Cake Decor Cairns

If you live in the  tropics or have warm summers,  you've probably experienced Buttercream fail!  You pipe these beautiful cupcakes with your large star tip, they look awesome... fast forward a couple of hours, you might be having a bbq or a party of some sort,  that is either outdoors or not in air conditioning... Buttercream Fail occurs!! Melted, lop sided and just doesn't look right anym ore!    What's the secret? So how do my cupcakes still look perfectly piped even after 2 hours sitting on the dessert table?  How do I make buttercream covered cakes that keep their shape and colours don't run at outdoor summer birthday parties? The secret is a type of vegetable shortening available in Australian supermarkets called "Copha" Now this stuff is awesome but you just need to learn a few tips to make it work as a substitute to American vegetable shortening known as "Crisco" in their recipes. What is Copha? It's basically p

There are so many interesting cake decorating and chocolate moulds out on the market it's so hard to show restraint in how many different ones I buy! I remember the first one I bought,  it was a gorgeous cherry blossom theme. I thought it was perfect for my daughter's next birthday cake idea and I just couldn't wait to try it. Unfortunately it was a major let down. I was so frustrated the fondant would stick and only bits came out, I greased it with shortening (Copha here in Oz) but then it wouldn't stay in long enough to smooth the back! Ahhg total nightmare and I felt so frustrated I wasted money on a poor product. But did I waste money or was it just I couldn't follow instructions? ?... Well a few months later I pulled the mould out again, and decided there must be a better way! I got my Google on and searched forum,  blog and website and finally found a solution that many in the sugar craft world already knew! What's the secret? A freezer! 

Living in a regional town there's not much competition in pricing for cake decorating tools and consumables.  When there is a special it usually sells out super fast or there is a catch like the expiry dates are too soon. So that's why I shop online often. I use Australian businesses so the money is still going back into our economy.  And postage still means local Cairns Postal Service workers are benefiting. I only use suppliers that offer flat rate postage of $8.95 and goods arrive within a week. That usually narrows it down to businesses on the East Coast as Western Australia postage times can feel like forever even when paying extra for express post. I shop from about 3 different favourite sites at the moment.  They all offer different benefits so depending on what I need, how much I am ordering,  and item price I will choose one over the other. Each store has their own tips and hints, and some even have video instructions on how to use their products. I