything non-edible for food safety reasons. This is also the reason why fondant and foodstuff should never, ever be used in regular die cutting machines (including the Cricut Expression, the paper crafting sister machine of the Cake).

Machine maintenance is a breeze. The removable parts are dishwasher safe and were relatively easy to clean. I say relatively because anything that comes in contact with fondant and sugary stuff will require some effort to clean up no matter how you work with it.

Final Notes:

This machine is awesome and works exactly as it should. I found it to be very well-made as is my experience with most Provo Craft products. (I’ve purchased a Cricut Expression, Cuttlebug, and Yudu in the past. Love ‘em and they’re all working great.)

The operating costs of the Cricut Cake (frosting sheets, cartridges, the machine itself) make it a luxury purchase unless the user does a lot of cake and sugar cookie baking throughout the year. If you’re thinking of splurging for one for just your wedding cake, it may not be the best budget-friendly option. If that’s not a concern, then I highly recommend it for someone who wants to get hands on with some cake decorating.

I’ll be sharing some of the DIY goodness I’ve made with the Cricut Cake soon!



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Jun

02

Ranunculus Bouquet

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For this bouquet project I wanted something easy, ultra-feminine and delicate. I chose ranunculus because it’s one of my all-time favorite flowers and, sadly, is underused in weddings. It’s my new mission to give it some high profile flowerly love. The ultra-wonderful team at FiftyFlowers (a DIY Bride advertiser) provided these beauties. I had not yet worked with ranunculus in a project setting so I was a bit unsure what to expect. Ranunculus turns out, are pretty easy to work with. Unlike many white flowers their petals did not bruise easily and they stayed fresh and vibrant for days. (Tip: Be sure to check the care instructions provided by FiftyFlowers before you place your order. It’s helpful to be prepared on delivery day with proper tools and containers.) If you’ve never worked with flowers before, a simple “all the same flower” bouquet is the best way to go for most. DSC 46861 Ranunculus Bouquet Step 1: Remove leaves and stray offshoots from each ranunculus stem. Place the stem back in water to keep it hydrated while you work through your bunches. Step 2: Once you have 40 – 60 stems prepared take 4 flowers in one hand, at an even height, to create the center of your bouquet. Holding the center bunch in one hand, begin adding flowers around the center, one by one. You’ll be creating a dome shape as you go along; each row lower than the next. Depending on how big your flowers are and how big you want your bouquet, it’ll take 3 – 6 rows to get a standard bouquet size. Step 3: This is the toughest part of the process – place a rubber band around the stems to hold them in place, about 3 inches below the blooms. ranbou2 Ranunculus Bouquet Step 4: Wrap it up! I used 1.5″ velvet ribbon to wrap the stems. I tucked one end of the ribbon under the rubber band and wrapped the ribbon around the stems, moving from top to 1″ from the bottom of the estimated length of my bouquet. ranbou3 Ranunculus Bouquet Step 5: I then secured the end of the ribbon with a long floral pin and trimmed the ends of the stems to a uniform length. ranbou4 Ranunculus Bouquet The final touch was to add DIY Floral Pins (new from FiftyFlowers). They’re much shorter than regular floral pins which makes them super for decorative use. I have a post coming up to show you some ways to use them to make all sorts of pretties. ranbou1 Ranunculus Bouquet The flowers in this project were provided by logo ff Ranunculus Bouquet Ranunculus Bouquet



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Jun

01

Vase Alternative

diybride ranunculus centerpiece

Always on the lookout for unusual vases and containers, I stumbled on this beauty when I was cleaning out our household storage cubby. diybride ranunculus centerpiece Vase Alternative Can you guess what it is? It’s a glass globe that goes over porch/patio lights! I found it at a local hardware shop a few years ago for around $10.00. Filled with these ultra-dainty ranunculus, it transforms into an unique and affordable centerpiece. I used about 25 full-bloom ranunculus for this project. The thought of using a globe (without a flat bottom) as a vase may seem odd (hey, I’m all mavericky when it comes to this stuff) but it works for smaller arrangements. The secret is to create a soft base for the globe to set in such as a pile of sand, salt, or sugar — things you have easy (and cheap) access to. Pour a mound of sand on a table, place the centerpiece in place, and brush away the rest. (A mini vac is also helpful when you’re doing several tables worth.) Flowers for this project were provided by: logo ff Vase Alternative Vase Alternative



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May

25

Repost: Cupcake Wrappers

Sorry for the messy picture. I had 5 minutes and an iPhone to get it done today. Ugh!

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.

IMG 0271 Repost: Cupcake Wrappers
Sorry for the messy picture

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.



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May

21

Cake Month Extended + Recap

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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:

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 .




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May

17

DIY Cake Month – Slices: Size Matters

2902126533 9af54be678 t DIY Cake Month Slices: Size Matters

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.

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.




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May

17

DIY Cake Month: Finding Cake Decorating Classes

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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?



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May

13

Featured DIYer: Raechel (And Her Invitations)

We love it when you guys and gals want to show off your rockin’ DIY projects!

DIYer Raechel sent in her handcrafted invitations that she made with her cousin Marion of mayanrocks.com.

Congrats, Raechel! We hope you had an amazing wedding day!



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May

13

Cake Month: Boxed Mix or Scratch Recipe?

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JGS BakeMeACake 150x150 Cake Month: Boxed Mix or Scratch Recipe?One of the most important decisions you’ll make about your DIY cake, and one that tortures many a would-be DIY cake maker, is what kind of cake to make. In a later post we’ll go through flavor and filling options but this one’s devoted to the boxed mix or scratch dilemma.

