CONGRATULATIONS to Ozcake aka Jenny, who is the winner of the Planet Cake Course Voucher.  Jenny’s comment number came up in the random number generator.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter and answer my questions.  I appreciate the feedback and will be looking to incorporate some of the ideas into the blog in the new year!

I hope Jenny will let us know how her course goes and send us some pictures to drool over!

WIN A CLASS AT PLANET CAKE!!!

Have you always wanted to give a Planet Cake course a go?  Well now is your chance!  Planet Cake have generously donated a $500 voucher to the Cakes and More blog, and now it’s up to one lucky Cake Friend to win it!

Make sure you read the prize & entry information!

So what do you need to do?

Simple a $500 voucher warrants 5 things that you need to do.

1. You’ll need to be registered with the blog to be able to comment,  you need to comment on this post!
2. Make sure your email address is real so I can contact you and to if necessary update where you are from.
3. Please tell me what you found to be the most useful piece of information on the Cakes and More Blog.
4. Please tell me at least one other thing you would like to see on the blog that you would find useful.
5. Which class are you interested in doing?

Prize & Entry Information

• Prize is for a Planet Cake COURSE ONLY, it does not cover any travel or accommodation
• The class the prize winner chooses must be at an appropriate skill level, Planet Cake reserve the right to alter the course if the participants skill level is not appropriate.
• Class must also have availability.
• If the winner chooses a course that is over the voucher amount they are responsible for paying the remaining amount.
• The voucher is valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
• The voucher may be used for classes in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
• National and International Cake Friends can apply but will be responsible for all their own travel and accommodation costs, our suggestion is if you can’t afford to get here next year to use the voucher then don’t enter.
• Prize will be drawn using a random number generator, please ensure your email address for registration is current, including where you are from will be helpful also.
• Contest ends on November 30th.
• Winner announced and contacted December 1st.
• Details on how to register for the class will be provided to the winner at the close of the contest.

Check out the PC Blog

Check out PC courses

Check out the PC forum

Cakes and More would like to thank Paris Cutler and all the folks at Planet Cake for this exciting and generous donation!  We hope our Cake Friends will take full use of this amazing opportunity.

GOOD LUCK!

*Planet cake logo used with permission of Planet Cake

Everyone who embarks on cake decorating, from those mums or dads simply wanting to make their kids cakes to those that want to earn a fully fledged living, each have their heroes, idols and other inspiring decorators they love to name as favourites.  In Australia, Planet Cake has unashamedly risen in the ranks and become popular in commerical circles and in the lives of the famous also!  One of the things I love most about them is that they are open and sharing in their content, methods and techniques but also in their ‘why they do what they do’.  Some people call them a sell out,  but I disagree,  as Paris Cutler clearly explained at a recent demonstration, their techniques and cakes are commerical based, they often have A LOT of cakes they need to get through in a short amount of time, so their importance is based around getting the absolute best result possible in the least amount of time. They consider themselves perfectionists, but I think they clearly realise they are also realists, they have time constraints and bills to pay and really isn’t that every cake decorators life!?!

I’ve been wanting to do a class for a while, but have had some difficulty in deciding where to start!  With some cake decorating experience behind me, it was hard to know where to throw myself in.  If you are having the same issue then don’t be shy in contacting Planet Cake as they will help you find a starting place.

So finally I got the opportunity to do a Planet Cake Course, I can’t explain how excited I was.  I bought their book, which I then passed on to my niece, I need to buy myself another now!  And we even gave one away on the blog when they were published.  I don’t know what I was expecting but I loved the book when it came out, I really liked the cake designs, and the progression the book took, from beginners to more experienced decorators there is something in there for everyone.

But I digress so back to the class.  It started on a Saturday, the beginning of the rest of my cake decorating career…. heheheh so to speak.  I parked the car and nervously headed to the Planet Cake studio.  What would it be like? Would I be able to keep up?  Would my cake be a disaster when I finished?  Would their be any other newbies?  What would Anna Maria be like? And well you know all the general questions that I’m sure everyone on their way to their first class would have!

