Hi all,


Please check out the first webisode of Operation Opera House Cake, on PlanetCakeTV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t5Jwdbx6vI
Tune in daily to see if Paris and her Dream Team will rise to this challenge of phenomenal proportions!

G

DAY ONE: OPERATION WORLDS BIGGEST SOH Cake!

WEATHER: A hot muggy day in Sydney, reality was walking up the street to get a sandwich meant that we were muggy and hot!

WHERE: Planet Cake’s studio 10 minutes from the CBD

PC STAFF: All of the team were on board today to see us kick off.



ADDITIONAL CREW: After giving me a heart attack and telling me he couldn’t be here Jean Michel he has been coming after hours every day directing, instructing and helping us all execute this mammoth task! Jono has been working his fingers to the board, creating all the bespoke boards and incredibly difficult drawings! Here they are both pouring over the plans.



VOLUNTEERS: The volunteers have been split into two groups, the Sopranos and the Tenors!! The Sopranos were first up for the morning shift.





DAY #1 PLAN:

The plan today was to do all the prep for the coming week, this included making 300 + Kg of ganache, sandwiching and filling the hundreds of cakes, making dowels, getting to know each other and generally filling in time until the real work could begin tomorrow when the Styrofoam was sorted out and all of Jono’s measurements and boards were in. I thought that this was a spanking plan of action….

CHALLENGE #1 - JOBS

The first challenge was finding jobs for the volunteers while we waited for the big stuff to work on. First team up, the Soprano’s finished making all of the ganache and filling all the cakes by 11am, they were so fast I immediately started thinking about potential employment opportunities at PC, I was speechless, I thought it would take them all day! I would need them to start carving Styrofoam and that was an issue unto itself!




CHALLENGE #2 - STYROFOAM

We need Styrofoam for the base of the cake and the sail tips; we need 13 styro cubes to cut the sails from. The Styrofoam that arrived instead of being 13 cubes was 13 icebergs! After ringing the Styrofoam Company who were most unhelpful I decided to put the Sopranos to the test, a problem halved or shared is a better problem I heard or something like that!

Step One: Investigate the Styro berg





Step Two: Build a Styrofoam Cave (the Sopranos built this at the back of PC)



Step Three: Get into your styro safety equipment


Step Three: Attack the Styro Iceberg with a saw!



MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Ready for carving the sails



CHALLENGE #3 – Working out the boards. Jono and Jean-Michel have been working out this problem for days. Here is Jean-Michel working with volunteers Laura and Abeni transferring the templates created by Jono onto the boards for cutting.





DAY # 2: PLAN

Tomorrow we need to carve the base shape out of Styrofoam. Build, cover and place the boards and start shaping the bottom layers of cake in the sails. Follow the red lines for the cake line guide.



Final Note: The volunteers have been even better than I hoped, extremely fast, efficient, enthusiastic and truly professional, its not us and them its working alongside your team mate and it’s a great feeling to have such a big, talented and professional team…I think we might get this done!

See you tomorrow!!

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SOHC......

A photo sent to us by excited Sydney Opera House Cake volunteer 14 year old Abeni from QLD, see you tomrrow!

This evening I have eaten a whole packet of rocky road chocolate biscuits, they are 210 calories each. I am scared, and like I mean it I really am scared, not about weight gain but about the big bad SOHC! Since my last post I have made a plan, changed my plan, developed a strategy, ordered 16 times too much Styrofoam and eaten a lot of food. Let me share with you what going on.

It’s the night before the Planet Cake team and 22 volunteers attempt to create the worlds biggest Sydney Opera House Cake to be presented at the Opera House on Australia Day, I have registered this for the Guinness Book of Records and have every intention of keeping you updated daily via facebook warts and all! Facebook/sydneyoperahousecake



Because of the shape of the SOH obviously construction has been fraught, everyone has a different opinion, weight has to be considered, and I have to decide on cake flavor, of course its chocolate mud. I want the volunteers to make it not watch PC staff making it. The biggest question I have left for last, how were we going to attempt the sails? I really only wanted to speak to one man, cake genius Jean-Michel Raynaud. Jean Michel has worked for me and is brilliant in his own right, he is to big cakes what pro surfers are to big wave surfing, he truly is a master. He also happens to be incredibly cool; I managed to catch up with him late last week and as we sat back having a coffee in the sunshine on Sydney harbor, looking at the SOH. In the company of Jean-Michel, it all seemed possible. I relaxed, for 10 minutes………….



