Sunday, August 28, 2011

And We Have a Winner!


 
 
I know you'll join me in offering congratulations to my big “Fan Appreciation” giveaway winner, #133, Misty McMahon.  

Misty chose as her prize a flouncy apron from Swanky Aprons (great choice!), and as soon as I notify her and she decides which one she wants, I'll share with you.  (Remember the contest rules said if you chose the apron as your prize, you could have any apron Swanky Aprons sells, and they are adorable!)

Here are a few of the many samples Misty will have to choose from:
 
Need to see more, you say? 
I'm in no way affiliated with Swanky Aprons, I just love them and wanted one sweet fan to have the chance to win one.
 
Thank you so much to all of you for making this giveaway possible!   

Watch my blog for more giveaways coming SOON!!  

(Pssst, hey, why not be a blog follower if you aren't already so you don't miss anything?)

Oven’s on – I’ll be back soon. Congrats again, Misty!

~ Peggy

Friday, August 26, 2011

Fan Appreciation Giveaway: Cake Decorator's Dream Prizes!

Click HERE to see the fabulous prizes!

Click HERE to enter the drawing!  Everyone is eligible, regardless of region.

 
Hurry!  Deadline to enter is this Sunday, August 28, at noon (central standard time).



Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Tutorial: How to Cover a Square Cake Drum with Scrapbook Paper

CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Good luck! If you try this, I’d love to see your work. Feel free to leave a comment here and link me, leave a message and/or link via Facebook by clicking HERE, or email me at peggydoescake@gmail.com to share your masterpieces with me!


Oven's on - I'll be back soon!

~ Peggy 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Meg's Wizard of Oz Cake!

Now that I’m in my 2nd year of cake decorating, I’m experiencing something new – repeat business.  

I made little Meg’s “princess” themed cake last year (see it here) and recently I was asked to do this year's cake - with a “Wizard of Oz” theme. Right away I began to think of all the cool stuff I could put on this cake - the ruby slippers, the emerald city, spooky "bad witch" legs poking out from under a shattered house, glittery "good witch" pinkness, munchkins, lollipops, a little dog in a basket...

My cakey bakey brain was immediately slammed into overdrive. Actually, I had been fantasizing about making a Wizard of Oz cake (yes, sadly, that's what I fantasize about), so this request was kind of like winning the lottery for me. I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to come up with a more clever theme, although last night someone asked me if I had ever made a "Gone With the Wind" cake, so yeah, that's a pretty close tie. 

Cake was WASC with vanilla butter cream filling and icing. All décor is fondant and everything is 100% edible.  Yes, I need practice with my fondant characters. I can make an excellent monkey; but it's a crying shame that all my fondant people end up looking like monkeys!  I suppose as long as you can tell who they're supposed to be, it's ok.  I'd just rather knock it out of the park every time, and I know that if my "Dorothy" were sitting on a shelf, far away from a cake, it would take some great stretch of the imagination to be able to guess correctly who she was. Ha!

Luckily, her ruby red slippers give it away.  I wanted to give her slippers a bigger high heel (although you can't see it, they DO have a heel), but really, these things were about a 1/2" long and it becomes difficult and a bit silly at that size to get too particular.

Oven’s on – I’ll be back soon.

~ Peggy
 

Coloring Instructions for Fondant, Icing, Frosting, Royal Icing, etc.

This information has been gathered from several places, it is by no means original. I have, however, added a few notes and changes to the colors, based on things I've learned the hard way. (You don't want to know.)

Remember that icing colors tend to change in time. Butter cream icings tend to deepen and become richer in color, and other mediums, like color flow and royal icing, can actually lighten. Ingredients can cause color changes, too. So be expecting that when using extracts, lemon juice, cream of tartar, etc. (even water).

I’ve read that if you dissolve brown food coloring in 1/4 teaspoon water before adding it to icing, you will eliminate the odd “greenish” undertones you sometimes get with brown icing.

Now on to the good stuff:

