He’s still talking about this cake one week post-birthday party, so I think it met his little creative brief. I was a little worried that the colorful buildings would take away from the “blue” part of the theme but he didn’t seem to mind. 

Here are all the details about this cake: 

1. Ombrè Buttercream. I started with a blue ombrè buttercream finish (see this tutorial for how to create that) using three different intensities of AmeriColor Sky Blue.
2. City Buildings. I tinted some fondant (I used 7 different colors, but it would work with any color variety) and rolled each color out to about ⅛ inch, then hand-cut the buildings with an x-acto knife and a ruler. I taped a piece of wax paper around a large can of shortening and placed each building on it to dry with a slight curve. This way I knew where each building would go on the final cake and they’d conform to the curve of the cake. Once the buildings were dry, I drew on some simple windows with an edible art pen. 
3. Clouds. I used Wilton tip 10 to pipe some vanilla buttercream into cloud formations. They’re basically just clusters of dots.
4. Baymax topper. I found a Disney Infinity Baymax figurine on eBay (it was a lot cheaper there!) to top this cake. I absolutely love topping character cakes with toys because they get something to play with afterwards. The first thing Theo did after blowing out the candles on his cake was grab the Baymax toy, lick the frosting off, and fly the toy all around the backyard. They’ve been inseparable ever since!
5. Candles. I finished the look with three of these tall blue birthday candles.

Here’s an Instagram Reel I posted that shows the assembly!

In keeping with the subtle Big Hero 6 theme for this birthday party, I also whipped up some Baymax oreos by dipping the cookies in white chocolate melts. I piped the Baymax eyes with black candy melts and Wilton Tip 3. They were delicious! 

My kids are my absolute favorite people to throw parties for and it’s so fun that Theo is now able to express his creative ideas. I’ll make him whatever cake he can imagine!

The post Baymax Birthday Cake appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I recently made another gum paste rainbow arch topper, this time for a Bluey themed cake, and realized it’s such a fun DIY that I needed to share it with you all. The main things you need are gum paste, food color gels to create your rainbow color scheme, toothpicks, and about 48 hours of dry time. Here’s a quick video of the process before you read all about it below:

PS: If you love creative cake decorating tutorials like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! 

Gum Paste Vs. Fondant

Gum paste is a pliable sugar dough that is very similar to fondant in texture and workability. The main difference is that it dries much harder than fondant. And while you’d use fondant to cover a cake and make simple decorations that guests might want to eat, you should only use gum paste for decorations like cake toppers or sugar flowers since it dries rock hard. Gum paste is technically edible, but it’s not really much fun to eat (and might chip a tooth!). 

You can get gum paste on Amazon or at your local craft store that has a cake decorating aisle. If you make a lot of custom cakes, I definitely recommend having some on hand at all times for last minute decorations. It’s so much fun to work with and so durable – a win win! 

You Will Need

• Gum paste
• Food color gels of your choice (I used AmeriColor Deep Pink, Sky Blue, Electric Purple, and Lemon Yellow)
• Rubber gloves
• 1 Tbsp vegetable shortening 
• A Cup or mug
• 1-inch circular cookie cutter or round glass 
• Small paint brush
• 1 Tbsp water
• Sharp knife
• Large spatula
• 2 toothpicks 
• Wax or parchment paper

Step 1: Color the Gum Paste

Measure the gum paste into four 1-inch balls and place the rest back in the package. You may need to knead the gum paste with a little vegetable shortening to make it pliable if it seems too firm to work with at this point. 

Put on your rubber gloves (so you don’t dye your hands!) and knead food color gel into the gum paste balls one by one to create the color palette you’re imagining. I used AmeriColor Deep Pink, Lemon Yellow, Sky Blue, and Electric Purple for this color palette (one drop per ball). Be sure to store any gum paste that’s not in use underneath a cup to keep it from drying out. 

Step 2: Roll the Gum Paste

One by one, roll out each gum paste ball with your hands to make them into tube-like shapes. Each gum paste tube should be between ⅛ and ¼ inches in diameter, and about 8 inches long. 

Do this part carefully so that each colored tube for the rainbow arch is the same diameter, and store any finished tubes underneath a glass while you’re rolling the other colors out. 

Step 3: Assemble the Rainbow Arch

Place the round cookie cutter or circular glass onto your work table. This will be used as a centerpiece to build the rainbow arch around. Starting with the color that you want on the inside of the rainbow arch, wrap the middle of one of the gum paste tubes around the centerpiece to make a perfect arch, with the ends of the tube parallel to each other. I went with my Electric Purple tube for the inside color.

