Review of Lesson 2 of Intensive PME Professional Diploma in Sugarpaste

This is my review of Lesson 2 of Intensive 5 Day Course for the PME Professional Diploma Course in Sugarpaste.

The opening talk in Lesson 2 of Intensive 5 Day Course for the PME Professional Diploma Course in Sugarpaste covered awareness of a professional approach to business, including the need to find out about the health and hygiene regulations you would need to conform to if you start selling your cakes professionally, the finances of running a cake business and what to consider when taking orders and payments.

The practical session of Lesson 2 of Intensive 5 Day Course for the PME Professional Diploma Course in Sugarpaste covered cake carving, using textured rolling pins including basket weave, levelling and preparing a fruit cake for icing by use of marzipan. We also had to cover the top of the marzipaned cake with a layer of sugarpaste which we then textured, in preparation for creating an inlaid plaque in week 3.

Pillow Cake with Basket Weave Texture

For my carved cake, which had to include use of the PME basket weave rolling pin and feature the garret frill cutter, I choose to create a pillow cake. You can find the recipe for my Chocolate Cake in my Chocolate Cushion Cake post. I also used the technique of inlaying cut-outs that we had covered in Lesson 1.

I made my own template for the cushion cake. My chocolate cake recipe provides a firm cake and I made the cake the day before using it to ensure that it was firm enough for carving. Once carved into the shape of a cushion cake, I split the cake, filled it with chocolate buttercream and then crumb-coated it with a thin layer of chocolate buttercream. I covered the cake in two colours of sugarpaste. For the bottom layer, I used plain dusty pink sugarpaste, and I then used my own template to cut the fondant to shape before placing the carved cake on top of it, gently bringing up the fondant to shape around the cake. I covered the top of the cake with a layer of sugarpaste that I had coloured a light brown and textured with a basket weave rolling pin. This paste was also cut to shape before placing on the cake. I eased the two layers of sugarpaste together but was not too worried if there was a small gap, as I used my sugarpaste gun to create contrasting piping – as you would find on a real cushion.

I decorated my cushion cake with an inlaid garret frill and fabric effect flowers.

I really enjoyed this class and there was a lot of creativity demonstrated. There were 9 students in this lesson and such a variety of carved cakes were produced, including a Chinese Steamer Basket with sugarpaste sushi! It was very inspirational and there was no overlap in ideas between students at all.

You may also be interested in my other reviews of the Intensive 5 Day Course for the PME Professional Diploma Course in Sugarpaste: Lesson1, Lesson3, Lesson4, Lesson5 and Final Presentation Board and Presentation Celebration Cake.

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Chocolate Pillow Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:
175g organic unsalted butter
160g organic golden caster sugar, divided into 115g and 45g
6 large organic free range eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla bean paste
1.5 tsp glycerine
150g sifted organic self-raising flour
25g organic fair-trade cocoa powder
225g plain organic fair-trade chocolate 70% cocoa

For the filling:
100g plain organic fair-trade chocolate 70% cocoa
140g unsalted butter
140g icing sugar

To decorate:
500g fondant icing, coloured to your theme
Fabric effect sugar flowers and leaves

This is a dense chocolate cake, suitable for cake carving, but remains moist and delicious! Adding vanilla bean paste (or a very good quality extract if you can’t get paste) adds a subtle depth of flavour to the cake. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.

Heat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and line a 6” square cake tin with baking parchment. In a heat-proof bowl, break up the chocolate into small pieces and melt in either a microwave or by resting the bowl over a pan of bowling water. Set aside to cool back to room temperature.

In a food mixer, cream together the butter and 115g of caster sugar (reserving 45g for use latter) in a large bowl until light and fluffy (even with an electric mixer, this should take you at least 10mins to get to really light and fluffy!). Don’t scrimp on time at this stage – it will make such a vast difference to your finished cake. Separate your eggs, setting aside the whites to use a little latter. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time into the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla bean paste and glycerine – mix well. Slowly beat in the cooled melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, whisk your egg whites to the soft peak stage. Slowly beat in the remaining 45g of castor sugar. In another bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder.

Using a large metal spoon and a gentle folding action, fold alternate spoonfuls of the flour/cocoa and egg whites until the mixture is well combined, but don’t over-beat.

Place in the oven. Check the cake after 45mins, it is ready when it is beautifully risen, firm to touch and a skewer comes out clean after being inserted in the middle. If the cake needs longer, check again after 10 mins.

As this is a carved cake, it is important to allow the cake to cool completely in the tin and then transfer to an airtight tin to rest for at least 12 hours before carving.

To make the buttercream, in a heat-proof bowl, break up the chocolate into small pieces and melt in either a microwave or by resting the bowl over a pan of bowling water. Set aside to cool back to room temperature. Beat the softened butter with the icing sugar with an electric beater, beating until soft and light, then slowly incorporate the cooled melted chocolate.

To assemble, carve the cake using a hand-cut template and a serrated knife. Do not split your cake until you have finished carving. Cut the cake in two and sandwich back together with the chocolate buttercream. Use the remaining buttercream to crumb coat the cake. Set aside to firm up in a cool place. Then cover with fondant icing and decorate with sugar flowers, sugar laces and garret frills.





If you have any questions, do leave a comment - or just let me know what you think!

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