Sugar 1

The sugar unit consisted of making objects out of edible things that did not taste tasty. It was pretty much a sculpture class, and as far as units go it was pretty boring. I don't know if it was because I have an art background, used to work for a cake decorator, or if this shit just doesn't really interest me anymore and I don't find it that important, but I was just not into it. Regardless, I still want to get the most out of schooling, so I mustered up whatever enthusiasm I could find and made the best of it.

One of our first projects was to make a nougatine basket with marzipan fruit. I don't really get marzipan. Sure, it tastes ok, but would you eat a golf-ball sized piece? I guess the answer for some would be yes, and they would like to spend 10 bucks for it too. We molded little fruits out of marzipan, and airbrushed them to further the illusion that you were eating something of nutritional value... but wait... it's almonds and sugar! FOOLED! Then we made a nougatine basket, which is caramel and sliced almonds. That sounds easier than it actually is. In our first attempt at making nougatine, my partner... dear friend Rachel, dumped caramel on my pants, shoes, and floor. God saved my skin from burning, probably because I am destined to be a foot model or something.

Anyway, we made the nougatine and the marzipan fruits. I even made a label for it saying "fruit" as part of the trick. OH MY GOD IT IS FRUIT!

After this, we made sugar paste with Ron Ben-Israel, the *fabulous* cake designer who charges people out the asshole for cakes that they will subsequently not appreciate and destroy. He showed us how to make flowers out of sugar paste, and have them look just like real flowers. I worked for a very talented wedding cake designer for a year, making sugar flowers. It is a scam. People getting married pay a ridiculous amount of money for a cake with sugar flowers made to look like real flowers that they won't eat, when they can just pay less money for a cake with real flowers. Anyway, I forgot to take pictures. My bitterness clouded me. Suffice it to say that my wedding cake will be a chocolate fountain with a pile of doughnuts. Much tastier. A lot cheaper.

The next project, I actually had some fun with. Our assignment was to make a cake stand to support a 6" cake 6" off the base out of pastillage, with 4 favor boxes. We had to choose a theme, and go all out. To make this more interesting for myself, I chose a meat theme. My base was a butcher block, and I made a ham, froie gras, chicken legs, sausage links, chorizo, bacon, and a T-bone surrounding the base. On top I had my 6" cake, with butcher twine around the base, and 2 crossed lamb chops on top. My favor boxes were speck and prusciutto rolls. I actually had a fun time making this, and I thought it turned out pretty well. Ended the unit on a positive note.