Gumpaste Iris Tutorial

                                                                           

I have uploaded a tutorial for making a gumpaste Dutch Iris. You can locate the video through this link:
Gumpaste Iris Part 1
and
Gumpaste Iris: Part 2

Here is the template for the Iris cutter if you do not have access to one of my cutter suggestions. Print the template on heavy card stock paper, cut it out and use it cut your gumpaste petals.Most of the tools that I used can be found at Nicholas Lodge or  Global Sugar Art.

Tools for Making the Gumpaste Iris

Artist Brushes for dusting – I like the nail art brush sets

Cel Board by CelCakes

Cel former Set #1 by CelCakes or Wilton flower former tray

Cel pad by CelCakes

Cel Shredderby CelCakes

Dusting colors: Canary yellow, Prairie Green, Royal Purple, Lilac, Cinnamon

Dusting pouch

Floral Tape

Floral Tape – I used light green

Florist wire: 22g., 24g. 26g.

Gel colors: brown and lemon yellow

Gum glue adhesive 

Iris Cutters – I used Framar cutters

Jem petal veiner

Jem Veiner Set #1

Long flat tweezers

Medium Cel pin by Nicholas Lodge

Petal pad by CelCakes

Practice board

Rolling pin

Thick foam and cosmetic sponge for cupping

Vegetable shortening

White gumpaste

Wilton Confectioners Tool Kit: ball tool, dog bone tool, pencil tool, 

Written Instructions are below.

Dutch Iris Instructions

      Roll paste over three ridges of a grooved board to about 1/16^th inch, remove paste and flip over.

      Cut three of each Iris shape (standard petal, secondary fall petal, fall petal)

      Store the petals under protective flap to prevent paste from drying out.

Fall Petals:

      Insert a moistened 26 gauge wire about 1 inch into the base of the petal and pinch slightly at the base.

      Using a cosmetic sponge, press the petal onto a veiner of choice, grooved side first, then the flat side.

      On foam pad, using a ball tool, soften the petal, grooved side upwards, around the top edge of the petal almost down to the neck of the petal.

      Using a petal veining tool (porcelain tool) or pencil tool, gently fold the base (neck) around the tool to form a hollow area.

      Dry in the Styrofoam large Cel former or on a flower forming try with the flat side upwards.

      Repeat with remaining two fall petals.

Secondary Fall Petals:

      Insert a moistened 26 gauge wire about 1 inch into the base of the petal and pinch slightly at base to secure.

      Using a cosmetic sponge, press the petal onto a veiner of choice, flat side first then grooved side.

      With the dog bone tool on a foam pad, soften the two end pieces (rabbit ears)

      Using flat tweezers create a deep ridge on in the center of the grooved side of the petal.

      Again using the dog bone tool, Cup the two end pieces (rabbit ears) on the cosmetic sponge

      Using the petal veiner tool (porcelain tool or a pencil tool, gently mold the base of the petal to form a hollow area.

      Arrange the petal on top of a fall petal in the Cel former or dry on a flower former tray with the grooved side downwards. If using the Cel former, you may need to prop up the end of the petals with a bit of tissue.

      Repeat with the two remaining secondary fall petals.

Standard Petals:

      Insert a moistened 26 gauge wire about a third of the way into the base of the petal.

      Using a cosmetic sponge, press the petal onto a veiner of choice grooved side first, then the flat side.

      Using a ball tool on a foam pad, soften the petal edges slightly, using light pressure, so as not to create a frill. Using a ball tool on the cosmetic sponge, cup the end of the petal on the grooved side. Using the petal veiner (porcelain tool) or pencil tool, gently mold the base on the grooved side to form a hollow area.

      Repeat with the remaining two standard petals.

Leaves:

      Roll light green paste over three ridges of a grooved board, remove paste and flip over. Cut three leaves using a lily leaf cutter or other long slender leaf cutter. Insert a moistened 24 gauge wire about halfway into the leaf at the base and pinch at the base to secure.

      Using a cosmetic sponge, press the leaf onto a cornhusk veiner (may also use a lily leaf or lily of the valley leaf veiner).

      Using a ball tool on a foam pad, soften the leaf edge with grooved side upwards.

      Using a veining tool on soft thick foam, slide the tool down the center of the leaf starting at leaf base and ending at leaf tip to create a center vein. Dry the leaf on top of crumpled foil. Tape the leaf at the base with ½ width floral tape. Dust the leaf with Prairie green dusting powder over large sections of leaf. Add accents of a darker green dusting powder in small sections if desired.

Dusting the Petals:

Use your creative flair for this please …here is what I did:

      Fall Petals: Prairie Green petal dust in center of petal back and at base of petal front. Lilac petal dust on the petal edges and all over the back of the petal. Royal Purple petal dust for inner parts of the front of the petal brushed to form an arc shape and blended towards petal edge.

