In this down market, decorate cakes that celebrate two ways for customers to cope: shopping to stimulate the economy and cocktails to forget their troubles.
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| Select image to see shopping bag cake directions. | Select image to see cosmopolitan cocktail cake directions |
Novelty cakes, such as this shopping bag and cosmopolitan cocktail, make great designs for any occasion, from birthdays to retirement celebrations. The cakes can be adjusted for almost any size party. While these examples are geared toward women, a few easy adjustments, such as color changes, make them ideal for either sex.
For a shopping bag, in this case Neiman Marcus, sheet pink fondant and cut it into two 6-in. by 10-in. and two 13-in. by 10-in. panels. Stamp the larger sheets with the name of a store. Allow the panels to dry overnight. Then, attach the panels with buttercream to a base-iced cake.
Use a cut paper tube and black icing to fill in the stamped Neiman Marcus. Roll pink fondant into thin ropes and apply to the sides and bottom of the bag. Cut varying sizes of pink fondant dots, and attach them to the cake board.
Roll black fondant into two ropes, each about 12 ins. long. Fold them in half and twist them.
Attach the twisted ropes to the sides of the bag to create the bag's handles.
Crumple rectangles of pink and white fondant for tissue paper, and let dry. Once dry, attach the tissue paper to the top of the cake with buttercream icing. Add a plaque with an appropriate message piped with a cut paper tube.
To create a cosmo martini glass, shape white fondant into a dome that tapers at the bottom to simulate the top of a martini glass. Paint three-fourths of the exterior of the dome pink for the drink. Also, paint a pink semi-circle on the flat side of the dome.
Place the top of the glass on a quarter sheet cake covered with white fondant. Roll a strip of white fondant, and place it under the drink for the stem of the glass. Cut a semi-circle out of white fondant, and set it upright under the stem for the base of the glass.
For the lime, cut a ring out of dark green fondant and a circle out of lighter green fondant. Place the ring around the circle, and use an indenting tool to mark eight slices in the lime. Use the same tool to cut out two slices.
Place the lime on the side of the cosmo glass. Use tip No. 8 and pink icing to pipe a band attaching the top of the glass to the stem.
Cut circles and rings out of pink and black fondant and attach them to the cake using a steamer or water. Pipe a black shell border with tip No. 8, and add an appropriate message.
Fourth-generation baker Buddy Valastro, along with his mother and siblings, owns Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, N.J. Valastro has been decorating since the age of 11. His wedding cakes are regularly showcased in national bridal magazines and have been featured on several television shows, including The Sorpranos, The View and The Today Show. He specializes in rolled fondant cakes and gumpaste decorations.