CakesDecor Gazette: Issue 3.11 / November 2014

Welcome to the Issue 3.11 / November 2014 of the CakesDecor Gazette 

Click here to view the CD Gazette archives ~ Click here to view Gazette in web browser

Editorial

Meet your new editor.

Hello Readers

Yes, I know you must be thinking "what the heck is going on, that is not the ever so lovely Calli ",  and yes you would be so very right.

If you happened to have missed last months gazette my dear friend has had to step down due to some health issues with her hand. She was so very upset about having to leave as editor but has promised us she will not be going far and we will still continue to see all of her wonderful creations here.

So Michal was ever so gracious to ask if I would fill her shoes. So here I am ready to give it a go and hope I come close to being as good as my lovely predecessors.

 For those that do not know me...I am Sharon Spradley of curiaussiety custom cakes, but you all can call me Shags. I was born and raised in Australia but now live in Tampa, Florida with my lovely American husband and our 4 children.

 Anyone who knows me knows I am always wanting to see awesome new talent get recognized and therefore it is very exciting for me to be here on the best website in the world to find those people. Since my very first post on here 3 years ago, not only have I grown as a decorator but I have also had the privilege to see so many of you grow also. I am so happy to be here and to keep seeing all the magnificent talent that is out there in this most fabulous cake world.

Big hugs, Shags

Sharon:  Profile on CakesDecor | Curiaussiety Cakes Facebook Page

What's Happening

Tutorial Pick for the Month: A great gelatin tutorial by  Ginestra on her 

 how to make a transparent glass effect. Brilliant idea and I am sure many of us will use. 

Have you used one of our tutorials? Why don't you submit it to CakesDecor.com and your creation may be featured in the next Gazette.

Recipe Pick for the Month:  November In the USA means Thanksgiving so I thought I would pick a recipe out that might help those of us that really don't have a go to pumpkin cake.  Pumpkin Goey Butter cake by  Heather

Kitchen Talk:  Are you just new to the cakey world or have been around a while and still always feel you need a little help.... then this new series will be so very helpful. It is by Michelle Green and she talks about some of the most important steps ......Cake Decorating Business . Believe me any advice you can get at the early stages of setting up your business is good advice, especially when it comes from Michelle!

Suggestion Box: New ideas and suggestions are always welcome so please make sure you go to The Gazette Blog post and leave your comments there. As the new editor I have added a new one called Rising Star.

We would love to hear what you would like featured and who you would like us to interview. We value your input and opinions and want to make the Gazette the best it can be.

Have fun coming up with new ideas :) 

Gravity Defying competition Winners!!!

Omg,,, there were 124 entries for our Gravity Defying competition and the talent that was shown was off this planet, I tell ya!. I have no idea how you all could choose they were all so wonderful.But as with any competition there must be winners and both of them I can honestly say are the nicest people you could ask to meet, so you all did a great job and I hope these cakes only inspire us all to keep pushing our boundaries as cake artists and always try to go above and beyond what people think is possible.Thank you everyone who submitted a cake and voted.

NEW!!! Cakes decor RISING STAR

CakesDecor Gazette Editors Choice

Cake Decorator of the Week

The Cake Decorators of the Week for October were...

15 Minutes of Fame

Frosted Frights Halloween Collaboration 2014

This year for Halloween there was a new cake collaboration out there called Frosted Frights.

23 wonderful artists came together to "TRICK" or "TREAT" a wonderful piece for Halloween. Some, like me went for the scary side of Halloween with gory creatures that only exist in your worst nightmares. Others went for the more fun aspect that was a little tamer and kid friendly but just as amazing! Either way all the pieces were simply awesome and in total I think this collaboration really captured the full essence of Halloween!

Caking Around the World

Cake Shows and Competitons for November

Cakes International Birmingham

                                                      Birmingham cakes international 

Upcoming Cake Decorating Competitions

  January 31st, 2015  

Threadcakes competition is now closed but we wish all of our Cakes Decor members who have entered the best of luck. Here are the first ones I have seen come thru and as always they are totally brilliant!

Cake Masters Magazine - November

---------------------------- Sponsored ----------------------------

40 amazing cake artists from around the globe were tasked with taking us on a journey around the world in cake. Inspired bylandmarks, cultures, mountains, oceans, festivals and personal experiences, this has to be one of the biggest cake projects with such a cohesive travel theme!

The cakes that have been created for the September issue of Cake Masters Magazine are truly breathtaking – far beyond my expectations! The digital version of the magazine has additional pictures for some of the pieces, showing amazing attention to detail - I hope that you take advantage and get an extra cakey fix on your smart phone or tablet by downloading a copy in the AppStore or GooglePlay (see links below) 

Organising 40 cakes artists and 40cakes was no easy task and could not have been achieved without the help from my super admins Tracy Rothwell of  Little Cherry and Avalon Yarnes of  Avalon Cakes– thank you ladies for all your help!

Magazine links:
Get your copy now from: AppStore or www.cakemasters.co.uk

Monthly Top 5

Cake This Tute!

Bake This Tute!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake by Heather

Ingredients:

• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• ½ cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 4oz dark chocolate (120g)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C or Gas4).
2. Line bottom of a 24cm or 9.5in round baking dish (or alternatively use a rectangular pan).
3. Melt chocolate in a microwave or in a bain-marie.
4. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, until creamy and light in color. Add oil and beat until incorporated.
5. Sift flour and cocoa over mixture, and whisk.
6. Add melted chocolate (make sure it has cooled a bit) and whisk until well incorporated.
7. Bake 30 minutes, remove and let cool completely before removing and cutting. The inside will be very moist and the top will crack.

Tip: If you can line your pan in one piece of parchment paper that goes up the sides, it will be easier to remove later; otherwise, you can flip on one dish, then flip again on serving dish.

Kitchen Talk

Cake Decorating Business series by Michelle Green

So many of us have these questions and always seem to go looking in all the wrong places, finding so many different answers. But with so many states and countries having different rules and regulations this is a great starting point especially for the home business baker! Michelle Green is so good at what she does you really cannot go wrong with the info she gives you!

This is a full series which we know will give you some of the best advice you can find, so please join us in helping your business be as successful as possible.

Cake Decorating Business

Part 1: Things To Consider Before You Start Your Cake Business Dream

Part 2: What Kind of Business Do You Want?

Part 3: Setting Up Your Business

Part 4: Basic Principals of Pricing Your Cakes

Part 5: Basic Marketing

Part 6: Social Media and Your Online Presence

Part 7: Customer Service

CakesDecor News, Stats & Links

November 3rd, 2014

We are 23 137 cake decorators making 823,368 comments on 163,596 cakes, 1,672 blogs, 98 recipes, 912 tutorials and 1,834 forum topics

Editor's Choice Albums: Facebook , Pinterest , Google +

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