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Are you looking for a cake idea that is simple and sentimental?  This just might be what you are looking for.

 
As you can see in this picture, my boys are using edible markers (purchased from my craft store) to draw a picture for their Pop on edible icing sheets.  When they were done, I used my cake pan to trace a circle around the best section of their artwork and cut it out using scissors.  Then, I iced my cake and put the picture on top.  To clean up any rough edges, I piped around the top and bottom of the cake.  The end result was a simple cake that came from the heart.

***Decorator's Tip*** The icing under the image should be white so the colors of your picture are not altered.

Click to purchase your 'Kids Decorate!' kit from my sister site, www.KimsCake.com.
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Do you have a cake you want to share with PCD? You can now e-mail your photos to photos@pieceofcakedecorating.com for a chance to be featured on this site.

Our very first reader photo comes from Kimberly of PA.  She recently purchased the Movie Cake Kit from PCD and was kind enough to share the finished product with us.  Kimberly also made adorable popcorn cupcakes to accompany the cake.  Great work and thank you for sharing!

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In my Yes! to Cookies review and giveaway I shared with you cookies that allow diabetics to get there sweet fix.  I was recently approached by Suzanne Ault regarding a very similar topic.  In the following article, Suzanne gives helpful eating tips and a delicious salad recipe.  Enjoy!



Cucumbers and Little Identified Ways to Prevent Diabetic Issues

written by: Suzanne Ault 

Are you cool as a cucumber? Not merely is the cucumber known for it’s power to cool down the body, it has additionally been recognized to assist with jaundice, diarrhea, epilepsy, sore throat, conjunctivitis (redness of the eye) and swelling of extremities.


Often you should attempt to deseed the cucumber as the body can have a hard time digesting the seeds. You can deseed them yourself easily by cutting them in two and using a spoon to take out the seeds or if you want to eliminate this task it is possible to buy cucumbers that are already seeded.


Fresh cucumbers are simple to add to salads and for an easy salad just toss diced cucumbers with sliced red onions, red tomatoes and your favorite all-natural, low-fat balsamic vinaigrette. This can be a fast way to make a refreshing salad that reaps some great benefits of cucumber.


Anti-diabetic Benefits of Cucumber:
Beta cells within the pancreas produce the hormone insulin.Cucumber is found to possess a hormone necessary for beta cells in the insulin production. Moreover, the Glycemic Index of cucumbers is found to be zero.


Why Cucumbers have not a glycemic index listed? Does this imply that they don't raise blood glucose?
Not at all. It simply means that under the "rules" for the definition of the glycemic index, it is too hard to get an accurate number. This is because you'll need to eat a very big amount of the food to get 50 grams of carbohydrate at the same time in order to be tested. Generally, the lower the amount of carbohydrate in a vegetable and the more fiber it has, the less the rise in blood sugar levels will be.


The carbohydrates are primarily responsible of the raise of the glucose level.But the carbohydrates within the cucumber are easily digestible in a diabetes patient’s stomach.


Tricks for Preparing Cucumbers:
Unwaxed cucumbers don't need to be peeled but should be washed before cutting. Cucumbers may be sliced, diced or cut into sticks.


A couple of Quick Serving Ideas:

  • Use half-inch thick cucumber slices as petite serving "dishes" for chopped vegetable salads.
  • Mix diced cucumbers with sugar snap peas and mint leaves and toss with rice wine vinaigrette.
  • For refreshing cold gazpacho soup that takes five minutes or less to make, simply purée cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, then add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add diced cucumber to tuna fish or chicken salad recipes.



Cool Cucumber Salad Recipe:





Ingredients:
- 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
- 1/3 cup minced cilantro


Dressing:
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. honey
- 2 tsp. Reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- Pinch dried red pepper flakes


Preparation per 8 servings:
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Marinating time: 1 hour


1. Combine the cucumbers, carrots, red onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over cucumbers, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Salad may be eaten using a fork.


Nutritional Values per Meal: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 25
- Calories From Fat: 10


- Total Fat: 1 gram
- Saturated Fat: .1 grams
- Cholesterol: milligrams
- Sodium: 50 milligrams (without added salt)
- Total Carbohydrate: 5 grams
- Soluble fiber: 1 gram
- Sugars: 3 grams
- Protein: 1 grams


Who am i ?:
Suzanne Ault writes for the diabetic diet recipes blog, her personal hobby web page dedicated to cooking ways to prevent diabetes.


