Friday Favorites

A while back I mentioned working on a post of my favorite things but between being a mom, a wife, a Master’s student and everything else, I just haven’t had the time. With my second Master’s class winding down and "spring break" in sight, I’ve finally found the time to compile a list. I’m sure it won’t be a complete list because I’ll probably think of a million other things as soon as I hit submit, but here's Take I of my list:

• Fat Daddio's Cake Pans - According to their website, they are 16 gauge hard 3003 aluminum
  and anondized...don't ask me what that means, I have no idea!!  What I do know is that they are durable and help my cakes cook up beautifully.  These pans come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Another great thing about these pans is that they have straight sides.  Straight sides might not seem like a big deal, but when it comes to stacking cakes it makes a big difference; if your pans do not have straight sides the sides of the cake will flare out slightly from top to bottom.  If your cake sides flare out it is much more difficult to get your sides to look nice and straight.  One quick way to check if your pans have straight sides is to try stacking them inside each other (i.e., an 8in round inside another 8in round); if one fits inside the other your pans do not have straight sides.
• Satin Ice Rolled Fondant - This is not the fondant that everyone thinks of when they think of nasty tasting fondant, it's actually pretty tasty.  It's great to work with and makes even basic cakes look fabulous.  It comes in a variety of colors and you can even buy a dark chocolate flavor! I also like their gumpaste.
• Fondarific Fondant - This stuff tastes GREAT!  It comes in a huge variety of flavors including grape, strawberry, orange and my husband's favorite, Coffee Mocha!  I haven't worked with it much, but I would recommend it based on taste alone.
• Bakery Craft's Single Plate Separator System - This is THE way to stack tiered cakes.  The system consists of plastic plates and legs that lock into the plates.  As you stack your cake, you push the plates (with legs attached) into the lower tiers, the legs support the weight and since they lock in place, they don't allow the plate to move.  I use this system in all my tiered cakes and feel completely comfortable carrying and transporting cakes stacked with this system.
• Wilton Bake Even Strips - These nifty little strips help to keep the sides of your cake from becoming the "crust" of your cake.  After you soak them in cold water, you wrap them around the pan while your cake cooks.  They help keep the sides of the cake from cooking too fast and becoming dry.
• Wilton Disposable Decorating Bags - Getting all the grease and color out of regular decorating bags is a pain; I have yet to figure out a good way to do this. Any ideas?  In the meantime, I really like these disposable bags, when I'm done I just cut off the end so I can get my tip and coupler off and throw the rest away....super easy!!
• Wilton Decorating Tips - There may be better tips out there, but these have worked great for my needs; I have yet to have any problems with them.  Another plus is that they are available at your nearest Wal-Mart or craft store, with most other brands you have to buy them at a cake supply store.

This list pretty much covers the basic supplies.  As I continue my cake decorating journey, I'm sure I'll be posting on some more of my favorite things.  I'm always up for trying new tools, so if any of you cake decorating suppliers out there are reading this, I'd be more than happy to sample and review some of your products!  ;) 

***Most, if not all, of the products on this page can also be purchased at http://www.globalsugarart.com/. And no, they aren't paying me to put their name out there.....as a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they don't even know I exist!***