Dip the small paint brush into the water and paint the edges of the gum paste arch. This will act as glue for the next color. 

Wrap the next gum paste tube around the arch and gently press it around the first gum paste color to adhere it with the water. 

Repeat adding water to the edges and adding additional gum paste tubes until your rainbow arch is all together, then remove the circular centerpiece. I ended up making the inside of the arch smaller by gently reshaping it with my hands once the centerpiece was removed.

When your arch looks beautiful and even, use a sharp knife to chop off the uneven ends. 

Step 4: Add Toothpicks

Gently flip the rainbow arch over (I used a large spatula to do this) and paint a little bit of water between the arch grooves where you’ll be placing your toothpicks on both sides. Then, gently press toothpicks onto the water. 

I’ve never had any problems with the toothpicks not adhering securely with this method, but if you want to make the arch topper extra sturdy, you can use a little water to glue a thin piece of scrap gumpaste over the toothpicks. This should hold them in place very well.  

Step 5: Allow to Dry for 48 Hours 

Allow the rainbow arch topper to dry in a cool, dark place for at least 48 hours, flipping it over at the 24 hour mark so that both sides dry equally. The color of your gum paste can fade if it dries in the direct sun, which is why it’s important to keep it in a dark place like your pantry or a drawer. 

Once it’s completely dry, top your cake and be amazed! I love the rainbow arch look so much and I know it would look amazing in all sorts of colors. Perfect for a whimsical look or a modern one! 
Did you make this rainbow arch topper? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below or feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram. I love to see your creativity!

The post Rainbow Arch Cake Topper Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

The first thing you need to know about white chocolate is that it’s not a true chocolate, meaning there’s a lack of chocolate solids and therefore doesn’t behave the same as semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate. Instead, it’s made from a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk products, vanilla, and some sort of fatty substance called lecithin. Although I’ve never tried making white chocolate ganache with anything fancier than Hershey’s white chocolate chips, you can feel free to go as branded or non-branded as you want. Generic white chocolate chips or a white chocolate bar chopped into small pieces will work just fine.

With the absence of chocolate solids, the ratio of heavy whipping cream to white chocolate chips is going to be different than other ganache recipes. I’ve found a 3:1 ratio to be absolutely perfect (exact recipe below), meaning three parts chocolate to one part heavy whipping cream. Just bring the cream to an almost-boil, pour it over the white chocolate chips, whisk it together until it’s uniform, and you’re good.

Here’s a detailed video of the recipe, and you can continue reading below for all of my tips on working with white chocolate ganache:

If you have yet to check out my YouTube channel, head there to see more cake recipe videos, decorating tutorials, and my entire Cake Basics series in video format. Hit the subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new video!

Print

White Chocolate Ganache For Drip Cakes

The perfect white chocolate ganache ratio for creating drip cakes. 

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (190g) white chocolate chips or bar, chopped into bits
• 1/3 Cup (80ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp food color gel or whitening gel (optional)

Instructions

• Chop the white chocolate chips or bar as finely as you can and place it into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal).
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer, whisking constantly. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When it reaches this stage, pour the cream over the white chocolate. 
• Whisk together until the ganache is uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. It can help to hold the bowl over the residual heat from the burner (once it's turned off) if you're having a hard time whisking everything together.
• Whiten or color the ganache (optional), then cool ganache at room temperature for anywhere from 5-20 minutes (depending on your kitchen environment), or until the ganache itself is slightly above room temperature. See the instructions for dripping a cake with white chocolate ganache + troubleshooting tips in the rest of this blog post below.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: this ganache can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after every interval until your ganache is room temperature and uniform in consistency.

Tip 1: Whiten Your Ganache If It’s Too Yellow

The thing about white chocolate chips is that they aren’t exactly as white in color as they seem to be. To whiten the ganache, I swear by Americolor Bright White food color gel. It works like a dream every time, and you only need about half a teaspoon per batch of white chocolate ganache to get a perfectly bright white.

Some bakers like to use white candy melts in place of white chocolate chips to make white ganache, but I don’t like the taste of candy melts. So the whitening method is my favorite option.

Tip 2: Be Patient With The Cooling Process

Once you’ve whisked the ganache together, it’s crucial to let it cool on your countertop until it’s room temperature, about 20-30 minutes depending on how cold your environment is. Trying to speed up this process by placing ganache in the refrigerator doesn’t usually end well – I’ve found that it cools unevenly, leading to thick, globby drips.

