It has been months since my last post. Procrastination I guess.
Anyway I had always wanted to make sugar bottles but due to the lack of materials and knowledge to make my own molds I decided to shelf the idea. Then last week I accidentally saw a friend holding some molds he made and begged him to make a bottle mold for me. Weenee from Sugar supplied me with the isomalt which I cannot find anywhere else in Penang....a leftover from a Sugar Art class she organised recently. SO I guess its fated that I get to make a cake with sugar bottles....in time for my hubby's birthday.
First I looked up the internet on how to make the bottles. Found some very infomative videos and quickly start to work.
I cooked the isomalt to the require temperature then crushed some foil to pour the colorless isomalt into ....as ice. Left it to cool down and dry in front of the fan. Then tint the balance of the isomalt to that of Tiger beer bottle color...brown & orange. As I was pouring it into the mold I spilled some onto my fingers!! Remember.... I worked alone so it was a case of holding, balancing and pouring. Of coz I dropped everything and ran for the ice-cubes but that few seconds was to late. Should have used gloves but its difficult to work with one. It was so painful my heart was pumping like hell but I had to continue......blisters or not.
I cooked the isomalt to the require temperature then crushed some foil to pour the colorless isomalt into ....as ice. Left it to cool down and dry in front of the fan. Then tint the balance of the isomalt to that of Tiger beer bottle color...brown & orange. As I was pouring it into the mold I spilled some onto my fingers!! Remember.... I worked alone so it was a case of holding, balancing and pouring. Of coz I dropped everything and ran for the ice-cubes but that few seconds was to late. Should have used gloves but its difficult to work with one. It was so painful my heart was pumping like hell but I had to continue......blisters or not.
As usual I am a very impatient person and did not really turn my molds continuously as advised....and this was the result of my first bottle. Solid top! Also the mistake of drying the bottle upside down. Nevertheless I waited till it was cooled down, remove the mold and sprayed lacquer over it.
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| Solid top |
My second one...I turned the mold upright too early and the soft sugar dropped down!!! Urggg!!!
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| Notice the excess sugar 'dripping' down? |
My third one was beautiful...even thickness all around ...but when I was pulling down the mold (holding the bottle upside down) I press the mold too hard against my table for leverage the bottle inside crack!!! I was just 1 cm away to completely removing the mold and a perfect bottle!!!! I wanted to kick myself. Why oh why???? The good thing about isomalt is that it can be re-melted and re-use.
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| The beautiful but cracked bottle being melted for re-use |
My patience was running thin by then but manage to make 3 more bottles not without more screams of pain. Yes by then I had more burnts and blisters starts appearing. Anyway I sprayed laquer over my cooled bottles and kept them in a box with moisture absorber.
With 4 bottles I was more than happy so went about making the labels.
The next morning horror of horrors!!!! The surface of the bottles wrinkled up!!!! I had no time to think or analyse but to make new bottles....as its already D-day!!
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| The bottles starts to wrinkle once exposed to humidity even after lacquering |
With time running out I made 4 more bottles....to be exact 3 half-bottles and one full. I had to put them in front of a fan with air-cond on as well. It did not dry completely but I just stick on the labels and put kitchen foil on top the bottle as a cap. Looks good enough to pass off as real metal cap.
Fastward.....I covered my Carrot Walnut cake with fondant which was already filled with homemade cheese frosting and ganached the day earlier. I then placed the 3 half-bottles on top and removed the ice from the foil and placed them on top of the cake. Did some finishing touches here and there and ta-da.....my completed Beer Bottle Cake!!!!
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| The completed cake |
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| The close up of the bottle with printed labels |
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| The back with printed labels |
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| Close up of the isomalt ice |
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| Close up of the label on the 'cap' |
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| The cut cake |
