This is info is really going to help me. My mom is on her way over so we can learn the cake machine together. We are also taking the Free Cake Class with Jinger. We are super excited!

Recipes

Jinger's Class Instructions

Jinger rolled the cookie dough to an 1/8 of an inch thick and layered more than one layer of cookie dough on top of one another before you bake the cookies. You determine how many layers to add as that will decide the thickness of the cookie.

Bunny Cookies

Create these adorable cookies for the Easter season!

Materials:
Cricut Cake® Personal Electronic Cutter
Cricut Cake® Holiday Cakes cartridge
Sugar cookie dough
Gel food coloring: brown, pink
Gum paste glue (see recipe)
Gum paste: white
Small sugar brush
Pastry brush
White shortening
Sanding sugar

Instructions:

1.Roll cookie dough on mat. Place it in the freezer to stiffen the dough.

2.Cut cookies. Using Holiday Cakes cartridge and prepared cookie dough, select Plain Shadow feature and cut as many 3 ¾" <Easter5> as desired.

3.Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees. (If you want a thicker cookie, stack one cookie on top of the other before baking. Baking time may increase 1 to 2 minutes.) Let cookies cool.

4.Prepare gum paste. Color half of gum paste brown and the other half pink. Grease cutting mat. Roll gum paste onto mat so it is 1/8" thick. Remove excess gum paste from mat. Place mat in freezer to stiffen gum paste.

5.Cut gum paste. Using brown gum paste, cut as many 3 ½" <Easter5> as desired. Using pink gum paste, press Shift and cut as many 3 ½" <Eastr5-s> as desired.

6.Adhere pink cuts on brown cuts using gum paste glue. Place on top of baked cookies. Brush top of cookies with gum paste glue. Sprinkle sanding sugar on top of each bunny. Shake off excess sugar.
Flower Cupcakes
Make your cupcakes stand out with this beautiful design!

Materials:
Cricut Cake® Personal Electronic Cutter
Cricut Cake® Cake Basics cartridge
Gel food coloring: green, pink, purple
Gum paste glue (see recipe)
Gum paste: white
White shortening
Powered sugar
Small cupcakes
Small spoon
Butter knife
Pastry brush
Sponge

Instructions:

1.Separate gum paste into four pieces. Color one piece pink, one purple, and one green. Leave the remaining piece white. Grease cutting mats. Roll gum paste onto mats to 1/8" thick. Remove excess gum paste. Place in freezer to stiffen gum paste.

2.Cut large flower. Using Cake Basics cartridge and pink gum paste, select Plain Shadow Blackout feature and cut as many 2 ½" <Flower1> as needed. Let dry.

3.Cut leaves. Using green gum paste, select Plain Shadow Blackout feature and cut as many 1" <Leaf5> as needed. To shape leaf, place on sponge. Dip knife into powered sugar and press the center of the petal with the blunt side of the knife. Place petal against side of a plastic container to keep shape. Let dry completely (3 to 4 hours).

4.Cut medium flower. Using white gum paste, select Plain Shadow Blackout feature, press Shift, and cut as many 1 ½" <Flower6> as needed. To shape flower, place flower on sponge and curl leaves using a small spoon. Place flower on a rounded shape form (such as a plastic egg). Let dry.

5.Cut small flower. Using purple gum paste, select Plain Shadow Blackout feature and cut as many ½" <Flower1> as needed. To shape flower, place flower on sponge and gently press the end of a rounded brush on the center of the flower. Let dry.

6.After all pieces are dry, use gum paste glue to adhere pieces together as shown.

Daisy Cake

This beautiful cake is perfect for any spring occasion!

Materials:
Cricut Cake® Personal Electronic Cutter
Cricut Cake® Cake Basics cartridge
8" Round cake
Gel food coloring: blue, yellow
Gum paste glue (see recipe)
Gum paste: white
Frosting: white
Powdered sugar
White shortening
Sugar pearls
Pastry brush
Spatula knife
Butter knife
Toothpick
Plastic wrap
Sponge

Instructions:

1.Prepare gum paste. Color a small portion of gum paste yellow for daisy centers. Place in plastic wrap and set aside.

2.Grease cutting mat. Roll white gum paste 1/8" thick onto cutting mat. Remove excess gum paste. Place in freezer to stiffen gum paste.

3.Cut daisy blackouts. Using Cake Basics cartridge and white gum paste, select Plain Shadow Blackout feature, press Shift, and cut one 6" <Flower7>. Using white gum paste, select Plain Shadow Blackout feature, press Shift, and cut eight 2 ½" <Flower7>. Remove excess gum paste from mat. Let dry.

