Extravagant Gingerbread

Some of our creations have been included in online photo galleries of extravagant gingerbread creations.

Here is a link to Good Morning America's online article: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/slideshow/photo-extravagagant-gingerbread-houses-12448282

And here is the link to Food and Wine's online article: http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/over-the-top-gingerbread-houses

NYBG Gingerbread Adventure 2010

The theme for this years annual Gingerbread Adventures exhibit at the Bronx Botanical Gardens was vacation. After eliminating idea after idea - tropical beach scene (where is the gingerbread, a palm tree?), the almost expected Swiss chalet, a roman holiday (Colosseum), a Parisian getaway (Arc de Triomphe or Eiffel Tower) - I finally settled on the vacation of the future. I made a rocket ship on "Mars" with a family of astronauts and planets from our solar system floating in the space beyond. If you get to see it in person you will also notice a small green marzipan alien and spaceship made by 6-year old son. It is hiding behind the astronauts.

Halloween Video

A few years ago Doug Yuon produced a gingerbread house video with me and "Famous Fat Dave" for The History Channel website (check out my decorate page to view video). He returned to the bakery last week to shoot a Halloween inspired video for his food blog called Hungry Travels. It was a low key shoot, just him and his SLR camera. I don't like to watch myself on screen, but this video was great. I LOVE his work: interesting camera angles, wonderful depth of field, not to mention his editing.

To see his video:

http://hungrytravels.com/2010/10/21/video-halloween-cakes-at-riviera-bakehouse/

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Conquering the Heat

I have received numerous emails from people living in tropical climates. Most of these emails expressed some frustration with the Chocolate Method and getting the designs to set and not blur, or whipping up batches of buttercream that don't turn to soup. Seeing as New York does get pretty hot and humid in the summer I have had to deal with these problems to a certain extent, although we do have some air-conditioning. (See older blog posts for some quick fixes in the heat)

I was thrilled to receive an email from Nicholai in the Philippines who has mastered the Chocolate Method, despite not having air-conditioning, and uses our buttercream recipe as well.

Here is what Nicholai has to share... words and pictures.

I don't have an air conditioned kitchen. In fact, I do my decors while people are cooking and roasting something so you can just imagine how hot the surrounding is.

The colored chocolates I use are the ones sold in blocks. It comes in red, yellow, blue, dark green, violet, orange and pink. I don't know if it's the same as the wafer chocolates you've mentioned in your book. The store owner, whom I buy from, said they're compound chocolates. I cut them into cubes for easy mixing and melting. It's easy to melt but hardens quite fast even if the weather is hot.

I have to work with a microwave oven beside me when I'm doing the artworks so I can just pop my cones inside to heat for about 7 to 10 seconds to maintain the flowing consistency of the chocolate in the cone. I've tried having a pot of hot water with a shallow aluminum pan on top but my chocolates tend to seize when I leave them too long on the pan. I haven't tried a heating pad though. For now the microwave works best for me:)

I follow your instructions in the book when I start drawing. Candy colors are not available here so i mix colors and create shades using vegetable oil to thin the colors and use a paint brush to apply them. Once I'm done with the decors, I let them harden on a cookie tray until I need to place them on a cake or cupcake. Before I flip them, I put them in the freezer for about 5 minutes. The decor comes out smooth, shiny and sturdy. If I put it in the freezer while the chocolate is still soft, it tends to crack, so letting it sit until it hardens is very important, which takes about 15 minutes. Sometimes longer when the weather is really hot. What I find quite ironic is, when I leave the chocolate decors inside the freezer longer, they tends to melt faster. It happened to once or twice, thinking that leaving them longer will make it harder but the opposite happened. So now I follow a strict 5 minute rule :)

The only problem I come across with when I put them in the freezer is the sweating, which I resolve by laying the decors on a smooth facial tissue face down before arranging them on the cake. I only need to do this when I do big cakes and big batches of cupcakes and decors need to wait before I can arrange them. But most of the time, I try to work fast and arrange the decors straight from the freezer.

