Tuesday Tips 4/26

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So I ordered a few new tools. Once they come in I'll update how they work.

Here's what I'm trying out this month:

This Baking rack insert will give me more room in my oven for cake/cookies.

For $20 I thought why not!

I also got this Cooling Rack, another $20 for more counter space.

I had also purchased this Oven Mitt a year after I burnt myself three times in one weekend. Lets just say that I won't be doing any hand modeling with all my baking scars.

I'm also trying out some New extracts and oils I just got. Including new Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste.

Sorry For the Lack of Posts the last two weeks. I was swamped with orders then went on vacation in the Wonderful town of Boston. 

While there, I did a little researching.....

We visited Sweet Cupcakery and their cupcakes were fabulous! (My favorite was Red Velvet, while Nick fell in love with the place, the cheesecake cupcake and the counter girl!)

Have a Great Rest of the week.....It's a very exciting one for me, check back soon to see why!

Tuesday Tips! 4/5/11

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Due to a 4 Hour Power outage, my Tuesday Tip is a little late.

Here's a few helpful tip for baking.

First, I use Flower Nails  upside down in my baking pans as a baking core. This will ensure that your cake comes out evenly baked and takes a little less longer to bake. Wilton sells a baking core for $8 and it's a piece of CRAP, not to mention it leaves about a 2" hole in the middle of your cake. Save your money!

These Nails are about $1-$1.50 depending on size, you can get them at any supply store (Michaels, Joann...etc). I recently picked up a four pack of Aetco Heating Nails for $5.

For Cakes 10" or larger nails should be used. I use them in all my cakes, especially in my deeper 3" pans. Here's a picture of what it looks like in the pan:

Don't forget to spray your pan and the nail  with quality baking spray before adding batter. I've experimented and quality counts, so I typically use either PAM Baking Spray or Baker's Joy. 

They are both great and definitely worth it. I used a few other brands and wound up with a pile of crumbled cake with half of it stuck inside the pan. It is VERY Frustrating! 

Thank goodness my co-workers and friends enjoy my cake scraps!

Happy Tuesday Wednesday!

Tuesday Tips 3/29

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Another post for my Tuesday Tips Feature:

This week I want to focus on some of the unconventional tips I use for transporting my cakes.

For my Actual Cake Boards, I use a few different versions :

Wilton Decorative Silver Plates (Sold At Michaels in a 6 pack or Individually at PartyCity.)

Decorative Covered MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard.) I get a sheet of this at Home Depot and when I bat these baby blues, the guys working in the wood department will cut it for me to any size I specify!

One of the simplest things I have found, was using rubber shelf liner in the bottom of my boxes to make sure my cakes don't move during transit. You can even put a strip of this on the floor of your car to safely transport "Grandma's Casserole to Easter dinner." You can grab a roll of this rubber matting in any grocery or go-to store such as Walmart or Target. 

I typically use white bakery Boxes for my smaller one layer cakes.  After trying a few different brands, I found that Home Depot actually has the best deal for sturdy boxes in different sizes for my larger tiered cakes. Although I'm not impressed with the "Home Depot Logo" all over my boxes, I'd rather that than one of my cakes on the ground because of a crappy box. 

Stacking will be discussed in a future post. I'll have to take pictures of my Step by Step Process! 

Happy Tuesday!

Tuesday Tips! 3/22/11

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I am always getting asked random questions about baking tools, products, where I get supplies and how I make certain things. I'm in no way an expert but have found through the years that certain things are very useful and other things are complete crap!

I've decided  that in my spare time (haha yeah right, that doesn't exist!) I will start posting a feature on my blog each Tuesday that will discuss some of my tips, tricks, favorites, and maybe eventually when I have more time (SUMMER!!) I'll add some tutorials. I've decided to call it. "Tuesday Tips!" So Tune in each Tuesday and maybe you'll learn something, become inspired, or just have something to look at while you're procrastinating at your job! I've been told by many of you that you "stalk" my page during the workday....Hopefully this will help your urge.
(Sidenote: Have No Shame...Friendly stalkers are welcome, just as long as you're not collecting follicles of my hair or plotting my unfortunate death) hehe

This week I thought I'd start with a  few of my tried and true gadgets that help make my baking life easier.

• The Beater Blade beats the crap out of your batter/ buttercream so you don't have to stop the mixer to scrape down the sides! I give these babies a workout every week when they whip up about 8 batches of thick creamy buttercream.

Check to make sure you get the right size for your mixer. I posted a link to Amazon but you should find them anywhere between $20-$30 depending on your size mixer.

• The Cupcake Courrier It holds 36 Cupcakes and has enough room between each tray so your cakes won't get smooshed! I decided to buy this one when I had a class of 25 kids, I couldn't stand bringing two separate containers for 25 cupcakes! 

I'm the proud owner of Two Pretty Pink ones but they come in a few other pastel colors

A Cheaper Alternative is placing cupcakes inside a T-shirt or Sweater gift box and packing them in with marshmallows so they don't move around in transit. 

*Insider Trick: Place naked cupcakes in the box in rows, pour marshmallows over cupcakes to pack them in THEN ice cupcakes and decorate. This will prevent the marshmallows from sticking to your pretty icing and decorations.

The Non-Stick Muffin/Cupcake Pan Cleaner. I thought this was such a clever find. The sponge fits perfectly inside your cupcake tins to clean the rim and won't scratch the non-stick surface.
I found it at a random store but above is a link where you can get it online.

And Lastly I'll leave you with one of my favorite websites to browse for fancy and fabulous baking items:

Bake it Pretty has all your supplies for cutsie Cupcake and Cake Tools!

Enjoy!!!

Do you have a Question? Post it in the comment section and I'll try my best to answer for you! 

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