Cooling in the fridge also leads to the urge to stir it too often. Ganache (especially white chocolate!) does not like to be stirred too often, and the end result can mean that your whipping cream starts to separate from the chocolate. You’ll know that this has happened because the ganache will look grainy and dull, or even separated like oil and water. To fix situations like these, you’ll need to reheat the ganache to 92ºF to melt the fat crystals and re-whisk to bring it back together.  

Tip 3: Chill Your Buttercream

There’s a science to this tip. Since molecules move more slowly at cooler temperatures (and warp speed at higher temperatures), it makes a lot of sense that you can better control how far the white chocolate ganache drips when the buttercream is chilled. Make sure that after you do your final coat of buttercream, you chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Tip 4: Start With A Test Drip

When your buttercream is nice and chilled, do a test drip by letting the ganache run down the side of your cake. If it travels rapidly and pools at the bottom, your ganache is too warm. Continue to cool the ganache for another 5-10 minutes and try your test drip again. If it’s globby or doesn’t travel very far down the side of the cake, it’s too cold. Reheat the ganache in the microwave for about 10 seconds, stir, and try again. Repeat the reheating process as needed until you get the perfect consistency.

The good thing about a test drip is you’re able to see how the ganache will behave. That way you don’t have to commit until you like what you’re seeing.

Tip 5: Drip The Sides Before Filling In The Top

Whether you’re using a spoon to create drips (like I am!) or you’re into the squeeze bottle method, it’s best to drip the sides of the cake before filling in the top. Although it might be tempting to just dump all of the ganache on the top of the cake and let the drips fall where they may, you’ll have more control over the length of each drip by starting with the sides (after a successful test drip of course).

Try not to add too much ganache to the top when filling it in, because if you add any more to the drips you’ve created, it will make them travel farther than you’d like. Instead, try to use just a little ganache and spread it so that it just touches where your drips begin. The ganache on the top should self-level a bit, so don’t worry too much about getting it super smooth.

And there you have it – everything I know about dripping cakes with white chocolate ganache. It’s a really good skill to have in your cake decorating repertoire, especially with how versatile white chocolate ganache can be color-wise. Adding a little food color gel can turn it any vibrant color of the rainbow! And whether you keep it white or color it up, I promise it’ll taste a million times better than candy melts.

Is there anything else you’d like to know about drip cakes? I’m certainly not an expert per se, but if you have more questions, let me know in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer!

The post White Chocolate Ganache Drip Cake Recipe + Tips [Video Included!] appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

After the impulse Buttercream yarn purchase and a bit of research on knitted buttercream piping techniques, I decided to order all of the supplies on JOANN’s website and use their in-store pickup option just to see what it was like. I was so happy with how convenient it was! Did it stop me from wandering down the aisles and impulse buying some Fall home decor? Absolutely not. But it is so nice to know that the items I needed were ready and waiting for me at the checkout counter.

This cake requires just three piping tips (Wilton 1M, 4B, and 3) and an extra dose of patience, which is so worth it for this end result! There’s a major pro tip in the tutorial below that details how to get the knit lines so straight. I ended up using the Wilton Color Right system to create the purple buttercream color so that it matched the yarn perfectly. And as an optional cake topper, I found the perfect bamboo knitting needles to finish the look. I love everything about this cake.

Here’s a quick video to show you all the tips and techniques before you read all about them below:

If you’re into video tutorials like this, be sure to check out my YouTube channel. There are tons of videos there to inspire you and show you the ropes of cake decorating! And I’m always rolling out new ones, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing.

You Will Need

• 6 inch cake that’s been crumb coated and chilled
• 1.5 batches of vanilla buttercream 
• Food color gels of your choice (optional)
• Cake turntable
• Angled spatula
• Icing Smoother
• Wilton Icing Comb
• Wilton Tips 1M, 4B, and 3
• Piping bags 

Step 1: Color the Buttercream (optional)

You can choose to leave the buttercream white or tint it with some food color gels of your choice. I ended up using the pink and blue gels from the Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System to create this warm purple tone that matches the Buttercream yarn as closely as possible! 

I love how easy it is to create totally custom colors with these food color gels, and it comes with a handy guide in case you aren’t sure about color theory. 

