Swan Lake with Master Kelvin Chua (Vinism Sugarart)

Salam Ramadhan to all my moslem readers, sisters n brothers...maaf diatas segala keterlanjuran kata or gurauan yg over...semuga ramadhan kali ini merupakan Ramdahan yg lebih baik dari yg lepas2 and semuga segala amal ibadah dilakukan dgn penuh keikhlasan...and waktu sahur tadi sempat lah juga ber"tazkirah" to my anak2...peringatn for myself actually...I told them that Ramadhan bukan saja takat tahan lapar and dahaga..kena jaga semua pancaindera...esp mata, telinga and mulut...SO for this month of Ramadhan less TV time for them..can only watch program tertentu sahaja...and it doesn't mean that they can watch an Indonesian drama yg berlatarkan lagu memuji Allah...diantara liriknya yg selalu I dengar..Allahhuakbar..Allah Maha Besar..bila dengar lirik tu mesti kita sangka yg plot movienya pun bercirikan keislaman...nope..this movie penuh dgn adengan yg tk sepatutnya ada dlm sebuah keluarga islam..pergaulan bebas..berpelukan n the worst thing pakaiannya semua sexy...maybe penerbit ingatkan kita penonton bodh yg boleh dibodohkan begitu sahaja...Told them to jaga mulut juga...jgn cakap benda yg tak baik..jgn bergaduh especially. As for telinga , tak boleh dengar bend yg tak baik....straight away my smallest daughter tutup kedua telinganya..when I ask her why...selamba aje dia jawab..."kan ibu suruh tutup telinga"...duhh..gitu pula fahamnya...Well, apapun marilah kita semua berazam utk menjaga ibadah puasa kita dgn sebaik2nya dan semuga ia berterusan hingga selepas Ramadhan..

As I had promised in my previous entry, this entry will be about my royal icing class ...The Swan Lake taught by Kelvin Chua...a very talented artist in cake decorating...I guess ...maybe he is the best local artist. All of his works are very different..tenguk sahaja dah tahu...it belong's to KC..His creations are so unique and detail...pls do visit his blog..which is under my listing..Vinism Sugarart and definitely u will be amazed with all his creations...By the way, dia baru aje balik dari London..segala ilmu diperolehi dari London..This swanlake class cost me RM999 but memang berbaloi..tak ada regret pun. His class was super excellent and to those yg serious in cake decorating can consider going for his class..banyak petua and panduan menghias kek yg diajar ..memang berbaloi sgt..



As the title said...it is a swan lake class..so mesti ada swan ...and sepasang pula..sp this is the 3rd version of my swan..and different technique...teringat pula kata2 KC..these swans can only be found in France during summer at one particular lake...well..that was his joke...yup...the class were full with laughters..Senang aje nak buat swan ni...cuma just to make sure nampak flows of the wings n yg paling distinguish sekali lehernya...It has to be properly bentukkan..or else it will jadi leher itik yg panjang.


This class is all about royal icing piping techniques..2 days intensive class..and we were thought from the basic to advance techniques..and utk class project kami diajar untuk construct gazebo from scratch..just bayangkan hanya dgn menggunakan royal icing dan nozzle no 1 we were asked to dirikan sebuah gazebo..mcm impossible kan..but tak mustahil....bila siap hasilnya memang terpegun...but sebelum tu all the hardwork first..In order to construct this gazebo..we had to study the binaan and sokongan first..siap dgn dasar and tapaknya...semua plan harus dilukis satu persatu...dari tapak...dinding and atapnya..and setiap lakaran mestilah diukur dengan teliti...ha..ha..ha..itu theory...in the class we were given all the layouts and plan...everything was done by KC...Sebelum mula lukis lakaran dgn super ice...we have to gam kan satu persatu kertas surih diatas lakaran yg hendak dilukiskan...and then only we piped the super ice on the top of it..and make sure kertas yg digunakan adalah kertas surih/parchment paper yg elok or else susah hendak ditanggalkan...which mean hasil kerja kita akan mudah patah bila hendak ditanggalkan. Proses lakaran dgn superice senang sahaja, tetapi mengambil masa untuk kering...in our weather normally it takes about two weeks to dry...so dari gambar diatas u can see satu persatu binaan gazebo..semuanya merupakan kepingan gula kering and very2 fragile.


Selepas semuanya kering, barulah kepingan2 yang terlalu fragile tersebut boleh dicantumkan ..memang kena handle very nicely...pada mulanya rasa memang macam mustahil..but ibarat kata..bersatu teguh..bercerai roboh...sebenarnya bila sudah dicantumkan ia akan menjadi structure yg "kuat"...Teknik percantumannya harus dilakukan dgn penuh berhati2 and dilekatkan dgn menggunakan gum glue dari super ice juga...



Memang excited bila gazebo dah siap...semua "lubang" harus ditutup dgn royal icing melalui hiasan tambahan so tak nampaklah sebarang kecacatannya...yup memang begitulah dlm dunia hiasan kek..jgn takut or panik bila terdapat sebarang kecacatn..gunakan kreativiti kita utk cover sebarang kecacatan yg ada...just do not panic...


