First Things First

Annyeong!

How’s everyone doing? I hope that amidst the global pandemic, you are all perfectly safe and healthy!

For those residing in the Philippines, Metro Manila and its immediate proximity is back under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) for at least two weeks, because of this, some businesses have gone back to closing its doors, temporarily, I hope.

This pandemic has affected thousands, if not millions of lives and businesses, so we are hoping that you are one of those who still continue to strive and chooses to push through, whether it be a home, online or a small business that you have started.

We have to keep surviving, working and living.

This situation is a test for all of us, so please, stay at home and stay optimistic.

I think the best thing to do at times like this, is to put your attention and focus somewhere less stressful.

Keep yourself busy.

Cook, bake, bond with your family or explore new things that you can learn, and who knows?

You might just discover a skill you never thought you had in you? Right?

We should take this opportunity instead to learn new things, which we weren’t able do when we were on our regular busy schedule.

Look at me, writing the day away as if nothing is wrong outside.

I know it’s cliché to say that it’s all in the mind, but come to think of it, it sort of is, right?

You have to take care of yourself physically AND mentally. It’s not just always about our body.

You know they work together.

So, wherever you are in the world, stay home, stay safe, always wear a mask, and stay positive (in the mind.)

Cakes

Do you bake or sell cakes and pastries online?

Is it probably time to level up your cake game and gain that edge?

Are you planning to do all this?

Then let’s talk about cakes.

What does make a cake special? Aside from the fact that it is present almost always on special occasions?

The icing or decoration? Filling? Toppings?

Okay, these are all important factors, but, if you haven’t tasted a particular cake, what makes you want to try it?

Probably the decoration, right? Me too.

I know that the taste of the cake itself may be all too common, but the design and artistic presentation?

Wow.

Not to mention that without it, your “cake” will look like a dull, boring ordinary bread or pastry.

There may be a couple of ways to design your cake, using different types of icing, fondant, coupled with coloring agents, or maybe an airbrush.

It’s just a matter of knowledge, and with your imagination, possibilities are endless.

Whenever one decorates a cake, bakers may use the same ingredients but I can say that there will always be a distinction as each is their own masterpiece.

Everyone has their own style and trademark.

Just like a painter or a singer.

Some bakers are more comfortable with fondant, some with buttercream, just like artist who works comfortably with different medias or canvasses.

If you’re one of those having a hard time decorating a cake, don’t give up. It just needs practice.

A lot of practice.

As in every kind of art, you don’t start off perfect.

You learn, you develop, you practice and then you hone your skills. Constantly.

Like a knife that needs to stay sharp to make that perfect cut every time.

I know the cake industry is very competitive, It’s just a matter of patience and time.

Yes, there are a lot of famous bakers and maybe you feel some sort of inferiority with how they make their craft and how their cakes look, but just like you, they started from learning first, then developed their skills in the process.

Hey, don’t give up.

The New Norm

Let’s not talk about commercial bakeshops as they tend to get too generic, and at this point, people have learned to look beyond names.

Commercial bakeshops have now become some kind of run-to when you didn’t have days to order for a certain occasion.

People today love to try new things out, they risk disappointment just to find something out of the norm.

Why?

Because we grew up having the same brands around, and people looking for new styles or new names is just the perfect chance for you to introduce your product.

Just be sure your product is perfect as it can be by the time people have given your product a chance.

People are learning to see beyond mainstream and are now more open to unfamiliar brands.

In a way, big names don’t seem to matter anymore, especially when it comes to food, they’ve become more of a benchmark rather than an actual first choice.

If a person likes your version of a particular dish compared to a big restaurant? There’s no hesitation that they will order your product.

Price, is not a matter of discussion either. Unlike in the fashion industry, big names get to raise their prices higher than others, regardless whether they use the same materials or have the same quality.

With the food industry on the other hand, the quality and taste of your food dictates your worth.

Not the name.

Guess what? It’s time to make your own.

Evolution

From the evolution of trend, let’s head on to the evolution of cake designing.