Step 2: Frost the Cake

Before we start piping, I find it best to frost a thin layer of smooth buttercream beneath the piped finish. This way any spaces that peek through your piped patterns will match exactly, making the texture look flawless. With your chilled, crumb coated cake on the turntable, smooth a thin layer of buttercream on top of the cake using your angled spatula, then cover the sides with buttercream. 

Next, use your icing smoother to create a smooth, even buttercream finish. No need to worry about small imperfections, but make sure the sides are as straight and level as possible.

You’ll notice a little crown appear around the top edge as you smooth the sides of the cake, and you can use your angled spatula to drag those edges inward to create sharp edges. 

Step 3: Create the Guidelines

If you’re wondering how to get the knitted piping perfectly straight horizontally, this is my favorite hack. I used the square tooth comb from the Wilton Icing Comb set to gently create evenly spaced horizontal lines around the cake. Just turn the cake while you gently comb the sides.

And for the top, I placed the same icing comb onto the center and swirled it around to create lines there too. These lines are the perfect piping guide! 

Once your cake finish is perfectly striped, pop the cake into the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes while you practice your piping.

Step 4: Practice Piping Techniques and Make a Plan 

While your cake is chilling, it’s best to prepare your piping bags and make a plan before you begin piping on the cake. Count how many rows (the lines from step 3) you’ve got on your cake and draw them out on a piece of paper. I had 17 rows to fill in, and knowing that helped me plan out which piping techniques I wanted to use on each section of the cake. Feel free to copy the pattern in step 5 if you have 17 rows, adjust it to fit more or less rows, or draw out your own design!  

I came up with three different techniques for the knitted piping, shown in the photo below. If you want to practice them before you start on the cake, you can pipe them out on a piece of wax paper to get the hang of it. 

Technique 1 (the top row above) is made with Wilton Tip 4B and simply involves piping stars. 

Technique 2 (the middle row above) is a cable knit texture created with Wilton Tip 1M. You can get the look by piping a braided pattern, or piping a series of v shapes that overlap. 

Technique 3 (the bottom row above) is your basic small knit texture, created with Wilton Tip 3. It’s similar to the technique above it, but instead of piping v shapes, you’ll be piping x shapes that overlap. This way, the top of each x looks like a v. Continue until you have a series of knits that look like the bottom row in the photo.

Step 5: Pipe the Sides of the Cake

Using the techniques shown above, I started at the bottom of the cake and piped a row of stars with Wilton Tip 4B, then filled in the subsequent three rows with Technique 3 (tiny knits):

I piped Technique 1 to fill in the next two rows, then Technique 2 to fill in the subsequent four rows:

The cable knit piping is basically the middle of the cake, so I repeated those techniques in reverse order to reach the top:

Step 6: Pipe the Top of the Cake

Similar to the planning session for the sides of the cake, count how many rows you’ve got on the top of your cake and decide how you want to fill them in. I started my design with one open star in the middle of the cake, then filled in the next four rows with Technique 3.

Then, I finished the top with another round of cable knit piping using Technique 2.

This part is totally optional, but I thought it would be so fitting to top the cake with these bamboo knitting needles once I was done with all that piping:

You might need a hand massage after this one, but this knitted buttercream texture is unreal and totally worth it!

Whether you’re in need of the perfect piping tips for this cake design, some cozy wool yarn for your next real life knit, the prettiest home decor for Fall, or all of the above, JOANN is my go-to place for all of it. Be sure to check out their website and try the BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) feature if you want next level customer service! I can’t promise that it will stop you from wandering the aisles and impulse buying other things, but it’s great to have everything you need ready to go at the checkout counter. 

Disclaimer: I was compensated by JOANN for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post Buttercream Knitted Sweater Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Although it was my first time trying the technique, I was so pleased to find out that it was super easy to create with the right piping tips (aka a handful of Wilton Tip 233). The tips basically do all the work for you, so you only have to worry about coming up with a cool color scheme and letting your imagination for the pattern run wild. I’ve got the full tutorial over here on The Cake Blog, and in the meantime, here are some photos to inspire your next shag cake:

Coolest texture ever, am I right? I’m already dreaming about other ways I can use these Wilton Tip 233’s. Head over to The Cake Blog to learn everything you need to know about creating the perfect shag cake and be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco and @thecakeblog on Instagram if the tutorial was helpful! We’d love to see what you create.

The post Autumn-Inspired Shag Cake appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Cool, right?! Whether you’re needing a buttercream backdrop for your next Star Wars cake or other space-themed creation, this technique was so quick and easy with a few supplies I picked up at my local JOANN store. From the space-colored buttercream to the star textures and sprinkle accents, I found everything I needed to get the look in a one-stop shop!

