Part III: Topping, Filling, and Embellishing Your Creations in .NET framework

Making Code 128 Code Set A in .NET framework Part III: Topping, Filling, and Embellishing Your Creations

Whether you just want to play around and get some flower-making practice in or you re ready to tackle decorations for a special cake, try this recipe for homemade gum paste It calls for a specialty ingredient, gum tragacanth, that s widely available in some outlets of national craft store chains as well as cake decorating supply stores and Web sites Preparation time: 15 minutes plus overnight for the paste to mature Yield: 1 pound

1 tablespoon gum tragacanth (also known by the brand name Gum-Tex) 4 cups sifted confectioners sugar, divided

1 In a medium saucepan, heat the corn syrup and water over low heat until just warm 2 In a medium bowl, combine the gum tragacanth with 1 cup of confectioners sugar

3 Turn the contents out onto your work surface Gradually knead in the remaining confectioners sugar until your paste is pliable and not sticky

If gum paste intrigues you but you re not ready to commit to working with it just yet, you can purchase many kinds of gum paste flowers at bakeries and baking supply stores Select some premade flowers, examine and inspect them close-up, and note the detail on petals, stamens, and leaves Then figure out the best way to place them to dress up a cake, and see if you like the look and aura

Whether you ve made your own gum paste or bought some ready-made, you have a variety of tools at your disposal to craft flowers out of (Keep in mind that many of these also come in handy for marzipan molding) Food coloring gels or pastes: You use these to tint the gum paste to a desired shade Cutters: You can rely on a wide range of plastic or metal cutters to help you achieve a realistic look and design Some cutters are the actual shapes of flowers whereas others are petal-shaped

Tools: Five tools come in handy for a host of shaping techniques They re all about 6 inches long and are usually plastic, pencil-shaped, and easy to grip (see Figure 12-2) They are Dogbone: Pressing this tool, which has a rounded hook on the end, into gum paste makes a petal look open Ball: This tool has a small, hard ball on the end that you can use to cup or smooth out a petal Veining: This tool, which tapers off to sharp points on each end, works nicely for drawing a leaf s veins Shell: This tool has a scalloped end with which to imprint lines on flowers Umbrella: You can insert this sharp-pointed tool into the gum paste for scoring, forming buds, and imprinting veins Foam mat: You set your gum paste on a foam mat to make it easier to sculpt with the tools (You can even use a gardener s kneeling pad or a computer mouse pad) Adhesive: Although you have a number of adhesive options for holding gum paste designs together, pasteurized egg white is a good choice For another adhesive, dissolve 1 4 teaspoon gum paste in 1 tablespoon water Heavy-gauge wire: Wire allows you to spear the bud you re working on to attach petals to the flower Petal dusts: These are highly concentrated powdered colors that you can apply to your gum paste flowers after they re dry Dusts make flowers look more realistic Paint brushes: You need one brush to apply adhesive to gum paste pieces In addition, craft paintbrushes in a range of sizes help you in applying petal dust in both large and small spaces

Some cake decorators adamantly steer clear of gum paste, always opting for fresh flowers instead and arguing that those made of gum paste are too artificial Although I understand their point, it s easy to marvel at flowers that look so real but have been sculpted out of a foodstuff To make a wide variety of different kinds of gum paste flowers, you start with the same basic steps For almost every kind of flower, follow these steps: 1 Dust your work surface with cornstarch 2 Tint a small amount of gum paste if you want the flower to be a certain color Use a toothpick to dab the color into the gum paste Then knead the color in (drop by drop) until you achieve your desired shade 3 Using a (preferably) nonstick roller, roll out the gum paste to a paperthin (1 16 inch) thickness Have a large glass bowl turned over and standing by so that you can put gum paste you re not working with at the moment underneath it to keep the gum paste from drying out 4 Using the appropriate cutter, cut the entire flower (such as a daisy or dogwood blossom) or the petals (such as for a rose or carnation) that you need to form the bloom Simply press the cutter down hard, and lift it straight up; don t twist it back and forth to release the shape 5 Place your shape(s) on a foam pad 6 With the appropriate tools (refer to the preceding section), shape the flower s petals or leaves 7 Set the shape on a piece of parchment paper to dry and harden 8 When dry, use a brush to dust the shapes with petal dusts if desired to accent their details and make them look more realistic If you re adding stamens, sepals (the little green bits under the petals), stems, or other greenery, prepare those items out of gum paste just as you do the petals and leaves and then apply them with adhesive (usually pasteurized egg white) Lilies and roses are two flower varieties that require some special work to grow out of gum paste The following sections walk you through the specifics of crafting these flowers