Win a BakerLou Hamper!

Here's your chance to win a special BakerLou Hamper!


The bamboo hamper up for grabs is a special one off combination and contains some of our favourite goodies. All you have to do is complete the rafflecopter form below to be in with a chance of winning - easy peasy! HINT: You will need to visit the hamper page on our website for the answer to our question!! EXTRA HINT! (as a lot of people aren't looking properly!) - You need to scroll down to the end of the description :)

Prize Details:
A BakerLou Bamboo Hamper containing:
Hot Chocolate Spoons - for perfect indulgent hot chocolate
Gingerbread Stars
Shortbread
Choc & Raisin Flapjacks
Choc Chip Muffin
Vanilla Fudge


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Boring Bit!

How to enter:

• Complete the Rafflecopter form  to confirm your entries. There is a question to answer plus you can earn extra entries by completing the facebook and twitter options if you wish.
• This competition will close on Saturday 3rd November 2012.
• Please read the rules below.
• Winners are announced on the Rafflecopter form after the prize has been claimed by the winner.
• Never heard of Rafflecopter? Watch this short video 
• If you can't see the form, try refreshing your page.
• Mandatory entries need to be completed first and you do not have to complete the other options - they just increase your chances of winning!

Rules :

• Only open to UK participants.
• The prize consists of a BakerLou hamper . There’s no cash alternative to the prize and the prize is not transferable. No part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions.
• Instructions form part of the terms and conditions. Entries using any software or automated process to make bulk entries will obviously be disqualified. The winner will be picked at random using software and then contacted by email. If you win and then don’t respond to this email within 7 days then another winner will be picked so check your emails and your spam folders. The hamper will be delivered to the winner as soon as possible after you have sent me your delivery address.
• BakerLou's decision is final!
• All entries will be checked to ensure fairness!
• This competition is not endorsed or connected with facebook or twitter in any way.

Good Luck! -x-

Happy Halloween!

I just love Halloween, so much fun with the kids as we always go trick or treating. Although my eldest is a bit too cool these days and is saying he won't be dressing up this year but I bet he'll give in!
Anyway, this is a cake I've created for this year's Halloween and has to be one my favourite cakes to date, just loved making all the details for this one. The backdrop is airbrushed and I practiced (a lot!) on paper before doing the real thing on the iced board as I'm not really used to my airbrush yet.

Hope you like it as much as I do! You can see more pictures and close-ups of the detail on my facebook page by clicking here

Have a happy Halloween -x-

Christmas Hampers 2012

Yes it's that time of year again already! The new hampers are now available to order but please note we only have limited availability, once they're gone, they're gone!

Here's a rundown on the contents this Christmas.

Willow Hamper £35 with FREE nationwide delivery

* Chocolate Brownies 

* Shortbread 

* Vanilla Fudge

* 2 x Hot Chocolate Spoons

* Gingerbread Stars

* Mini Fruit Cake (muffin sized)

* Honey Flapjacks

* Choc & Raisin Flapjacks

Bamboo Hamper £28 with FREE nationwide delivery

* 2 x Hot Chocolate Spoons 
* Shortbread 

* 2 x Vanilla Fudge Packs

* Mini Fruit cake (muffin sized)

* Gingerbread Stars

* Honey Flapjacks

Treat your family or a loved one (or even yourself!) this Christmas -x-

How to use Tappits

Suddenly realised that I hadn't updated the blog for ages so here's a mini tutorial on how to use Tappit letter cutters! I know a lot of people have trouble with these and it took me a while to find the best way for me. In the past, I have tried various methods using plain sugarpaste, CMC treated sugarpaste  and greasing the cutters with Trex with no success but this way really works without any faffing around!

You will need:

Tappit cutters - here I'm using the "funky" type

Icing sugar for dusting

Rolling pin and sharp knife

Flower paste

It's the flower paste that really makes the difference and is easily available to buy, or you can make your own as I do which is an awful lot cheaper! This is the recipe I follow:

Sugarpaste Flowerpaste Recipe

Now you have your paste, colour as you wish and knead until pliable. Roll out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar as thin as you can - approx 1-2mm.

