The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York Citys Famed Bakery

208 Pages·2007·20.31 MB·English

by  Elisa Strauss

Resources 218
Acknowledgments 219

Index 221

Equipment and Techniques

Equipment

(refer to the equipment shown here throughout this book,
Having a good collection of equipment will make

»PE® This nonstick,
spessafe paper has a variety of uses:
‘SS baking sheets and the bottom
‘s@caike pans to keep cookies and cakes
‘Sem sticking; rolling out cookie dough,
Giecween two sheets of it, tracing
esens, creating templates, and asa
pisces dry fondant and gum-paste
‘Gecorations. Sifting flour and cocoa
‘Seectly onto a sheet of parchment
spsaes cleanup go much faster.

= o8e METAL RULER: An ABineh
‘pales & essential for measuring all
‘spect of ceke and rolled fondant,
Grom guiding the cutting of the cake to
seessuring the overall height of your
‘coke layers. Metal is preferable because
25 much more durable — plastic and
wood rulers tend to become cut and
Sc-4, which will not give youa
pestectly straight edge.

Rm sEERATEDK

Fe Thisis essential
Ss cutting cakes. It does not compress
she coke as a smooth-bladed knife will,
sed makes carving and sculpting much
easier.

creating great cakes much easier.

4 SMALL OFESET SPATULAThis
tool is similar to a palette knife, but
thicker, and can handle large and
heavier cakes and sugar decorations. It
is also perfect for mixing colors of Royal
Icing, transferring cookies and cakes,
frosting cupcakes, spreading icings and
preserves, and crumb coating cakes.

5, LONG OFFSET
‘Approximately 10 inches long, this toc!
performs the same tasks as the smaller
version but can cover mere surface area
when you are moving or frosting layers
of cake. The larger size and longer reach
make it useful for releasing dough or
cake that is stuck to a surface,

ATULA

6. PARING KNIFE: This small, smooth
blade is easy to handle and maneuver

and is perfect for cutting fondant or gum
paste, trimming fondant-covered cakes,

and making perfect straight edges.

7, SCALE There are several reasons
why I prefer to measure my dry
ingredients on a scale instead of using
measuring cups. A scale gives you
accurate measurements, which ensures
that your recipes will come out right
every time. With measuring cups you
can lose count, and depending on how
you spoon in the ingredients, the
measurements can vary. If you are

worried about a scale taking up too
much counter space, compact electric
scales are available.

8 ANT SMOOTHERS: 1am
not sure how I ever covered cakes with
rolled fondant before I had a pair of
‘these smoothers. These two paddles
help smooth bumps and ripples out

of the fondant after you place it on the
cake. They make a straight, smooth
surface, which your hands cannot do.
‘You can also use them to center finished
cakes on cake bases or on tiers of cake.
9. CARDBOARD CAKE BOARDS:

Each tier of a cake should have at least
one of these boards underneath it (more
for cakes larger than 6 inches). This
allows you to move your cakes easily
and pick them up after they are covered
in fondant. In general, you want the
cardboard cake board to be the exact
size of (or slightly smaller than) your
cake layers. With boards underneath,
you can glue tiers of cake directly to
cake bases, or place a tier directly on
top of dowels. You can also make cake
boards out of foam core.

20. CUPCAKE WRAPPERS: These paper
liners fit into cupcake tins and allow you
to handle each individual cupcake. They
come in a variety of colors and sizes.

13
Equipment

31. WOODEN ROLLING Pin: This trad
tional wooden rolling pin is tapered at
the ends in the French style. It is perfect
for rolling out large pieces of cookie
ough, rolled fondant, and gum paste.
22, PLASTIC AND WOODEN BOWELS:
‘These dowels provide interior support
for your cakes. Use the wider plastic
dowels for larger tiers and the skinnier
‘wooden dowels when you do not have
‘as much room to spare. NEVER use
straws to dowel your cakes. They bend
‘and crack and cause your cakes to
collapse.

