Going a Little Batty

I wanted to make an isomalt moon for the top of a cake.  I decided in this spooky season it needed some bats on it.  To get this look I'm using DTC's new bat inlay to get the above look.

Materials needed:
Bat inlays
Isomalt - I used CakePay isomalt nibs
Metal round cookie cutter
Cooking spray or some type of oil

Lightly spray the inside of the cutter ring with cooking spray then wipe off excess with a napkin.  Arrange the bats on a silicone mat or lightly oiled marble surface and place ring around the bats.  (Some pictures show two bats and some show three -- I made a few before I found one I liked.)

Place isomalt nibs in an microwave safe container -- warm in 30 second increments in microwave until fully melted.  Gently pour over the bats.

Stop when you reach the desired thickness and the bats are covered. 

Once cooled -- time will depend on the temperature in the area -- gently remove the ring.

Use a palette knife to gently pull the bats out from the back.

If you have any surface bubbles they can be removed by a quick blast with a blow torch.  Be careful if you do this over the thinner bat sections as they will melt quickly.  To help with the bubbles make sure to wait prior to pouring for the bubbles to dissipate.  I waited longer on the moon with with two bats and there are very few bubbles.

If the isomalt gets cloudy over time -- or you touch it too much -- and it gets dull looking you can use a small amount of vegetable oil on your finger and gently rub over the surface.

Here are some close ups of the other features of the cake:

DTC Products Used:
Bat Inlay
Coffin
Small Bat
Medium Bat
Skeletal Hand
Skulls - 4 Mini
Skulls - Horizontal Border
Web

Just A Little "Horsin' Around"

I would like to send a big Thank You to Rebecca Stewart for helping me out with the latest blog post.

I wanted to make a small display cake for the 2013 ICES convention in Kentucky. When I saw the horse molds at DTC, I knew just what to do! This cake measures just 8" from base to the top of the topper. I used a set of octagon dummies, but the same sizes can be cut from one 9x13 sheet cake (templates provided via link at end).

 

Materials Needed:

2" high cake tiers (1 each, 3x5, 4x6, 5x7 "stretched" octagons)

Fondant (ivory, brown (2 shades) and red)

Tylose powder

DTC Molds: Horsehoe, horse head, running horse

Sugar Delites mold: mini rose (or) use the smaller rose in the DTC Floral 1-Mini-9 Spring Flowers mold

Extruder with rope die is helpful

Gum glue or melted chocolate

Mold the horse head, running horse and horseshoes using lighter brown fondant with a small amount of tylose added. I will refer to this as fondant throughout the post. When molding tiny detail such as found in these molds, it is best to pop the filled mold in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes. You can then unmold the figure without the tiny bits breaking off. 

Make 2 heads, 2 running horses, 6 horseshoes, and 12-14 mini roses.

  



Use thin strings of fondant (50/50) to get into the tiny spaces, such as the legs on the horse.

Roll the filled mold to press the fondant into all the spaces.

Carefully skim off the excess with a thin blade palette knife.

After freezing, carefully unmold your pieces.

Follow the same procedure to mold the roses with red fondant/tylose.

Allow all pieces to dry, preferably overnight.

To assemble the miniature topper, use a small log of fondant to match the cake and slightly flatten it. Place the horseshoes in the log, pressing down slightly into the fondant. Carefully remove them and apply a small amount of gum glue or melted chocolate in the indentation. 

Replace the horseshoes, positioning them as desired. Fill in the base by attaching the miniature roses.

Ice, cover with ivory fondant if desired, and stack your cake tiers. Using straight fondant in a darker shade of brown, extrude a rope border and place it around the base of each tier. With shorter lengths of rope, tie a knot and attach it front and center on each rope border.

Apply the molded elements to the front and back, using gum glue or melted chocolate. Place topper.

Use these links for templates to cut a 9x13 or 12x12 sheet cake into the sizes used. Be sure to set the page scaling option in the PDF to NONE

Octagon cake template 1

Octagon cake template 2

DTC Products Used:

Mini Horse Head Left Facing

Mini Horse Head Right Facing

Mini Horse Head Set

Mini Horse Left Facing

Mini Horse Right Facing

Mini Horse Set

Mini Horse Shoe