4.Cut daisy petals. Using white gum paste, press Shift and cut one 6" <Flower7>. Using white gum paste, press Shift and cut eight 2 ½" <Flower7>. To shape petals, place petals on sponge one at a time. Dip knife into powdered sugar and press the center of the petal with the blunt side of the knife. Place petals against side of a plastic container to keep shape. Let dry completely (3 to 4 hours).

5.Assemble daisies. Place a small amount of gum paste glue on the center back side of petals. Place on blackouts as shown. Take a small amount of yellow gum paste and roll into a ball. Slightly flatten ball to form daisy center. Stick toothpick into gum paste to create a textured center. Adhere to center of daisies.

6.Add blue food coloring to white frosting. Frost cake. When daisies are completely dry, place large daisy on top of cake. Place small daisies around the sides. Embellish with sugar pearls as desired.

Edited by user Thursday, March 31, 2011 7:19:19 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Wow

Thanks so much for all the information. I dont have a cricut cake (yet) but i have learnd so much and cant wait to get one now

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Ingredients

1 Bag Marshmallows

1 TBSP Water

1 Bag Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar

Microwave-Safe Bowl

Crisco

Gloves, OPT.
Wooden Spoon,coated with Crisco

****TIP**** Coat Everything with Crisco to avoid sticking

Directions

1. Coat bowl with shortening to prevent sticking
2. Add the water to the marshmallows and microwave for at 30 second intervals until marshmallows are almost completely melted
3. After stirring marshmallows pour half of the powdered sugar contents onto the GREASED counter
4. Pour all of the heated marshmallow mixture onto the powdered sugar
5. Put on gloves and mix in powdered sugar until a dough forms (like a bread dough)
6. Store the marshmallow fondant in an air-tight container and let sit for 2-3 hours.

I don't refrigerate my fondant but if you live in a state where the humidity is high you could refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until firm.
After that your homemade MMF is ready to be used in the cricut cake!

Thanks again for all the tips- I'll have to print out all the info to keep near my CCakes! BJR.

thank you for this post! i just ordered my cake machine yesterday from HSN....i am reading up so i'm ready to go when it arrives....have already volunteered to bake for a fundraiser for my daughter's softball team....you are a life saver!

Cricut Cake FAQ’s

NEW QUESTIONS/ISSUES FROM SURVEY:

• The Rollers are hard to clean

Use the brush included in the box to brush off any dried food particles. With the machine unplugged, wipe down the roller bars with a clean damp cloth. You may need to manually move the carriage to the left side of the machine to reach the right side of the roller bars. Once the machine is on again, the carriage will return to the left side.

• Some parts are not getting cut so I am having to use my exacto knife to cut it

You may need to increase the pressure setting on the machine. Experiment with the pressure settings until it cuts completely through the food material.

• The blade cuts into the mat

The blade will always cut a little into the mat. This is normal. You will need to replace your mat periodically after a lot of use. You should also experiment with different pressure settings. Use the lowest pressure necessary to cut through the food material completely. This is usually only medium pressure, but again you will need to experiment with different food materials.

• It will jam and I have to force it to quit

Make sure your food material is no thicker than 1/8” thick. It will cut best at 1/16” thick.

Make sure your blade is clean.
If you are cutting fondant, please see tips for cutting fondant.
If you are cutting gum paste, try freezing it to firm it up a little before cutting.

• It leaves jagged edges and does not work well at all

Make sure your food material is no thicker than 1/8” thick. It will cut best at 1/16” thick.

Make sure your blade is clean.

Don’t allow your food material to dry out too much. If a dry crust forms, it will cause a jagged, uneven cut on the top. You can still turn the design over and the back should still have smooth edges.

• Fondant gets “gunked up”

Make sure your fondant is rolled out no thicker than 1/8” thick. It will cut best at 1/16” thick. Fondant also has stretchy, draping properties that make it ideal to cover a cake. This allows the fondant to smoothly cover the cake without cracking. These same properties make it difficult to cut. Instead of cutting, the blade will have more of a tendency to stretch the fondant rather than cut it. To overcome this, it is necessary to make the fondant firmer. This can be accomplished a few different ways—freezing, slightly drying it out, and adding gum powders.

Freezing works well in cool, dry climates. In humid, hot environments the fondant can become very gummy as soon as you remove it from the freezer.

Drying out the fondant a little can be time consuming and can cause a crust to form on the top. However, you can overcome the “crusting” effect by placing it back in a bag overnight. This will help equalize the moisture content throughout the fondant.