43, PENCIL SHARPENER Use this ta
sharpen the ends of wooden dowels
before you insert them into your cakes.
44, UBER SPATULA. This tool is
handy for seraping batters from bowls,

filling pastry bags, and transferring,
filling from the bow! to the cake.

15, LARGE PIPING

We use these
tips often to pipe filling between layers
of cake, The large tip helps maintain

‘an even frosting height over the entire
cake layer, These tips are also useful for
‘cutting out polka dots and other round
sugar decorations,

16, MEASURING SPOONS: These are
used to measure smalll increments

of ingredients: % teaspoon, % teaspoon,
Ysteaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon,
Make sure to level off ingredients before
‘adding them to the recipe.

47, WEASU®ING CUPS When you use
measuring cups, make sure to spoon in
the ingredients with e tablespoon and
level off the top with a straight edge in
order to get the correct amount.

28, BENCH SCRAPER: This tool is
great for keeping a clean work surface
at all times, Use it to remove cornstarch
and other ingredients from your work
table. Its hard metal edge works for
cutting fondant and gum paste into
individual pieces. 1 also use this to push.
Royal icing from the back of a pastry
bag to the front near the tip and get rid
of air bubbles.
Decorating Tools

The tools pictured on the following pages are many of the items
| use most often. | refer to them frequently throughout the book.
Having a good collection of decorating tools helps you

‘The smooth surface
‘mest is great for rolling out small
es of gum paste or fondant,
you can purchase special
pisces mats, any smooth place
work fine, Place a flat wet paper
bendereath to prevent the mat
sng while you are rolling out

srr Use this tool for

‘=p thinly rolled gum paste or

Gecorations or to get under a
‘cookie while itis still drying

A flexible version
this tool is invaluable for
the curved surfaces of

perc x

© > These small metal
for creating piped

‘Sou will need a range of sizes,

cen the look you are trying to

when I say, for example,
‘Spor #10 tip, this is what

to, Always wash and dry
carefully so they do not rust.

5. PLASTIC COUPLER AND RING:
‘These arc used to hold the metal pastry
tips on a pastry bag, They also allow
you to change a tip without changing
the entire bag.

6 \EAF-VEINER MOLD: Thissilicone
mold creates an embossed design on.
sugar decorations. This particular mold
creates the impression of the veins

ona leef. Silicone molds often have
two pieces and come in all different
forms, They are found in craft and
cake-decorating stores.

7. (AP CUTTER) Use this metal
cutter to form the leaves of a plant or
flower decoration. The metal cutter
gives you the general shape, which you
can then press into silicone mold or
shape with your hand,

@. SMALL METAL RULERLAL2Ineh
ruler is useful for cutting and measuring
gum-paste designs. Try to find rulers
with no backing, Metal is preferable
because plastic and wood rulers tend

to get cut and dented, which will not
give you a perfectly straight edge.

complete projects with greater ease.

8, CACTO KN EE This thin, sharp
blade is perfect for creating templates
for cookies, cutting intricate sugar
decorations, and shaping cardboard and
foam core to the exact size you need.

10, SCALPEL. These little knives have
become invaluable to me. I first started
using them after my dad, who is a
surgeon, gave me a few to experiment
with, Scalpels have the finest, sharpest,
blades you can find, so be extremely
‘careful when werking with them. They
are disposable, so aftera few uses you
can throw them away. Look for them in
‘medical supply stores.

41, FOOD MARKER: This nontoxic
marker allows you to write directly

‘on cakes and decorations just as you
‘would with a real marker. They are
great for writing text and drawing fine
details, and they are much easier to
control than paintbrushes. The ink is
completely edible and the markers
‘come in an assortment of colors.

12, 1OOTHPICKS Tuse toothpicks

for transferring food coloring into
Royal Icing, fondant, and gum paste.
‘They are also great to use for creating
stitching details and veining on leaves,
and embossing holes into designs.