Sunday, October 14, 2007

Angel's Tears

Spun Sugar
aka Angel's Hair
(DO click to enlarge!)
The little droplets of caramel that form between the strands are referred to as Angel's Tears. On a humid day the sugar will collapse and lose it's volume. I warn prospective brides about this when they request it. It will still look nice... it just won't be as fluffy and glittery. Yesterday was a perfectly dry gorgeous day and the sugar turned out brilliantly!


Pumpkin Cake Topper
As the banquet manager handed them to me for positioning she said, "This one is the Bride & this one is the Groom." Ummm... ok... if you say so!

There were one dozen 'side cakes'. Each was a different flavour which was printed on a card & placed in front of each cake. The flavours were:
Toasted Almond Cake w/ Toasted Almond Buttercream
Pineapple Cake w/ Pineapple Buttercream
Devil's Food Cake w/ Chocolate Hazelnut Creme
Poppyseed Cake w/ Lemon Buttercream
Old Fashioned Carrot Cake w/ Cream Cheese
Marble Cake w/ Belgian Dark Chocolate Buttercream
Yellow Cake w/ Orange Buttercream
White Cake w/ Strawberry Buttercream
Devil's Food Cake w/ Peppermint Creme
Cherry Almond Cake w/ Dark Sweet Cherry Buttercream
White Chocolate Cake w/ Raspberry Buttercream
Chocolate Cake w/ Mocha Buttercream


Arranging of The Cakes by The Jin




Hmmm... what does that remind you of?
No, not that! Dirty minds!
They're Kissin'!


Is it Fall already?!

37 Responses to “Angel's Tears”

Ruela said...

oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh my GOD! ;)
Jin
I go to cry one's eyes out.
How lovely!

jin said...

ruela:

Thank You
Thank You
Thank You!!!
:-))))))))))))))

I was very very happy with how this cake turned out. It would have tasted GREAT too!
;-)))

Anonymous said...

always
the best part
of any wedding...

the angel tears are lovely, jin

& i really like the vegetable love cakes :)

awesome work!

/t.

darkfoam said...

absolutely stunning display ..

Middle Child said...

How do you get the icings so smooth...you would kak yourself laughing to see MY icing...but its done with love and no doubt takes as long...

what takes so long is usually scooping up icing which has melted because someone doesn't wait till the cake has totally cooled...ahem!

Pat said...

Too beautiful for words, Jin. Truly. You continually amaze me.

One question: since all the frostings appear to be the same color, how are you able to tell which is which (in order to put the right cards in front of each)?

Ruela said...

They are your tears?

jin said...

/t.:

*jin takes a bow*
Thank You!! :-)

Veggies need love, too!!
heehee
;-)

jin said...

foam:

Thank You very much!! :-D

jin said...

MC:

LOL! I bet you lick your fingers when the icing melts, too! Heehee!!!

Ahhh... I think my 'smooth frosting ability' has been inherited from my grandfather (who died more than 13 years before I was born). He was supposed to be one of the most fabulous masons in town! (NOT free-mason *shudder*... brickie mason! ;-)

jin said...

EC:

Thanks!!! :-D

Ahhh..... the buttercream on the outside IS all the same flavour/colour; it's the fillings that are varied... and it's a jin secret! ;-)
Heeeheheheheeeeeheheheheeeee!!!!!!
;-)

jin said...

ruela:

If I say yes does that make me an angel?
;-)))))))

Dino said...

wow how do you "spin" the sugar? It looks so pretty - to pretty to eat

Ruela said...

I knew it!
You are an angel! ;)
I have dark rings under the eyes of looking at for these cakes, they are so appetizing.

jin said...

katy:

Ohhh... NOT an easy process!!!
It involves heating caramel to the perfect temperature, using a whisk that has been clipped (I made my own years ago, it looks like this), basically *flinging* the hot caramal in the air until you get thread-like *hair* settling on wooden dowels (kinda like this). Then you work very quickly forming it around your cake or creating little nests. I charge a minimum of $100 extra for adding this to a cake because it's sooooo much work (and a friggin bitch to clean up!). But the effect is stunning!

jin said...

ruela:

Haahahahaaa!!! :-)))))
It's settled then, I am an angel. ;-)
Do you need saving? lol
:-))))

Do you have good pastry where you live? What is the most well known Portugese dessert?

Not Ashley said...

I'd have to try one of each. They all sound and look delicious

jin said...

Thanks M!!

That's the only drawback of having all different flavours... people will go and taste several leaving you very short on servings!!!

I'll bet ya anything she had ZERO leftovers!

Gyrobo said...

When people say "angel's hair" now, I'll think of that cake instead of pasta.

It remains to be seen whether this is desirable.

Also, fixed-a da linky. Remember, it's not complete!

jin said...

Gyro:

MMmmmm... pasta. :-P *drool*

OHHHhhhh... Grandé text!
For a minute I thought I was at Starbucks! ;-)

Man we could have made glass pumpkin tops for those cakes and let them give them away at wedding favors.

Then again maybe that is a little strong at 35 bucks a pop for cake toppers.


Gnat.
.

