Electronic cutting has been used in crafting for years before the technique came to cake decorating. The electronic cutter allowed a piece of paper to be laser cut to create precise designs, monograms, patterns, etc. for crafts such as scrapbooking. Linda McClure, a well-known wedding cake decorator, decided to modify the electronic cutting machine to make it compatible with cake decorating medium such as fondant, gum paste and edible icing sheets. The Silhouette Cameo cake cutter can transform these ingredients into incredible designs which can be quickly and easily incorporated into any cake design.
Whenever there are repetitive, intricate patterns, the process of hand cutting them precisely is a tedious, time consuming one for the cake decorator. Despite the impression you may have when watching a cake decorator work on television, there are endless hours involved in constructing a large cake, especially one with complicated designs. Some cakes take days to complete and many of the designs are done well in advance of baking the cake. Especially when a repetitive pattern is involved, the electronic cutting machine can make easy work out of cutting a pattern out quickly.
Cutting Edible Paper
The photo you see here is a wedding cake made with a pattern cut from a black icing sheet by Kristy’s Kreations of Waco, TX. The Silhouette Cameo cutter works with a software program. You indicate the size and number of patterns you need and the machine automatically lines up the edible paper and feeds it through. When the design is cut, the cake decorator only need apply the design where desired by using a bit of piping gel to the back to make it stick.
Many wedding cakes are decorated with monograms. The electronic cutting machine gives you numerous fonts to choose from and then you program in the letters you want to cut out. You can even cut patterns from icing sheets that have been printed in designer prints. In fact, a birthday message can be cut from any medium you use. The possibilities are really endless.
Cutting Gum Paste and Fondant
Gum paste and fondant are often cut on the electronic cutting machine. They must be rolled very thin and briefly frozen to make them stiff enough to go through the machine. Incredible designs can be made easy work, but it does take quite a bit of practice to work with these ingredients because of their flexible nature.
If you’re a fan of the cake decorating competitions on television, you’ve probably seen work created with an electronic cutting machine without realizing it. When cake decorators are pressed for time and have to create numerous cut outs of the same pattern, nothing saves time like the Silhouette Cameo electronic cutter machine.