This Galaxy Cake all starts with a watercolor buttercream technique in a spacey colored palette: pink, blue, purple, and black. I used the Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System for each of the colors, and found it really easy to make a pitch black buttercream with the concentrated gel. It helps that you (surprisingly!) only need a little bit of black buttercream for this project, so if you’ve ever struggled with making a deep black color with vanilla buttercream, you won’t have to worry about that this time around. Just a few drops of black gel added to about ½ cup of vanilla buttercream and you’re good to go! 

To really enhance the look of a star-filled galaxy, I splatter painted the cake with diluted vanilla buttercream, added these gorgeous Silver Edible Glitter Stars, and topped it all off with a few clusters of these Silver Sprinkles. It turned out so galactic!

Here’s a quick video of the process so you can see all of the techniques in action before you read all about it below:

You Will Need:

• A 6-inch round cake that’s been crumb coated and chilled
• Cake turntable 
• 1.5 batches of vanilla buttercream
• Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System
• Bowls and spoons for color mixing
• Angled Spatula
• Icing Scraper
• Food-Grade Paint Brush
• Wilton Silver Edible Glitter Stars
• Wilton Silver Sprinkles

Step 1: Frost The Cake

With your crumb coated and chilled cake on the turntable, frost a thin layer of vanilla buttercream onto the top of the cake and smooth it down with your angled spatula.

Add a thin layer of vanilla buttercream to the sides of the cake and smooth it with your icing scraper until the sides are smooth and even. Then, swipe the crown of buttercream that appears around the top edges of the cake inward to create sharp edges.

At this point, I like to chill the frosted cake for about 20 minutes to let the buttercream set up. Frosting white buttercream underneath the galaxy finish saves on the amount of black buttercream you’ll need to use to cover it. Aka, no black stained teeth once you get to eat it!

Step 2: Color The Buttercream 

While the frosted cake is chilling in the refrigerator, it’s time to mix up your space-themed color palette. Add about a Tbsp of white buttercream into one bowl and set it aside, then divide the remaining buttercream into four separate bowls.

Using the Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System, mix a little Pink into one bowl, a little Blue into another, and a mixture of Pink and Blue into the third bowl to make a purple tone. In the last bowl, add a few drops of Black and mix it up until you’ve got a deep black tone.

Step 3: Create The Galaxy Buttercream Finish

On your frosted and chilled cake, add a few dabs of the pink buttercream to the sides and top of the cake with your angled spatula, then smooth it all with your icing scraper.

Next, add a few dabs of purple buttercream to the sides and top of the cake and smooth it with your icing scraper. Repeat this process with the blue buttercream until you’ve got a nice watercolor finish on your cake.

Finally, add the black buttercream over the top of everything and smooth it with your icing scraper. Continue to add and smooth the black buttercream until the colors underneath peek through just a little.

When you’re finished, pop the cake back into the refrigerator for another 15 minutes to let everything set up. 

Step 4: Splatter Paint The Stars

In the bowl of white buttercream you reserved in Step 2, add a few drops of water and mix it all together until it becomes a thick liquid.

Dip your food grade paintbrush into the diluted buttercream and splatter paint it all over the cake to create the look of stars. 

Step 5: Add Glitter Stars And Sprinkles 

Finally, add some Glitter Stars wherever your heart desires in your galaxy. It’s best to place a few on your finger and gently press them onto the cake. Use that same technique to add some clusters of Silver Sprinkles to your galaxy cake. Simply dip your finger into the sprinkles to get a nice finger-full, then gently press them onto the cake.

And there you have it! When you’re all done with your Galaxy Cake, feel free to turn on “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys and dance around the kitchen. It’s only fitting!

Now that you know how to make the perfect Galaxy Cake, all that’s left to do is make a trip to your local JOANN store and pick up the supplies. If you don’t live near a JOANN, fear not! You’ll find everything you need on their website. I’m so blown away at all the cake decorating tools and supplies they offer, so no matter what you’re creating in the kitchen, know that they’ve got just the thing.  

Disclaimer: I was compensated by JOANN for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post Galaxy Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I wrote out the entire tutorial for this cactus cake over on The Cake Blog, so be sure to head over there to see how to get the look. Although it may seem like a complicated design, it’s actually a lot easier than it looks. All you need is a few piping tips, some pretty buttercream colors, and a little imagination. Here’s some photo inspiration:

So pretty right? Makes me want to spend some time in the desert! Be sure to head to The Cake Blog for the full tutorial and let us know if you make this cake by tagging @sugarandsparrowco and @thecakeblog on Instagram! We’d love to see your take on this cactus creation. 

