Cake Carnival Update - Meet Instructor #4

Hi Cakers!

I am totally stoked about today's teacher announcement!  This instructor is one of the sweetest, nicest people I have had the pleasure of meeting!  She has such a bubbly personality, and makes you feel so relaxed and comfortable in class.  She is a Food Network Challenge Champion, and her Craftsy class on advanced fondant techniques was my favourite to date!  She does exquisite work too :)  You guess who it is yet?  It is the exquisite Marina Sousa!!!

 



This is going to be Marina's second time teaching at Icing Inspirations.  I am hoping that we again get to use her phenomenal line of button and bead molds too - they are some of my favourite toys!

 

Stay tuned to see who our next instructor is.  If you have not registered for Cake Carnival yet, go ahead and do so here.  And a few of you have been wondering what skill level you need to be for this event - as long as you have basic fondant skills, you will do fine - there will be so many skills taught everyone will take something away from this! 

 

Happy Caking

Cake Carnival Update - Meet Instructor #3

Hi Cakeland!  The feedback I've been getting about the announcements is great!  I hope you are all having fun anticipating who we announce next!  Once all 6 instructors are announced, I plan on featuring each instructor more in depth with q&a's, so if you have something you want to ask one of the instructors, leave me a comment here.

Today's announced instructor is my newest cake crush.  I have yet to meet her, but her work is truly impeccable!  She has won many food network competitions and Halloween War.  I am told she in a genuinely kind, sweet lady who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.  She is none other than the lovely Karen Portaleo!

 

That's right - Karen will be returning to Icing Inspirations for the Carnival!  I was told her first class there was incredible.  So much so that she will be there again in November for a holiday class as well as a hands and faces class, and of course November next year for the Cake Carnival!  Who will be announced next?  Stay tuned here to find out.  If you are now convinced that you HAVE to be in this amazing class, then click here.

 

Happy Caking!

Cake Carnival Update - Meet Instructor #2

Well, we got such great feedback and excitement about James as the first instructor, that we figured we'd announce his teaching partner.  I like to think of her as America's sweetheart of cake thanks to her girl next door charm!  She has appeared on Ultimate Cake Off and Food Network Challenges including Last Cake Standing.  That's right cakeland - the second instructor at the carnival is.......

 

 

Courtney will be teaching later this week at Icing Inspirations.  There are still a few spots left I believe.  If you would like to get a taste of Courtney's teaching style (and learn how to make an adorable little dog from cake), then click here.  And if you haven't ecured your spot in the Cake event of 2013, then click here and make sure you don't miss out!

Cake Carnaval Update - First Instructor Announced

So a day or two ago, I mentioned that a huge event was coming to Icing Inspirations November 2013.  This event is none other than the Cake Carnaval - a 3 day cake retreat where celebrity cake artists pair up and teach us a different circus themed project each day.  The roll out of this class has been done in "teasers" and the announcement of the instructors is no different!  I have teamed up with Icing Inspirations, and will post info about each instructor as they announce them.

Our first instructor will be the much-adored James Rosselle!   James is a four time Food Network Challenge champion, earning himself the coveted red jacket. He was recently named one of North America's Top 10 Cake Designers by Dessert Professional magazine.  James has worked with big names in the pastry and cake world - Gale Gand and Ron Ben Israel.

James has his own line of cutters, veiners and molds which can be purchased at Icing Inspirations.  He also has a class coming to Craftsy which he is currently in the process of filming as I write (watch for my review of the class here when it is launched).

If you want to book your spot in the class, you can do so by clicking here.  Who will be the next instructor?  Keep reading the blog for more news as it is revealed!

Happy Caking!

Icing Inspirations is the place to be in November 2013!!

Hi Cakeland!

I have been uber busy working on a few TINY projects like my upcoming rose class in Ottawa with Lorrie Gauthier, getting ready for my booth and demo at the Montreal Cake Show, as well as working on my competition cakes for the same show.  And, more importantly, I have been working ALOT with my BCF - Chrissie from Icing Inspirations/Too Nice To Slice on her upcoming competition as well as a HUGE announcment that we are on the cusp of announcing!