Jean-Michel and I both agreed on a construction plan and he was able to make lots of suggestions and finger wagging warnings about all of the potential perils, using chain saws to cut Styrofoam was dangerous and not highly recommended. However we will need to use some Styrofoam to alleviate the weight, I don’t want to use too much. We agreed on using Styrofoam for the tips of the sails and the rest to be sculpted if possible, if there is still a weight issue we could put some styro right at the base. Then JM dropped his bombshell, he would not be able to assist directly in the project, at this point I think I left my body and started to free fall into panic. This means I am the only person consistently managing the project, the world suddenly seemed a very lonely place. Jean-Michel has assured me he is only a phone call away, just like the life line phone calls in who wants to be a millionaire!



JM and I agreed on a lot of things but the main agreement was that success of the project and the ease of the execution will rest with the plans and the boards, this means it’s all up to one crucial person…no stress Jono!

This is gorgeous Jono last night, not looking so gorgeous because its 11pm at Planet Cake and he is putting together the first of the 3 boards that will make up the base of the Opera House, each board is 1200 x 2400, making up a total board area of 8.64 m². The will be a set of sails on each board and the board at the back will accommodate the small sail structure and stairs!



Jono is a life saver he is making all the base boards, drafting all of the dimensions crafting all the internal boards! He is currently working out the volume of cake required; we are predicting we will need to bake 800 x 8” square cakes, Just in case you will be making your own colossal SOHC I will let you know the final cake count.



The scale of our cake will be larger than this SOH model you see above; the highest sail of our cake will be 1.25 m from the base. You can see how big the cake will be by looking at Talin and Margie on the 1:50 scale drawings below that we will be using to construct the cake, the model above is based on a 1:60 ratio.


The SOHC volunteers arrive at Planet Cake at 10am tomorrow morning, I am so excited about meeting everyone, one volunteer is travelling all the way from Dubai, and we have numerous volunteers from all over Australia, one from New Zealand and lots of decorators, genuinely excited about working on such a unique project.



The group of 20 volunteers will be divided into 3 teams which will then be split again into 2 separate shifts a day, so in reality the will be 9 volunteers per shift split into 3 teams, all working on one of the 3 ‘boards’. The volunteers will be greeted with an orientation meeting and then we are all boarding the bus for a SOH tour and lunch. The information packs are waiting, rosters finalized and work stations set up, soon the madness will begin!!

The Big Bad Scary Opera House Cake!

Welcome to Cakes 2011!!! This year is guaranteed to be exciting and it is starting off with a bang, here I am at home tonight with Minky and Estelle (behind the camera) just gearing up to write this post to you!



I had a fabulous time playing Santa to gorgeous Estelle, Santa’s foot prints were a hit, but the choice of flour was dubious…I am a novice at this guys!!



However I spent most of my break writing a draft for our third book (I know its crazy). It will be very different from the last two books, fingers crossed you like it. You will be relieved to know that I also had time to put together some luscious workshops, I will post about these later! But as a sneak peak they include:

• Majestic Month of Sugar Flowers June/July 2011 (with sugar flower celebs)
• Cake Professor (Independent Teacher Training)




However to be honest since Christmas I have had nothing but sleepless nights about something much bigger and scarier! The challenge I have set making the worlds largest Opera House Cake which will kick off on the 18th of January (NXT WEEK!!!) when 22 volunteers from all around Australia come to help us make the largest replica of the Sydney Opera House in cake ever made.