The post A Cactus Cake With Major Desert Vibes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

This Sea Life mold made it so easy to turn gumpaste into brilliant sea shells, coral, and starfish. It will work with fondant too, but I chose gumpaste just because I wanted the sea life pieces to dry more quickly. If you make them a week ahead, fondant is a great option. But if you’re like me and wait until the last minute, gumpaste will dry much quicker (in about 24 hours!) and is still as easy to color and work with as fondant.

To supplement my pretty gumpaste sea life accents, I used some of my favorite Wilton piping tips and pearl sprinkles (also available at JOANN) to create some additional under the sea textures. And to make things even more sea-themed, I crushed up some graham crackers to create edible sand for decorating.

Before I detail exactly how to get this under the sea look, here’s a quick video to show you the techniques in action:

Gumpaste Sea Life Materials:

• Wilton Ready-To-Use Gumpaste or fondant 
• Sea Life Gumpaste & Fondant Mold
• Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System 
• Shortening 
• Small rolling pin
• Exacto knife

Under The Sea Cake Materials: 

• A 6-inch cake that’s been crumb coated and chilled
• 2 batches of vanilla buttercream
• Icing smoother
• Angled Icing Spatula 
• 8 inch cake circle 
• Crushed graham crackers
• Sea Life Pieces 
• Wilton Tips 104, 4B, 2A, and 225
• Piping bags
• Wilton Pearl Sprinkles

Step 1: Make The Gumpaste Sea Life

Separate the Ready-To-Use Gumpaste (or fondant!) into 1 inch pieces and knead each one with a little shortening until it feels uniform in consistency, like play-doh. Use the Wilton Color Right System or food color gels of your choice to color each piece. Here’s how I colored my gumpaste:

Color by color, press the gumpaste into portions of the Sea Life Mold and use a small rolling pin to flatten it out. This mold is pretty flexible, so it should be easy to release each piece by gently pulling it away from the mold. 

Cut away the excess gumpaste with an exacto knife and place each sea life piece onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper to begin the drying process.

Allow the gumpaste to dry for at least 24 hours, flipping it over once in between to let both sides dry evenly. If you’re using fondant, allow it to dry for at least 72 hours, flipping the pieces over once in between.

Once all of your sea life pieces are dry and firm, you can move on to decorating the cake. 

Step 2: Color The Buttercream

Divide the buttercream into separate bowls: divide 4.5 cups between three separate bowls for the base frosting. Since I went for a blue ombre effect on my buttercream finish, I colored one bowl a dark blue, one bowl a medium blue, and one bowl a light blue. 

Divide the remaining buttercream into a four or five separate bowls for the colors you’ll be piping. These colors will end up being your additional buttercream textures like coral and sea grass, so feel free to copy the above color palette or follow your heart on these colors. 

Step 3: Frost The Cake

With your crumb coated cake on a turntable, frost and smooth the top of the cake with the lightest blue buttercream. Then, working from the bottom of the cake up, frost the bottom third of the cake with the deepest blue buttercream, the middle third with medium blue, and the top third with the lightest blue. 

Use your icing scraper to smooth the sides of the cake, keeping the top edge uneven. I think leaving the top edge like this gives the illusion of tiny waves around the top of the cake.

At this point in the decorating process I like to chill the cake for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream firm up.

Step 4: Add the Crushed Graham Cracker Sand 

Transfer the chilled cake to an 8 inch cake circle and place the whole thing back on your clean turntable. Fill in the top of the cake with crushed graham cracker sand, then add some more sand to the bottom edges. 

Step 5: Add The Gumpaste Sea Life

Press your gumpaste sea life pieces into the sides of the cake wherever you feel like. For the smaller pieces (like shells) you can reserve them until you pipe the additional textures in the next step. You do you!

Step 6: Pipe Additional Textures 

Prepare separate piping bags by fitting them with piping tips and filling them with the additional buttercream colors you mixed up in step 2. I used Wilton Tip 104 for the green sea grass, Wilton Tip 4B for the open stars, Tip 2A for the coral textures, and Tip 225 for some small drop flowers.