If I don't do this process, what happens is, the details stick on the cellophane and I'm left with the last layer of chocolate I applied. I also use latex gloves when I handle the decors so as not to leave finger prints on them and let the heat from my hands melt the details.

When I do big decors, I put popsicle stick(s) at the back to support the its weight and prevent from cracking. I also let the chocolate harden longer, about an hour or more to make sure it doesn't crack and clings to the popsicle frame properly.

When I have enough time, I do the decors ahead of time, let them harden as long as over night, put them in the freezer for 5 minutes, flip them over, let the sweating dry up and arrange them in an air tight container on a parchment paper. I just leave them at room temperature which is most of the time around 24F to 28F.

During summer time, when it's really really hot, I work at night when it's cooler and the kitchen is not busy.

I haven't really encountered a total melt down with your chocolate method. Our hot and humid weather is a challenge to work with in cake decorating but yours hold up the best compared to the others even if the parties I serve are held outdoors.

I hope what I wrote above can help your followers from tropical countries like mine and accomplish what I have using your magical technique.

Working with Confectioner's Chocolate - lines on flipped side

Q: How do you make sure the front (visible) side of the chocolate is smooth without air holes. I made a cake this week and ended up having a lot of little air bubbles in some of my peices. Eventually I started pushing down on the chocolate from the back to try to prevent it (messy hands). How do you prevent this?

Q: Why do my chocolate decorations, when flipped, have air pockets or the texture of the piped lines?

A “Chocolate Method” decoration is supposed to be smooth and flat on the flipped and decorated side. If you see the texture of the piped chocolate or excessive air bubbles it may be caused by the chocolate not being in the desired liquid state while you were making the decoration.

If the chocolate is too cool as you pipe, it acts more like icing, keeping a linear shape. It does not flood into the area being filled or piped like a liquid would. I recommend having two pastry bags of each color chocolate. While you are working with one bag have the other bag warming on a heating pad or a sheet pan placed over a pot of barely simmering water. Switch bags often to insure you are always working with warm chocolate.

Chocolate is temperamental. It has to be kept slightly warmer than body temperature or it begins to set. I have found that the white chocolate is the perfect working temperature if it rests on a heating pad at high heat and the dark chocolate prefers a slightly hotter surface like a portable stove top or double boiler.

Humidity also affects the way chocolate melts. If your chocolate was exposed to excessive or prolonged humid conditions, you may have difficulty melting it, instead it will seize. If the seizing is not severe, you can counteract it by whisking a few drops of vegetable oil into the melted chocolate.

Another reason textural lines or air bubbles may appear in your chocolate designs is the size of the hole in the pastry cone. The larger the area you are trying to fill in the larger the hole in your pastry bag should be. Keep in mind you don’t want the hole to be so big that you are unable to control the flow of chocolate. If you try to fill in a larger area using a very small hole the first rows or lines of chocolate you piped may start to set before the other layers are in place. This creates a lacy effect with many holes. Try to work as quickly and efficiently as you can without sacrificing quality. To increase efficiency, have all of the chocolate and colored chocolates you will need to complete a design melted, poured into pastry cones, and ready to go. If you have to stop mid-design to melt chocolate this could affect the quality of your final design.

New FALL Class Schedule

The Whimsical Bakehouse offers a variety of cake and cookie decorating classes. Although our classes are geared toward the decorating enthusiast, pastry professionals are welcome. The level of each class (noted below the class heading) ranges from beginner to advanced and some classes invite the family to join in the fun. Please email Liv Hansen at liv@whimsicalbakehouse.com or whimsicalbakehouse@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up for a class or have any questions.

*A non-refundable deposit is required to secure your spot in any of the classes.