  • Antique Gold - Golden yellow with a very small touch of leaf green.
  • Apricot - 2 parts orange, 1 part golden yellow.
  • Aqua - 5 parts sky blue, 1 part leaf green.
  • Avocado - Use moss green paste or 4 parts lemon yellow, 1 part leaf green, and a touch of black. 
  • Black - Black paste color or royal blue, Christmas red, orange, and lemon or mix all leftover icing you have been using and add black to it
  • Burgundy - 5 parts rose pink, 1 part violet
  • Chartreuse - 6 parts lemon yellow, 1 part leaf green
  • Copper - 1 part golden yellow, 1 part brown, and 1 part Christmas red
  • Coral - Creamy peach paste and a touch of pink or orange and a touch of pink or 3 parts rose pink and 2 parts lemon yellow
  • Dusty Rose - 2 parts red, 1 part brown, hint of orange
  • Flesh - Add just an extremely small touch of copper to white icing or light pink with a small amount of brown
  • Gold - 10 parts lemon yellow, 3 parts orange, 1 part red
  • Grape - 1 part sky blue, 6 parts rose pink
  • Gray - Add just a touch of black to white icing
  • Hot Pink - Rose (do not use pink or rose petal pink, as those are orange-based and will never attain a “hot” pink)
  • Hunter Green - Kelly green with a touch of black
  • Ivory - Hint of brown
  • Jade - Leaf green, royal blue, and a touch of black
  • Lavender - 5 parts pink, 1 part violet
  • Lime Green – 4 parts leaf green, 1 part lemon yellow
  • Marigold - Lemon yellow and orange
  • Maroon - 4 parts red-red, 2 parts burgundy
  • Mauve - 5 parts pink, 1 part orange, 1 part brown
  • Misty Green - Leaf green, royal blue, and a touch of black
  • Moss Green - Moss Green paste or 2 parts violet and 3 parts lemon yellow
  • Mulberry - Rose with a touch of royal blue.
  • Navy Blue - Royal blue and black or 1 part sky blue and 1 part violet
  • Periwinkle - Royal blue and violet
  • Plum - 1 part violet with a touch of Christmas red
  • Raspberry - Pink and red-red or 3 parts rose and 1 part Christmas red
  • Ruby Red - 1 part red-red and a touch of black
  • Rust - 8 parts orange, 2 parts red-red, and 1 part brown
  • Silver - Hint of black to get gray (for fondant, paint afterwards with silver luster dust mixed with vodka)
  • Teal - 9 parts sky blue with a small amount of lemon yellow
  • Turquoise - 6 parts sky blue and 1 part lemon yellow
  • Warm Gold - Golden yellow with just a touch of brown
Oven's on - I'll be back soon!

~ Peggy

Fondant Review

Cake makers are always asking me questions about which fondant I use for what purpose.  I put together this little overview table that shows exactly how I personally use which fondant brands.  I included categories like taste, value, where I personally shop, and how well the color lifts (for example, FondX white will never lift to more than just a soft pastel).

This is not intended to sway anyone; I’m just sharing my personal preferences for those who have asked.  I value your opinion and feedback, so please leave a comment or ask a question!
(Click to enlarge chart)

Oven's on - I'll be back soon!

~ Peggy

Monday, August 15, 2011

Peggy Does Cake (and prizes!) Fan Appreciation Giveaway!

Thanks for your support of Peggy Does Cake! You deserve this "Fan Appreciation" giveway and I'm thrilled to be hosting it!

Your comment must be submitted no later than Noon Central Time, Sunday, August 28, 2011, to be considered a valid entry in this giveaway.

* One comment per person (must be 18 or order).
* Yes, you can get your husband to leave a comment, but it's up to you to take the prize from him if he wins. ;)
* Winner will be selected using random.org.
(See more details below.)

ENTRY RULES:  Easy as 1, 2, 3!

1) Leave one comment on this post including which prize you want and why you want it. Only one comment per person please! 
2) Make sure you include your full name. 
3) Email me at my special "prize" email address and include your comment number as the subject line of your email. You'll see your comment number after you submit your comment. Submit your comment number to peggydoesprizes@gmail.com
For a recap of prize options, including photos, click here.

I'll post the winning comment here on my blog in 2 weeks (see details below) and winner will have 7 days to contact me.

Good luck!  I can't wait to see who wins!



Rules are boring, but necessary! By participating in this giveaway you are agreeing to my rules, privacy policy, and disclaimers as spelled out here:

Eligibility
• One entry per person per household
• Must be 18 years old to be eligible to win
• Giveaway is open to everyone regardless of where you live, as long as I can ship your prize via UPS Ground. If UPS Ground cannot deliver to winner's address, winner will either be responsible for shipping arrangements or will have to forfeit and an alternate winner will be chosen.

Disclosure
• This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook.
• As winners you are providing your information to me and not to Facebook. I respect your privacy and your personal information (full name and email) will only be used for contacting the winner.
• Although I am facilitating this giveaway, I am not affiliated with, nor am I endorsing, any of the companies who make the prizes, nor am I endorsing their products or services, unless otherwise indicated. 
• This is my first giveaway and I'm only human. I will attempt to run this smoothly, but bear with me if there are snags.

Deadline
• Comments must be submitted by giveaway deadline to be considered valid entries.
• Giveaway deadline is Noon Central Time, Sunday, August 28, 2011. 
• Any comment received after the giveaway deadline will be deemed invalid.

Winner Notification, Prize Acceptance, and Confidentiality
• Winner will be selected at 2:00 P.M. Central Time, Sunday, August 28, 2011.
• Winner will be selected using Random.org.
• Winner will be granted the prize they requested in their entry comment. No exceptions to this rule.
• Winner will be notified via a shiny new blog post AND a personal email on Sunday evening (Central Time), August 28, 2011. (I will make contact by replying to the winner's email.)
• I will announce on Facebook that a winner has been selected, but I won't be able to announce who the winner is on Facebook. Facebook has stern rules about promotional use of their site, and their stipulations prohibit me from announcing my winner there. I will direct you here to my blog for all details regarding winner.
• It is up to winner to respond to my email and blog announcement by sending me an email (not via Facebook or via blogger) to either peggydoesprizes@gmail.com or peggydoescake@gmail.com to claim their prize. If an email is not received within 7 days of announcement, winner will forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen.