The OH cake, due to be revealed at the Sydney Opera House on Australia Day (26th January) will take the entire 7 days of production working in 2 shifts and molding at least 120kg of cake (I am still calculating)! The OH cake crew will kick off with a debrief and Opera House site visit on the 18th before we begin 7 days of intense and incredibly complex cake decorating occupying all the PC kitchens, to give you an idea of how serious this is for the first time in 5 years PC cake production has been closed down.


The good news is that I have the most incredibly talented staff and our wonderful volunteers who will be our own personal cake decorating army. I will need all their talent and patience more than ever. We are embarking on a project where no cake decorator has gone before (on this scale). We will be working for the first time with 22 eager volunteers and have the whole event recorded by a TV crew for prosperity (I forgot to mention that bit I think I am blocking it out). On that note I might try emailing for the 5th time the decorating guru himself Jean-Michel Raynaud who is trying to have a holiday in Thailand, but will be back to help us and advise on the project himself. Jean Michel has worked for me before and I respect his vast experience in all things cake. Together with the owner of Sweet Art, Anthea Leonard, Jean Michel made a life size cake of Barbie for her 50th birthday this is the knowledge and experience I desperately need. Check out these incredible photos of Jean Michel doing his thing!!!






Today (Sunday) my partner John and I dragged my daughter Estelle around the OH, counting steps and taking photos of the concrete floor. Between you and me despite telling the PC crew that I have it under control, I actually have no idea how we are going to make the cake, but I bought the wooden model from the Opera House shop and I believe a lightening bolt will strike me tonight, or hopefully at least by the staff meeting at 10am tomorrow morning! It is terrifying to think that if we fail PC will be the laughing stock of the cake decorating community! How long do you think this is going to take me to put together????

Design Formula

After spending some time on the Tea Party (Planet Cake forum) I became aware that a lot of the posts refer to “cake design inspiration needed” so I thought that I would share a little bit about how I design our client’s cakes! I have developed my own formula for designing cakes. I am sure it’s not original but it usually works in creating a design that is perfect for the client, I hope this helps our students.

1. Venue
2. Emotion
3. Shape
4. # of People
5. Color
6. Decoration

Let’s use my Cousin Claire’s wedding cake as an example!

Venue: Small modern venue at botanical gardens – Needs a medium sized cake with modern shape.

Emotion: Claire wanted a cake that would be fun and have everyone relaxed.

Shape: After guidance on what the venue would require my cousin chose the Madhatter shape (I also suggested a square would have looked good)

Number of People: This can determine the size of the cake but I prefer to for match the venue. I always build up the cake with styro foam if required, or a kitchen cake if needed.

Colour: Claire’s bridesmaids were wearing aqua; a difficult colour to incorporate with a traditional shape, Claire also had burnt orange gerberas decorating the tables at the reception.





Decoration: Claire wanted figurines (this narrows things down considerably) as she and Rob are well known for their devotion (and attachment) to their pets they had to make an appearance. We suggested stars to balance so many figurines on the cake. I always design the figurines separately and then design the cake to match; think of the colour clash in the bride was wearing pink!



There you have it, easy and make sure you get the colour samples from the clients, I never would have guessed that Claires colours would be so bright!!

Miss Winfrey

Australia is crazy with Miss Winfrey fever; however it is with great sadness that I must inform you that although Oprah in the past has always championed cake decorators, to our knowledge Miss Winfrey does not feature a decorator in her Australian shows (unless someone slipped one in as she was getting into her limo). This information is not confirmed as everyone involved in the show is so stitched up with confidentiality contracts that no one is able to reveal any information publicly. The good news is that we can all sit back and relax and enjoy the incredible spectacle that Australia’s top chefs and talent have given her and we can claim an opportunity another day. P.S. This does not prevent cakes randomly turning up at her hotel room, if you want to float one in there; here she is in Sydney until Wednesday!!

This week has been really hectic with lots of fantastic developments & cakes! Margie and I will be appearing on the Morning Show tomorrow (Channel 7) at around 11am to do a cupcake demonstration and chat about the new Planet Cake Cupcake book! It should be fun; I hope you have the chance to tune in.