There’s a real weird quality when Handi walks in the door, like this familiarity…. you feel like you know them, you know these faces, like you know the faces of the people from your favourite TV show, Joe Blow on the street might not know him but you’ve seen him on TV, he’s a star hehehehehehe!  Thankfully Mr Star had coffee and was able to direct me down to the coffee shop for my caffeine fix, I was worried how I would possibly be able to decorate without having my skim mocha first whew!

The class maximum was 12, this class had 10 students, after introductions it appeared that all the other girls had done at least one if not more previous Planet Cake classes, so I was the virgin of the bunch.  Having said that, many were more than happy to revisit some of the early steps either because Anna Maria was new to them as a teacher, and they were interested in how she showed the steps or just to help refresh their minds in what to do.  This made me feel better that I wasn’t holding the class back in any way.

Everything is waiting for you when you arrive, tools, cake, board etc, but excitedly some tools were new to me, and I soon discovered that some of them I would not be able to live without and others I wouldn’t be spending money on, that’s the beauty of classes like this!

I won’t bore you with a step by step per se because really if you’ve done or are going to do a class you’ll have or will get to experience it first hand.

I’ll sum things up in what I learnt.

• Torting a cake….. I was to discover the trick to getting this done right is actually all in the right knife!
• Ganaching…. what did I learn here?  That you may need to spend more than 5 minutes ganaching to get the finish you want, but this will actually save you time and fondant later!

• X-ray film… if you can get your hands on some then DO!!!  In an exciting twist for me I had to recently have a couple of x-rays!  So here I was ready to go with some, I cut mine up the minute I got home!
• Working with styrofoam, it’s messy but get your hands on some sand paper and don’t be scared to give it a go.
• A groove board for wiring leaves and flowers….. I hated it, I tried it and didn’t like it, we were told Greg Cleary can’t work without his, more power too him, you should try it for sure, I hated it….. just one of those things! ;D
• Airbrushing… I’m glad mine had little closed bottles, I kept spilling the colour everywhere, helpful tip do it over the sink!

• Rolling fondant Planet Cake thin… I was nervous as all hell, I’ve heard and seen how thin they roll the fondant, I just wasn’t sure if I could do it, light bulb moment of the day, right up there with the torting, the most helpful thing in getting this right is that you have a rolling pin that works for you!  You know I have to admit I have a very supportive cake friend who has been telling me for months that I should get a big heavy wooden rolling pin, I’ve been yeah yeahing her for months…. after falling absolutely in love with the wooden rolling pin at Planet Cake I went and purchased two as soon as I was able to get to a shop that sold them!

• The secret to perfect stripes, invest in a pasta machine!  I came home and bolted mine directly to the table, I can’t believe I left it sitting in it’s box for over a year!

All the while Anna Maria was really great in going round the class, helping correct technique, giving further tips and advice and so on.

The girls in the class were a laugh and a half.  Some of them had plans for their cakes, birthday’s, orders, and so on, and some didn’t, mine is still sitting in it’s box as I couldn’t figure out who to give it to… and part of me doesn’t want to see it dismantled hehehehehe

For those of you who are interested my new tool list included:

• A sharp long knife for torting, the other side can be used for smoothing the top of a ganached cake
• Big heavy wooden rolling pins
• A variety of flat and angled spatulas in different sizes
• X-ray film
• A couple of very sharp paring knives
• Silver card board bases
• Bench scrapers
• A couple of different sized cutting boards
• Pasta machine
• A large plastic table cloth (cut up into large but usable covers – great for cutting all those stripes up but not having them dry out)

For suppliers try the Planet Cake Store, Sweet Pak Aus, Food Utensils, Spotlight or any from the list in the far right column, don’t be scared to shop around! ;D

When I started decorating I went and did a community college class, and I found it fantastic.  The teacher I had was great and I was able to learn some important basics.  Now after a couple of years of decorating, even a couple of competition entries and quite a few cakes under my belt my thirst for knowledge has not disappated, however, my time is at a premium, I want to be able to get in and out with my learning and Planet Cake really achieved that for me.  In one weekend we touched on ganaching, covering, corners, spots, stripes, styrofoam work, airbrushing, creating a flower, and a little bit of modelling.  That’s a lot of things to cover in one weekend, and somethings we just touched on, but we all had the opportunity to experience each thing, and these I feel that the new skills I’ve learnt will only improve my cakes in the short and long term.