My Complete Bio: http://www.diabeticdietrecipes.org/about
My Photo: http://www.diabeticdietrecipes.org/suzanne.jpg



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Today's post is inspired by a reader's question. She asked me for advice on working with fondant.  It can seem tricky if you aren't used to the nature of the product.  In fact, I started working on my own with fondant but never could get it quite right until I took a class and learned a few tricks that I wouldn't have figured out otherwise.  Here are a few important tips to help get you started.


  1. Kneed the fondant until it is pliable like taffy.  If the fondant is too dry then it won't lay right on the cake.  This was my biggest problem when I started.
  2. Make sure your surface is well covered with powdered sugar and your hands are greased with Crisco or vegetable shortening.  A fondant mat is probably a good purchase because most counter surfaces will suck the moisture out of your fondant (another problem I encountered).
  3. Fondant dries up quickly so make sure any fondant you are not using is in an air tight container AND covered in plastic wrap.

The fondant mat I just mentioned and a fondant rolling pin are great purchases.  A wooden rolling pin will suck the moisture out of your fondant so don't use that. A fondant smoother (pictured below) is also helpful in getting your fondant to lay smooth on your cake.  Just make sure it is dusted with powdered sugar or corn starch.

















Buying fondant can be a bit pricey when you are starting out, that is why I use marshmallow fondant.  It is easy and cheap to make plus it tastes great! But, if you don't always have time to make your fondant, Satin Ice Fondant is a great choice.















Finally, try not to roll your fondant out too thin.  The thinner the fondant, the more imperfections you will see.  That is also why it is important to ice your cake as smooth as possible before you apply your fondant.  Once your cake is iced, let the icing crust up a bit then apply a small layer of piping gel around the bottom of your cake.  This will help the fondant to stick.  It has also been my experience that fondant on top of crusted icing gives it a cleaner look and a sharper edge.

Remember, practice makes perfect so don't give up if you have trouble the first few times.  You'll get it eventually.  If you have any other questions regarding this topic, please e-mail them to kseals@pieceofcakedecorating.com and you will get a response within 24 hours.   Your questions will also help other readers as I will continue to add to this post as they come in.



Gumpaste is very similar but it dries MUCH faster.  I am still learning the ins and outs of gumpaste, especially when it comes to making characters.  The gumpaste tricks I have been learning will be coming soon to PCD.
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Are you noticing a theme this week with the names of my featured decorators?  This week's shop, The Cake Boutique, is located in Trumbull County, Ohio.  Stella Kotsatos-Angelo and Penny Bennett are dedicated to creating beautiful and custom cakes.  A particularly interesting aspect of their business is that they specialize in faux wedding cakes.  You can read more about it and see even more cakes on their website www.cakeboutiqueshop.com so make sure you pay them a visit when you are done here.








Congratulations on winning the Tastiest Cake Award at the American Cancer Society's Pink Ribbon Social!









This is a very cool and eye catching idea for a cake.  Love it!










What an adorable elephant!











This is a very elegant cake.  Sometimes all white cakes are even harder to decorate.


















I chose this cake because I love the flowers!















Thank you to The Cake Boutique for sharing your cakes with us!
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I can't believe I missed it :)  A few months ago Piece of Cake Decorating turned 1!  I published my first post on May 26th and boy has this blog come a long way.  To celebrate, I would like to share with you some of the cakes I have made over the years but have not had the opportunity to blog about.  I hope you enjoy my favorites and if you want to see more of my cakes you can visit www.KimsCake.com.  Thanks for looking! 



This baby shower cake was inspired by the mother's love for books.


















This bridal shower cake really tested my creativity.  The couple loves NY and Central Park.  They ice skate there every winter.















Having two boys, my cakes aren't girlie very often making this cake especially fun to decorate.













This cake was inspired by one of my featured decorators.  My client found a picture of a circus cake on Pink Cake Box's website and asked me to replicate it for them with a few adjustments. 














Every year I make a cake for my friend's Halloween party and last year I made this mummy.  A tutorial for this cake will be coming later in the year!












Finally, we have a Nascar cake.  I plan to post a tutorial for this cake as well.  In the mean time, you can get the basic idea from my Lightning McQueen cake.
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Not to long ago I came across the website of a shop in Tucson, AZ.  Mindy Illes is the cake designer and owner of Cake Boutique.  She makes all her cakes from scratch and gives great attention to detail.  Looking through Cake Boutique's gallery, it was hard to choose my usual six photos to share with you so, when you are done reading you should definitely take a look at all of Mindy's amazing work.