This Week at School

Today and tomorrow Jessica Pedemont is teaching Basics 105 (2 T Stencil). Jess is only new to teaching this class but the results so far have been outstanding. Jess herself said to me that this was the best class she had ever taught and she enjoyed it immensely, there will be photos to follow, but if the last class was anything to go by I know they will be brilliant. This is one teacher who is exciting to watch!



On Friday, Saturday and Sunday Linda Harden will be teaching Basics 106 (springtime), the grand mother of all workshops, this cake transforms students into colleagues as they complete the odyssey of designing, constructing and executing this monster cake shape. This includes covering a 3 tier base, making roses and peonies, using a centre pole and most importantly managing time! Linda is a kind and patient teacher and a talented cake decorator, I know that students will enjoy this class.





Self Confidence

Every week I try to take the opportunity to offer my thoughts about the questions I get asked most often. This week I wanted to talk about self confidence. This is an issue at all levels, and it is lack of confidence that I find is behind most of the problems brought to me such as pricing, business success, dealing with request from friends and family etc.

Newbie’s to cake decorating almost always feel self conscious as it can be daunting to be in classes decorating in front of others and having their work ‘judged’.

Professional cake decorators starting their own business often loose confidence as they go from being a serious hobbyist to charging money for their cakes.

Senior professional decorators often feel insecure that their work may be compared to other very talented decorators or that they may fail when working in a genre that is not their strength, for example novelty

There is not a decorator alive who has not has periods of insecurity about their abilities, their cakes prices or their areas of technical weakness. But from my experience there are a number of ways to build confidence and keep it.

1. Invest in proper training: Planet Cake, Online Video, Via Books etc. Continuous training will empower you with knowledge, skills, techniques and feedback. Every single great cake decorator I know continually reinvests in their training.

2. Join a community: Online, Tea Party at Planet Cake, Flickr, Facebook, Set up a group or join a group in your area. I know that through the T-Party a group has been organized and is flourishing in Brisbane.

3. Do not compare yourself, EVER to other cake decorators; it’s a waste of time. The only opinions that should matter to you are yours (most important) your teacher and your customers. If those 3 are satisfied there is no need to compare yourself to the Angelina Jolie’s of the cake decorating world, it just makes you feel awful!

4. Focus on what you are good at, if you are hopeless at making figurines just tell people you don’t make them and refer them to a cake decorator that does. If you love piping then make sure all of your designs are piped. Always direct your cake designs where you are strongest. There is not a single cake decorator at Planet Cake that does every cake brilliantly, in fact some are down right awful with some cakes and they would be the first to admit it.

By the law of probabilities someone is not going to like your cake and a customer will complain. Understand that not everyone has taste and that we should feel compassion for those that have no idea about our wonderful world…yes arrogance helps. Then go to your community and commiserate, get some more training to build confidence and use your judgment to work out whether it was a subjective opinion or whether your cake was lacking. Just know that you are not alone and don’t let is ruin the joy of cakes!



I love to hear what you think so you can email me paris@planetcake.com.au or just make a post here. It is always you guys that give me the ideas for the next big THING!!

Enjoy making your cakes, make them for you, inspire yourself, take time to smell the cake and taste the cake, languish in icing colors, have fun, create whimsy and smile! Your cake will be making someone very happy and as such you will have done a noble deed, one more for your karma bank!

The week of cupcakes, using someone elses cake designs and sick kids in a busy week of cakes, urrrgghhh!

Running Planet Cake is always filled with excitement, people and beautiful cakes which I thrive on, but at times it can also be a challenge just getting everything done. I had one of those weeks this week with my daughter Estelle (see above)sick with tonsillitis, my partner in the middle of his exams and Planet Cake just being Planet Cake. I must admit the closest the family has come to a home cooked meal this week is a BBQ chicken for dinner! I often allow myself to have a pity party at least once in a week like this (I am not a saint) and think about a parents lot, when you have to make a decisions like should I shave my legs or read a bedtime story? I only have time for one or the other!

STAFF NEWS
This week it is with great sadness that I said goodbye to Juncheng our Student Liaison Officer. It will be very hard to fill Juncheng’s shoes but until we find a replacement I am happy to answer your queries!