People look at Planet Cake courses and say they are expensive… yes in some respects in comparison to other things they can seem that way, but after doing one, what I came out of the class with and what we covered in content I really got more than my value for money.  Most people I know who’ve done one class, like a tattoo, can’t wait for the next one, other classes, such as community college classes require you to bring your own ingredients, your own tools, and there’s often homework that you need to do as well, don’t get me wrong I loved my community college class when I did it, but at the end of the day the costs are not all that different.   So yes I am already planning my next Planet Cake class.

As with everything cake decorating related, don’t be shy in trying different things, have a go at a Planet Cake class and see how you feel about what you learnt.  Remember their methods are just that one particular way of doing things, the point is to take what you need and discard what you don’t. Don’t be shy in contacting them either, I’ve found every single person I’ve dealt with at Planet Cake to be super nice and more than helpful.

Join me tomorrow when I announce an exciting Planet Cake sponsored competition… yep there’s a Planet Cake voucher to win that will enable you to do a Planet Cake Class!  I’ll be letting you know what you need to do to enter to win!

Planet Cake are not just known for their sharp edges, funky figures, and popularity among the stars of Australia, in Cake Decorating circles, particularly among more up and coming decorators they are known for their decorating classes.

Recently having released a book called Planet Cake, which flew off the shelves so fast many were left waiting for the next print run, they have decided to expand their classes outside of Sydney.  First stop has been Melbourne.  Lucky enough to involve Cake Friend Fran, who has helped them find a venue and get the classes off the ground, they recently ran a week of classes which were attended by many a known Cakes & More Cake Friend! 

Classes range from beginners to the more experienced, including Novelty, Cupcakes and Demonstrations on how to master their enviable ganache method.  I’ve yet to come across someone who has come away from the class without a great looking cake!

Now taking bookings for Brisbane, there are threads on the their forum for those in Western Australia and South Australia to register interest in the hope that they will eventually make it there also.  Having said that I’ve known other cake friends who’ve flown into Sydney or Melbourne for classes and not been disappointed.

Classes to do seem expensive.  But everything is supplied and you do come away with a cake that you could onsell to help cover some of those costs.  Again, I’ve yet to come across someone who didn’t find the class worthwhile or worth the cost in the end.

Remember if it’s not for you for now the book offers a comprehensive guide to their ganaching process and a lovely mixture of cupcakes and cakes.  While I’ve heard some people complain that the book didn’t contain the popular mad hatter/topsy turvey design, I have to say well come on folks they had to save something for the second book!

Here are some pictures and comments by some of Cakes and More Cake Friends who attended the Melbourne Classes.

Fran

who helped facilitate many of the classes and taught the Mad Hatter class.

Make sure you check out her flickr stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franjmc/

 “It’s a fantastic, day of fun, learning and chocolate, how can you beat that?”

Yana

Make sure you check out her flickr stream – http://www.flickr.com/photos/28607271@N02/ 

“The course was fantastic and I highly recommend it .”

Lili

Make sure you check out her flickr stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/liliscakes/

“I’ve been doing workshops and classes for over 3 years and got more out of the first 2 hours than I have in the last 3 years. It was fabulous being part of the PC class and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to take their skills up a notch!”

Effie

Make sure you check out her flickr stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/designer_cakes_by_effie/

“Handi & Fran were wonderful teachers/facilitors. They were happy to share their knowledge and love of cake decorating.
Very informative and learnt heaps of tips and tricks for decorating the PC way.
Cant wait for some more PC courses to come to Melbourne!”

