Debbie Goard - Twisted Cakes: Deliciously Evil Designs for Every Occasion

To Chris, thank you for all your tireless work and never ending support. Without you none of this would be possible. You are the straight line to my squiggle.

F or as long as I can recall, Ive been artistic. Id draw on anything handy, even paper towels, and after years of honing my napkin-art skills, I hoped to parlay them into a career. I became an artist for hire, doing everything from portraits to murals, but knew Id need steady work, lest I literally starve!

My brother-in-law pulled strings to get me a job in a local market. There, I sliced lunch meats and learned the subtle differences between thin-sliced and shaved. This may not have been much improvement over my napkin-art era, but all the while I was also pursuing my creative endeavors. One day, hearing about my artistic leanings, my boss asked if I would take over from the retiring cake decorator. I had only made one cake in my life, but I was willing to learn. Within a week, I had madeand soldmy first professional offering.

Years passed, and my unexpected career continued, despite numerous attempts to escape. Then, in 2004, I decided to fully embrace the mediumbut on my terms. I launched my own business in 2005, submitting my website (www.debbiedoescakes.net) for promotion to a pioneer in the field. She loved my work, but advised, remove the dead-rat cake. With this, I knew I was on to something, and have continued to embrace subjects others warn against, creating a niche for myselftwisted cakes. In this book, let me share with you my offbeat celebration of the weird, wacky, and wonderful.

Debbie Goard

BAKING TOOLS

An assemblage of tools used to bake cakes and create structures

1 SHEET AND ROUND PANS

2 VINYL WRAP for covering boards

3 MINIBALL PAN / CUPCAKE PAN

4 MEASURING CUP

5 FLOWER POT for baking flowerpot-shaped cake

6 SPORTS BALL PAN for baking sphere shapes

7 SIFTER

8 HOT-GLUE GUN used to attach ribbon

9 CUPCAKE LINERS

10 DRILL for attaching screws

11 COPPER TUBING for creating ax handle, etc.

12 PLIERS for bending copper

13 SIDE CUTTERS for cutting copper

14 WOOD SCREWS AND SCREWDRIVER used to secure dowels to board

15 DOWELS used as supports

16 WOOD BOARD used as a base for cakes that require screws/dowels

DECORATING TOOLS

A collection of traditional and unconventional tools used to decorate and complete the cakes.

1 LIGHT BOX for tracing

2 CRME BRULE TORCH for scorching and searing

3 SCALE

4 AIRBRUSH / COMPRESSOR to color cakes

5 FONDANT SMOOTHER

6 STYROFOAM BALL to create lightweight, inedible shapes

7 BURLAP for adding texture on icing

8 PAINTBRUSHES

9 MODELING TOOLS to add detail

10 CRAFT KNIFE

11 ROTARY FONDANT CUTTER a cutting wheel to cut even fondant strips

12 LARGE ROLLING PIN to roll out larger amounts of fondant

13 COFFEE STIRRERS to add detail

14 RULER

15 AIRBRUSH COLORS specially formulated colors to be used in the airbrush

16 LUSTER AND DISCO DUSTS edible dusts for adding sparkle and sheen

17 CMC to add firmness to fondant. When added to sugarpaste, it acts as a quick-drying, synthetic form of gum tragacanth, ideal for modeling paste.

18 SILVER HIGHLIGHTER to create shiny, metallic paint

19 GEL COLOR edible color for tinting and painting fondant

20 PALETTE to mix colors

21 SMALL ROLLING PIN

22 SCISSORS

23 SCRUB BRUSH to add textures

24 WAVY KNIFE to cut fondant fries

25 SERRATED KNIFE

26 SPATULA

27 MONOFILAMENT to make whiskers

28 LINED VINYL used as an impression mat

29 WAFER PAPER edible paper for logos, signs, etc.

30 METAL MESH for adding texture

31 TOOTHPICKS to secure fondant pieces

32 WIRE for antennae

33 FLOWER VEINER to add detail on gelatin pieces

34 GLOVES for mixing colors

35 PARCHMENT TRIANGLES to create icing bags

36 FLORAL WIRE to create legs, stems, etc.

37 WIRE CUTTERS for cutting wires

38 EDIBLE MARKERS used to draw logos, add detail, etc.

39 LARGE ICING BAG / QUICK ICE TIP

40 BENCH SCRAPER to smooth icing

41 DECORATING TIPS nozzles used to pipe icing/cut shapes

42 SQUARE CUTTER

43 ROUND CUTTER SET

44 PLASTIC CUPS to hold colors and glazes

45 CURVED SPATULA, SMALL OFFSET SPATULA, SMALL SERRATED KNIFE for icing curved surfaces

46 MEASURING SPOONS

MODELING CHOCOLATE

YIELDS 3 CUPS (700 ML)

12 oz. (340 g) chocolate candy discs or coating chocolate

/ cup (75 ml) light corn syrup

glass bowl

microwave

spatula

parchment or waxed paper

Place chocolate in glass bowl. Microwave for about 45 seconds, stir with spatula, then return to microwave for an additional 45 seconds or less (time will vary, based on microwave model; be careful not to burn chocolate). Remove from microwave. Add corn syrup, stirring mixture with spatula until well blended. Do not overmix. Turn out and spread mixture onto waxed paper or parchment, then cover. For best results, let set overnight.

GANACHE

YIELDS 2 CUPS (470 ML)

8 oz. (225 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips

1/ cups (400 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

glass bowl

small saucepan

spatula

Place chocolate in glass bowl. Set aside. Pour heavy whipping cream into saucepan, set over medium high heat. Stirring often, bring cream to a boil. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate. Stir with spatula until chocolate is fully melted. Mixture will be smooth and glossy. Stir in vanilla extract. Leave to set at room temperature for about an hour, or refrigerate for about 30 minutes until mixture is a spreadable consistency.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

YIELDS 3 CUPS (700 ML)

8 oz. (225 g) cream cheese

4 tablespoons or / stick (55 g) unsalted butter