Sunday, September 19th

9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Decorating Cookies
All levels welcome
This class teaches you how to decorate cookies with royal icing, sanding sugar, melted chocolate, and sprinkles. An assortment of shaped cookies will be provided for each student, including a 3-d barn and a tiered mega-cookie.
$115 per student, $25 deposit*

Sunday, October 10th and Monday, October 11th

9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Cake Decorating Intensive
All levels welcome
This comprehensive class covers the fundamentals of cake assemblage, icing, and decorating. Piping with buttercream is introduced through practicing borders, surface embellishment, and flowers. This workshop also introduces the “Chocolate Method”. Each student will complete one small tiered cake to take home.
$300 per student, $75 deposit*

Sunday, October 24th

9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Halloween Adventures
Parent and child (6 years or older)
Have fun and learn how to ice and decorate a variety of kooky and spooky Halloween cupcakes and cookies -which you can take home at the end of the class.
$75 per parent/child, $25 deposit*

Sunday, November 7th

9:30 am to 1:00 pm

The Chocolate Method
All levels welcome
This class takes an in depth look at “The Chocolate Method”. Learn how to make appliquéd and free-standing chocolate decorations including butterflies, a 3-d treasure chest, lollipops, and a portrait.
$65 per student, $20 deposit*

Sunday, December 5th

9:30 am to 12:30 pm OR 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Gingerbread Adventures
Parent and child (6 years or older)
Let you and your children delight in the assembling and decorating of a gingerbread house which you can take home at the end of the class.
$95 per parent/child, $25 deposit

Teri's Circus cake

Our latest book features a circus inspired cake. Teri, without seeing ours, had a similar idea. I love her cheering audience and the adorable figures.

Rowena's Castle

The purple accents, detailed doors and windows, and piped flowers take Betty Crocker's castle to the next level. Thanks Rowena!

The Latest Betty Videos

The new Betty Crocker Videos are now posted on BettyCrocker.com

Here are the direct links:

Strawberry Cream Cupcakes
http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/desserts/strawberry-cream-cupcakes
Let’s Party Cake
http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/celebration-cakes/lets-party-cake
Flower Cupcakes
http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/celebration-cakes/flower-cupcakes
Jack-o-Lantern Cake
http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/celebration-cakes/jack-o-lantern-cake
Ganache Minicakes
http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/desserts/chocolate-ganache-minicakes
Praline Pumpkin Dessert
http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/desserts/praline-pumpkin-dessert
Warm Caramel Apple Cake
http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/desserts/warm-caramel-apple-cake
Turkey Cupcakes
Coming soon…

AMAZING cookie card!

A very modest decorator, and reader of our books, sent me these photos of her first attempt at a cookie card. My mom and I were wowed. Not only did she make the card but she added a chocolate portrait as well. Lucky Darren!

To make your own version of a chocolate portrait or a cookie card check out our latest book Kids' Cakes, pages 76-79 and 150 respectively.

New Whimsical Bakehouse Books

Kids' Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse and Other Treats for Colorful Celebrations will be available June 1, 2010.

And our first book, The Whimsical Bakehouse - Fun to Make Cakes that Taste as Good as They Look has been released in paperback.

Karin Slaughter's Cupcake Contest

A few weeks ago my mom and I had the pleasure of meeting Karin Slaughter, crime writer and author of the recently released book Undone, at the Random House Book Fair. We got to spend some time with her, hear her amusing stories, and laugh often. After trading books with us she came up with the idea of having a cupcake contest for her fans. I loved the idea, so, hoping to inspire others, I came up with 5 new cupcake designs. The directions for each design will be posted in Step-By-Step on the whimsical bakehouse decorate page by the end of the week.

For more information on Karin’s contest visit: http://www.karinslaughter.com/cupcakes.shtml

Betty Crocker, Take 3

I just got back from Minneapolis, home to General Mills and Betty Crocker, where we filmed the latest installments of Betty's How-To videos - 8 videos in all, including some cute and simple cupcakes like the one above. They should be posted in about a month. I'll let you know...

More Great Cakes from YOU!

I haven't gotten a chance to update the blog lately, but here are some great cake images people have sent me over the last couple of months....

Upcoming Events

My mom and I are scheduled to "appear" on Everyday Food with Betsy Karetnick (Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius) on Tuesday, February 9th at 12:15. The theme of the day is chocolate; we'll bring in some of my mom's yummy chocolate recipes and some of my chocolate method designs to talk about.

On March 6th we will be attending The Random House Book Fair in Westminster, MD. We'll be signing books, judging a decorating contest, and I'll be giving a decorating demonstration.