Fun with Fondant

Okay, so this project has no ginger, no molasses, and no candy landscaping whatsoever. But it was my first foray with fondant on sheet cake (Ace-of-Cakes-style), and therefore I found it gingerblog-worthy.

The occasion: George's 3rd birthday.

The inspiration: he lives in a pineapple under the sea.

(client-approved!)

How not turning on your air conditioner can be similar to a tornado

Both wreak the same havoc.
Sweet dreams, napping house.

"The Big Red Barn" by Margaret Wise Brown

My fondant farm animals lowed and brayed to me: "Make us a barn!" And they handed me this book (with their little hooves) to use for inspiration:

Hence, I set forth to achieve their field of gingerdreams:

My edible herd finally has a ginger-stead to call its own! Complete with a (melted Jolly Rancher) bucket of water, poured from a green sour string garden hose:

And toasted marshmallow bales of hay, raked with a pretzel pitchfork!


Ground cloves line a dirt path:


Fun Dip Lik-a-Stiks (proving to be a real gingerblogging staple) needed a little support at first to make a nice farmyard fence:

And the barn was raised with good ol' fashioned royal icing-cemented supports...

And some soup cans for good measure...



All pieces were plastered with fondant and scored before construction.

But before that, I held a ginger dress rehearsal with cardboard templates:

This gingerbarn was not without its failed attempts. I had visions of a grand filed of corn, but I couldn't get the stalks to look like, well, corn:

I also wanted to top the barn off with the "golden flying horse" weathervane:

And after much googling, I found this golden horse lollipop!

It proved too heavy, however, to stay atop my structure.

I also awoke one morning and found one my green popcorn trees had completely disappeared.
I think this one looks suspicious if you ask me:

My son, George, suggested we replace it with a green grape:

But it didn't quite provide the symmetry I was looking for.

After reaching a bit of ginger-fatigue, I ended up throwing in the tree towel, and resorting to a couple quick rockpiles instead.

And ta-da, another gingercrib down.

E-I-E-I-DOUGH

My next project is going to be a barn. So first things first: Fondant Farm Animals.

It is questionable whether the cow will actually survive long enough to see the barn completed, however, as it seems have been adoringly adopted by my handsome assistant, George.

Not sure why the other farm animals haven't garnered such affection, but the cow often mysteriously disappears each morning only to resurface later in the afternoon in George's playroom.

Here, George shows the cow how to mix gingerbread dough.

Then he rolls it...

...Pounds it...

...And breaks off piece to feed the dog.

Remind me not to involve adorable edible animals in my next project. It elicits too much curiosity in my kitchen.

Stocking up

In preparation for my next gingerdigs, I had to hit New York Cakes and Baking Supply on West 22nd for re-stocking. This bake-haven is a cakemakers dream--walls are lined with a plethora of pans, pins, icings, sprinkles and toppers.

This is only my second visit, but I bee-lined straight for the back wall to re-visit the lovely ladies I met the first time, who wait patiently to perch atop a field of matrimonial frosting. How cute are they?

I don't know how many wedding cakes require mini-bouffant Barbies in apricot gowns with ivory fur shawls and opera gloves, but it's apparently enough to fill an entire Tupperware bin.

Which makes me love these ladies all the more--they may have been perfectly poised here since 1963, but they still look fierce (as I'm sure Tyra would attest).

Over on the right wall, there is a food coloring assortment that when perused, rivals the elementary-school joy of opening a brand-new box of Crayola 64's. (I chose a lovely Forest Green for making more popcorn trees.)

But perhaps my favorite product discovery in my journey toward ginger-wisdom, is fondant. But not just any fondant, only this particular package of natural skin-tone fondant:

This product exists solely for making little sugar people. Doesn't knowing that just make you feel fizzy inside? Thank you to my beautimous friend (and bad-ass chef) Michael for introducing me to such awesomeness!

I left West 22nd Street with a bag full of goodies and a smile on my natural-pink-colored face!

"The Napping House" by Don and Audrey Wood

I have a slight concern that my level of dedication to all things gingerbread may wane with the rising temperatures of spring and summer on the horizon, because who wants to sit inside gluing winter candy-landscapes together when it's sunny and warm outside? But I'm on a mission to develop some mad g-bread skillz, which means this affair will have to be year-round. So why not try the dewey-fresh abode in "The Napping House" by Don and Audrey Wood?This is my first landscaping challenge. And how will I cover my mistakes without the use of big globs of snow?

Let's Ginger It! (and find out!)

My concerns about seasonal gingerblogging are over! I never realized yardwork can be so much fun! Check out the crushed green candy grass...

...and these Tootsie Roll and colored white-chocolate-popcorn trees...

Sheet-gelatin windows were a little tricky (they warped), so I reinforced them with ridiculous amounts of royal icing and Juicy Fruit drapes. Fun Dip Lik-a-Stix created the perfect scallop detail.

My Edible Materials:

The Gingerblog Supply Twin Motherships

I found this down-and-dirty haunt one night on Rivington btw Essex and Ludlow. Floor-to-ceiling sugar rush inside! Economy Candy is for serious sucrose shoppers. Also, apparently a hangout for local 10-year-old boys...we roamed the aisles together in silence, occasionally flashing our sweet-teeth to each other in acknowledgement. I scored some simple white candy cigarettes here that will be excellent for suburban fence posts. And I loved feeling that gingerblogging has some sort of seedy underbelly that needs to be sourced out on the Lower East Side at night.

I hate to admit it, but this shiny Saturday-afternoon shop actually had more to offer for your average underground gingerblogger. If you can brave the teeny-bopping tourists, Dylan's Candy Bar had much more depth to their variety. I was looking for green cotton candy and found none at Economy Candy (pink and blue only), but found 4 different brands of green at Dylan's! This search ended up proving pointless (as you will see in future posts), but made me feel as if I had the entire world of candy right at my fingertips.

If you're buying online, however, Economy Candy wins hands-down. Need bulk? Shop by color at Candy Warehouse.