      Secondary petal: Prairie green at the base of the petal. Royal Purple intensely brushed on groove of petal, center of petal back and gently blended towards petal edge. A quick brush with the lilac brush at petal edges.

      Standard Petal: Brush front and back of petal with Lilac dusting powder. Brush petal edges in a few areas with the Royal Purple dusting powder.

To Assemble:

      Tape all the petals with ½ width floral tape. Tape a Secondary fall petal to each fall petal so that the secondary fall petal rests atop the fall petal using ½ width floral tape.

      Tape, using full width floral tape, the three Standard petals at the petals base to a 22 gauge wire with floral tape. The grooved side of the petals should face each other.

      Add a Secondary fall/fall petal combination to the Standard petals, situating them so they rest in between each standard petal (see video for details).

      Add two more 22 gauge wires at the base of the assembled petals and tape the length of the wires adding in leaves as desired.

      Steam the Iris to set the color and give the flowers an attractive sheen.

Please email if you have any questions.  I hope you have fun making this flower.

Evelyn

May 2013 Daring Bakers' Challenge - Prinsesstårta

Korena of Korena in the Kitchen was our May Daring Bakers’ host and she delighted us with this beautiful Swedish Prinsesstårta!

Sometimes when we get a challenge, I immediately start thinking of ways to change it and make it unique. I made all kinds of plans for this one, especially after reading a bit of history about it. Korena gave us some nice background information which I will share.

A little research revealed that the original recipe was created in the 1930s by a Swedish home economics teacher named Jenny Åkerström, who taught the three Swedish princesses of the time. She published a series of four cookbooks called “The Princess Cookbooks” and in one of the editions, there was a recipe for “Grön Tårta” (green cake). One story is that this later became known as “princess cake” (prinsesstårta) because the three princesses are said to have loved it so much. Another story is that Ms. Åkerström actually created three very elaborate “princess cake” recipes – a different one for each princess – and that the current version is a simplified combination of all three. That explains the princess connection, but the reason for the cake being green still seems to be a mystery. Today, prinsesstårta is popular in Finland as well as Sweden – so much so that the third week in September is officially Prinsesstårta Week!

I have a beautiful book called A World of Cakes by Krystina Castella in which Prinsesstårta is featured. She writes that , in Sweden, you can find the Prinsesstårta everywhere, in every variation and for every holiday:birthdays, anniversaries, national holidays, and more.
The Prinsesstårta is commonly made with sponge cake, apricot preserves, pastry cream and whipped cream. It is usually covered in marzipan that has been colored green for reasons that are not verified.

The results are "over the top" delicious and I can see why this is a celebratory dessert.It is very rich tasting, looks beautiful on the plate and gives a festive feel to the occasion of eating it.  I can just imagine the nostalgic, homey feel it gives those who grew up with birthdays celebrated with a Prinsesstårta
So, create an occasion to makePrinsesstårta and find a group of people too share this wonderful traditional treat of a dessert. 

Start by making the components. You can make the pastry cream and cake the day before to ease the workload.

I decided to make my Prinsesstårta with devils food cake and raspberry preserves as my variations. I love my Devils food cake recipe and look for any opportunity to make it.The cake is soft and moist and not too sweet, perfect with almost any type of icing. I covered the cake with rolled fondant mixed with pink modeling chocolate. I find that modeling chocolate gives fondant a nice sheen and wonderful taste. You can use rolled fondant, or modeling chocolate or the traditional marzipan instead.. 
Korena gave us some wonderful recipes for guidance. I have a pastry cream that I have used for years. It makes a lot of pastry cream but a friend of mine was making Boston Cream pie and promised to take the extra pastry cream. 
Here are the recipes with pictures.

Pastry Cream

Ingredients:

6 large egg yolks

¾ cup (170 gr.)  sugar

1/3 cup (75.6 grams)cornstarch

2 cup (480 ml)milk

½ vanilla bean

 

Procedure:

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and add to the milk.

Heat the milk gently to scalding.

Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture using a knife or small metal spatula.

Stir the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch.

Add the milk, a few drops at first to temper and then the rest.

Return the mixture to the heat (medium) and cook, stirring continuously with a wire whip until the

mixture bubbles for about 10 seconds.

Strain into another container through a fine mesh strainer. I like to use a ladle to swirl around the strainer to push the pastry cream though easily.

Cover with plastic wrap flush against the pastry cream and chill.

