Sugar Paste Or Roll Out Icing - Hot Tips to Ensure Success

This type of icing is very popular because it is too easy to handle, easily cut and eat soft. Over the years, many names have been given, which can be confusing when buying. In Australia it is known as plastic icing. The term plastic is a good description - according to the dictionary it means soft and supple, just the way it is. Other names are fondant icing (real fondant is melted and poured on cake) rolled fondant satin ice, add Mallow, icing and moldedGelatin frosting.

The icing can be made at home, and the ingredients contain protein, liquid glucose, icing sugar and gelatin. Liquid Glucose will keep the dough smooth and gelatin can stretch it over. Sugar paste has many functions. It can be used for the modeling of figures, flowers and leaves. It can be curled (marked with a tool, rather like a pair of tweezers) Smock, shaped, draped and used to make edible frills. Also by softening it can with a few drops of water or protein, it wasdirected. As you can see it is a very versatile icing.

However, it is still primarily as a coating for cakes. But like everything else, it's easy if you know how, so here are some tips to prevent something goes wrong.

First measure the cake - which add a page on the top and on the other side, then a few extra inches. Measure a square cake diagonally across the top, then the two side measurements. If a flat-top is required, and the cake is rounded, cut it off,Upswing and the cake so the base is now the top. Next coat the cake with either a thin layer of jam or butter cream - this coating acts as a glue to hold the paste in position.

Make sure that the coating extends down to the bottom of the cake. Sprinkle powdered sugar (not corn meal, as it dries, the sugar paste and it might crack) on the desktop. Now roll out the dough - if possible, with a long rolling pin, like a short one could leave a mark. To prevent the pasteAdherence to the work surface while rolling, give it a slight turn every so often. Roll until the paste is about ¼ "thick.

To add the application, place the cake as close as possible for you to lift the dough, either on the rolling pin or on the backs of the hands and lay over the cake surface. Then, with the palm of your hand, gently smooth paste on the sides of the cake with an upward movement. If any air bubbles on the surface of the paste, they stingwith a sterilized needle. To make the surface shine, rub gently with the palm of the hand.

A simple and effective device is on the top edge of the cake Crimp - within 15 minutes of application of the paste. Then a thin roll to keep the paste around the base of the cake and also the mark with a pair of pliers. And finally, a band around the sides. All you need now is a kind of made (or bought) for decorating the top. Good luck!

Bitter, Sweet Or Powdered Chocolate Equivalents Or Recipe Substitutions Help Chocoholic Cooks

It is always a good time to make something with chocolate. If you take the mood to discover you can not have a critical element to spoil the mood. Knowledge, its equivalent or substitution can save the day. Today, Mom helps cooks and chocoholics with tips on chocolate and even the world's easiest dipped strawberry recipe.

Chocolate is made from the beans of the tropical cacao tree. Baking chocolate in its purest form comes in powder form, is usuallysold in cans and is called cocoa. There are two types of cocoa in the world, regular cocoa and Dutch cocoa. Dutch cocoa or alkalized cocoa has the natural acidity of the cocoa bean, creating a darker, more subdued, more chocolate reduced cocoa powder. In most cases these can be used independently to be primarily for flavoring foods such as icing. However, if you are aware of baking, the reduced influence of the Dutch cocoa alkalinity can rise as pie. Cocoa powder is not to be confusedcommingled with those packaged hot cocoa to drink, do not work well in recipes.

Sugar and fat are usually the cocoa powder for sweetening and consistency and added to cakes! Can in our kitchen, fat in the form of cocoa butter, margarine, butter, vegetable shortening or vegetable oil. Sugar, either powdered or granulated add sweetness and also in the consistency. Powdered sugar is smooth. Once we understand the basics of chocolate makes it much easier to substituting ingredients.Here are some further definitions and equivalents.

Cocoa powder, chocolate in its basic form () on the bean.

Baking Chocolate: Usually sold in bars and squares from 1 ounces each measured. Normally, some fat, but no sugar.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Sold in the form of chips or bars. Usually has some fat, plus a small amount of sugar.

