Cake artist brings a hint of the Orient

By 49 News staff

VIDEO:

January officially kicks off the 2008 wedding season, and Topeka baker Rebecca Sutterby, owner of Sugar Creations, says she's been busy making her signature cakes.

Thin rolls of gum paste make are being designed to look like bamboo, which can be used to trim a cake or in other decorative ways.

And none of her cakes are complete without lifelike edible accents. Today she explains how to make realistic-looking, decorative bamboo.

She starts with gum paste, dyed to match the color of accents on the cake.

Roll the paste out to form thin, round tubes. Cut off the edges, and mold the ends so they are slightly rounded. (Tip: The tip of Sutterby's pointer finger matched in size to the ends of her length of bamboo.)

The finished product. This cake, and many more, can be found in Sutterby's cake photo gallery at <a href="http://www.sugarcreations.com/gallery1.htm">SugarCreations.com</a>.

To make the bamboo more lifelike, run an Exacto knife lengthwise down the length of the bamboo to create texture. This creates a woodgrain look. And, it's okay if those indentations are random and not uniform.

Next, Sutterby takes brown petal dust to cover the bamboo to give it depth.

Do this with however many lengths of bamboo you need for your design. Butt the lengths of bamboo up against each other to, for example, trim the cake.

Finally, cover with edible lacquer, which gives it a natural-looking shine.

Check out Sutterby's featured creations and get her contact information at SugarCreations.com.

Sutterby's upcoming appearances

Sugar Creations owner Rebecca Sutterby will be present at the Chocolate and Wine Festival at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. The event is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 25. The event benefits the International Visitors Council of Greater Kansas City. Learn more about this event at Kcivc.org.

Sutterby and her creations will also be present at the Luxe Wedding Showcase from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 27 in the Rooftop Ballroom at the InterContinental Kansas City on the Plaza. One of her cakes will be auctioned. The silent auction benefit the NewHouse Shelter for Battered Women. More information on that event can be found at Luxe.name.

And, as always, you can see Sutterby on channel 49 during Good Morning Kansas on the second Tuesday of every month.

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