Apparatus and method for forming a coating layer for cakes

Abstract

An apparatus for forming a coating layer (22') for a cake base comprises a concave mold (12) having an inner wall (26) defining a molding surface, and an expandable enclosure (18) that can be positioned within the mold. The expandable enclosure (18) has flexible, elastically deformable walls defining an internal cavity, and a plurality of discrete bodies, such as spheres (56), are held within the internal cavity of the expandable enclosure (18). A displacement member (40) protrudes into the interior of the expandable enclosure (18) and is reversibly movable within the enclosure (18) to displace the discrete bodies (56), thereby reversibly expanding the flexible, elastically deformable walls of the expandable enclosure (18).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming a coating layer for a cake base, such as a decorative coating layer.

[0002] The present invention also includes a method of coating a cake base using a coating layer formed by the method of the present invention.

Background Art

[0003] To manufacture a decorated cake, a cake base, usually made from baked sponge, is prepared, and then a decorative layer is usually applied to the base. The decorative layer can be formed from a material that can be spread, such as cream, buttercream, or chocolate cream, or can be formed by draping a layer of icing over the cake base, manually contacting the cake base, and trimming off any excess icing material.

[0004] A cake having a decorative layer of a material that can be spread is suitable for mass production, as it can automatically discharge a predetermined amount of the spreadable material onto a pre-formed cake base and then be automatically smoothed with minimal manual intervention by moving the cake base against a spatula or similar leveling tool.

[0005] However, mass production of decorated cakes having a layer of icing or fondant still requires a significant amount of manual intervention. A large sheet of icing or fondant material is draped over a similarly shaped cake base, but then each sheet must be manually contacted with the corresponding cake base and all excess icing or fondant material must be manually trimmed off.

[0006] Furthermore, while this process is relatively easy with simple cake bases such as circles or rectangles, it becomes significantly more difficult with more complex cake bases, such as those shaped like animals. In addition, the surface of icing or fondant layers tends to be smooth, and any texture or pattern on the surface must be applied later, or additional decorations may be applied later to the smooth top layer of icing or fondant, both of which further increase the need for manual intervention. [Overview of the project]

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for forming a coating layer for a cake base is: A concave mold having an inner wall that defines the molding surface, An expandable enclosure having flexible, elastically deformable walls that can be positioned within the mold and define the internal cavity, Multiple discrete bodies held within the internal cavity of an expandable enclosure, A displacement member that protrudes into the interior of an expandable enclosure, is reversibly movable within the enclosure, displaces discrete bodies, thereby reversibly expanding the flexible, elastically deformable walls of the expandable enclosure. It is equipped with.

[0008] The present invention makes it possible to quickly and repeatedly mold moldable icing or fondant sheets into shapes defined by a mold, and the molded sheets can then be used to cover cake bases. Therefore, the present invention is suitable for the mass production of decorated cakes.

[0009] Furthermore, by using discrete components that are pushed outward as the displacement member moves further within the expandable enclosure, the enclosure walls expand, thereby firmly pressing the moldable icing sheet across the entire molding surface of the mold. This allows the dense surface shape of the mold's molding surface to be molded within the moldable icing sheet.

[0010] Preferably, the apparatus comprises a mold support having a recess for releasably receiving and supporting a mold.

[0011] The mold support helps to position the mold securely and accurately, which makes it easier to accurately and reliably reproduce the molded icing sheets.

[0012] Preferably, the outer surface of the concave mold and the wall of the recess in the mold support have complementary shapes and dimensions.

[0013] This ensures that the mold is supported throughout its entire outer surface, making it easier to transfer the surface shape of the molded surface to the molded icing sheet.

[0014] Preferably, when a concave mold is received within a recess of the mold support, the outer surface of the concave mold is in contact with the wall of the recess of the mold support.

[0015] Preferably, the concave mold is elastically deformable.

[0016] The elastically deformable mold makes it easy to remove the molded icing sheet from the mold while minimizing damage to the icing.

[0017] For example, a concave mold may contain silicone rubber.

[0018] There may be multiple substantially identical discrete bodies held within the internal cavity of an expandable enclosure.

[0019] Alternatively, there may be discrete bodies of different shapes and / or dimensions.

[0020] The device may comprise a plurality of spherical discrete bodies.

[0021] Preferably, the expandable enclosure is elongate when not deformed.

[0022] The elongate expandable enclosure facilitates being received within the mold before the icing sheet is formed.

[0023] The expandable enclosure may generally be frustoconical when not deformed and may include a rounded head.

[0024] The device may comprise a movable carriage to which the expandable enclosure is attached.

[0025] The expandable enclosure may be attached to the lower surface of the movable carriage.