Devils Food Cake:                                                   (Sorry I do not have the conversions) 

Ingredients:
2 Cups  All-purpose Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoon  Salt
12 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temperature
2 Cups  Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder, non alkalized
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs
1 1/4 Cups Water
1/4 Cup Milk

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 -inch spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Cover the outside of the pan with aluminium foil to catch any seepage.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside,

3. In a mixer fitted with the paddle, cream butter adding sugar slowly continuing to beat  for about 4 minutes. Turn off mixer and scrape down sides.

4. Add the cocoa powder and the vanilla and beat at low speed until smooth.

5. Add the eggs one at a time beating well in between on medium speed and scraping the sides constantly.

6. Combine the milk and water in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. 

7. Add the flour a 1/4 cup at a time on low speed. Add hot milk mixture slowly in a stream alternately with the flour beginning and ending with the flour and mix until smooth.

8.Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, remove outside ring and cool to room temperature.

Prinsesstårta Assembly

 I am including a diagram that Korena gave us. It is very helpful in assembly. 


Ingredients

2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream, chilled
granulated white sugar, to taste used 2 tablespoons because the devils food cake is not super sweet
 Cake, cooled
1/3 cup (80 ml) seedless raspberry jam 
Vanilla Custard, chilled
Covering and Rose

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar to taste and continue whipping the cream until stiff. You want it to be sturdy enough to provide structure to the cake, but not over-whipped enough to make butter. Set the whipped cream aside.
2. With a long serrated knife, slice the sponge cake into three even layers. I used a cake leveler that I got from Wilton as shown in picture. Set aside the middle layer – this will become the top layer of the assembled cake as it is the most flexible and therefore easiest to bend into a dome over the whipped cream.

 



3. Place one of remaining layers on a cake board or serving platter and spread it evenly with the raspberry jam. Spread or pipe one  cup of the chilled custard over the jam in an even layer, leaving enough room around the edges so that it doesn’t spill over the sides of the cake.
4. Top the custard with another layer of cake. Spread with one cup of the custard evenly over it, again leaving some room around the edges.

 



5. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the stiffly whipped cream. Pile the rest into a mound on top of the custard. Spread it into a thick layer with a thin, flexible spatula or off-set spatula, then hold the spatula at an angle to shape the whipped cream into a dome, piling it up in the middle of the cake as much as possible.
6. Place the final layer of sponge cake (the one cut from the middle of the cake) on top of the whipped cream. Do not press on the top of the cake – instead, gently tuck the edges of the cake layer into the whipped cream, so that they are flush with the cream. This will create a smooth, seamless dome on top of the cake.
7. Gently spread the reserved ½ cup (120 ml) of whipped cream over the entire cake to fill in any cracks and even out the surface. If necessary, refrigerate the cake to firm it up before continuing.

 I got very nervous at this point as the cake was wobbly form all the creamy parts and I chilled it, rolled out the fondant and covered it without taking a picture. I am showing Korena's wonderful picture here so you can see what it should look like at this point.

Korena's beautiful cake covered with domed whipped cream

8. Dust your work surface with icing (confectioners) sugar and press the marzipan or other covering into a 6-inch (15 cm) disc (knead it a bit to warm it up first). Coat both sides with icing sugar and roll it out into a 14” (35½ cm) diameter circle less than 1/8” (3 mm) thick. Use plenty of icing sugar to prevent it from sticking. Alternatively, you can roll the marzipan out between two wide sheets of parchment paper (still use plenty of icing sugar).
9. Use the rolling pin to drape the rolled-out marzipan sheet over the cake and smooth it around the cake gently with your hands.
If it seems like it wants to fold or buckle around the cake, gently lift and stretch it away from the cake with one hand while smoothing it down with the other.
Trim the excess from the bottom of the cake with a paring knife or spatula blade.



These were great instructions from Korena and can be used for modeling chocolate or fondant.

I decorated the top of the cake with a rose and leaves done in modeling chocolate. I covered the bottom with a border of green modeling chocolate and used a modeling tool to press a pretty design.
I will post a tutorial about the rose  in my next post!
The rose is a traditional garnish and looks very pretty.
Thanks Korena! This challenge was a lot of fun and deeelish!

My slice !! And now off to the gym for some calorie burning!!

Mothers Day Bouquet

I recently did a demo in the craft store where I teach cake decorating. I wanted to use the skills that a beginner would use and create something that was a little different than the usual 8-inch cake.
I came across this video that fit the criteria. There are a number of cupcake bouquet videos  on YouTube but this one was fun and very easy.

Click here for the video

I got the 6-inch pot and 4-inch Styrofoam from the store. The demo generated a lot of interest and quite a few remarks of how easy it looked. It is easy...and plenty of time to crank this out for Mom.

Give it a try. For all you moms out there, I hope you have a wonderful day Sunday!