1 position (1kg) baking chocolate= 3 tablespoons cocoa + 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 cup (one 6 oz package) semisweet chocolate = 6 tablespoons cocoa + 7 tablespoons granulated sugar + 1 / 4 cup shortening

1 cup (one 6 oz package) semisweet chocolate = 6 oz or (6 squares) semi-sweet chocolate

Classic chocolate dipped strawberries

This is also with cherries or other fruit with a skin. Use about 18large fresh strawberries, plus room temperature and patted dry 1 pound semi sweet (or any kind) piece of chocolate, coarsely chopped.

1. In a double boiler melt the chocolate and stir the shortening of the smooth, stirring occasionally. Or heat the chocolate at 50% power in 30-second intervals in the microwave, careful temperature until it is smooth.

2. With the berry stem or a toothpick, dip the strawberries into the chocolate.

3. Cool theBerries on baking sheet, or insert the toothpick into Styrofoam (or a potato).

More Chocolate tips: Make sure the strawberries are completely dry. Even a drop of water into the melted chocolate can lead to use it "and make the chocolate grainy. This recipe will produce tempered chocolate or chocolate that dries to a hard shine. If the chocolate is too thick to work with, add drops of vegetable oil, small amountsvegetable shortening or cocoa butter (butter and margarine contain water), stirring until it reaches the right consistency. Happy Cooking!

Natural Chocolate Wonders

Natural chocolate is a perfect blend of word and meaning. But recent studies of the benefits and the composition of chocolate support the claim that natural chocolate may be good or you. Chocolate serves as a natural relaxer, an antioxidant, and a positive contribution to health. Natural chocolate is actually been extracted from the seeds of the cacao tree, usually obtained from cocoa beans.

Natural advantages arise from chocolate made from pressedthe cocoa beans are cooked and not from the cocoa butter product from the fruit of the cacao tree. Natural chocolate is also connected to the high concentration required and with the European dark chocolate with less sugar.

When chocolate consumption represents one percent of the American diet, it is loaded from fatty products with sugar. Natural chocolate is chocolate regularly found in dark chocolate products such as bakery,Specialty bars, and special natural chocolate products found in health food stores. It is probably not included in a very sweet and sugary sweets or chocolate, chocolate products with milk.

The consumption of natural dietary chocolate does not have the same stigma today consume sweets and other forms, because the products used for cake frosting, chocolate chips, and ice are filled with fat, sugar and preservatives. To determine whether a productcontains all the benefits of natural chocolate, make sure that the ingredients do not contain cocoa butter or dark colors.

Eating natural chocolate has become a major choice for a snack. As a complement to a meal or dessert, is of course a chocolate snack, which is less empty, that other fat filled snacks containing sugar and starch. This does not mean that any chocolate candy bars will automatically apply. Dark chocolate contains falconoid, which at present is of courseChocolate, but is in the processing of other chocolate products such as filtered syrup, powder and candy.

Natural chocolate is, where it has been no chemicals or bases in the fermentation and production process may be natural chocolate as something like a glass of wine or a frozen yogurt for indulgence with a side benefit. Adding natural cocoa to the chocolate your morning coffee can keep down high blood pressure, circulationon, and the heart healthy.

The Flavenols and Flavenoids in natural chocolate may mimic health benefits of plums, blueberries and show coffee. Natural chocolate have caffeine in it, but doctors now show that caffeine in coffee may have the same kind of health benefits that are life-one years or longer and analgesic effects of serotonin on the body.

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Super Chocolate Cookies

Super Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup walnuts, chopped

8oz cream cheese, soft

1-teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter, softened

1 large egg

1 box (18 ¼ ounce) chocolate cake mix

12-ounce chocolate frosting

¼ cup powdered sugar

Sprinkle ¼ cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, vanilla, and cream cheese until smooth. Add egg;beat at medium speed to mix until well. Add cake mix, beating at low speed, straight for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is, stir in chopped walnuts. Shape cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place apart baking sheet 1-inch sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 8 minutes, will look into baked cookies, but they're not. Let cookies stand on baking sheets for 5 minutes, transfer to film or wire racks to cool completely. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate frosting, and toCookie, and sprinkle each cookie with icing sugar and sprinkles.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Note: Sometimes this change until I replace the vanilla extract with other like strawberry extract.