Ruela said...

yes, yes, yes, yes...I need ;)
Good pastry here?
More or less, that depends of season.
At Christmas we have bread fritter, custard and a thing made with gourd, i don't know if you know what is...I don't like ;) and sponge cake, king cake(cake mixture, fruits...), spanish puff and vermicelli.
Some walnut, raisins, champagne and a happy Christmas tide. :)
Portuguese cooking is very good and healthy(mediterranean diet) but the pastry is very traditional.
Not like yours, you are very creative for example, wedding cakes. Here nearly always the same cakes, not creative.
They are not compared with yours.

You have good hands and lots of creativity.

Helene said...

wow... having tried my hand at spinning sugar, I am bowing to you!

The cake is lovely despite having to put he and she pumpkins on the top! The saving grace are all the cakes around it making it seem 'normal' lol. I love the kissing gords too! I didnt see anything obscene going on there just a snuggle! *wink

I had a look at your shoppe blog and you really are an artist with your craft! If I am ever in the market to ship a cake I will give you a ring! (and ya just never know! =])

jimbizzle said...

When you said Angel's Hair I thought you snuck into my room and cut a lock of my hair to use in a recipe. I was honored to think you would use such a wonderful ingredient in your baking... But then I read your blog. Even though you didn't use my hair it still looks so damn tasty!

If you'll excuse me. I need to go wash my precious hair.

Zed said...

Okay, I think I've put on 200 lbs. in the 2 months I started reading your blog. It's got to stop, Jin! It's got to stop!

:)

jin said...

gnat:

Ahhh...depends on the bride! I once placed a pair of Swarovski Crystal swans atop a 5 tier cake. They were a gift to the wedding couple from the mother of the bride. I had to deliver the cake as late as possible for she was petrified someone at the reception hall would steal them! (They cost near as much as the wedding cake!!!)

jin said...

ruela:

Haahahaa!!!!
So, it is my job to save you then. Oh dear I don't know where to start! lol!
;-)))))))))))))

The Mediterranean diet is very healthy food... believe it or not all I eat is healthy food! I am very particular about my diet (I'm vegetarian, too). My 'sweets' are never overly sweet. Too much sugar is very bad. I only sell to others what I would eat myself. I am familiar with most of the pastry you speak of. I do believe I have eaten the gourd thing once at an ethnic restaurant! lol that you don't like it! :-)))) It didn't impress me much either! ;-)
The sponge cake... I noticed the one that was in the photos for your reception at the monestary. I am familiar with that type of cake as well.

I've been cooking all my life... I had to get creative with it or I'd be very bored! lol.
I don't know what I would do if I couldn't cook anymore. It is my first love.
Thanks for the compliments. :-)))))

jin said...

kate:

Welcome to my blog!!!
I know you from /t.'s place!

Oh, the first time I spun sugar I thought I had scarred my hands for life! lol. I think anyone who works with caramel finds out in the beginning how damn HOT it is on the skin! I don't mind doing the spun sugar... but you'll never catch me with actual 'sugar artistry'. That's just not my thing, I've no patience for it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for those that create the sugar sculptures. Amazing.

Haha! The 'he & she' pumpkins! I do believe I cringed a bit as they were handed to me. Ah, well. Whatever the bride wants, the bride gets. (Ideally they should have been half that size.) Snuggling gourds... I like how you think! ;-)

Thanks for visiting, come again any time!
:-)

jin said...

jimbo:

ROTFLMFAOOOOOOO!!!!!!

OMG I nearly peed myself when I read that!!!

I don't even have a comeback.

jimbo-1
jin-0

Let the games begin!

jin said...

zed:

You're right! It's got to stop now! Or else, pretty soon, you'll have to trade in your model for an xB so you have more room for those 200 pounds.
*stifles a giggle*

"Look Away From the Screen!"

Your cakes are always so pretty. Especially this one and the pumpkin ones below.

ps: Sushi sent me the meanest email.

jin said...

Thanks CP!!!

Awww... Don't take it to heart. There is no explaining things to those who *choose* to be brainwashed by organized religion.

P.S. One day I'm a-gonna make you and PG your wedding cake!!!

Mad Munkey said...

If you think that's kissing, you need to check out some adult um... feature films. hahahaha

Your work is amazing btw.

jin said...

Haahaha...Munkey.
My mistake, I think I may have forgot what kissing is...
actually... I think that's why, as you put it, my work is amazing (Thanks!! :-). All that jinpassion has to go somewhere!!!

AngelConradie said...

i love spun sugar... when my "sister c" got married she had a white chocolate covered croquembouche that we then covered with a bucket of spun sugar on the day!

jin said...

Ahhhh... Angel, I love croquembouche! That sounds fabulous!
People around here have NO taste when it comes to that... I've only made a few of them throughout the years and at one classy get-together, as I was serving the picture perfect profiteroles, a woman loudly and rudely stated, "That looks DISGUSTING! I would never taste that!!!"
Stupid twat!
:-P

AngelConradie said...

stupid twat indeed! it has always been my favourite cake- in fact, when i was young and silly i dreamed of having one for my wedding- then my cousin got married and had a classic croquembouche with little chocolate bees on every other level, and my sister c's cake was covered in chocolate because she got married on a long weekend and the chef didn't want it to collapse!
as for not eating it- the most fun we had at both weddings was pulling chunks off the cake!!!