Everything you see on a cake probably serves a purpose, just like the filling in each layer to prevent it from sliding, apart from addition in flavor.

Fondant – for example, was developed as a softer alternative to royal icing and to insulate wedding cakes from hot weather to extend its life. Yup. Decorative and efficient.

Imagine from a simple layer of icing and a few flower candies, generations enjoyed this type of cake.

Not anymore. People are looking for something new, something fresh in sight.

They want complicated designs and unique flavor combinations. Sometimes icing grazed with a fork just wouldn’t cut it anymore.

People nowadays wants sculptures made from fondant, or artistically painted cakes.

Patterns on plainly laid icing seems to be too boring and old school.

Icing on cakes has been around for ages but the evolution and progress hasn’t stopped.

Buttercream has been around since the 17^th Century and various versions have come up.

There are different types of buttercream; Swiss, American, Italian and a couple more.

Each was created for different purposes, pastries, situations and conditions as they vary in texture and density.

Some sweeter than the other, some smoother.

Texture is more important than you think as this is an important factor as to how manageable it is to handle your buttercream.

The easier it is to handle, the less prone you are to making mistakes.

But what’s this Korean buttercream that we’ve been hearing of lately?

If you’re a baker or simply loves baking, you’ve probably heard of this, or even tried making one.

This is another version of buttercream, probably the most recent development in buttercream icing.

Have you chanced upon those beautiful and colorful floral cakes and are inspired to try it out too?

It’s hard to miss these alluring cakes because it definitely will catch your attention if you ever come across it.

Are you interested in learning not only how to make the buttercream but also how to design intricately detailed floral cakes?

Lucky you, you may be learning it today.

The K Dream

Interesting story:

Korean buttercream was developed and patented by JooHee Kang, a Korean (duh) artist more popularly known as GG.

As an artist, she is one to be obsessed with details.

She didn’t have formal training in culinary or baking but it didn’t stop her from developing or creating something that will soon be known worldwide.

As she was fascinated by vast floral cake designs, she wandered and experimented on creating a buttercream that’s vibrant, manageable, and one that will uphold the design for a longer period.

Korean buttercream or “glossy” Korean buttercream became an instant hit because of the intricate floral details you can create with it.

Not only does it produce vibrant colors because of its gloss factor, but its texture is perfect that in can be managed into realistic looking designs.

No wonder this buttercream became an instant hit around the world, not only for professional bakers but for those who bakes at home. How versatile is that?

Now, are you an entrepreneur who wants to upgrade your cake decorating skills, or maybe someone who’s just starting and trying out your luck in the field of baking?

Maybe someone who does this as a hobby at home and wants to impress your family?

What’s stopping you from creating your own floral cake?

You lack the recipe? The skills? The proper tools and techniques?

As I’ve said, today, just might be your lucky day.

The Course

Korean buttercream is fairly easy to make, you may have come across a recipe or two somewhere in the inter-web.

Have you tried it? Or do the designs you see intimidate you?

Knowing the recipe is one thing, knowing what to do with it is another.

Not only will this course which is conducted by Jing Fernandez hand you over a fool-proof recipe of her version of Korean buttercream, but you will also get to learn the technique of making different designs and details.

Also, Korean buttercream is known as the “glossy” Korean buttercream, because, well, it’s glossy, but this version also offers MATTE Korean buttercream!

You’ll be able to make whichever fits yours or your client’s taste!

Now’s the perfect time to enroll in this class and maybe… no, most-likely, by the end of the MECQ, you’ll already be able to make impressive cakes to cater to your family and clients.

It’s time to upgrade your traditional looking cake into ‘gram-worthy masterpieces!

Why Us

You probably will be asking, “why enroll with a fee when I can see an array of buttercream recipes online?”

Let us explain, Jing Fernandez is the pioneer of modern Korean-style buttercream flower piping in the Philippines.

Just like GG, she is self-taught and is now teaching locally and overseas for over 5 years.

Like I said, every artist has their unique distinction and this is what separates Jing Fernandez from the rest.