I had to start with this cake because it is just amazing. 














But then I saw this cake...
















Mindy did a great job on the detail work with this purse.  I've made a Coach bag before and believe me, there is plenty of detail.













This wedding cake is gorgeous.  I imagine the bride wanted the cake modeled after her dress and it looks fantastic!



















A very clever take on a New York City cake.

















Another great cake.  I especially love the piping.












Believe me when I tell you that these are just a few of Mindy's best cakes.  Her website has tons more for you to see.  One last thing I would like to share about Cake Boutique...they bake doggie treats too!

Thank you Mindy for sharing your cakes with us.
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The Cake Boutique is a family run cake shop in Wilton, CT.  Sisters and decorators Sonia and Sandra opened up shop in 2004 and a year later, their older sister Sofia joined the team.  I think it is fantastic that these sisters run a business together.  Their work is extraordinary to say the least.  You can see from their pictures that they give great attention to detail.  When you are done browsing through some of my favorite cakes, visit their website to see many more.



I really like the choice of colors in the cake.  The gift box on top is great!





 I really love the champagne bottle at the top of this cake.




I've been noticing a lot of Dr. Seuss cakes lately.  This is definitely one of my favorites.






Simple and beautiful!

















I really enjoy cakes that mix square and round tiers. 













Amazing work on these gumpaste flowers.  These sisters are truly talented.











Thank you to the ladies of The Cake Boutique for sharing your cakes with us.
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Pure Wesson Vegetable Oil - 1.25 galJust the other day I was baking a few cakes and ran out of vegetable oil.  I had tons of canola oil so I found myself searching for the answer to the question, can you substitute vegetable oil with canola oil?  Thankfully the answer is YES!

Of course you want to use the exact ingredients of a recipe when you can but if you need a quick substitution for vegetable oil then canola oil is a safe bet.  My cakes baked and tasted exactly the same.  The reason this works is that canola oil is a type of vegetable oil.  The difference is that vegetable oil is made up of many different oils while canola oil just uses the one.

So, if you find yourself running short on vegetable oil don't worry.  Canola oil will work!
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Congratulations to Pink Cake Box!  Anne Heap and her staff have recently won the show stopper award at the "Art of Cake Design" sponsored by the Somerset Art Association in Bedminster, NJ.  Looking at these pictures, it is not surprising that they won.  The level of detail and skill needed to create a cake like this is incredible!  Absolutely amazing job!

Read more about Pink Cake Box in the Feature Friday segment of my blog OR visit them at www.pinkcakebox.com.

Thank you Anne for sharing these photos with us!





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This feature will put the spotlight on another home baker.  Jenny Williams of Jenny Wenny Cakes loves decorating cakes for friends and family.  One day she hopes to open a shop of her own.  You can keep up with Jenny's latest activities on her Facebook page and see lots more of her cakes on her Flickr account.  She also makes creative cake toppers and takes amazing photos so it will be worth the visit.  Oh, and don't forget about her blog, Foray into Food!



I love this cake because of the creative way Jenny adds her message and age of the birthday boy.  And of course I love the handmade decorations!
















I chose this cake for my son.  He loves Thomas!  The train is made out of Rice Krispie Treats.  Great work!














A very creative take on a graduation cake.  The little otter is adorable.












The center cake caught my eye.  Not to mention they look delicious!











I love Dr. Seuss so I couldn't leave out this cake.
















In this cake, a fondant plaque is sitting on top of the cake. I chose this cake because Jenny uses this method of decorating in a lot of her cupcakes and smash cakes.  It is a great compromise for customers who do not care for the taste of fondant and decorators who love to use it.  I have to admit, I never thought of doing this.  Great idea Jenny!










Thank you Jenny for sharing your cake photos with us!
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Custom Cake Guides

Having trouble finding instructions on how to decorate a cake? We can help. For a small $5 fee and our money back guarantee we will create a custom cake guide. Your guide will include step-by-step instructions and sketches when needed. Just simply click the "add to cart" button below and be sure to leave your e-mail address at the checkout. Once we have been notified of your purchase, we will e-mail you about your request. Please be prepared to respond with a detailed description and/or a picture of your request. If we are unable to help you for any reason, we will issue a full refund. We look forward to creating a guide for you. And remember, if you ever have a question about anything on our site, you can e-mail us at kseals@pieceofcakedecorating.com.