[0026] Preferably, the carriage is movable to position the expandable enclosure within the mold.

[0027] Preferably, the carriage is movable in both directions along a vertical axis.

[0028] The displacement member is preferably attached to the movable carriage.

[0029] The displacement member can enter the internal cavity of the expandable enclosure through an aperture of the movable carriage.

[0030] The displacement member may be slidably attached within the aperture of the movable carriage.

[0031] The displacement member may conveniently generally be cylindrical.

[0032] The displacement member may have a rounded head that protrudes into the internal cavity of the expandable enclosure.

[0033] The rounded head helps to smoothly and uniformly displace the discrete components within the expandable enclosure as the displacement member moves further into the enclosure, facilitating uniform expansion of the expandable enclosure.

[0034] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a coating layer for a cake using the apparatus of the present invention is: Positioning a layer of moldable coating material within a concave mold, Positioning an expandable enclosure within a moldable covering material, Moving the displacement member displaces the discrete body, thereby expanding the flexible, elastically deformable wall of the expandable container, thereby engaging with a layer of moldable coating material, pressing it against the molding surface of the mold, and forming a molded layer of coating material. The displacement member is withdrawn, allowing the flexible, elastically deformable wall of the expandable container to retract so as to disengage from the layer of molded covering material, Removing the expandable enclosure from inside the molded coating material layer and Includes.

[0035] The present invention also includes a method for coating a cake base, comprising forming a coating layer for a cake according to a second embodiment, and positioning the cake base within a decorative layer of the molded coating material.

[0036] The cake base can be positioned within the molded coating while the molded coating is inside the mold, and the mold can then be removed.

[0037] The cake base and the molded coating can be cooled.

[0038] Here, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings, simply as an example. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0039] [Figure 1] This is a side view of one embodiment of an apparatus for manufacturing molded decorative layers for cakes. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the first configuration of the apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus in Figure 1 in the second configuration, prior to the molding step. [Figure 4] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus in the third configuration of Figure 1 during the molding step. [Figure 5] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus in Figure 1 after the molding step, showing that a pre-made cake base is inserted into the molded layer of icing formed by the apparatus in Figure 1 to form a cake. [Figure 6] This figure shows the removal of a deformable mold from a cake formed after inserting the cake base into the molded layer of icing. [Figure 7] This figure shows an optional cooling step after the cake has been removed from the mold. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0040] The apparatus 10 for producing molded decorative layers for cakes comprises a removable, flexible, and elastically deformable mold 12 made of food-grade silicone rubber, a solid mold support 14 that releasably supports the elastically deformable mold 12, and a movable carriage or support 16 to which an elastically deformable and reversibly expandable bag-shaped or bladder-shaped enclosure 18 made of food-grade silicone rubber is fixed to the underside of the carriage or support 16. The outer surface of the elastically deformable mold 12 has a shape complementary to the upwardly opening recess 20 of the mold support 14.

[0041] As will be explained later, during use, the elastically deformable and removable mold 12 is received in the recess 20 of the mold support 14, and the moldable cake icing sheet 22 (see Figures 2 and 3) is positioned inside the removable mold 12, and the carriage or support 16 moves downward to position the expandable bag or bladder 18 inside the deformable mold 12. The expandable bag or bladder 18 then expands and engages with the moldable cake icing sheet 22, pressing it against the inner surface of the removable mold 12, imprinting the shape and pattern of the mold onto the icing sheet 22. The molded sheet of icing is used to decorate the cake base, as will be explained later.

[0042] The removable mold 12, formed from food-grade silicone rubber, is concave upward when in use and has an upwardly opening recess 24, which has some clearance and is shaped to generally conform to the shape of the cake base to be decorated. The peripheral wall of the removable mold 12 has an inner surface 26 that defines the molding surface, which can be provided with contours and / or textures and / or patterns intended to be a negative image of the molded outer surface of the cake icing sheet. In this particular embodiment, the shape of the recess 24 of the removable mold 12 is shown to be generally bell-shaped, but the shape of the recess 24 and the contours and / or textures and / or patterns of its inner surface 26 are determined by the shape and appearance of the surface of the cake to be decorated. The outer surface of the removable mold 12 is generally smooth.

[0043] The mold support 14 is formed from a solid block 30, which can be conveniently formed from a food-grade molded resin material. The upwardly opening recess 20 of the mold support 14 is shaped to fit closely and complementaryly with the outer surface of the removable mold 12, so that when the removable mold 12 is received in the recess 20 of the mold support 14, the outer surface of the removable mold 12 is in close contact with the wall of the open recess 20. The upper peripheral edge of the removable mold 12 is provided with a lip 32 that extends outward along a continuous planar periphery, which can be received on a planar shoulder 34 that extends along the complementary periphery of the mold support 14 located on the upper peripheral edge of the open recess 20, as will be described later.