Actually dlm gazebo ni I plan to buatkan pancuran air..but the thing is..tak sempat kering..so letakkan seekor butterfly kecil...Actually banyak kepingan sturcture i yg tak sempat kering...ha..ha..ha..ini semua disebabkan I was down with bad flu..infact waktu my first class...50% of the time I was sneezing non stop..habis aje class..terus tidur dlm kereta..and sampai sahaja diMelaka terus pergi klinik...And ditambah pula dgn satu projek "istimewa" I yg harus disiapkan..I will post it right away after this entry...special project yg menggunakan teknik piping royal icing..practical..tapi buat benda lain..bukan buat homework....



So here are the pictures of my swan lake project...notice the 2 big butterflies...semuanya dibuat dgn royal icing sahaja...and subhanallah memang cantik sangat..dah tak lagi terfikir nak buat butterfly dgn menggunakan mould...


And these are hasil kerja semua student...and also a group photo...KC is the only guy in the picture..and mesti ramai yg kenal dgn Mama Min yg memang famous dgn naughty cakes and figurines alaDebbie brown..she is the one yang duduk paling kanan sekali....a very fun and bubbly lady...sedikit pun tidak sombong...and gambar ini diambil di class kami iaitu studio Mama Min di Damansara Perdana..a very lovely and homey studio..wish that one day i will be able to have a studio like this...


Well..my hasil tangan tidak dibawa pulang ke Melaka..if u guys go to Mama Min's studi..my artwork is being displayed there...All in all..it was an exciting class...and by the way..mesti ramai yg nak tahu..berapa harga kek yg begini...mesti terperanjat..one tier cake like this is priced RM1000..due to the intricate work..bukan senang nak buat....ambil masa..and kena banyak2 sabar...Akhir kata...semuga ramadhan ini bukan ramadhan yg terakhir buat kita dan semuga amal ibadah kita lebih baik dari tahun yg sudah2...and ingat..puasa bukan setakat menahan lapas dahaga...semua anggota kita harus berpuasa juga...sampai jumpa lagi dilain entry..semuga iman kita bertambah pada bulan yg tersangat mulia ini...amin

The wedding gown - a beautiful cake for a beautiful sister

Salam to all...life is so busy right now....with my kek lapis project, my royal icing class with Kelvin Chua and at the same time diserang demam...few days pengsan but alhamdulillah dlm demam dapat juga buat this special cake...

This special cake is inspired by wedding gown design..I just love to look at wedding gowns...so cantik and feminin sgt...and lagi satu the most special thing about this cake...I didn't use any single cutter and mould....everything was hand made...and the second tier was decorated with royal icing...it was a very painstaking work..but the result was so wonderful and cantik....By the way..this cake was specially done for cik andam Erin..opss no more Cik andam..Puan Andam Erin....sudah naik darjat...;) The best thing about this cake...it was ordered last year...somewhere in November..masa Puan Erin placed the order...I gelak saje coz lama sgt..but time did fly very fast....akhirnya sampai juga saat dan ketikanya...but malangnya...few days before the preparation...I diserang demam..3 hari tk bangun...and the worst thing..sebab nak baik cepat untuk buat kek ni..i ambil ubat terlalu banyak..overdosed akhirnya..and on the 3rd day...I "lost" my hearing sight...was so panicked..just imagine tidak boleh mendengar..masa tu barulah terfikir...selama ni I just take for granted dengar nikmat Allah...but alhamdulillah now dah pulih dah...so jgnlah cuba2 nak makan ubat lebih..konon nak cepat baik...jadi lain pula akhirnya.

so back to the cake..Dari hari Erin order lagi dia dah beritahu I kek kahwin impiannya...ha..ha..ha...terlalu banyak impiannya...first impian...kek senget...lepas tu tukar pula...kek pastel colors...lepas tu tukar lagi...polka dot cakes...warna pink, biru and choc....ha..ha..ha...everythime dia tenguk wedding cake I..mesti ada aje design lain...but finally..it was up to me to decide everything...Actually when someone place the order..I prefer them to bagi tahu I the color theme and konsep yg mcm mana mereka berkenan...tu saja...and please no pictures of kek org lain, coz I prefer to do my own design..bukan nak sombong tapi ada sebabnya....I don't like to copy other people's work...and I love to experiment with things..so if customer dtg siap dgn gambar...it will kill my design mood...it's not my work then..it will limit my creativity..macam copy paste aje...but alhamdulillah...so far my customers are very alhamdullillah..tak cerewet and serahkan semuanya pada I..but my promise...InsyaAllah I will deliver beautiful cakes for their special day.

