8 minute read
SPECIAL FEATURE
Cake Mechanics
BY JORG AMSLER
In a market where the demand for specialty cakes, inspired by the sculpted, gravity-defying masterpieces of TV shows such as Food Network Cake Wars and Cake Challenge has skyrocketed, cake artists are being forced to adapt their skills to stay competitive. International instructor and sculpted cake designer Jorg Amsler shares his tips, tricks, and hacks for creating internal structures for all cakes. With Jorg’s guide to cake mechanics, a few tools, and a sprinkling of luster dust, you too can create any cake your client desires.
Chef Jorg Amsler is owner of Truly Jorg’s Patisserie in Saugus, MA. A world-renowned cake artist and master of sculpted cakes, Jorg has been featured on the TV show Food Network Cake Challenge. He now shares his skills and expertise as an international instructor, traveling to destinations all over the world to teach his sculpted cake master classes.
It amazes me how far this industry has come, and what it has become. There is a cutter or silicone mold for everything. Any color glitter or luster dust. New chemically engineered edible materials, stencils, and crazy-looking things. There are TV shows, and drama-packed cake competitions. Celebrity chefs celebrating fame and fortune, equal to that of rock stars.
Cake decorating and sugar art has become a multi-milliondollar industry, with worldwide expos and conventions, and thousands of knowledge-seeking attendees.
Cake Tool Time
Where there used to be one or two manufacturers for a specific product, there is now serious vendor competition. Fondant, gum paste, silicone molds and cutters, colors and dusts. Amazing inventions, all designed to make your life easier, and yet, one of the most important items for large novelty and 3D cakes, the structural elements and tools, are nowhere to be found. I have never walked up to a show booth stocked with hardware, power tools, pipes, nuts, and bolts. In other words, “Cake Tool Time!”
Maybe it’s because it’s all available at your local hardware store or at the Home Depot, and therefore no representation is needed at the expo itself. But the fact remains that sound internal structure is one of the most important pieces of equipment you need, and knowledge of how to create a sound internal structure is crucial if you want to up your game and compete with the industry’s best cake artists.
Why is structure so important?
Formidable Forms
Almost all of our creations involve some sort of structure, from basic doweling to complex pipes and ligatures. Cakes all have to travel to their final destination, be moved and carried, stay balanced and upright, drive through busy intersections and uneven roads, survive potholes, traffic lights, and constant stopping and going. It’s not about how good of a driver you are, it’s about the guy that cuts you off, or breaks in front of you. Drivers that don’t care that you have a multi-thousand-dollar edible structure in your car.
The integrity of a good solid structure is everything. And make no mistake, these large cakes are always heavier than you think. Every time I pick one up, I let out the “Oh boy” comment. Frosting, cake, fondant, ganache, fillings, cake boards, and whatever else gets added into the mix can accumulate to create quite the weightlifting challenge.
Other factors to consider are the duration of which a cake will be displayed at room temperature. Stability when refrigerated versus stability at room temperature is like day and night, and without a solid support system things can go wrong very quickly.
Cake Expectations In today’s market the expectation and demand for specialty cakes have changed. Clients demand edible pieces of art. Sculpted faces with expressions. Airbrushed, hand-painted, topsy-turvy, and gravity defying. All of this requires the ability to create specific, custom supports and internal structures.
I know that power tools can be intimidating. But, just like everything else in cake decorating, it is a skill you can learn. Of course, you can always hire a carpenter, or ask a family friend to make them for you, but then you are at the mercy of their schedule and their price point. Very often people tell me, “I can’t, it’s too intimidating,” or, “There is no room for a mechanical shop in my space. Power tools are large and dangerous. They are expensive, too heavy to handle, and too big to store.”
I say, “Excuses, excuses, excuses!”
Just like everything else, tools have come a long way, and they are now small and compact. I used to travel all over the world teaching gravity-defying cakes, requiring complicated internal structures. Upon arriving, I would have to go to a tool supply store and spend a lot of money purchasing different saws, drills, and other power tools. I had to rethink my strategy and find a better solution. I needed to figure out a way to take a complete workshop with me. All in one bag. Compact, and small enough to fit in my suitcase.
Today I teach “Cake Mechanics.” It has become one of my most popular classes, and I do it all out of one small bag that includes any conceivable tool needed. All of this was made possible due to an amazing tool kit by Black and Decker.
It’s called “The Matrix.”
It’s basically a cordless drill, powered by a rechargeable lithium battery. With exchangeable attachments for any kind of tool you will ever need. It eliminates all the big power tools that are really designed for commercial construction. “The Matrix” is the perfect solution for building cake structures. It’s a miniature tool kit that has lots of power, and is very easy to handle. I think we all can agree that everybody can manage a regular drill. It fits in your hand, is easy to control, and allows you to build anything you want.
All the individual attachments are interchangeable and can be purchased to your specific needs. There is: 1. A circular saw for straight cuts through thick plywood boards. 2. A jigsaw for round and curved patterns. 3. A reciprocating saw to cut large pieces of wood, pipes, and even metal. 4. A drill to drill holes. 5. And a driver to tighten bolts and screws.
“The Matrix” is a multitool that can come in handy for so many different scenarios. It even includes a router to put a decorative edge on your cake board. A charger and second battery allow you to have constant power and uninterrupted use.
Along with this multitool system, I have a set of regular tools and products needed to complete my portable workshop. It includes a hammer, pliers, super glue and a glue gun, measuring tape, electrical tape, pipe cutter, screwdriver, zip ties, and a small box of assorted screws, nuts, and bolts.
The Raw Materials
As far as the materials needed to construct your structures, we have so many items available to us. Probably the most common are plywood and PVC piping, along with all the connecting elements and hardware. Plywood is laminated and provides extra strength. It’s constructed from alternating layers of wood and glue, and makes for good anchoring of screws.
PVC piping comes in every size possible, and can be cut to your desired length. Many different couplings and joints can accommodate your needs such as 4-ways, T-connections, 90-degree or 45-degree elbows, end caps, and straight connectors. Flanges for anchoring down on a platform. Connectors to step up or down to different-size pipe. It’s perfect for creating large 3D animals and figures. You can literally construct a skeleton with all of its joints that can be bent into any position, and build up the structure with cake.
The Matrix
Sketchy Beginnings For extreme heavy-duty jobs, you can switch to metal pipes and use the screwed couplings to connect and create your structure. There is no golden rule or specific protocol to follow when creating internal cake structures. Each one is unique. What is important is understanding the materials and their properties; this will allow you to use the best material and tool for the job, and once you get started things will fall in place. You will get better and better at it, every time you complete a project.
I always start with a drawing. An architectural blueprint of my project. The internal structure and the surrounding cake with the finished decorations. This helps me with proportion, how things will fit, connect, and be supported. I have often changed my mind on how to construct the internal support after creating a sketch.
In It to Win It
In an industry that is fast becoming oversaturated, learning these skills can set you apart from the competition. It’s not enough to be just a cake decorator anymore. You have to be an artist, designer, architect, carpenter, plumber, and even in some cases an electrician. You can either stand on the sideline and watch the race…or be in it!
Nothing should hold you back from taking your artistry to the next level and exploring the endless possibilities in cake art. With the right tools, materials, and a little confidence, you can create any cake structure and any cake project you can dream of. ACD
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