For ribbon insertion slots using a TO01 or TO1A Ribbon Insertion tool
With the ribbon insertion tool cut the slots in the sugarpaste cake covering while the sugarpaste is still soft. When the sugar paste has become firm, to clear the slots insert the tool down into the slots once more to push any loose sugar crystals to the bottom then insert the ribbon.
For ribbon insertion using flower paste cut with a TO05 3/5mm Paste ribbon cutter
If using ribbon made of flower paste – roll out the paste, cut the paste to a ribbon width with paste ribbon cutter, then cut the ribbon piece into ½” to ¾” lengths.If the paste is from a freshly open packet and quite pliable, having cut the ribbon lengths allow to air dry on your rolling board for a few minutes – the ribbon will be easier to handle when inserting into the slots. To insert the ribbon hold a length at one end with finger and thumb and thread the other end down into a slot – with a cocktail stick guide the free end sticking up over and down into the next slot.
Stainless Steel Sugarcraft cutters
Unlike most, all Kit Box cutters are made of stainless steel and will not rust. Many metal cutters are made of tin-plated [coated] mild steel which can rust because the edges of the mild steel are not protected with the tin-plating. Stainless steel is not attracted to a magnet. To check if your cutter[s] is stainless steel hold a magnet against it – a fridge magnet will do. If it’s stainless steel the magnet WILL NOT attract . If it’s tin plated mild steel or even just mild steel without plating the magnet WILL attract.
To find the centre of your cake top using a TE01 Cake Top Marking Template and NO ruler
Your Cake Top Marking Template is made of clear plastic so – place your template on top of your cake and directly from above look down through the template to the cake below. Using the template lines of circles or squares move the template so that they are equally spaced to the edge of your cake. Now ‘pin mark’ through the hole in the centre of your template and you have found the centre of your cake without using a ruler.
To conventionally tier up a wedding cake – pillar types, positioning, heights and presentation, dowelling etc.
There are three main types of pillars:
the through type [about 7” [18cms] long] that stand above the cake in the normal way but pass right down through the cake and sit on the cake board below – they can be cut to the length you require, the very common ‘sit on the cake top type’, hollow right through its length for ‘through the cake’ dowelling and the ‘sit on the cake top type’ without a hole right through its length for ‘through’ dowelling just sits on the dowelling at cake top level – the point where the bottom of the pillar sits on the dowelling is very weak and the cake can be very unstable.
For stability spread the pillar layout pattern as wide as possible but to a maximum where the outline of the pillars always falls within the line of the cake [not the board] above. See fig. 1.
Other than for an oval, octagonal or oblong cakes which are longer than they are wide place all the pillars at equal distances apart. Normally for 3 or 4 pillars – position 2 at the front. See fig. 2.
The ‘sit on the cake top’ pillars come in heights of 3” up to 5” or 6”. If the cake is of 2 tiers a pillar height of 3½” or more will help with overall increased height to give the cake greater ‘majesty’. If the cake is of 3 tiers or more use 3½” high pillars for the bottom tier and 3” high pillars for the upper tiers this together with the usual ascending diminishing cake sizes will also help achieve an overall majesty.
The ‘through type’ pillar takes the load of the upper cake and board down through the cake below to its solid cake board beneath.
The ‘sit on the cake top type’ pillar does not support the cake above it is merely a decorative covering to the dowelling inside. The dowel length should be the depth of the lower cake plus the height of the pillar plus a fraction more. The dowel takes the load of the upper cake and board down through the pillar and the cake below to its solid cake board beneath. That way the upper cake does not load the lower cake. See Fig. 3
To dowel and pillar
Pin mark the top of the cake at the pillar locations. Cut a number of dowel pieces the same as the number of pillars – the length to be the height of the lower cake plus the height of the pillars and say ½” more. At each pillar position push each dowel down through the cake until it locates on the cake board. Push and twist each dowel a bit to ensure its on the board and not sat on a piece of dried fruit. Slide the pillars down over each dowel so that they rest on the cake. With a pencil mark each dowel just above [ 1/16 ”]the top of each pillar. Remove the pillars. Remove the dowels. On the worktop lay the dowels flat and together so that you can see all pencil marks and with a ruler line up all the bottoms of the dowels. To one of the dowels the pencil mark will be further from its bottom that all the others. Cut this first dowel to length at the pencil mark. Ignoring the pencil marks on all the other dowels cut them to the same length as the first dowel.
Put all the dowels back into the cake, slide on the pillars. The tops of the dowels will be slightly projecting above the pillars in varying amounts but all the dowels will be level and provide a good platform for the next tier.
The ‘sit on the cake top’ pillar types generally are shaped to look like columns, pillars or posts that you see in classical buildings such as temples or civic buildings. They are modelled of a loose Greek/Roman style. Classical columns taper on the way to the top to accentuate their height when standing at the bottom and close to [perspective]. In the same way your pillars should sit on the cake and taper towards the top [not upside down with the narrow part at the bottom].