There are few debates as heated in the cake world as the use of boxed mix versus scratch cakes. While I am a strong advocate of the latter, I do want to give a fair look at both sides to help you discover which option is best for your needs.

JGS BakeMeACake 300x200 Cake Month: Boxed Mix or Scratch Recipe?

Box Mix Pros:

  • Convenient, pre-mixed packages mean little measuring and no guesswork with ingredients yielding a pretty consistent result from cake-to-cake.
  • Packages can be purchased way ahead of time and stored until needed.
  • Box mixes are inexpensive, especially when purchased on sale.
  • Most people are very familiar with box mix flavors and have fond associations of those kinds of cakes (reminds them of childhood, for example).

Box Mix Cons:

  • Limited flavor, texture, and “weight” options.
  • Box mixes use a lot of chemicals for stabilization and preservation.
  • Some mixes have a chemical taste to them.
  • You’ll need to buy a lot of boxes to feed your wedding guests; it’s harder to scale to feed large groups.
  • Box mixes are not always less expensive than baking from scratch.

Pros of Scratch Mixes:

  • Unlimited flavor options. If you can dream it, there’s likely a perfect cake flavor waiting for you to discover it.
  • You control the ingredients and can add to or modify recipes to suit your needs. Wheat allergies? Vegan? Organic ingredients only? Carrot cake without nuts? No trans fats? Diabetic options? No problem!
  • Freshness. Made-from-scratch cakes don’t need chemical stabilizers or preservatives. (Take a look at the ingredients on a box mix cake.)
  • Scratch recipes often yield cakes with more body and substance – better for wedding cakes.
  • Pride. There’s definitely a satisfaction that one gets from making something that takes creativity, patience and skill that can’t be experienced with shortcuts.

Cons of Scratch Mixes:

  • Baking from scratch requires measuring ingredients accurately.
  • Some argue that scratch mixes are faster; over at The Kitchn, they they proved that wrong.
  • Baking from scratch doesn’t yield standardized results.
  • Depending on your ingredients, scratch cakes can be more expensive to produce.
  • Scaling recipes up or down is easier than with a box mix.

As for cake mix being less expensive than scratch, you may be surprised at what we found in the DIY Bride Test Kitchen. That’s another post, though.

My best advice is for you to do a taste and bake test with scratch cakes and box cakes to find the ones that fit the taste, texture, and budget that you’re aiming for. (Check back for the DIY Bride Test Kitchen results.)

Remember: a wedding cake needs to taste great, no matter how clever or fancy it looks.



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May

13

Cake Month: Fondant Taste-o-Rama

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Throughout the month of May, we’re discussing all DIY cake-related matters. Join us for how-to, tips, and inspiration.

Some  of the most common cake-related questions are related to a popular cake icing called rolled fondant. (Most just call it fondant, though there are different kinds. More on that in a later post.) For those of you not yet in the know, rolled fondant is a thick, somewhat stretchy and slightly chewy sheet of icing that produces a smooth surface on a cake. {Check out the gorgeous fondant design by the outrageously talented April Reed.}

600x600 1202316022151 BlueDecoCake 258x300 Cake Month: Fondant Taste o Rama
Cake by April Reed

In certain cake eating circles, fondant is a dirty word. There are some who will turn up their noses at the mere mention of the “f word”. See, they think it tastes icky. And, unfortunately, their experience with it was probably not that great. Not all fondant has a yuck factor, my friends, as not all pre-made fondants are the same.

We at the DIY Bride Test Kitchen (well, ok, just me at my kitchen counter) decided to do a taste test among the most popular fondant brands.

The contenders, in no particular order:

The methodology: cut off a hunk of fondant, eat it, review it, rate it. Real scientific!

The Results

#1 : Fondarific. Of the 4 fondants tasted, Fondarific had the best flavor and texture. Sweet and creamy with melt-in-your mouth consistency, Fondarific, was by far the tastiest and gets the highest recommendation. No cloying aftertaste, ingredients taste fresh, no chemical smell or flavors detected.

#2 : Satin Ice. Many, many cake pros use Satin Ice as their fondant of choice. The SI sample was very mellow in flavor and had a very pleasant consistency. It wasn’t as flavorful or as smooth as Fondarific but it was still very good.

#3 : Fondx: I had a hard time choosing between Satin Ice and Fondx for the #2. Fondx lost out my just the tiniest margin because I thought the more mellow flavor of SI would compliment more cake flavors. That’s not to say that Fondx has a strong flavor at all, it’s just more flavorful than SI. If I were to make  fondant cake today, I’d be torn between Fondx and Fondarific. They’re pretty similar in consistency and texture, both are quite tasty.

#4 : Wilton: This was by leaps and bounds my least favorite fondant of the bunch. Slightly grainy with a chemical aftertaste, Wilton’s fondant was just nasty compared to the others in the bunch. I have to admit that I used Wilton fondant for a project in my upcoming book (cue shameless self-promotion) The Crafty Countdown and it was perfect for non-edible decoration. {Peep a sneak peek at the Owl Cake Topper.}

owltoppers 250x300 Cake Month: Fondant Taste o Rama
Owl Cake Toppers From The Crafty Countdown

More Details

  1. Wilton is the most widely-available fondant. You can pick it up at craft stores like Michael’s (and Michael’s often offers Wilton cake decorating classes).
  2. The price breakdown (please note that most fondants get cheaper when you buy in bulk – over 5 lbs.) Prices below are approximate. Search around for the best deals.
  • Satin Ice, $6.49 for 2 lb. ($3.50 per pound)
  • Wilton, $6.79 for 1.5 lb. ($4.52 per pound)
  • Fondarific, $11.79 for 2 lb. ($5.89 per pound)
  • Fondx, $33.00 for 10 lb. ($3.30 per pound)



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