[0044] The carriage or support 16 comprises a base plate 36 having a circular through-hole 38 in the center, into which a displacement member in the form of a longitudinally displaceable dome-head cylindrical piston or plunger 40 is slidably mounted. The base plate 36 is attached to the lower ends of several vertically extending parallel frame members 42, which are joined at their upper ends by an upper lateral frame member 44. The piston or plunger 40 is displaceable in both directions along its longitudinal axis through the hole 38 by a conventional actuator, such as a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 46 (Schematicically shown in Figure 1) mounted on the upper lateral frame member 44. The carriage or support 16 is constrained to be vertically displaceable by one or more conventional actuators, such as a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 48 (Schematic shown in Figure 1) mounted on a fixed surface 50.

[0045] The head of the piston or plunger 40 protrudes into the expandable bag or bladder 18 and can be further displaced longitudinally and reversibly into the bag or bladder 18 by acting on a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 46 attached to the carriage or support 16.

[0046] The expandable bag or bladder 18 is formed from a wall 19 of food-grade silicone rubber approximately 2 mm thick and is fixed to the underside of the base plate 36 of the carriage or support 16 by a number of evenly spaced bolts 52, which pass through holes in the periphery lip 46 folded inward of the bag or bladder 18 and are received in complementary threaded recesses 54 of the base plate 36 located outside the through holes 38 of the base plate 36.

[0047] As best shown in Figure 2, when undeformed, the bag or bladder 18 is elongated and generally has a truncated cone shape with a rounded apex and a base wider than its ends. The bag 18 defines an internal cavity which houses several identical spherical balls 56 with a diameter of approximately 5 mm. In this embodiment, the balls are solid and formed from food-grade steel. As will be described later, by further moving the piston or plunger 40 into the interior of the bag or bladder 18, the balls 56 inside the bag or bladder 18 are displaced, thereby causing the bag or bladder 18 to expand laterally and longitudinally while the balls 56 remain inside the bag.

[0048] During use, the carriage or support 16 is displaced upward to a certain position (Figure 1), thereby allowing the removable mold 12 to be inserted into the mold support and placed in the recess 20 (Figure 2). The moldable cake icing or fondant (hereinafter referred to as "icing") sheet 22 is then loosely positioned within the recess 24 of the removable mold 12 and manipulated and adjusted to exhibit a concave shape that generally matches the shape of the inner surface of the removable mold 12, which allows the sheet 22 to be loosely positioned within the mold (Figure 2). Alternatively, the moldable icing sheet 22 can be placed inside the mold 12 before the mold 12 is positioned within the mold support 14. In either case, the moldable icing sheet 22 exhibits the shape shown in Figure 3.

[0049] Subsequently, the carriage or support 16 is displaced downward, as shown in Figure 3, thereby allowing the bag or bladder 18 to settle into the concave sheet 22 of cake icing, which is loosely positioned within the mold 12. The downward movement of the carriage or support 16 is restricted by the engagement of the underside of the base plate 36 with the mold 12 and / or mold support 14, as shown in Figure 4, which also helps to trim off any excess peripheral portion of the icing sheet 22.

[0050] Subsequently, the piston or plunger 40 is displaced further downward and enters the bag or bladder 18, as shown in Figure 4. The spherical ball 56 is held within the bag or bladder 18 as the piston or plunger 40 passes closely through the hole 38 in the base plate 36, preventing the ball 56 from escaping. As a result, the downward displacement of the piston or plunger 40 displaces the spherical ball 56, thereby causing the bag or bladder 18 to expand outward in the lateral and longitudinal directions. This pushes the sheet of cake icing 22 outward and into contact with the inner molding surface 26 of the removable mold 12, and the cake icing is pressed tightly between the outer surface of the expanded bag or bladder 18 and the inner molding surface 26 of the removable mold 12, as shown in Figure 4. As the bag or bladder 18 expands outward by the movement of the solid ball 56, the sheet of cake icing 22 deforms and is pressed tightly against the inner molding surface 26 of the removable mold 12, and the outer surface of the sheet 22 is molded to the negative image of the shape and / or texture and / or pattern of the molding surface 26, forming the molded sheet of cake icing 22'.

[0051] Next, the piston or plunger 40 is displaced upward, and the bag or bladder 18, due to its elasticity, disengages from the molded sheet 22' of cake icing and retracts to its pre-deformation state. Subsequently, the carriage or support 16 is displaced upward to a position where it can access the removable mold 12 (Figure 5).