Helena

Make sure you check out her flickr stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/31041954@N07/

“It was a very worthwhile experience, I loved every second of it – it was informative, constructive, everything is included in the price including the cake so all you have to concentrate on are the various techniques in decorating you’re there to learn. I’ll definitely be enrolling in another course in the future.. The instructors are fantastic – very entertaining too!”

Rouvelee

Make sure you check out her flickr stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rouvelee/

“The Melbourne Planet Cake courses were a delight to attend. Fran and Handi make a fantastic team and are the best teachers. I especially love learning the orchid and the magnolia flowers. I would definitely be back for more courses.”

You can check out or register for their classes here. Check out our list of places to buy books here if you want to buy the book. 

All photos courtesy of the participant, permission sought to use photograph and quote, thanks girls.

Disclaimer: 

This Guide is simply that a Guide, it has been put together from a variety of discussions in regards to ganache and may even include conflicting advice, this is because everyone has their own way of doing things and what works for some doesn’t always work for others.  As with many things on Cakes & More, we suggest you try things out to see what works for you!

The main issue when people first discover Ganache for cakes is that they think of ganache as the running pourable yummy chocolate.  This is ganache, but not the ganache we are talking about when we talk about the Planet Cake method or as a base for fondant.  The ganache we are referring to has a much higher ratio of chocolate to cream and sets hard, THIS is what gives you a nice even base for your fondant covering.  When using it to spread one might liken it to the consistency of peanut butter.

Ganache:

is known as a variety of icing, fillings and glazes for pastries and baked goods. It is typically made from chocolate and cream.

Ganache is normally made by heating heavy cream, then pouring it over chopped, dark chocolate. The mixture is stirred or blended until smooth, and can be enhanced with liqueurs or extracts.

Depending on the kind of chocolate used (ie couveture or compound), cream may need to be adjusted to reach the desired consistency. The portions of chocolate to cream vary depending on the intended usage of the ganache. Typically, ganache as most people know it is equal parts chocolate and cream this is used often as a pouring type glaze inside and outside of yummy cakes or on top of cupcakes. For a chocolate truffle base, twice as much chocolate as cream is typically used. For using under fondant, you might use up to three times as much chocolate as cream. Ganache can also be allowed to cool and whipped to increased volume and then spread to cover a cake. (from Wikipedia)

Uses:

Icing, fillings, truffles and other desserts.

Some extra ideas for use:

Warm ganache up in the microwave until runny and pour over icecream

Vanilla cookies filled with ganache

Straight from the bowl

Tips From Cake Friend Discussions:

• Cheaper chocolate ie compound has a higher water content, so you may need more choc to cream to reach the desired consistency.
• White chocolate is higher in milk solids so requires less cream again.
• Most people seem to prefer to use Dark or White Chocolate of course you can use Milk Chocolate.
• For our purposes most people recommend a ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 (Choc : Cream) for using under fondant.
• More specifically: eg 300mls cream to 600g choc (recommended for dark choc) or 300mls cream to 900g choc (recommended for white choc)
• But the type of chocolate and the weather can have different effects, so you may need to adjust it according to YOUR conditions.
• For Caramel Ganache – Try adding Caramel Top n Fill to White chocolate ganache
• You can also freeze ganache. It is good in the freezer for 2-3 months. (So don’t panic if you make too much)
• To add shine, adding butter, corn syrup or oil is recommended.

Types of cream people on the forum have used:

• Pouring cream
• Any cream that says for cooking on the side
• Double cream
• UHT cream (because it’s easy to keep in the cupboard!)
• Milk (further adjustment in ratios is required and it won’t whip as well)

Planet cake method:

From what we’ve gleaned:

They start off by brushing the cake with a syrup (link below) and then put the ganache on the cake – fairly thickly, they use this layer to “spack-filler” any imperfections in the cake.

