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| Pam Randel competed as the representative from the Chicago Area Retail Bakers Association in the Creative Decorating Competition at the Retail Bakers Associations Marketplace 2004. |
What began as a way to earn spending money in high school turned into a career for Pam Randel, head decorator and manager of Deerfields Bakery, in Schaumburg, Ill. The retail bakery also has locations in Buffalo Grove and Deerfield, Ill. Randel learned the basics of decorating while in high school. When she started working at Deerfields in 1987, she learned the details of the trade from Owner Kurt Schmitt.
One of Randels favorite designs is a sculpted dinosaur cake. The bakery was already known for its sculpted cakes when Randel started working there, and she quickly picked up the techniques. "I really enjoy creating sculpted cakes. I decorate about 200 cakes a week, and on any given Saturday, about 20 percent of those are sculpted designs" she says.
For the sculpted dinosaur cake, Randel recommends punching a hole in the corner of a cake board and using a metal prong to strengthen the hole. The metal prong provides extra support for the wood dowel, which supports the dinosaur's neck and head. Glue another cake board to the bottom of the board to cover the metal prong base. Insert a wooden dowel onto the metal prong.
For the dinosaur's body, cut a half sheet cake in half and stack the two halves. Place the cakes up against the dowel at a diagonal on the cake board. Use a tube of cardboard to create the neck of the dinosaur. Randel uses the tube from the
bakery's paper rolls. Slide the tube over the wooden dowel, cutting into the cake slightly. Place an oval Styrofoam ball on top of the dowel to create the dinosaurs head.
Carve cake to form body
To form the dinosaur's body, cut away wedges from both sides of the cake, and set them aside. Round the front corners of the cake, and cut a sloped wedge off the back top half of the cake. Flip this wedge over, and place it on the front top half of the cake. Adhere it to the cake using icing. Take a wedge cut from the side of the cake and attach it to the back end of the dinosaur, creating a tail. "You can essentially create any shape for any kind of animal," Randel says. "A customer ordered a boa constrictor snake cake for her son's birthday party, which was held at a zoo. A zoo employee wanted to know where the cake came from because it was so realistic looking."
Randel uses a flat edge tip to ice the cake. "It's the easiest way to get the icing where I want it," she says. It also helps keep the cake from falling apart because the icing does not require spreading with a spatula. Ice the entire body of the
dinosaur, including the head and neck. Use plenty of icing because the icing gives the dinosaur its final, realistic shape. Use a spatula to smooth and shape the icing, and remove any excess. Add a row of icing to the top of the head, and shape into pop-up eyes. At this point, you can leave the icing as is for a smooth finish, or you can take a spatula and "rough" up the icing a bit for scalier looking skin.
The body of the dinosaur is essentially complete, and the remaining characteristics are up to the decorator and the customer. "Some customers want more elaborate cakes, and others don't want to pay for all the details," Randel says. For the featured cake, she chose to go more simplistic, with just the essential details added.
Use airbrush to add color
Use a flat edge tip to add the front feet. Pipe two lines down the front of the dinosaur for legs, and smooth the tops into the body of the dinosaur. At the ends, pipe three loops of icing for the toes. For the back legs, pipe an upside down 'u', then add the feet and toes. Add wings to each side of the dinosaur by piping
several rows of swags, one right on top of the other, starting at the bottom. Cut a mouth into the head of the dinosaur using a spatula.
Airbrush the entire dinosaur green. Then, add some brown color with the airbrush to give the dinosaur a deeper color. With a cut paper tube and dark yellow icing, pipe a row of spikes along the dinosaurs back using a pull-and-release motion. Work from the back to the front. Use an open coupler to pipe white eyes and toenails. With a cut parchment bag, pipe black irises and nostrils.
This basic dinosaur design would sell for about $80 at Deerfields, Randel says. But, sculpted cake prices can range up to $200 for more elaborate designs. You can add details to the cake board, or pipe more details on the cake itself. She usually spends 45 minutes to an hour on each cake design. "Sculpted cakes are fun because you can do the same basic shape, but get a different cake everytime. You can airbrush the skin differently or add more elaborate details," Randel says.
Practice really does make perfect, she adds. "When learning a new technique, just take it step by step, and it all will really come together."
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| Poke a metal prong into a cake board. Glue another cake board underneath, and insert a wood dowel into the metal prong. | |
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