The Prize Delivery
• Your private information will be used only for prize delivery and will NOT be shared with anyone.
• Prizes cannot be shipped to a P.O. Box.  If winner cannot provide a valid mailing address (USA) or UPS ground deliver address, winner forfeits and an alternate winner will be chosen.

Alternate Winner
• An alternate winner will be selected using the same method as the original winner, if the original winner forfeits their prize.
• The same rules as stated above apply to alternate winner.

What do I need to do to be sure I'm not disqualified?
1) Include your full name in your comment.
2) Include which prize you want and why you want it in your comment.
3) Including a VALID prize.
4) Email me at peggydoesprizes@gmail.com with your comment number in the subject line.
5) If you're the winner, contact me within 7 days of your name being announced.
6) Have a valid mailing address (USA) or UPS Ground delivery address (other countries).

That's it!  Good luck!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Baby Shower Cake: Cute as a Button!


The scrapbook paper I used to cover the cakeboard for this cake turned out to be the button inspiration for this cake, but the actual design was a straight rip-off from this awesome cake by Maylene. 
I was just shaping the buttons when Molly walked in and gushed, “Mom, you should put buttons on the side of the cake instead of polka dots!” Ah, my little mini-me!

Cake is WASC with vanilla bean butter cream filling and icing. All accents are fondant and everything is 100% edible.

Remember it will be any day now that we’ll be doing our big “2,000 Fans” (Facebook) giveaway.  Keep watching for details.

Oven’s on – I’ll be back soon.  

~ Peggy

Monday, August 8, 2011

Cake Cake Cake! Fan Appreciation Giveaway!

Peggy Does Cake is about to reach 2,000 fans on Facebook! To celebrate this momentous occasion and to honor our fans, we're having a big Fan Apprecation giveaway and YOU get to choose the grand prize! Take a minute to check out the list (below) of five (5) prize options.  Details on how to win coming soon!

Prize Option #1
One (1) 4" Stress Free Support plate with four (4) 4" tall legs. This little bad boy is all you’ll ever need to level and secure (stress free!) most any sized 2 tiered cake. Never cut another dowel! Never worry again about sinking, tipping, or unlevel cakes. This 4" plate is all I ever use for my 2-tiered cakes, and I LOVE it - but if you don’t believe me, take it from pros like Sharon Zambito and Rebecca Sutterby (see their testimonials here). To see a video of the plates in action, click here (ha, no, that’s not me in the video!). If you make tiered cakes, this little 4" plate could change your life. Not kidding.

Prize Option #2
Your choice of any full-length flouncy apron from www.swankyaprons.com. I had so much fun looking at all of these. Choices include many styles, but to highlight a few (click photos for bigger view), here is a gorgeous thing in black toile (pronounced “twall”), a luscious pink cupcake number, or if you're feeling like a domestic diva, a pink and hounds tooth beauty:



Prize Option #3 
Totally Topsy Turvy DVD by Sharon Zambito! “Learn to create this beautiful cake style as Sharon Zambito leads you through the entire process from start to finish. You will learn everything from filling the tiers, carving and construction, to every last decorating detail. This 2 disc set is a complete A to Z lesson on the topsy turvy cake.” I am a huge fan of Sharon, and I need all her DVDs. If you don't have them, you do, too.

Prize Option #4 
THE MAT. If you do fondant work, you know about this technique. If you don't, you can see THE MAT in action here! “This patent pending 2-mat system is a revolutionary way to roll out and cover cakes with fondant. THE MAT is 30" X 30" and will cover up to a 20” cake (4” high) with ease using this tool and method. Everyone from beginner to seasoned decorator will turn out professional results the first time and every time. THE MAT is made in the USA with soybean oil and other food safe components that are listed as food safe in Code of Federal Regulations. (I just nabbed this picture off the net; rolling pin not included.)

Prize Option #5
New Metro Beater Blade. 129 Amazon reviews give this “scrape and mix at the same time” blade 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you haven’t been drooling for one, like I have, read more about it here. Winner gets the blade that matches their size/style kitchenAid mixer!

This will be interesting!

Oven's on - I'll be back soon!

~ Peggy

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Drake's ChooChoo Train Cake! (Click any photo to enlarge)

This cake was the first time I’d embossed fondant and then covered a cake with it (just the top tier, made to look like brick). I found the process rather difficult, but maybe it’s just because I’m the ultimate klutz in the kitchen. Cake is white almond sour cream with vanilla bean butter cream filling and icing. Bottom tier was finished in sky blue butter cream.  All details, including the train, are fondant and are 100% edible.

The little train was so much simpler than the last fondant train topper I made, which was molded out of rice krispie treats and covered in 2 layers of fondant (seen here). This time, I used the brilliant tutorial from Cake Journal (found here) and I’m telling you, it was a total breeze. The entire train, from start to finish, took less than an hour to make (which for me is SUPA’ fast). I just love me some Cake Journal (www.cakejournal.com), one of my cakey bakey happy places! (And I loved making this cheerful little cake!)

Oven’s on – I’ll be back soon.

~ Peggy

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