Once it has been left to set – they use a hot knife to run over all the edges to get an exceptionally smooth surface. (Hot knife, dip a knife or spatula into hot water, wipe dry then use heated knife on cake to smooth)

The BIG tip that they give on their forum – is to let the ganache SET for at least 12 hours (overnight) at room temperature (air-set) they don’t have any trouble with their ganache melting under the fondant even in very humid climates and they put this down to the setting time.

Once set the ganache is brushed with the syrup again and a VERY thin layer of fondant is applied (about 1/4 inch thick!) gives lovely sharp corners AND able to cover odd shapes a lot easier!

You can also check out their new book, Planet Cake that also offers instructions on how to ganache a cake.

Syrup Link Suggestions from Planet Cake on Ganache and Food Safety http://www.planetcake.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=239

Questions:

How long do you leave to dry?

If using the Planet Cake method suggested approx 12 hours / overnight to set. Otherwise until set or pop in the fridge/freezer to help it along, but leave it to come back to room temperature before covering with fondant or you may have condensation issues.

Does it need refrigeration or do you let it dry in a cupboard?

Can leave dark chocolate out if below 19 degrees, suggested to keep white choc ganache in fridge. Also can put in fridge or freezer to set if you do not have a 12 hour window.

Can ganache be used as a filling?

Yes, some people might alter the consistency, some don’t.

Can ganache be used for icing cupcakes?

Yes, again you might like to make add a little less choc to get a runnier mix to dip the cupcakes or try whipping or piping with it a slightly stiffer consistency

How do you make fondant stick to it once it’s set?

You can:

• brush with syrup
• spritz with water
• brush with some alcohol
• use sugarsyrup with a dash of alcohol

What is the consistency that I should be looking for?

Its fairly runny when its warm but after its been standing for a while it starts to set a little, It will set completely in the fridge and then to spread it on you need to warm it a little in the microwave, a peanut butter consistency might help you when gauging a spreadable consistency.  Also you will find that when stirring together it may take awhile for it to come together don’t panic, just keep stirring it will happen!

If it is pourable do you use a drip tray underneath – if it is spreadable what tool do you use?

You can use a pallette style knife. If you pour it definitely use a drip tray. Spreadable really with most anything pallette knife, knife, finger.

If the cake is white/vanilla – do you use milk/dark chocolate but wouldn’t it effect the taste?

Yes it does effect the taste so you have to consider the flavour combination you are going for.

If you use a dark chocolate and then fondant doesn’t it show through (or do you make the fondant thicker?)

The standard thickness of fondant is usually fine, as long as you’ve let it set you are usually pretty fine. Planet cake actually roll their fondant quite thin about 4mm so if it is coming through it is usually because you haven’t let it set.

Can I use ganache under BC?

It usually is replaces buttercream. You can mix ganache into your buttercream for another flavour combination. You can vary the ratio depending on whether you want it to be more ganachy or more chocolate buttercreamy a 50/50 mix is pretty yummy.

Doesn’t the cream go off when you leave the ganache out?

When you make ganache, you boil the cream, this alters the structure of the cream and once you add the chocolate to it, it can be kept much longer, you can pretty much ignore the use by date then. You can keep it out of the fridge as well, just think truffles, which is basically what ganache is, if it overly bothers you add a little liquor as this acts as a further preservative. You should still practice safe food practices at all times. If you want to hear it from the other “professionals” – it has been a topic on Planet Cake forum as well http://www.planetcake.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=214

How do you make whipped ganache?

You make it, let it cool varies from 10-15 minutes on the bench to 6 hours or so in the fridge (you experiment), then whip it till it holds. If wanting to whip some that’s been in the fridge for a couple of days, either bring to room temperature or soften with a couple of short stints in the microwave. Whipped ganache is lighter and less dense, it also goes paler in colour due to the incorporated air and doesn’t stay glossy. Also incorporating air into it through whipping reduces its shelf life.

Sourced from Cake Friend Contributions on the old C&M Forum over many months and many discussions.

Do you have any additional tips in how you use Ganache?  Please share by leaving a comment, remember this is simply a guide and an ongoing discussion, the more information for people to use the better.