I have to apologize...
I have been very neglectful to Sugarlovingfashionista as of late. I've been going through some "life experiences" (I'll call it that to be decent and not sound like the foul mouthed Sailor you all know and love) that have closely mirrored almost every episode of "The 'Real' Housewives of NYC".
As soon as I find a way to write about these shenanigans that I can frame with my sarcastic humor I will post it for you all, my faithful 24 followers, to read and enjoy.
In the meantime; I was invited to a launch party of cake decorating supplies developed with and endorsed by Chef Duff, the cake decorator we all know and love on TVFN's "Ace of Cakes"
I have been making cakes for 20 years now and I by no means try to align myself with the likes of Chef Duff. (Cuz in my possibly medicated washed down with alcohol world, I'm even better then Duff) When I first started out making cakes I used Wilton as my bible and that gave me a great base in cake decorating. Along the way (the way being The French Culinary Institute, Le Cirque and Colette Peters) I have had the great fortune to learn from the best in the industry. I learned how to use fondant (fondant is that sugar paste that resembles play-dough that covers cakes and allows a world full of opportunity in decorating a cakes, it also tastes very similar to play-dough) make sugar-paste flowers, fill cakes with various flavors of mousse along with various flavors of ganache and buttercream. I've come full circle and have found myself back to the basics in decorating and flavors. Oh yes, that's right kiddies, the tide is a changing and mommy is surfing this wave. I have found that most people want their cakes to taste reminiscent to cakes back in the day's of yore.
Back in the days of yore were good days for cake.
The most popular cake flavor I get requests for is chocolate cake and chocolate frosting with alternating layers of vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. I stay very far, far, FAR away from fondant. It tastes like ass (well I am assuming it tastes like ass, I don't make it a practice to go around tasting ass) People have VERY strong feelings about fondant. Customers hate the taste, yet cake decoraters (including this one) love it for the freedom it allows for in decorating cakes.
So last Thursday I ventured over to Chef Duff's launch party to try out his cake decorating products. There were some crazy claims of good tasting fondant, which made me really and truly laugh out loud. Puh-shaw I say! Good tasting fondant, as if. Next there will be claims that my beloved Foie Gras is being made fat free, anarchy!!! I walked in to this launch party ready to hate the fondant and meet TV personality and cake artist extrodinare, Duff. In that order.
The launch party was great, there were 6 inch round cakes filled and ready to go for everyone attending to decorate their own cake. The space was set up in the same style as if it were a culinary school. I planted myself front and center and started to decorate when I noticed there were waiters walking around with glasses of champagne and I LOVE waiters walking around with glasses of champagne! Excellent way to go launch party!
I didnt get a chance to use all of the cake decorating offerings but I did enjoy what I ended up using. Fondant. Yup, that's right. The devils work. Satan's sugar lump. Fondant has the tendency to dry out pretty fast so time is of the essence when using it. Duff's fondant was hard as a brick upon opening the container. After a small visit to the microwave, it was soft and perfectly pliable. I began to roll out the fondant to cover my cake when I was forced by one of the peeps running this show to taste the fondant. I felt like I was on "Fear Factor" with no reward in sight after successfully eating a slug.
I took a breath and prepared myself for the challenge before me. I have to admit, it wasn't that bad. The taste is very similar to candy corn, which I do enjoy and it was really easy to roll it as thin as possible.
In this master bakers opinion the best quality to this fondant was that it does not easily dry out and its very forgiving. As I was making purple balls (nothing says I'm learning new mad skills while having wicked fun like purple balls) I had left the fondant out on purpose to see how long it would take to dry out. As you can see in the pictures, I made a lot of purple balls. I didn't really have a plan in how I was going to decorate the cake. I was just making it up as I went along, as you may have noticed...
Meeting Duff was a blast, he was super friendly, even to the crazy blonde girl who suggested he could suck it on the cake provided by him to decorate. Duff, next time you are in NYC, I am getting the first 4 rounds of drinks, you dig?
With the world of cakes exploding with popularity, there is a need for the home baker to have easy access to the supplies needed to make cakes at home. The launch of Duff's products will fill that need as his cake decorating supplies will be found at local grocery and craft stores and of course, his website www.duff.com
For us that live here in NYC, there is the mecca, New York Cake and Bake. It is filled to the gills with everything from cake decorating to candy making. Don't go there thinking you will have any of your questions happily answered by a helpful staff. The staff there is usually pretty annoyed at just about anything and everything. My personal favorite is the guy who stands at the counter yelling "Next! Next! Next!" as I look around the empty store looking for the customers whom he is bellowing at only to realize I am the only customer in there. Makes for such a fun shopping experience.
All in all I really did enjoy using Duff's products, I am going to make a cake using all of his supplies and give it a "tested in my apartment" review.
Now a preview of my next post, summer fashion. Really short shorts? Really? You just have to be THAT short? Flippin hell
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