Part I: Fancy Shoe & Shoebox Cake Video Tutorial

Part I of high heel cake tutorial describing how to create a high heel structure out of gumpaste and modeling chocolate. The video shows how to create the high heel sole, inseam and heel. Below are some tips from the video:

• I take a real shoe and cut away the entire the top of the shoe so that all is left is the sole.
• Create a template that fits on the shoe and use that to cut out gumpaste to place on the shoe.
• Tip: If you want speed up the process you can add tylos to your gumpaste it will help it dry out a little better.
• When making shoes, make the shoe pieces as far in advance as possible so they will be sturdy. This will help ensure stability when moving the cake structure.
• Place powdered sugar on top of the sole of the shoe template so it doesn't stick when you want to take it off later.
• Roll the gumpaste to 1/8" thick. Platform shoes should be thicker.

• First create a template out of black gumpaste using an exacto knife. I rolled it out to about 1/16 of an inch.
• You can create a template if necessary - in this case I did the cut freehand.
• The black instep should be a bit smaller then the white sole me made previous. I cut about 1/4" inch on each side.
• To create stitch pattern, I used a stitch tool to give the impression the instep was sewn into the shoe.
• Place water on top of the sole before applying the Instep.
• Let the instep dry for a few days to ensure firmness

• I use modeling chocolate or gumpaste to make the heel.
• When using modeling chocolate I let it dry for about 2 weeks and then wrap gumpaste around it to match the color of the shoe.
• Tip: You can create several heels out of modeling chocolate to use as basis for other future designs.
• First I roll the modeling chocolate into a log. I measure the height of the heel using the model shoe we started with.
• Tip: I like to add a skewer through the heel to add extra support. This is also good when placing the shoe on top of the cake as it can be used to support the shoe.
• I put a 45 degree angle for the heel to fit the sole appropriately.
• I let the heel dry a few days. In the case of modeling chocolate it generally only needs to dry for one day.