HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Cherry Almond Cupcake

Monday, September 29, 2014

Creating A Shoebox Cake


Supplies

I quarter sheet cake (9x13), cut in half, filled and stacked
Non-crusting buttercream, or thick ganache

Fondant

Roller

Ruler – with good straightedge
Pme cutter, or pizza cutter
White chocolate, colored to match fondant
Use milk chocolate if your box is brown
spatula

White Gumpaste

Edible markers and/or luster dust

Intructions:
Roll out fondant for box and lid the night before you want to decorate the cake. This allows the fondant to stiffen and makes it easier to handle.
If you want you box to be all one color then cover cake and cut out box lid in the same color
If you want a contrasting box and lid, then cover the cake in one color for the box,
and Roll and cut the lid in a different color.

Roll out rectangles 1/2" larger than the measurements to insure against mistakes. The 10 & 7" strips are the sides of the box lid. The thinner you can roll out the sides of lid the better.

Roll out white gumpaste in a small rectangle for the barcode, diamond shape for the box label. If you want, you can also cut out lettering for the top of the shoebox. Allow to dry. Using an edible marker and straightedge, draw a barcode and a label. You can also paint your lettering with luster dust.



To Assemble:



Take stacked and filled cake, and crumb coat with buttercream or ganache. Cover cake with fondant and trim flush with the bottom. Smooth and make your corners as sharp as possible. I use the straight edges of my fondant smoothers together at a 90 degree angle and crimp my corners.



When finished, remeasure lid sides to fit over fondant box place the sides of the lid on the top side of your cake. Attach with melted chocolate. Remeasure and recut top of lid to fit perfectly. Lay on top and run bead of chocolate over seams and corners, the smooth with spatula.



Once complete you can attach labels, barcodes or lettering to the box.






Note-
Because Buttercream or ganache will eventually soften the fondant, Place in refrigerator until ready for delivery to prevent sagging sides.



The original idea to incorporate the Birthday and Name into the barcode was the clever genious of Nati Leelavetchabutr. I was so thrilled when she gave her permission for me to use on this birthday cake! Thank you Nati!


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Photos and Tutorial by Jacque Benson 2007 -all rights reserved.
The tutorial or patterns cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes without
permission from the author.


Vintage Stacked Luggage Cake






VINTAGE LUGGAGE CAKES

Jacque Benson 2007



Supplies
3 – 9”X13” cakes
2 stacked, 1 cut in half and stacked



Non crusting chocolate icing
5 Lbs. dark chocolate fondant
1 ½ Lbs. ivory fondant
1 lb white fondant, divided
Divided- reserving 1 lb
Melted chocolate

16” square cake drum

2 cakeboards, cut to exact size of pre
iced cakes and a ½” hole centered
in the smaller board

1- 8 ¾” X 6 ½” box , covered with wax paper & dusted with cocoa

Gum glue
½ cup gumpaste fondant roller and mat

Silver Luster Dust pizza cutter

Ball tool (optional)
Gold Luster Dust

Wilton alphabet/number cutters

Lemon Extract, vodka, or Everclear
3/8 “round cutter & #6 piping tip

Paintbrushes

4- ¼:” dowels -4” length

2- ¼” dowels- 5” length
1- ½” dowel- 6” length

2 large marshmallows

Pattern tracing tool

Spatulas

TOP LID:

Knead together 3lbs chocolate fondant with 1 ½ lbs Ivory fondant until color is
fully blended. Cut off a small portion, and wrap the rest tightly and set aside.
Roll out a 9x11 rectangle approx 3/16” thick. Lay over box covered with wax paper.
Measure ½” down from the top edge of the box; and using a pizza cutter,
cut the edge of the lid . Smooth top of lid with a fondant smoother. Set aside to dry.
When firm, carefully lift from box and invert to dry bottom of lid.
When completely dry, take the pattern tracing tool and run a “topstitching” line around
the bottom edge of the lid.
Cut four Patches from dark chocolate and glue to each edge of the lid. Trace a stitching
line around the edge of each patch.
Cut 2 separate ½” strips of dark chocolate fondant about 8” long, rounding the front
end. Trace the “topstitching” line around each strip and punch three belt holes at
the front end of the strip using a #6 piping tip.
Glue each strip to the top of the lid, allowing the hang over the front. Fasten silver lock
on center front with Gum glue.
Handy tip-let the straps on this lid be your last step on the entire cake. Then your strips will still be flexible when placed atop the cake, avoiding breakage.

