Jun

10

DIY Cake Month: Boxed Mix or Scratch

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Your next major cake decision, 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.

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).

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.)
  • 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.

Many box cake devotees argue that box mixes are faster. Over at Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn, they proved that wrong. [Do check out their other article about scratch cakes as healthier than boxed mixes.]

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

29

DIY Cake Month: To tier or not to tier?

After you’ve gathered a few design ideas, looked at pan shapes, and determined the number of servings, the next question you’ll need to answer: Stacked, sheet, or tiered? Why is this important? Not only does it determine the overall design of the cake(s), it affects other choices as serving plates/trays and building materials. The tier style will also determine the kind of cake you’ll need. Some kinds of cakes, such angel food, are too light to be used in cakes that are are decorated and stacked or carved into unique shapes. The basic types: shtck4timnshauna DIY Cake Month: To tier or not to tier? Sheet cake: A single flat cake, usually rectangular. [image: Earlene's Cakes] 007 primary DIY Cake Month: To tier or not to tier? Stacked cake: Multi-levels of cake, stacked on top of each other. These cakes are sometimes separated by a hidden support system that prevents the cakes from caving in and keeps the layers in place. Many, however, are held together with dowels and are stacked directly on top of each other. [image: Jennifer Wasiak from Brides.com] 2481659031 9ce093c1fb DIY Cake Month: To tier or not to tier? Tiered cake: Multi-levels of cake separated by columns or other structural elements with space in between levels. [image: Cater It Simple @ flickr] Cake Density: When considering your cake tier style, the next thing is to work out what kind of cake is going to work best for your design. Light, airy cakes (not good for cake-on-cake stacking or heavy decoration): angel food, sponge, chiffon. Mid-density, all purprose cakes (can be stacked but will need support): basic butter batters, genoise. Heavy (great for stacked, carved, and heavily decorated): Pound, fruit cake, carrot cake, pumpkin. [Note: many mid-density cakes can be made heavier by altering the ingredients. We'll get to that in another post.]



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May

12

DIY Cake Month: Finding Decorating Classes

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?

[5/13: edited to fix punctuation error]



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May

12

DIY Cake Month: Is A DIY Cake For You?

r8fu16xa DIY Cake Month: Is A DIY Cake For You? The the siren song of a do-it-yourself wedding cake is a hard one to ignore. It seduces. It cajoles. “Make me” it sings. “You know you want to. All the cool kids are doing it. Maaaaaaake meeeeee.” It lures you into a false sense of culinary mastery and into the treacherous waters of cake disaster.

While there’s nothing quite like peer pressure from inanimate baked goods, most couples hire someone else create their wedding cakes. For a few adventurers, however, making their own cake is all too temping. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you as you fondle fancy molded cake pans at Williams-Sonoma and linger a little too long in the Wilton aisle at Michaels. Oh, I know your type.

You and I are kindred spirits, you see. We are would-be cake couturiers with grand visions of effortless, elegant culinary masterpieces adorning our table tops. We have pans. We have nifty decorating gadgets. We’ve watched every episode of Ace of Cakes. It’s just baking, right?

The harsh reality is that cake making is harder than it may appear. There’s a great deal of chemistry, artistry, and patience that goes into creating a beautiful, tasty cake. This, of course, doesn’t mean it’s impossible for a home baker to make something spectacularly divine. It is possible! But the big question here is: is the DIY cake experience right for you?

If you’re considering a DIY wedding cake, here are the most basic considerations to help you decide if this route is a good idea for you.

  1. How many guests will you be feeding? (General rule: the bigger the cake, the harder to bake/decorate/transport.)
  2. How many hours of baking and decorating time will you need? And do you have that amount of available time especially right before the wedding? A conservative estimate for a simple butter cream-frosted (no decoration) 3-layer stacked round cake to feed 120 people would take about 4 – 5 hours to make. (Measure, mix, bake, cool, frost.)
  3. How important are taste and presentation to you? To your guests? The wedding cake is a high-profile part of nearly every wedding.
  4. Do you have the tools — including a reliable oven — to do the job? If not, how much will it cost to buy all of the tools? Is your oven big enough to bake a 14″ round (or whatever is your largest size)?
  5. How good is your math? Baking is nearly all chemistry. Exact measurements are crucial to good results.
  6. How experienced are you at baking? At cake decorating? Are baking/decorating classes in your future?
  7. Will you bake from scratch or a mix?
  8. How elaborate will your design be?
  9. Will you have time (and budget) to experiment with recipes and
    decorating if you’ve never done large-scale baking/decorating before?
  10. Thinking of using fresh flowers for decoration? Great! Which common wedding flowers are are poisonous and should never be used on a cake?
  11. How will you store the finished (or nearly finished) cakes? Do you have enough ‘fridge space?
  12. How will you transport the cake?
  13. Who will set it up at the venue?
  14. Who will serve it? (Caterers will charge extra to do this for you.)
  15. What if something goes wrong? What’s your Plan B or worst case scenario fix-it?

We’ll be talking more about the questions above in the coming days to
better guide you to decide if a DIY cake is in your future. I wanted to get you thinking about the time, skill, budget, and supply requirements to not only do it yourself but to do it well.



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