The best way to make the fondant easier to cut is by adding gum powders. There are many on the market—tylose powder, Gum-tex, etc. You will need to experiment with the amount of gum powder you add to your fondant based on the type of powder and the fondant recipe you use. Knead in a little at a time until it has a more firm texture. Be aware that this will make your fondant dry out faster and you will not be able to use this new mixture to cover your cake. Roll out and use as normal.

• The blade is confusing…which way do I put it in?

Make sure the sharp edge is sticking out of the base of the blade housing. Match the notches in the blade housing to the cutouts in the housing arms. Close the arms and swing the screw over and tighten. It doesn’t matter which direction the blade is pointing when it is placed in the machine. When the machine starts cutting, it will automatically turn the right direction for cutting.

Cutting Gum Paste:

• Gum paste will be crumbly and stiff or may even be a little hard when it comes out of the tub.

• Gently knead a portion of the gum paste until it becomes pliable and easy to work. If it is too stiff to work with, heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

• If you wish to color the gum paste, knead in gel-based food coloring until desired color is achieved and color is evenly distributed.

• Lightly dust both sides with a cornstarch and powdered sugar mixture.

• Using a rolling pin or a pasta machine, roll out to about 1/16" thick (about the thickness of one or two CDs).

• Apply to a greased Cricut Cake mat. Smooth out all the air bubbles using the smoother from the Cricut Cake Tool Kit or a rolling pin. Press down firmly to ensure the gum paste is adhered to the mat and that the air bubbles are gone.

• Place mat in the freezer for about 30 minutes to make it firmer for cutting.

• Remove mat from freezer and immediately place in the Cricut Cake machine. Use directional arrows to move the cutting blade ½" from top and side edges. Medium speed and pressure are recommended for best results.

• For best results, cut images 3" or larger.

1. Why do you use cornstarch and powdered sugar when you roll out the gum paste? This is the ideal mixture since cornstarch will make the gum paste a bit slippery and powdered sugar will make the gum paste stick slightly, reducing the slipperiness.

2. Can I use flour to roll out the gum paste? No. Gum paste does not contain flour. Adding flour will create an undesirable texture and flavor.

3. Can I use any kind of food coloring to color my gum paste? No. The food coloring normally found in a grocery store has a very high water content. Adding water to gum paste will make it sticky and ruin it. We recommend that you use gel food coloring (found in the cake decorating section of many craft stores) to color your gum paste. It is concentrated and will require less to color the gum paste.

4. What does gum paste taste like? It taste very similar to fondant (the very smooth covering popular on many cakes). It is very sweet and has a gummy, chewy texture.

5. Why do you recommend medium pressure for cutting? Since you are only cutting through soft food materials, this is all the pressure that is required. Only use enough pressure to cut completely through the food material you are using. By using heavier pressure, you are cutting into the mat. This will shorten the life of your mat and your blade.

6. Why do you recommend medium speed for cutting? Since you are cutting through fairly thick materials, this will ensure a clean, even cut.

7. Can I reuse my scraps of gum paste? Yes, just put them in a sealed plastic bag until you are ready to use them. When you are ready, remove them from the bag and begin kneading until the gum paste becomes smooth and flexible (if necessary, place the gum paste in the microwave for 10 seconds). Re-roll the gum paste and you are ready to cut it again.

Thanks again Mercy! I have tried to access the old board to copy files but when I try- at first it says there are some but when you click on it it says none. How can you access them? BJR. You are so helpful!!

Thank you for all the helpful info!

Thanks very much Mercy- I guess that explains alot. I now wish I had copied more! Again thanks for what you have posted. BJR.

I finally got my cake machine out of the box to try on Wed. It worked wonderfully with the new Wilton Sugar Sheets (coming soon!) and with gumpaste I colored myself. This was rolled really thin.

But when I tried to cut some cookies last night, the blade kept dragging across the cutout as it moved to the next one. It cut a really deep line, and I'm sure the dough was rolled thin enough.

Any ideas what is wrong?

You're welcome and we are glad that this thread is helpful!

Basic Care

Blade Life

You can expect anywhere from 500 to 1500 single cuts from your cutting blade before it requires replacement. Your actual cutting blade life will vary, depending on the settings you use and the materials you cut. When the quality of your cuts decreases, it is probably time to replace your cutting blade.

Caring for the Cutting Mat

You can expect anywhere from 25–40 full mat cuts (expect even more when a cut is smaller than the full mat) from your Cricut Cake™ cutting mat before it requires replacement. Your actual cutting mat life will vary, depending on the settings you use and the materials you cut.

TIP: To extend the overall life of each mat, use several mats, rotating them often, and
keep them clean.

I found the video of cutting cookie dough with the Cricut Cake.
Cutting Cookie Dough with Cricut Cake Mini