Leave for about 5 minutes to let the surface of the paste dry a little. Using your knife, cut into sections big enough for your letters. Place your cutter over the paste and press down firmly. Then, still applying pressure, move the cutter in a backwards and forwards motion on your surface to ensure the paste is cut properly.

Now you will see why some people call them Whack-its!

Holding the cutter at a 45 degree angle towards your surface, give it a good whack on the edge of your surface and hey presto! Your letter will drop out of the cutter easily - sometimes you may need to whack it more than once but usually once does the trick.

To attach to your cake, use a bit of edible glue and move into place using a dry paintbrush.

Easy Peasy! Happy Baking :)

Rose Leaves Tutorial

Rose Leaves Tutorial

To make these realistic rose leaves, you will need the following items:

Flower/gum paste, rose leaf cutters, rose leaf veiners (I use Aldaval Veiners), rolling pin, florist wire and tape (I used a very fine gauge wire), cornflour, edible glue, petal dust - burgundy, confectioner's glaze, paintbrush.

Roll out your paste thinly but thick enough to insert a wire and cut out your leaf shape (my cutters leave an indent in the middle but this doesn't matter as it will disappear later!)

Cut your wire into pieces around 10cm long. Dip a wire in edible glue and insert carefully into the leaf about 3/4's of the way along the leaf.

Dust the veiners with cornflour to stop the paste sticking and lay your leaf on the veiner that looks like the back of the leaf, making sure the wire is in line with the leaf spine.

Place the other veiner on top and apply pressure, kind of squash it gently between your fingers! Carefully open the veiners and pop out the leaf - if you find it sticks, tease it out slowly with a dry paintbrush. Keep going until you have as many leaves of different sizes as you need.

Now use a paintbrush to dust the edges of your leaves with a hint of burgundy petal dust. (I used the colour in the bottom left of the picture)

Using a paintbrush, give each leaf a sheen using confectioner's glaze - I use a liquid but sprays are also available.

Now all you have to do is use florist tape to bind together your leaves in the arrangement you choose :)

Happy Making

BakerLou -x-

For other tutorials, please take a look through this blog or see our website

Tutorial - Simple Sugarpaste Roses

BakerLou Tutorial - Simple Sugarpaste Roses

These easy roses are perfect for putting onto cupcakes or celebration cakes and need no specialist equipment!

This tutorial will take you through the process of making these pretty flowers with photos every step of the way. I’ve found this to be the easiest way to learn a new technique so I hope you find it easy to follow. If you need any further assistance, please feel free to message me through my Facebook page or website.

EQUIPMENT

All you need for this simple method of rose making is as follows:

* Sugarpaste in the colour of your choice – approx 100g

 * A sharp knife

 * A sheet of plastic such as cellophane, a plastic file pocket or a freezer bag

 * Your hands!

 And that’s it! No special equipment needed at all.

METHOD

Knead your sugarpaste until it’s pliable and roll into a sausage shape – the fatter the sausage, the bigger your rose will be.

Cut off the end piece and discard, then cut six slices of roughly the same size. Cover the rest of your paste with cling film or pop in a freezer bag to stop it drying out.

Work with one piece at a time and keep the other slices covered. Lay the first slice on your work surface and cover with your plastic sheet. Push down hard with the palm of your hand (at the base of your thumb) to thin out the paste.

Next run your thumb firmly around the edges of the petal, half on the petal and half on the plastic. This will soften and thin the edges of the petal. To make the bud, start curling the petal inwards with your fingers, keeping it fairly tight.

Repeat the thinning process for the next petal and wrap around your bud, overlapping the seam of the bud. Use your fingers to gently curl the edges of the petals back and pinch around the base to keep in place.

Now all you have to do is keep thinning petals and wrapping around until you have the size of rose you want.

 Once you’re done you’ll notice that the base is now rather large. Don’t worry, that’s how it should be! Simply cut off the excess paste with your knife or a pair of scissors.

Leave to dry overnight or until needed (do not keep sugarpaste decorations in an airtight container or fridge as they will spoil!) and then attach to your cake or cupcake with a little Royal Icing or sugar glue.