A couple of weeks ago on the Icing Inspirations facebook page, we announced that a huge announcement will be made once we reached 6000 likes.  Well, tonight we did.  And the official announcement for the Cake Carnival is on it way!  Until then, here are a couple of pics to tide you over:

 

 

 

 

 

Keep your eyes posted here for the official announcement, updates, contest info, and much more!  You see the dates above, if you are a cake enthusiast like me, this is an event you definitely don't want to miss!

 

Happy Caking!

 

 

 

Another new feature - Look What They Did!

Hey Cakeland!

As summer is in full swing, I can't help but think of fall (yuck).  Not because I like the season, but because I am in the midst of product development and getting ready to launch a new product line.  One of the things I have been doing over the past year is selling my line (dusts and molds so far) and also giving them to some of my cake frinds including Ron Ben Israel, James Rosselle, Marina Sousa, and most importantly, my BCFs Chrissie and Karey.

That leads me to my new feature - Look What They Did!  I am going to use this feature to showcase the work my customers and students send me.  Tonight while I was eating dinner, I got a text from Karey that said, "Morsels By Mark Gunmetal Shimmer Powder = AWESOME!"  - Best. Compliment. Ever!  Not because my product is awesome, but because this is the opinion of someone I trust and love to death.  Karey used my gunmetal shimmer powder to add life to her spin on a cake design made popular by Kaysie Lackey (my cake crush du jour :) )

Great job Karey!  This cake is stunning!  For more on Karey, please check out her website http://www.kakekreations.ca

My line of dusts, cutters, molds, veiners and airbrush color will be officially launching in October at the Montreal Cake Show & Competition - If you can make it, please come by and see me.  These are products that I stand behind and use myself - feedback has been great so far and I can't wait until it is availabale to the public!

Until next time, Happy Caking!

Must Have Toys - The Mat

A few months ago, we started a new feature at the blog called, "Must Have Toys".  The item being featured this time around is definitely a must have!  It has completely changed the way I work with fondant and has made my lime a million times easier.  It is "The Mat" by SweetWise .

The mat is a patent pending fondant rolling system.  It esentially 2 sheets of polished plastic (that are delivered to your door in a nifty storage tube) that you place your fondant between and roll out.  Yeah yeah, I can hear you all now, "idiot - go to the fabric store and buy some clear vinyl - it is cheaper".  Well guess what - cheaper isn't better!  The way the mat is treated, it allows you to actually pick up the bottom sheet, place it over your cake, and release it.  I have tried the vinyl sheeting from fabric stores, and it is horrible.  After seeing the how-to video on Sweetwise's Youtube channel , I was sold that the mat was going to make my fondant rolling better.  I wasn't wrong!  I followed the instructions in the video, conditioned my mat, and got rolling (pun intended!).  The fondant rolled out smoothly between the layers, and released fairly easy from the plastic once placed over my cake.

Up until using my mat, I was always worried fibers from my chef's coat or tiny hairs from my arms would end up on the fondant when I picked it up (even though I scrub like a surgeon).  I tried using my rolling pin to lift the fondant, and had mixed success.  The best benefit of the mat is that it saves me money on fondant.  Because you are able to roll the fondant out thinner when using the mat, you actually end up using less fondant on your cakes (and we all know how much our customers LOVE fondant).  The way I see it, the mat pays for itself!

Now I bough the mat when it first came out, and that version has now been replaced by two improved versions - one that is 22" x 22" for the home decorator and another that is 30" x 30" for professionals. 

What is an added bonus to these two new versions (available for preorder ) is that they come imprinted with a measuring guide so you know exactly when to stop rolling out!  The only word of caution - if you want your mat to last, be sure not to fold it to store it - clean it, dry it and roll it back up and store it in its tube.

I only write and reccommend products that I use, trust and stand behind - the mat is no different.  If you want to easily roll your fondant and save money, then head over to SweetWise and pre-order yours now.  And while you're there, see what else they have to offer - they have a wide selection of products and great shipping too!

Until Next Time,
Happy Caking!