DIY Network

Sculpted Hat Box Cake Visit DIY's Craft Lab to learn how to make a sculpted hat box cake. From "Craft Lab" episode DCLB-131

Guest Elisa Strauss joins host Jennifer Perkins and demonstrates how to make a sculpted hat box cake that will be the talk of your next party!

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	Yes, everything you see here is edible — and guest Elisa Strauss shows you how to make it.
	Elisa Strauss likes to work from a sketch when creating one of her spectacular cakes.
	Learn how to make the pearls, tissue and flowers from gum paste.

Project designed by Elisa Strauss.

Materials:

four 9" round cakes, 2" high (2 layers each)
10 cups butter cream frosting (for filling and crumb coat)
3 cups stiff royal icing
Satin Ice rolled fondant (10 lbs.)
Satin Ice gum paste (2 lbs.)
food coloring sets
pearl luster dust
cornstarch or confectioners sugar (for coating fondant work surface)
vegetable shortening (Crisco--for coating fondant work surface)
one #22 cloth covered wire
small dish of water
foil covered cake
cardboard cake bases
metal pastry tips: #3, #5
pastry bags and couplers
1 small paintbrush
rolling pins (1 large, 1 small)
placemat
dry pastry brush
wet pastry brush
strainer (or piece of cheesecloth to sift the cornstarch)
electric mixer
turntable
serrated knives
metal off-set spatulas
plastic spatula
plastic wrap
ruler
scissors
craft knife or paring knife
flower cutters
bench scraper
fondant smoothers
ribbon (to cover the edge of the base)
Elmer's glue
stitching tool
paper towels
3 wooden towels
pencil sharpener
pencil or pen
plastic container with tight fitting lid
wooden mallet or hammer
parchment paper
piping gel

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

Sculpted Hat Box Cake

1. One week ahead of time, make pearl beads, tissue paper and flowers out of gum paste.

2. To make the pearls (figure A), roll a rope of white gum paste and cut it into 10 separate 1/2" pieces. Roll each piece into a ball approximately 1/2" wide.

3. Place them on a sheet of parchment. Let them dry for a few hours and the pierce them with a toothpick through the centers. Let them dry completely. This will allow you to string the pearls onto a cloth covered wire later on.

4. To make the tissue paper (figure B), roll out a sheet of gum paste as thin as possible. Cut out triangles and squares, approximately 4" wide with a paring knife.

5. Lay each shape over a piece of paper towel and let them dry until firm. Make approximately 15-20 pieces of tissue paper.

6. To make the flower (figure C), roll out two thin pieces of gum paste in different colors. Using two different sized cutters, cut out one large and one small flower. Allow each to dry on parchment paper with paper towels supporting the petals. You will affix these to the hat shaped cake later on.

7. Three days ahead of time, make four 9" x 2" round cakes with butter cream filling and royal icing.

8. Dye the rolled fondant to colors you wish to use. You will need two pounds for the base of the cake, two pounds for the sculpted hat, three-and-a-half pounds for the hatbox (separate one-and-a-half pounds for the lid and two pounds for the bottom of the hatbox).

9. Cover the foil covered cake base with rolled fondant and attach ribbon with glue along the bottom of the base.

10. Freeze the cakes. (This will make it easier to sculpt).

11. Split in half the four 9" round cakes. Cut the tops and middle of each cake.

12. Assemble and fill two 9" cakes on a cake board and crumb coat. Assemble one half layer of a 9" round cake on a cake board and crumb coat (1-1/2 layer). Assemble and fill the round layers, sculpt the shape of a hat and crumb coat (one full layer and one half layer).

13. Cover the three separate cakes (hatbox bottom, lid and hat with rolled fondant).

14. Dowel the bottom cake in three places; sharpen the bottom of each wooden dowel with a pencil sharpener before measuring.

15. Cut two dowels the exact height of the cake and insert on one side of the cake.

16. Cut the third dowel two inches above the cake, this will support the hatbox lid (figure D).

17. "Glue" the lid on with royal icing; cover the two dowels on one side of the cake with royal icing to support the hatbox lid.

18. Affix the hat cake to the top of the lid with royal icing.

19. Finish decorating the hat with gum paste decorations, ribbon and flower.

20. For the ribbon around the bottom of the hat, roll out gum paste into two 1/2" strips around the circumference of the hat. To attach the ribbon, wet the bottom of the hat with a small amount of water and affix the ribbons (figure E).

21. Assemble the two flowers with royal icing and create the center of the flower with an extra piece of gum paste.

22. Dust the pearls with pearl luster dust by placing the white pearls and one teaspoon of pearl luster dust into a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Shake the container to coat all the pearls. String the pearls on cloth covered wire and attach to the cake by inserting wires directly inside the cake.

23. Attach sugar tissue paper with royal icing, one piece at a time (figure F).

Tip: Use your imagination; try the same techniques with different shaped hats and boxes. Play with different color variations and patterns.

RESOURCES :

Sugar Stilettos Cake Decorating Secrets from New York City's Top Cake Designer
By Elisa Strauss
ISBN: 0821257692
Bulfinch Press, a division of Little, Brown and Company

Satin Ice Gum Paste, Rolled Fondant, Chocolate Fondant
Website: www.cakedeco.com

GUESTS :

Elisa Strauss
Confetti Cakes
102 W. 87th St.
New York, NY 10024
Phone: 212-877-9580
E-mail: cakedesigner@confetticakes.com
Website:www.confetticakes.com