July 2013- Week 1

ORGANIZATION SKILLS

I would say that this week was not very productive. I did research on a few things, but most of my research wasn’t very serious. Though however, I managed to find a few shops and bakeries in the UK that I would want to visit on my vacation at the end of the month.

COMMUNICATION WITH SUPERVISOR

This week, I also didn’t communicate with Mr. Pat.

INFORMATION

I looked through Youtube cake decorating videos, and found three videos that were definitely very helpful. All of the videos were under the username TheBoyWhoBakes (Edd Kimber, winner of The Great British Bakeoff). First video is how to decorate a simple ombre cake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtGaOcXYmHA). He used dots and an offset spatula to make the design by spearing the dotted frosting. This technique is very simple and has an outstanding design in the end if done properly. The second video is about how to crumb coat a cake using an offset spatula (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6bZKDpSO6Q). In this stage of decorating, it isn’t about the appearance of the cake, because it is not the final layer. They key is to cover up all the crumbs. Consistency of the frosting is also very important. The frosting isn’t supposed to be hard like a piping consistency, or else the frosting would not spread evenly and would be hard to work with. After it has all been coated, the cake needs to rest for its final layer. The third one is about how to make a simple design on a coated cake using an offset spatula (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RmikZHRgsg). First, put the rest of the frosting on the top of the cake, so that you can work your way down. Smooth it out gently, and then work the sides by smoothening out the frosting. It is very important to be gentle and not put too much pressure. After covering all the sides, smoothen the frosting once again. To get a really smooth side, place your offset spatula on an angle, and turn the turntable while keeping the spatula steady with not so much pressure. To smoothen the extra frosting on the top, flatten out the top by bringing the frosting in. To make a ripple effect, hold the spatula against the board, turn the turntable, and slowly pull it up. As for the top, do the same thing inward instead of upwards. I also found these bakeries and available baking courses in the U.K. that I am interested in: http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/about-lindy/sugarcraft-awards-won-by-lindy-smith/, http://www.cakes4funshop.co.uk/130803-royal-icing-sat-3rd-aug.ir?cName=courses-august-courses, http://www.magnoliabakery.com/, http://www.lolas-kitchen.co.uk/.