Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network May 2019 Cake! Magazine | Page 24

Cake Chat
Cake Chat with Amber Comadira-Smith
from Commie’s Cupcakes
www.commiescupcakes.com
Amber shares her design & cake expertise
so that you can become the master cake
decorator you’ve always wanted to be.
I live in a humid environment and although I have my air conditioner running in my cake room, my fondant decorations
just won’t dry out. How do you deal with this? - Zoe
Urgh, I feel your pain.
Firstly, make sure you use plenty of tylose in your fondant. Secondly, set your air conditioner to ‘Dry’ mode (teardrop icon).
This will help to remove the moisture from the air and dry out your room. Also try and make your fondant decorations well
in advanced to give your decorations enough time to properly dry out.
Want to know my cheat? I use a Moisture Absorber to dry out my fondant even quicker.
Purchase a plastic container that’s big enough to store your fondant decorations. Line the bottom of the container with
baking paper and place a Moisture Absorber in the container. Pile in your decorations and seal the lid shut.
The Moisture Absorber will quickly dry out the air inside the container and dry out the fondant as well. An effective way to
get that fondant drying more quickly!
Here’s a link to my video to show you what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=dLIsWD3BWPs&list=PLzVRo_eb7Azud-DEVtJd1QU4vJ3MTMb6q
MORE INFORMATION
facebook.com/commiescupcakes
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What’s the best way to decorate a cake to look more up-market and
stylish? - Andrea
The simple answer - less is more!
If all else fails, I’d recommend investing in a dehumidifier.
Take a look around at upmarket interiors, luxury garments or even high
end food. What’s the common theme? Simplicity.
The key is to not clutter your cake with dozens of ideas, different
decorations or a rainbow of colours. Luxury cakes are more thoughtful,
controlled and stripped back.
Try playing with only a few different decorative elements and really make
them shine. Remember to include a main focal point (to attract the eye)
and utilise white space - white space is your best friend when it comes to
creating luxury cakes.
Also, sharp edges and a clean cake base go a long way to making your
cake look more polished.
I’m really interested in cake decorating but don’t have much money to invest. Any suggestions on where to start? - Emma
I always think attending a basic cupcake class is a great way to get a feel for cake decorating - and whether or not you
enjoy it - before forking out money on cake supplies. A class not only provides you with all the tools and fondant to create
your piece, but you also receive a good foundation of knowledge to get the ball rolling. Definitely worth the investment!
However, if attending a class is something out of your price range, I’d recommend just sticking to the real basics. Buy
yourself a non-stick rolling pin, basic tool set/cutters and fondant, then utilise YouTube to experiment with cake decorating
at home.
Additionally, rather than spend money on dozens of fancy cutters and tools - which are expensive - try and learn how to
create decorations by hand sculpting. This will save you a good amount of money in the long run.