CAKE DESIGN COPYRIGHT
(this post has been expanded and edited due to some great feedback from a reader)

This week we have been running our Intermeadiate Intensive week long workshop at Planet Cake and I have been asked by a number of students the same question so I thought I would answer it here for anyone else that is wondering.

Can we copy Planet Cake's designs?
The short answer is YES you can, for me there is no issue with copying our designs regardless of the source as long as Planet Cake is credited either with being the inspiration or the source of your design. You might be aware that I actually credited fellow cake decorator Hello Naomi for inspiring one of the designs in the book. I also asked her permission which she was happy to give. I think at the end of the day its about manners!

What if a decorator uses my cake design or photos and claims it as their own?

Example:

Rihanna’s cake below was designed by Antony Bullimore at Planet Cake, the team at Planet Cake made it and Rihanna cut it. But Adam has made a copy (it happens to be our copy), all that is changed is the name on the side of the cake.





Can we defend our rights to the cake design? No, because legally the cake design is not registered as a design. We don’t own the rights to the zebra print, the exploding stars is a common cake design, and as for the bling this will change with every cake anyway.

So what do we do with our feelings?
Despite all the facts and people saying "its a compliment" you do feel morally and ethically outraged!! Come up with your own ideas!! Despite how childish this is I think most designers feel upset, designs are very personal.

How do I respond? I Let it go……. If you try and defend yourself you will sound like a raving lunatic (I have been there). The only satisfying act that I do enjoy is if the opportunity arises (for example if a client brings a copy of your cake) show or email the original cake against the copy. The difference is almost always obvious, and at the end of the day everyone respects an innovator not an imitator.

I would never recommend making the issue public. Please remember to take the higher ground, maaking posts on your blogs and facebook about design theft guess what? Makes you look like a raving lunatic. its not fair, but at the end of the day our reputation and character is more important than a cake design, think of how April Reed must feel? I think half the cake decorators in the world have magpied her designs.

The only exception to this rule for me is when a competitor starts to imitate or replicate business identity (logo website etc) or intellectual property such as pricing etc. I had a very good friend come to me in the industry and this is currently happening to her after spending 5 years building a strong brand in the market. This form of theft in my opinion is serious and is obviously a threat to someones livelihood; I do recommend registering your logo and other important identity related designs with IP Australia. http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs/apply_index.shtml

MORNING TEA
I was delighted to host a morning tea today for a wonderful group of women, the idea being to throw around some ideas and talk about cake decorating and running cake decorating businesses. The same old topics got a good thrashing but we never tire of pricing, clients and the dreaded council. Thank you ladies for coming and sharing your stories.



COURSES
This week has been chocker and I have been excited catching up with our wonderful teachers and facilitators. The results have been spectacular, the teachers and students have all had a fantastic time.

MELBOURNE - Adam Cremona – Novelty 101, Basics 101, Basics 103
SYDNEY - Linda Harden – Intermediate Intensive. Basics 104 (three tier round)
SYDNEY - Anna Maria – Intermediate Intensive. Basics 106 (springtime)




Photos: Anna Maria, Linda, Betty, Adam

BETTY
I am not sure if many of you have met Betty, but she is my right hand woman, not only that she can decorate a cake although she swears she cannot, for evidence of lying see the Lipstick, but she is a great organizer. This week Betty has been assessing the applications for our Opera House Cake project (it is not to late to apply), winning applicants will be announced on the 1.12.10. http://planetcakeupdate.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-apply-to-for-2011-australia-day.html.



MARGIE CARTER - JUDGE
It was very exciting for students to have Margie Carter come and judge their cupcakes at the end of a Masterchef style cupcake competition. Margie was the biggest contributor to Planet Cake Cupcakes book and provided all of the illustrations. Margie had a ball as the students had made their cupcakes even more gruesome than we ever intended. Working with someone like Margie is an honor as her talent is unsurpassed. It was a unique opportunity for students to meet her.





Have a beautiful and Zen week of cake decorating and remember to be playful don’t ever loose your sense of humour; there is no point arguing with your cake!