You can pipe these textures in any order, but here’s what I did: first, I piped some coral dots with Wilton Tip 2A, then piped squiggles with the green buttercream using Wilton Tip 104:

Next, I added vibrant purple and yellow open stars using Wilton Tip 4B:

Finally, I added some little pink drop flowers with Wilton Tip 225:

You’ll find that it’s super easy to pipe these under the sea textures, and the buttercream really makes everything come together. Once your piping is finished, you can add in some of the smaller gumpaste pieces like seashells, and press some sprinkle pearls into the sides of the cake to create the illusion of bubbles. So fun! 

Step 7: Decorate The Top Of The Cake 

You can choose to leave the top of the cake sand-only, but I used some of the gumpaste coral as a cake topper, piped some open stars, and added some gumpaste shells to make an ocean floor scene.

So pretty, right? This Under The Sea Cake is so much more detailed with the gumpaste sea life pieces, and I am so happy that JOANN had the perfect mold to make my oceanic cake dreams come true! Whether you live near a JOANN store or shop their website, you’ll find all the materials to get the perfect Under The Sea look with your cake decorating. Best of all, if you download the JOANN app, you’ll always have a coupon to get these cake decorating supplies at a discount. It’s just one more reason I love this store.

Disclaimer: I was compensated by JOANN for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post Under The Sea Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Are you dazzled? I am. The coolest thing is that these geodes are 100% edible and incredibly easy to make! They’re made of Wilton Candy Melts, tasty rock candy, and some sugar sprinkles to tie the look together – all things you can find at your local JOANN or from their website. And did I mention that they only take about ten minutes from start to finish? It’s the perfect project for any skill level and the results are phenomenal.

To make these geodes in mini-form, I used some plastic paint palettes as a mold. The cavities are the perfect size for making mini cupcake toppers, but if you’re wanting larger geodes, you can use any size half-sphere mold and follow the steps below to get the same results.

If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s a quick video of how to create these mini geodes from start to finish:

You Will Need:

• Plastic paint palettes
• 12 oz. Wilton Candy Melts in Bright White
• A small microwaveable bowl and spoon for mixing
• Sweet Tooth Fairy Rock Candy in any color
• Sugar sprinkles in a lighter shade of the same color you’re using for rock candy
• Wilton Pearlized Sprinkles in the gold mix (comes with both gold and white sugar sprinkles)
• A small plate
• Wax paper

Step 1: Melt The Candy Melts

Following the instructions on the package, melt the ¾ of the Candy Melts in the microwave until they’re uniform in consistency.

You’ll want to reserve about ¼ of the Candy Melts for Step 5.

Step 2: Fill The Molds

Using a spoon, fill each cavity of the plastic paint palette with Candy Melts about halfway full.

Then, slowly rotate the paint palette to ensure the sides of each cavity are covered.

Step 3: Place The Rock Candies and Sugar Sprinkles

Place a few rock candies in the center of each cavity and press them in so that they stick into the Candy melts.

Next, place a lighter color of sugar sprinkles on top of the rock candies to fill in the gaps, making sure you leave enough room for a white sprinkled edge.

Finally, place the white sugar sprinkles around the edge of each geode.

You’ve now got a multi-dimensional look, just like a real geode!

Step 4: Refrigerate

Place the entire paint palette in the refrigerator so your geodes can firm up. The geodes will be firm enough for releasing from the paint palette after just five minutes in the refrigerator.

When five minutes is up, gently release the geodes from the paint palette just like you would release ice cubes from an ice tray. They should be pretty sturdy and release easily from the molds.

Step 5: Create The Sprinkled Edges

Melt the additional ¼ of the Candy Melts in the microwave according to the package instructions. Pour the gold Wilton Pearlized Sprinkles onto a small plate. One by one, carefully dip the edges of each geode into the melted Candy Melts, then roll the edges in the gold sprinkles. Set the finished geodes onto wax paper and let them set up at room temperature for ten minutes before adding them to your cupcakes.

And there you have it – the most stunning mini geodes for topping your cupcakes, made completely with products you can find at JOANN! I’m always so impressed with their collection of Wilton products, cake pans, decorating tools, and all the things. Whether you’ve got a local JOANN store in your area or you like to shop online, be sure to take a look at their selection. Best of all, they always have great coupons if you download their mobile app. That way you can always get the best cake decorating products at a fraction of the cost!