You can find this recipe and many more at Cristie's Cookin. Make sure your favorite recipe for the possibility of a free "Gotcha Covered win" apron submit. While you check it out this unique spices, Ring It, Bling It and Zing It. Do not forget to check out "11.11.11" onCristie's extra page.

How to Make a Model Volcano and Other Fun Kids Party Special Effects

Kids love magic tricks and special effects because they surprise and delight with the unexpected. Here, try a collection of easy yet impressive special effects to your next children's party.

But be careful ... Children are naturally curious and want to know how to achieve your impressive results. Do you think it wants to be mysterious, and make the quantity of the party!

Volcanic eruption

Start by lining a box lid (edges should be about 2 cm high) with a film or alarge metal pan. Fill with wet sand. Place an empty soup can in the center and push the sand around the can to form your volcano mountain. For best effect, can completely hide. Spoon 1 / 4 cup baking soda into the pot and the field on a surface with a plastic tablecloth or newspapers sheltered spot.

To erupt the volcano, you can pour a part of the solution in the activation. If this is added to the baking powder, it is flowing "lava". Let your guests turnAdding a bit solution, which can lead to further outbreaks.

Activation Solution - 1 cup water, 3 / 4 cup vinegar, 1 / 2 cup of dishwashing liquid, 10 drops of red food coloring and 10 drops of yellow food coloring.

Volcano Cake

A cake and frost in chocolate icing. Decorate with palm trees and small plastic dinosaurs: Before serving, take a pint of chocolate ice cream and place over the hole in the center of the cake. Pour strawberrySyrup on them for the volcanic lava. Serve and enjoy!

Variation: Frost the cake white and use vanilla ice cream for a different look.

Spinning Vortex

Take two empty 2-liter bottles and fill a roughly one third with water. Put the bottle openings together with the empty bottle upside down on the full book. Insert 3 / 8 inch metal washer in the opening between the two bottles and duct tape together carefully.

When you are ready to make a fuss, return theBottles, so that the full one at the top. Swirl the bottle to the top in a circular motion until a spinning vortex begins in the water. It will continue until all the water channeled through the washer and lower in the bottle. Just the reverse lay the bottle into another vortex.

Party Punch with Pep

Mix a batch of one of the following party stamp:

Smoldering Swamp Water

Mix equal parts Ice Cool Arctic Green Apple flavor Kool-Aid with ginger aleor try a green drink like 7-UP.

Bubbling Love Potion

Mix equal parts cherry Kool-Aid & ginger ale for a colorful and fizzy love potion drink.

Here, where the fun begins ...
Put a piece of dry ice in a sealed container made of plastic. Punch or cut holes in the container lid. Before serving drop the container into the punch bowl for a very cool effect!

Important: Always use caution when handling dry ice! Use tongs or heavy gloves so does not affectbare skin will burn. Place the dry ice directly into the punch, it should not be included.

Frozen Hand

Fill a powder free surgical glove with water. Add green food coloring for a creepier look. Sure to turn binds to the end and hang from a shelf in the freezer. Once frozen, cut out of the glove and float in your hand for a nice bowl of "Touch"!

Slime

Take one cup of water and add 1 Tbsp. Borax (available in the laundry section of theGroceries). Stirring, is resolved to complete. Take 1 / 4 cup white glue and 1 / 4 cup water and mix. In a Ziploc bag, add equal parts of borax solution to equal parts of the glue solution. A half cup of each will have a cup of mucus. Add a few drops of green food coloring. Seal bag and knead the mixture.

Fake Blood

Karo brand corn syrup

Red and blue food coloring

Milk

Add some red food color, corn syrup, then just a dropor get two of blue to a more realistic dark color. Milk is to appear in the blood, opaque and more realistic.

Note: This mixture is sticky and can stain clothing.

These cool special effects are a mad scientist party, a dinosaur party, a perfect Halloween party ... Just use your imagination and have fun! They add a unique twist all kids party and your child's special day a truly memorable event!

Copyright 2004 Kids Party Paradise All rights reservedReserved

Sweets and Candies For Christmas

It is a long and successful tradition of making homemade sweets and candies, especially chocolate-based candies for Christmas. These candies can be used as after-dinner treats with your coffee, they can be used as a treat for children accompany are.