Happy Making ❀

Tutorials Now in Store!

We now have three brand new tutorials available to purchase on the BakerLou website with lots more to come! Like all our step-by-step guides, each one is illustrated with photos for each step of the way with clear instructions. Feel free to visit our facebook page if you have any questions or you'd like to show off your work!

First up are these gorgeous Simple Flowers which are made without any cutters at all! Find the complete guide here.

Next, we show you how to make realistic and beautiful Wired Roses. Find the tutorial here.

And, last but not least, the pretty Open Rose - find it here.

We have quite a list of requests so expect a lot more tutorials on the way very soon, including more sugar flowers, baking and decorating basics and complete step-by-step cakes - we might even show you how to make one of our very popular Bottle Cakes!

Happy Making!

BakerLou -x-

New Tutorials Coming Soon!

Here at BakerLou, we have been amazed at the response to our tutorials and have received some fantastic feedback! So we're currently working on some new step-by-step photo tutorials that will be appearing on our website very soon. If you have any requests for new tutorials, leave us a comment here or tell us what you think on our facebook page

If you missed some of our recent step-by-step guides, you can find them here:

Cupcake Bouquet 

Sugar Carnations

Coming up next, learn how to make these pretty flowers!

How to make Sugar Carnations, step-by-step tutorial

Here I'm going to show you how to make these sugar carnations, I made them for the first time recently, they're pretty easy really and the effect when they're finished is lovely!

So... here's some of the items you will need:

Carnation cutter, calyx cutter, sugarpaste, CMC or tylo powder (optional), sugar glue, cocktail stick, florist wire, florist tape (optional), rolling pin, food colour pastes (optional), paintbrush, Icing sugar to dust your surface.

You could also use petal paste for these flowers if you wish.

Start off with kneading your sugarpaste so it's nice and pliable - I like to add a bit of CMC (Edible Cellulose Gum) as I find it easier to work with and it dries harder.

Now prepare your wire, for this tutorial I used 22 gauge white paper covered wire. Bend the top of your wire (you may need pliers for this) over to make a closed hook, dip in edible sugar glue* and insert into a small ball of sugarpaste. Pinch with your fingers so you end up with a small cone shape.

                                                     

It's easier to leave this to dry for a while so it's well stuck to the wire, but you can carry on straightaway if you wish. I leave mine to dry in a cake dummy.

Ok, now you're ready to go! Roll out your sugarpaste thinly and use your cutter to make one petal shape. While working on each stage, I cover the rest of my icing with cling film to prevent it drying out too much.

Next, take your cocktail stick and roll it back and forth over each petal section to frill the edges. 

Dab some sugar glue over the surface of the petal with a soft paintbrush and insert your wire through the centre:

Gently fold the petal in half, it should look like this:

Now dab on some more glue to one third of the shape and fold over up and across. Turn over and do the same to the other side. Gently pinch the bottom and there you have your bud!

 

All you need to do now is make and frill more petals and just insert the wire through until your flower is the size you want. If, like me, you only have one size of carnation cutter and want to make your flower bigger, simply cut the petals in half and drape around the edges! You can always tease the petals into the position you want them using a dry paintbrush.

To finish off, use a calyx cutter (if you don't have one of these, a flower cutter will do) to cut a shape from green sugarpaste and insert the wire through, using edible glue to secure it in place.

If you'd like to make your finished carnations into a spray arrangement, twist your wires together and wrap with florist tape. To colour, use lustre or petal powders. 

VARIATION

To make variegated flowers, add dots of pink sugarpaste and roll together before cutting out your petals.

Cut out at random and make as before. When finished use a fine paintbrush to paint lines on the petals (I used Pink paste colour by Sugarflair mixed with a little water)

*Edible glue is easy to make yourself - simply put a blob of sugarpaste in a small glass/dish, add a splash of water and blast in the microwave at 30 second intervals until dissolved.

So there you go, sorry I waffle a bit! Happy making :)

We'd love to see your work so please feel free to post on our facebook page