Doing "The DAB" for Ms. Kerry Vincent!
A few months ago, I won a contest held by none other than Kerry Vincent. The objective - to design a wedding cake for the main character in an upcoming book about a fashionista vampire titled, "Dracula in Dior" by Scarlet Stoker. I decided I wanted to bring my sketch to life and have the cake displayed in the winner's circle at the upcoming Montreal Cake Show. Using many tools purchased from Icing Inspirations - including Marina Sousa's bead molds, James Rosselle's Parrot Tulip veiner and Peony cutter, I set to work to make this a reality.
When I got to the top tier, I did not want to replicate the same lace I used near the bottom, so I took out my lace molds that I bought (also from Icing Inspirations) and tried to make some sugar lace. I had not had any success with these molds despite numerous attempts and countless amounts of advice from Chrissie, who kept trying to help me figure out where I was going wrong - she filmed and posted a video of her first attempt at the molds and was successful. There was just something I was not getting. I heard of a sugarpaste called Dab that was made specifically for this application. Chrissie told me it was on it's way, and as soon as it was posted, I bought a pack (and the application tool too - figuring every little bit helps, right?). As always, I anticipated getting my delivery (which Canada Post has been kind enough 3 times in a row to deliver earlier that the date provided by tracking - way to go Canada Post - it's about time!).
My goodies arrived Friday and all I could think of was getting through the weekend's orders so that I could play. It was now Sunday morning and the time was here. I needed black, so I took a small amount of Dab and tinted it medium grey (didn't want to change the texture too much in case). I massaged it between my fingers, placed it on the edge of the mat, took hold of the applicator, took a deep breath and had at it. 1 word - SUCCESS! Finally! I was able to quickly make enough lace to get the coverage I needed. I couldn't believe how easy it was to do! Dab is one of the best products I have ever used. A little went a long way - using about a ball of paste the size of an extra large gumball, I was able to make 4 pieces of lace - enough to go around a 6 inch tier with some to spare. Dab is definitely worth investing in. It is definitely going to have a positive effect on the way I make lace for my cakes.
I have included pics of my finished cake and a close up of how good the dab looks.
Thank You Icing Inspirations for always bringing in the newest and best products in the cake world to us!
To see the full line of Dab products click here
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Mark
