Graduation Time

April and May are a pretty busy time for bakers everywhere with graduations, banquets and even weddings. I had two orders for graduation cakes, cupcakes and cake pops and a three tier wedding cake. These were all to be done the weeks of May 18th- June 3rd. My first order was for a friend from the church I go to in Port Charlotte. Her son was graduating from Port Charlotte High and she wanted a half sheet cake with 50 cake pops. On the cake she wanted a graduation cap with a diploma. I had to play around for a while to get the cap formed but finally succeeded. I had to mix gum paste with fondant so it would harden but not dry out and crack. For the diploma, I rolled out a piece the fondant to the size I needed and then rolled it into a scroll around some plastic wrap coated with shortening to keep from sticking. The plastic wrap was formed into a log if you will to help the fondant keep its form. It turned out great as did the cake pops.