Darla Julin

>> MY BACKGROUND IN BAKING AND
CAKE DECORATING STARTED WHEN I WAS A CHILD.
I GOT AN EZ BAKE OVEN WHEN I WAS
ABOUT 8 YEARS OLD AND I STILL HAVE THAT.
I NEVER WANTED TO WORK OUTSIDE.
I NEVER WANTED TO DO ANYTHING
ELSE EXCEPT BAKE AND COOK.
FANTASIES AND FROSTING GOT STARTED IN 1996.
I HAD A FEW DEATHS IN THE FAMILY
AND IT REALLY MADE ME EVALUATE MY LIFE.
I DECIDED IF I DON'T OPEN UP MY
BUSINESS NOW, I NEVER WILL.
AND THAT'S HOW IT GOT STARTED.
AND I'VE BEEN DOING IT EVER SINCE.
SO I'M STARTING OUT WITH THE FONDANT HERE.
WE GOT THIS FONDANT CAKE NOR WEEKEND.
I'M HOPING THIS IS GOING TO BE ENOUGH FOR THE BOTTOM TIER.
I'M GOING TO PUT IT ON THE SHEETER.
AND THE SHEETER FLATTENS IT OUT
SO I DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT WORK BY HAND. OKAY.
SO WE'VE ROLLED IT OUT AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THE BOTTOM
TIER OUT OF THE COOLER AND PUT THE FONDANT ON.
CAREFULLY WE'VE GOT TO PICK UP
THE FONDANT AND DRAPE IT OVER THE CAKE.
NOW WE GOTTA SMOOTH THE FONDANT OUT.
I START WITH MY HANDS AND THEN I
USE A FONDANT SMOOTHER.
WE'LL GET ALL THE AIR BUBBLES OUT, OR AS MANY AS POSSIBLE.
SQUARE CAKES AREN'T ALWAYS MY FRIEND.
I'VE BEEN KNOWN TO DO ONE OF THE
LAYERS OVER THREE TIMES BECAUSE
I WASN'T SATISFIED WITH IT.
WHAT I'M GOING TO DO NOW IS TRIM
OFF THIS EXCESS AND THEN I'LL DO SOME MORE SMOOTHING.
IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THERE'S ANY AIR BUBBLES.
SO WE DID GOOD THIS TIME.
WHEN IT COMES TO DECORATING, FOR
INSTANCE, THE CAKE BEHIND ME, IT
WOULD TAKE ME ABOUT EIGHT HOURS
OF DECORATING TIME TO FINISH
THAT CAKE.
PLUS YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BAKING TIME AND PREP TIME, TOO.
SO SOME CAKES REALLY TAKE A LOT
OF TIME TO DO.
NOW OUR NEXT TIER IS GOING TO BE A 12-INCH SQUARE.
THIS IS THE SUPPORT SYSTEM, THE
METAL RING AND THEN THERE'S
GOING TO BE FOUR PEGS ON EACH OF
THESE SCREWS.
AND THAT WILL GO INTO THE CAKE AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO
SUPPORT THE CAKE SO IT DOESN'T FALL DOWN.
PUSH IT DOWN.
IT'S GOT TO BE FLUSH WITH THE CAKE.
AND IS IT.
ALL RIGHT.
THIS BOTTOM TIER HAS THE QUILTED LOOK ON THERE.
YOU EITHER CAN DO IT BY HAND OR
YOU CAN GET A GRID LIKE THIS.
PRESS IT INTO THE FONDANT WITH
YOUR FINGERS AND THEN JUST GO OVER THE RIDGES.
AND IT WILL IMPRESS RIGHT INTO
THE FONDANT AND THEN YOU HAVE TO MATCH YOUR PATTERN.
A LOT OF THESE TOOLS ARE MADE BY
CAKE DECORATORS THAT HAVE DONE
THIS STUFF FOR YEARS AND NEEDED
ITEMS TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS.
ALL RIGHTY.
WE'RE DONE.
WE MAKE ANYWHERE FROM 100 TO
PROBABLY 130 WEDDINGS A YEAR,
AND BIRTHDAY CAKES, ALL OCCASION
CAKES, AT LEAST 600 A YEAR.
PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT'S MY FAVORITE CAKE, AND THEN I TELL THEM,
WELL, I DON'T REALLY EAT CAKE.
I TASTE MY CAKE, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT.
I DON'T EAT CAKE.
JUST BECAUSE I'M AROUND IT ALL THE TIME.
BUT IF I'M GOING TO HAVE A PIECE OF CAKE, IT'S GOING TO BE CARROT CAKE.
THIS IS A LEVEL.
A LITTLE BUBBLE WILL GO IN THE
MIDDLE WHEN IT'S LEVEL.
IT GOES TOO FAR ONE END OR THE OTHER IT'S NOT.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE STU DONE STACK.
YEA!
[ LAUGHTER ]
NOTHING ELSE AS FAR AS WORK
EXPERIENCE HAS GIVEN ME AS MUCH JOY AS THIS HAS.
YOU CAN WORK WITH PEOPLE DURING
THE HAPPIEST TIMES OF THEIR
LIFE, THEIR WEDDING, BIRTHDAYS,
ANNIVERSARIES, GRADUATION.
PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN THEY'RE GETTING A CAKE.
SO THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO GREAT.
AND WHEN PEOPLE COME BACK TO YOU
AND THEY CAN SAY, OH, MY CAKE WAS SO GOOD AND YOU SHOULD HAVE
HEARD ALL THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SAY THAT THE CAKE WAS JUST GREAT
AND WE'RE SO -- WAS SO PRETTY, I
MEAN THAT JUST -- IT JUST MAKES YOUR DAY.
SO I CAN'T IMAGINE DOING ANY
OTHER TYPE OF WORK EXCEPT THIS.
>>> FUNDING FOR MINNESOTA LEGACY PROGRAMS ARE PROVIDED BY A GRANT
FROM THE MINNESOTA ARTS AND
CULTURAL HERITAGE FUND, WITH
MONEY FROM THE VOTE OF THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA.
ON NOVEMBER 4th, 2008.
AND BY THE MEMBERS OF PRAIRIE PUBLIC