Her realistic hand-piped floral cake decoration especially in wedding cakes made her popular in this industry.

Not to mention her unique taste in color combination and presentation which surely caught the attention of cake decorators here and abroad.

As she shares knowledge, she didn’t stop from learning as well, as she trained with the most popular buttercream experts in Korea, namely Kim N Cake and The Flower Company.

Every day she is able to share her knowledge to more and more aspiring bakers through this online class.

Finally, this is the answer to your question, Jing Fernandez has the most experience and credential when it comes to Korean buttercream handling and decorating in the Philippines.

The Score

Time is running!

You could be enrolled and creating your own Korean buttercream floral cakes by now!

But wait! For your satisfaction, here’s a glimpse of Jing Fernandez in action:

Did you like what you’ve seen? That could be you if you weren’t just watching.

I’m joking.

So, aside from the recipe and detailed technique, here is the actual outline of what you will get from availing this course:

• Demo of the Korean Buttercream Recipe
• Covering and smoothing with sharp edge technique
• Coloring and Toning Buttercream
• Piping roses, peonies and anemone flowers
• Stacking a 2-tier buttercream cake
• Arranging the flowers and adding leaves and fillers
• Tips and tricks in delivering a stable multi-tiered buttercream cake

Excited yet?

Above all that, you will also have your queries answered by our team if there’s a situation you can’t handle.

Isn’t that awesome?

What are you waiting for? It’s your time to shine!

Click that enrollment button to upgrade or gain that new skill you’ve only dreamed of before.

You can do this!

I’ll leave you here, see you in class!

Peace!

The post Online Class: Korean Buttercream Floral Cake appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.

Part of the joy of baking is that you get to express your artistic side by making decorative toppings on your creations. Cake-making has made this into an art form and competitions are held everywhere that critiques not only the kind of cake you make but also the beauty and elegance of the icing you used to make your masterpiece.

The icing is on the cake. No pun intended. We will cover the most popular kinds of icing today and hopefully this will help let you dig deep and do more research on these. On this two-part blog we will cover the spreadable types of Icing and discuss the more complicated types on a later date.

Butter Cream

We start with the most common and widely known icing and is made of butter, milk, sugar and vanilla. From there we branch off to the other kinds of buttercream.

American style

This is what is referred to as your general butter cream Icing and is the easiest to make. This is what is used for your classic birthday cakes.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

Fluffy and buttery and has a medium to thick consistency. This is made by beating egg whites with salt until it forms stiff peaks. Hot syrup is then added and mixed till it reaches room temperature. The final piece is adding butter and vanilla extract mixing those together until smooth.

French Buttercream

Same process as that of Italian buttercream but we substitute the egg whites with egg yolks. Your end-product is a very rich cream ideal for toppings on cupcakes. The downside to this kind of buttercream is that its shelf-life is not as long as the others and should be kept refrigerated.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Almost similar to Italian buttercream but there are some slight changes in the process. Egg whites and sugar are mixed over a water bath or double boiler(see image) until light and fluffy. The mixture is cooled and then butter and other flavors are then mixed in.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Another kind of frosting in which the king is of course cream cheese. Denser than buttercream but still fluffy enough to be poured onto cakes. If you need a tangy and sharp taste to the cake you are making. This is the best kind of frosting to balance out those flavors.

Ganache

Made from either white or dark chocolate and cream. Mostly made with a shiny sheen but it also comes in a matte sheen that can be piped or spread thru the cake.

Boiled Icing

Also called Italian Meringue or Marshmallow Icing. A lot of people confuse boiled frosting with Italian Buttercream but though the techniques are almost similar-Hot syrup mixed in beaten egg whites. The omission of butter in the recipe gives this kind of frosting’s unique and very fluffy texture.

Hope this first installment gives you already plenty of information. Wait for the second part of the blog that covers the rest if the kinds of icing.

Leave us a comment or check out our blog if you want more articles like these or if you have any feedback to what we have just written.

The Bailiwick Team

The post Different Kinds of Icing-Part 1 appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.