But even in these times of economic uncertainty, homemade chocolates can be a wonderful gift. In fact, if you are the right kinds of chocolate and the filling can correct much richer andhealthier than store-bought candy.

Here I present two classic Christmas candy. The first as a "fancy" or a sweet at the table designed to be used, while the second will be produced on a large scale as a gift.

Christmas Pudding Truffles

Ingredients:
175g digestive biscuit (Graham cracker) crumbs
50 g of dried fruit (eg apples, dates, figs, raisins, currants, sultanas), chopped
50 g roasted mixed nuts, chopped
50 g ground almonds
50g raspberry orcanned
grated rind of
1 orange
Brandy or dark rum, to taste
white marzipan
candied angelica (or green cherries)
glacé cherries
Powdered sugar
dark chocolate or cocoa powder

Method:
Mix the biscuit crumbs, dried fruit, nuts, ground almonds, marmalade and orange zest in a large bowl. You add enough of the rum to form a stiff mixture. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls and coat lightly in cocoa powder, or dip into melted chocolate and allowto share.

Decorate the top with a small piece of white marzipan to look like ice, and add glazed cherries and Angelika are similar to holly berries and leaves.

Chocolate Truffles

240ml cream
300g dark (at least 70% cacao) chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
500g dark (at least 70% cocoa) chocolate, chopped (for coating)

Method:
In a heavy pan, bring the cream (can cook on a microwave and a glass bowljust as well for this). Remove from heat and away into the chocolate and butter. (The smaller they are cut, the more easier.) If the chocolate has been incorporated, let cool and refrigerate until firmly set, stirring now and then. Take) in the fridge (this is approximately 4 hours. Use the freezer and you can cut that to less than one hours stirring, but with much more frequently.

With a melon baller or spoon, scoop out a tablespoon or so ofTo make chocolate with your hands into balls about 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Spread them on a baking sheet and freeze for one hour. While the balls are frozen, chop, and carefully heat in a bain-marie (water bath) or heavy pot, the chocolate used for the coating. Stir until melted. Let it cool slowly until it just feels warm on your skin. The object is to have it just above the melting point, so that when the frozen chocolate-dipped balls are in it to collect them and freeze onethickish coating around them.

Be frozen at the centers of chocolate balls and the melted chocolate is ready, take each ball and place it into the coating roll to quickly remove around, take them with the tines of two forks and place it on a sheet baking paper. If the coating thickness too much, heat it a little, perhaps with a microwave.

When all the truffles are dipped, you can serve immediately. If they are stored or transported, they store in the refrigerator for oneWhile first.

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes

Who does not love chocolate cake? "I think one of my favorite cake is a chocolate cake with raspberry filling and white frosting.

I am always on the lookout for non dairy chocolate recipes. I have a chocolate cake, very simple, non-dairy recipe that gets compliments every time to make:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup white sugar

1 cup cold water

1 / 3 cup cocoa powder

1 / 3 vegetable shortening or vegetableOil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar (use any other vinegar, should be "apple vinegar)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add shortening and mix in. Add vinegar, water, and then add the rest of the mixture to beat a little at a time, and after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Pour into greased / wax paper-lined cake pan and bake at 350 degrees about 30Minutes.

If you like sour cream, is this wonderful recipe. The sour cream helps to wet the cake and there is a wonderful taste:

16 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (I melt the chocolate in the microwave very easily)

1 / 4 cup butter, softened

1 2 / 3 cups boiling water

2 1 / 3 cups flour

2 cups white sugar

1 / 2 cup cream

2 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoonVanilla

Oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. In large bowl, mix chocolate, butter and water. Stirring, until mixture is smooth. Flour, sugar, sour cream, eggs, baking powder, salt and vanilla. With electric mixer beat on low until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is done.

If you do not like, try sour cream, mayonnaise. Mayonnaise makes the cake very moist and beautiful with a taste that mostPeople can not just quiet. No substitute for Miracle Whip or other salad dressing for mayonnaise. The cake does not taste quite right.

They are making just two of many delicious recipes, easy chocolate cake yet.

Bon appetit!