Fondant. Gum Paste. Modeling Chocolate

They're all big contenders when it comes to the world of cake decorating. But what exactly are each of these three confectionery concoctions? Here's a brief primer:

Fondant: Generally when it comes to cake decorating, rolled fondant is the type in question. Rolled fondant is a pliable, dough-like icing which is popular for use on occasion cakes. It is made of sugar, water, gelatin and food-grade glycerine. Its smooth appearance gives cakes a polished look, and rolled fondant is also flexible and workable enough to mold into shapes, which is very effective for decorating cakes.

Gum Paste: Like fondant, gum paste is a pliable dough which is often used for cake decorating. However, instead of gelatin it is made using egg whites, confectioners' sugar, and shortening. It can be rolled quite thin and is ideal for creating hand-modeled flowers or other intricate decorations. While fondant will remain soft, gum paste dries quite hard and is better suited for decoration on a cake than for, say, covering an entire cake.

Modeling Chocolate: This is a chocolate paste made by melting chocolate and combining it with corn syrup or simple syrup and then kneaded until it reaches a stiff, pliable consistency. Used like clay, this modeling chocolate can be molded into a variety of shapes that are not as easily performed with the softer fondant. Modeling chocolate can be made from white, dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate. White chocolate is the easiest type to tint in colors.
Of course, while this is helpful, it's always nice to have a visual, so here are a few more defining differences between fondant, gum paste and modeling chocolate.

Chocolate Gifts Come in an Assortment of Styles

Chocolate has always been a great gift to give someone. The chocolate manufacturing is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are so many different types of chocolate and so many reasons to give someone a chocolate gift that it is a industry that just keeps getting bigger every year. There are quite a few different types of chocolate. There is dark chocolates, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate are just a few. Many people have a favorite chocolate. Each maker of chocolate gifts has their own unique formula for the way they create chocolates and this makes each kind of chocolate flavor a little diverse.

5 Easy Cake Decorating Ideas To Try Out

Well, with the following 5 easy cake decorating ideas, you can also decorate your cake that others will marvel at. Whenever you go to a party, especially weddings, one of the things that stand out is the wedding cake. You can't help but marvel at how amazing the cake looks. Learn how to write messages on the cake.

With every occasion, you can find a simple message to write. To do this, you can choose a writing tip on your decorating or pastry bag. Remember, think about what you want to write in advance and write it down on a piece of paper from which you will refer. This will help you to avoid making errors and spelling mistakes. Apart from shapes, you can also choose to add flowers to your cake as a decoration. Roses are one of the most beautiful flowers to use on cakes. They are not so complicated to make; you just need to learn how to do it and practice until you can make them comfortably.

Birthday Cakes for Kids

Dough, pastry, and icing are among the most versatile of mediums for an artist. This makes it ideal for an artistic baker to use for his creations. The range of colors, shapes and sizes are limited only by the imagination. This means that when you plan your child s birthday party you can plan any theme you like that is appropriate, and you may be sure that will be possible to have a beautiful birthday cake made to blend in with it.You may, of course go about it differently. Perhaps you or your child has seen a cake in a store or on a website that you absolutely fell in love with. Then you plan the birthday party theme around the cake instead. When you order your cake, do try to choose a baker who uses good quality, healthy ingredients. It may cost you slightly more, but after all, your child s health is worth more and there will be less chance of having sugar crazed kids running all around your house.There are hundreds of themes for birthday parties for kids, and if you cannot think one up yourself, here are a few ideas to get your imagination working.

Classic Wedding Cakes

There are many different types of wedding cake and they come in all shapes and sizes. A quick browse around the web is all it takes to see just how many different styles of wedding cake there are and you can find some that aren't even 'cakes' in the traditional sense. Don't be surprised to find blocks of cheese instead of cake for instance, giant biscuits, curries or other bizarre items – and plates full of profiteroles are actually quite trendy and common.Classic wedding cakes are the several layered design that are of course white and which get larger with each tier. They have a thick icing and may have baby blue or light pink coloring well and of course they then have the bride and the groom standing on top.

The classic wedding cake is hard to beat as it doesn't seem like it's too self consciously trying to be unconventional or grab attention and it makes the love feel more 'real' as a result (if the wedding is very quirky it makes you wonder if they are trying to make up for something or convince someone). At the same time classic wedding cakes have a heritage and a history and an incredibly powerful symbolism.It is a tradition that actually dates all the way back to the Roman Empire. Here the classic wedding cakes were not white tiered cakes at all, but rather it was a loaf of bread which was broken over the bride's head which was a symbol of dominance over the marriage and her. Of course since then it has become somewhat more romantic than that. Today it is white in order to symbolize purity much like the wedding dress and this then right away shows you why it can be such a shame to have a 'quirky' red wedding cake which suddenly no longer symbolizes purity. At the same time the famous cutting is designed to represent the first task that the two will do together as a married couple and so this is a very important symbol that should hopefully demonstrate the bond between them. Somehow it's not the same knocking over a plate of profiteroles together. Then there's the famous feeding of the cake to each other – and this is supposed to show love and commitment too, and of course if you'd like to read into this further it can be seen as helping each other out and being there for each other.The classic wedding cake is what everyone expects and so you don't have the strong likelihood that you are leaving anyone out by choosing something more unusual that they can't eat. At the same time it echoes the bride's dress and is part of the whole paraphernalia of the wedding and part of the expectation. It is almost as though having a wedding without a classic cake is akin to having Christmas without a tree.

Worlds Most Popular Cakes

Cakes are probably one of the best inventions in the world. Perhaps the best invention since sliced bread – and not before because many cakes are reliant on bread for their mixture. There are countless different types of cakes and they are perfect for a range of different situations and to celebrate a range of different special occasions. It's not coincidence that it's a tradition to enjoy cake on a birthday or at Christmas – it's because this is one of the most enjoyable ways to eat for a special occasion. They are the bane of dieters and while many people have difficulty giving up their chocolate, it's often the one that they really can't stop cheating with and that they find themselves constantly steeling slices of. There are also many types and different people will have different favorites. There is no one who doesn't like them, because there are so many that you will be sure to like at least one of them.Being able to supply cakes is something that everyone needs to be able to do to make a good host.

I'm a Cake

What is a Cake...

Cake is a form of sweet dessert that is typically baked. In its oldest forms, cakes were modifications of breads but now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate and share features with other desserts such as pastries, meringues, custards and pies.
Typical cake ingredients are flour, sugar, eggs, and butter or oil, with some recipes also requiring additional liquid (for example milk or water) and leavening agents (such as yeast or baking powder). Common additional flavourings include dried, candied or fresh fruit, nuts, cocoa or extracts, and numerous substitutions for the primary ingredients are possible. Cakes can also be filled with fruit preserves or dessert sauces (like pastry cream), iced with buttercream or other icings, and decorated with marzipan, piped borders, or candied fruit.
Cake is often served as a celebratory dish on ceremonial occasions, for example weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. There are countless cake recipes; some are bread-like, some rich and elaborate, and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure; while at one time considerable labor went into cake making (particularly the whisking of egg foams), baking equipment and directions have been simplified so that even the most amateur cook may bake a cake.