As for Erin's cake..as i had said...the idea was based from a wedding gown concept..so dlm kepala terbayang a white cake with hiasan yg halus dan juga ropol2 gown with beads..To me the second tier is the most special tier..u will know why soon and mengambil masa setengah hari untuk siapkan designnya....the second tier is my first time menggunakan royal icing...and menggunakan nozzle number one PME..mesti ramai yg nak tahu..mcm mana i boleh dapatkan hasil kerja yg begitu halus...oops lupa pula...a week before i did this cake..I attended a royal icing class taught by Kelvin Chua...can check his website kat tepi blog I..Vinism sugarart...He is a gifted cake decorator..just got back from London...an excellent master...I attended the swan lake class...insyaAllah after this entry I will update with my masterpiece from the class...and you guys will be amazed.....during the class I dah terbayang yg I nak buatkan design menggunakan royal icing for Erin's cake..


So here it is..the second tier decorated with royal icing design....the design was done freehand...he..he..he...kes malas nak lukis atas cake....Basically, I wanted the design mcm lace..mesti halus...and penat nak buatnya jgn cakap..The royal icing was piped straight onto the cake...penat tangan memicit piping bag. Mesti ada yg nak tahu..my royal icing recipe...Well...actually I gunakan royal icing powder..or known as Superice keluaran Laped dari Itali...so what's the difference dgn royal icing yg biasa...banyak advantage guna Superice....First of all..tak payah nak sukat ingredient....just agak2 banyak mana yg kita nak gunakan...masuk dlm mangkuk and straight away bancuh...teenguk consistency yg kita perlukan..samada untuk piping or runout..if terpekat, campur air..if tercair campur super ice sehingga sampai pada tahap consistency yg kita perlukan...kita hanya bancuh apa yg kita perlukan..If ada lebih simpan sahaja..ia tak akan basi...If kering masukkan sikit air. By the way, tak perlu guna mixer untuk bancuh...cukup setakat satu mangkuk and sebatang sudu. The best thing about this superice...it's very fine...tak akan tersekat kat nozzle...As for this project, I used nozzle number 1..PME..which i think is much better than Wilton...



I really love working with royal icing..it's so easy to use....and bermacam2 benda yg boleh dilakukan dgn royal icing..u will see the greatness of royal icing on my next entry..my swan lake project..As I mentioned earlier...I gunakan nozzle number 1 and had no problem of the icing being stucked ...the flow was just superb..



The patterns yg I gunakan pelbagai..coz I wanted to make sure nampak mcm real lace..and utk tambahkan seri, I hias dengan edible beads..pearl, Ivory and black...semuanya edible which were bought from Cake Connection KL. By the way for those yg diMelaka..u guys can get the superice from KingHin...I straight away inform Mr Lim about Super Ice and suggested to him to bring it to Melaka market..he..he..he senang ..tak payah nak gi KL utk dapatkan supply. By the way, for those yg duduk KL..u can get the super ice from Bakers choice in Setapak, Mama Min's Studio in Damansara Perdana...or Vanilla Pastry in Bangi



As for the 1st tier...I gunakan teknik lipatan...which is very easy to do....gelek fondant nipis...if nak cantik lagi gunakan another designed roller...then lipatkan..mcm lipat kain...lepas tu terus tampal pada cake..By the way, before that the cake kenalah balut dgn fondant dulu. After dah disusun lipatan tu..i buatkan ikatan riben..biasalah wedding gown mesti ada riben...ingat tak masa kecik2..if lukis baju pengantin or princess gown mest ada banyak riben. Untuk tambahkan serilagi..gown pengantin mesti ada beads...so I lekatkan edible beads sebagai hiasan..



For the top tier..teknik yg sama juga...cuma ikatan ribennya dibahagian bawah..bahagian atas ni seolah2 penutup dada pengantin...so i just want hiasan yg simple aje..


So finally ...the whole "wedding gown"..and seperti biasa tier separators done by my darling munchkin...and he had chosen lace ribbon yg seakan2 sama dgn my design concept....he is really good...Oops lupa pula..the whole cake diairbrushkan dgn pearl sheen even utk tier yg kedua...





The cake was sent to ERin's place..and was so happy that the whole family love the cake...yup..memang I merancang untuk beri Erin something special for her wedding...and this is my special gift for her...ha..ha..ha..I mean the design...teringat pula bait2 puitis dlam one of my favorite writer's novel ...bunga yg cantik adalah untuk org yg cantik....so this beutiful cake is for someone beatiful..not only dari paras rupa..but beautiful heart also...she is indeed a very beautiful sister..thank you Erin for all what u had done for me..tq for yr support and thank you for yr words when I am in my down mood...love u..mmmuahhh...




Last but not least to Erin and Shafiee...selamat menjalani kehidupan berdua..and always remember each of u adalah penyokong untuk yg lagi satu...sabar dlm menghadapi
segala ujian rumahtangga..and sentisa berdoa supaya sentiasa bersama hingga ke jannah...By the way...thank you for the warmth hospitality from yr family Datuk Yahya and Datin Rozana...glad that aunty loved the cake...salam utk aunty. To both of u...selamat berhoneymoon..and don't forget my "warning"...ha..ha..ha...