HARDWARE:



Roll out a small amount of firm gumpaste about 1/16th “thick. Cut out 2 lock plates.
Using the letter “I” Wilton cutter, punch out a slot in the smaller plate.
Cut 4 buckles using the “D” stretching the inner cutout and rolling the straight edge only, leaving the curved side flat.
Cut 4 d-rings using the “0”number cutter, stretching the opening slightly and rolling all the edges. Crimp and straighten one edge to make one side flat.
Roll a small amount of gumpaste ¼” thick, and cut two 3/8”circle. Press each round, flattening slightly and using your cutter, make an impression to form an outer ring. Then press a vertical line just to the center, forming a keyhole.
Cut 4 buckle tongues, using the “I”, flattening and curving one side, and rolling the other.

Take a ball of gumpaste (maltball size) and shape into a lock by elongating one side and smoothing with a ball tool to shape. Press a line across the top to define the lock. Glue the keyhole to the right side of the plate using gum glue.




Set aside to dry completely,
Mix the luster dust with alcohol and paint the lock and plates silver, and the buckles and d-rings gold.
For Handles, cut 2 separate 5/8” strips of dark chocolate fondant about 4 inches long. Fold over and Trace stitching line along the edge, then insert end through finished d-rings and glue on underside.

CAKE COVERING


The night before assembling cake--- From the blended chocolate fondant, Roll out and cut 2 separate 4 X 13” rectangles, 2 separate 4X 9” rectangles for the sides of the bottom tier,

1- 9X13” rectangle,
2 thin ¾”X 13” strips, 2 thin ¾” X 9” strips, and 2 separate for the lid of the bottom tier.

For the top tier cut 2- 9x4-1/2" and 2- 7x4-1/2" rectangles for the sides of the cake.

Allow to firm up overnight.



ASSEMBLING THE CAKE


Stack and Fill 2 quarter sheet cakes and one cake cut in half to form a 6 ½” x 9” two layer cake. Place each on a cardboard divider cut to fit the cake exactly and
Place larger cake on square drum. Ice the cake with non-crusting buttercream icing.
Measure your cake carefully and re-cut the edges of the rectangles to fit your cake
.
Measure twice, cut once.

Trace a stitching line around the bottom and sides of 2 of the 4X9 and the 4X13 about 1/8”-1/4” from the edge. Place along the side of the cake matching the corners.
Run a line of melted chocolate along the corners and smooth with a spatula.
Re-measure and cut the thin strips and glue them along the upper edge of the cake (upper edge of fondant panel) with melted chocolate.

On the large 9X13” rectangle re-measure and cut. Lay a 6 ½” X 9” rectangle pattern on top and faintly mark the position of the cake. Punch out a ½” hole in the middle, and 4 ¼” holes to allow for Dowel insertion.
Lay on top of cake and spackle edges and corner with the melted chocolate.



Cut 8 corner patches, tracing the stitching line on each outer edge. Cut 2 leather straps for the base cake about 15” by 5/8”, and 2 straps 2½ ” X 5/8”. Punch holes with the #6 tip and trace the stitching on the 15” strap. Cut a small opening in the smaller strap for the tongue of the buckle and wrap it around the buckle. Pull the end of the upper strap through the buckle and glue to the cake, cutting any overage at the base of the cake. Place the tongue on the buckle and glue.


Hammer the ½” dowel through the center hole, and insert the 4 inch-¼” dowels in the surrounding holes. Align the bottom hole of the cardboard divider with the center dowel and stack the smaller cake on top, using wax paper to protect the bottom cake. Ice the cake with buttercream, Place a layer of white fondant just over the top of the cake and follow the same procedure attaching chocolate fondant panels to the side, this time including an extra stitching line on the upper edge of each panel.


After the corners are spackled, remove wax paper & cut and prepare 2 separate 2” straps just as before with buckle and tongue. Glue to front of the cake. Cut two more 4” straps and glue to the back of the cake. Fasten the locks and plates to both cakes with gum glue.
Cut 4 handle holders (triangles). Insert the small end through the d-rings on the handles
And glue to underside. Fasten Handles to both cakes with gum glue. Prop up and allow
to dry. Insert the 6inch ¼” dowels one inch inside front corner. Cover each with a
large marshmallow.

CLOTHING


Roll out several different colored fondants into 6 inch squares. Texture and fold; Lay on top of cake. Roll out white fondant and cut with shirt pattern, then trace stitching line on shirt cuff. Cut 2 small circles for buttons. With toothpick, make 2 holes in center, then dust with pearl dust. Glue to cuff. Place immediately on left side of cake, falling over side.
Roll out and cut chocolate fondant, texture or stencil. Glue the three pieces together with gum glue and attach a white fondant ribbon to cover the seam. Make a thin 3 inch roll from white fondant for the straps. Attach one edge with gum glue and tuck the free edge under. Arrange over left side of cake

FINISHING TOUCH
Place lid on top of cake, resting on back edge and front dowels. Brush cocoa powder
randomly over surface of cake to give a scuffed and weathered appearance.
"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December." ~J M Barrie