Disclaimer: I was compensated by JOANN for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post Mini Geode Cupcake Toppers Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Ah, milk and cereal. They’re a match made in heaven, and nostalgic as heck. I can remember many a Saturday morning curled up in front of the TV with a bowl of milk and cereal in hand – it was a true staple in my childhood diet. The idea of translating those flavors into a cake didn’t occur to me until a year ago, when a friend of mine was having a cereal-themed birthday party. I thought it was such a fun and playful idea for a cake, and although I didn’t start testing flavors just then, I added it to my list of future cake ideas and the dream was alive.

Fast forward to present day, I found myself wandering the cereal aisle to find the perfect flavors to finally bring my milk and cereal cake dreams to life. I decided on Froot Loops, mainly because they taste good and they’re so pretty, but this recipe can be created with just about any cereal your heart desires (we all have our favorites!). I’ve made it successfully with the wheat pieces in Lucky Charms and I’m sure just about any cereal would be tasty. 

Creating the perfect milk and cereal cake recipe definitely took some trial and error. My first go-round I ended up crushing up Froot Loops by hand and folding them into the cake batter, and while the result was pretty to look at (like rainbow funfetti!) the taste was off because the cereal got super chewy after the baking process. After trying some different approaches and conducting a few blind taste tests, I’ve refined the recipe to make this milk and cereal cake taste just as heavenly as it looks.

The secrets to the taste are: using actual cereal milk in place of regular milk (made by soaking the cereal in whole milk) and also adding finely ground cereal into the cake batter instead of just crushed up cereal pieces. To keep the cake moist and fluffy I’ve also incorporated sour cream and cake flour, which I swear by for all of my vanilla-based cakes.

If you’ve seen this cake on my Instagram, you’ll also see that the design concept really helps sell the premise of the cake. Some credit has to be given to my husband on that, because he totally helped come up with the idea of creating a “milk splash” out of white chocolate for the topper! Side by side, we sketched out the concept art before I took to the kitchen to figure out how to make it happen. Don’t worry, I’ve even created a full tutorial on the white chocolate milk splash in case you want to get the look!

Print

Milk And Cereal Cake

A moist and fluffy cereal-infused cake with cereal milk buttercream. Pairs perfectly with Saturday morning cartoons!

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Cereal Milk

• 2 Cups whole milk
• 2 Cups Froot Loops (or cereal of your choice)

Milk And Cereal Cake

• 1 Cup finely ground Froot Loops or cereal of your choice (equals about 3 cups of whole cereal)
• 3 3/4 Cups (398g) cake flour, sifted before measuring
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/8 Cups (254g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 Cups (410g) granulated sugar
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 Cup (112g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups (360ml) cereal milk, room temperature

Cereal Milk Buttercream

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 4 Tbsp (59ml) cereal milk, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Instructions

Make The Cereal Milk

• Pour the whole milk over cereal and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain out the cereal and reserve the milk to use in the cake and buttercream recipes. 

Make The Milk And Cereal Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F and prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting a parchment or wax paper circle to the bottom of each pan. 
• In a food processor, grind up Froot Loops (or cereal of your choice) into a fine powder. Keep in mind that 1 cup of finely ground cereal equals about 3 cups of whole cereal. Place into a medium sized bowl and add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter for one minute on high. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and add the sugar. Cream together on high for two minutes, scraping down bowl and paddle once in between. Turn mixer to low and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl and paddle as necessary. Once all eggs are added, turn the mixer to high and beat for three minutes. 
• Add vanilla and sour cream and continue mixing for one minute. Turn the mixer to low and add all of the dry ingredients at once until just combined, then add the cereal milk all at once. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more and mix on low for about 30 seconds. Do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pans (about ⅔ full). 
• Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes for five minutes before releasing from the pan and continuing to cool on a baking sheet or wire rack for several hours.

Make The Cereal Milk Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter until fluffy and light (almost white) in color, about 7 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle twice during the process. Add powdered sugar a few cups at a time and beat on medium, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each interval. Add the cereal milk, vanilla, and salt and continue to mix on medium for two minutes.

Assembly

• After torting the cake layers to the desired height, fill and frost them with cereal milk buttercream. Decorate with crushed up cereal and a white chocolate milk splash crown.

Notes

The cake layers can be made ahead, wrapped in plastic, and stored at room temperature for up to two days before frosting. Alternatively, you can wrap the cake layers and store them in the freezer for up to two months before thawing.

The buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and then re-whip with your stand mixer to bring back the original consistency. 

___________________________________________________________________________

What’s your favorite cereal? If you substituted it into this recipe I want to know how it turned out! Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear.

The post Milk And Cereal Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.