It is hard to believe that this is a cake. Margaret Braun always wanted to be an artist, but in order to make earn the money for her art class tuition she found work in a bakery and somehow ended up creating edible art!
"I paint with food coloring as I would paint with with oils or watercolors, only I paint on sugar." said the artist when Interviewed for House Beautiful in 2001
Here are some tips she shared:
- To keep cake moist, slice layers thin- about 1/2 inch - and top each one with a swirl of filling., so that every bite has the perfect ratio of cake to filling.
- If your cake turns out dry, you may be able to save it by lightly splashing each layer with a little MArnier, Framboise, Kirschwasser, or even fresh-brewed expresso - mixed with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water boiled together for 5 minutes and then cooled.
- Before you begin carving cake into shapes prior to frosting, make sure it's been chilled a good hour and a half in the refrigerator.
- To marbleize sugar paste or marzipan, first flatten it with a rolling pin. Paint a crisscross pattern of food coloring on top. Knead until color appears to be veined through. Roll out.
- Once a cake has been covered with sugar paste or marzipan, it can no longer be chilled; refrigeration causes it to become sticky and sweaty.
- Fill only a third of your pastry bag with icing. This will give you more control.
- Push icing down towards the piping end of the bag and give it a few squeezes to get rid of air pockets.
- Weather you're piping a simple string of pearls or an intricate pattern onto your cake,, a sense of rhythm is vital. Recite something rhythmic or play music.
- When in doubt, use polka dots. They're a smart way to fill up space and they're easy to make. Brush with edible pearl dust to catch the light.
Sources:
Cakewalk: Adventures in Sugar with Margaret Braun
New York Weddings