[0052] As shown by the dotted line in Figure 5, as an optional step, to facilitate the assembly of the finished cake, as will be explained later, the spray head 58 may be positioned inside the mold and a liquid such as water or sugar solution may be sprayed to moisten the inner surface of the molded sheet 22' of cake icing.

[0053] Subsequently, the spray head 58 (if used) is removed from the mold, and the pre-baked cake base 60 is inserted into the molded sheet 22' of icing in the mold 12 to form the assembled cake 62. The cake base 60 can be any type, such as a baked sponge or fruitcake, and is shaped to complement the shape of the inner surface of the molded sheet 22' of icing. As shown in the figure, the mold is upside down compared to the finished product, so the cake base 60 is inverted before insertion. If liquid is optionally sprayed from the nozzle 58 onto the inside of the molded sheet 22' of icing, the inner surface becomes tacky, which helps to fix the cake base 60 in place.

[0054] After the cake base is inserted, a cardboard or plastic base 64, which has the same shape as the exposed portion of the assembled cake 62, is placed to cover the exposed surface of the cake 62, and when in use, the assembled cake 62 rests on this base 64.

[0055] Subsequently, the mold 12 containing the assembled cake is removed from the mold support 14, and the removable mold 12 and the cake 62 inside are inverted, as best shown in Figure 6, and then the mold 12 is removed, leaving the cake 62 on the base sheet 64. The mold 12 is formed from a flexible, elastically deformable material, which allows the mold to be easily deformed and removed from the cake without significantly deforming the cake, while simultaneously retaining the texture and pattern molded onto the outer surface of the icing sheet 22'. By using a mold 12 formed from a flexible, elastically deformable material, it is also possible to form protrusions on the molded sheet 22' of icing, and to mold fine detail surface patterns onto the outer surface of the molded sheet 22' of icing.

[0056] Preferably, the cake 62 is then refrigerated and cooled to allow the icing and any soft filling ingredients (e.g., buttercream or jam) to set. This can be achieved, for example, by placing the cake 62 in a blast chiller (circularly shown in 66, but blasting cooling air as shown in 68).

[0057] As a result, a decorated cake 62 is constructed, including a cake base 60 and a pre-formed sheet of icing 22'. If necessary, subsequent decorating steps can be added, such as applying food coloring and adding other decorative elements (e.g., imitation eyes in the case of an animal-shaped cake).

[0058] The process of forming the pre-formed icing sheets 22' is extremely fast and repeatable, allowing a large number of pre-made cake bases to be decorated very quickly.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the details of the embodiments described above.

[0060] For example, the balls 56 located within the bag or bladder 18 do not have to be identical; instead, there may be two or more balls of different sizes. The balls may be replaced with non-spherical discretes. For example, the bag or bladder 18 may contain solid granular material, which could help transfer the finely densified pattern and / or texture of the molding surface 26 of the removable mold 12 to the cake icing sheet 22. The balls may be made from a material other than food-grade steel.

[0061] In addition, although the removable mold 12 was described as being elastically deformable in the embodiments described above, it is possible to use a substantially non-deformable mold if, for example, the molded sheet 22' of icing does not include any protruding portions and / or the surface pattern of the molded sheet 22' of icing is relatively smooth.

[0062] Furthermore, the icing sheet 22 is usually lightly dusted with cornstarch when rolled out, which acts as a release agent, making it possible to separate the flexible mold 12 from the cake very easily. However, if necessary, additional release agents may be applied to the outside of the bag or bladder 18 before insertion into the icing sheet 22 and before the shaping step (Figure 4) to facilitate cake release. A preferred additional release agent is further dusting with cornstarch, but other release agents may be used.

[0063] Instead of the cake base 60 described above, other bases may be used, such as a looser cake base material that can be pressed into or extruded into the molded sheet 22'.

[0064] The embodiments described above relate to the formation of a decorative coating layer for a cake base. However, the present invention is also applicable to other products on which a moldable layer is applied to a base, such as dog food cakes in which a block of dog food is covered with a molded layer of suet or suet paste.

[0065] The shape of the bag or bladder 18 and / or piston or plunger 40 may differ from those shown in the embodiment, depending on the shape of the molded sheet 22' of icing to be formed in the mold 12. For example, if the molded sheet 22' of icing is elongated and covers a similarly elongated cake base, the bag or bladder 18 and / or piston or plunger 40 may also be elongated.

[0066] Furthermore, the cooling step shown in Figure 7 may be performed with the cake 62 still in the mold 12 if necessary, and the removal from the mold shown in Figure 6 may be performed after the cooling step; in other words, the steps shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be interchanged.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming a coating layer for a cake base, A concave mold having an inner wall that defines the molding surface, An expandable enclosure having flexible, elastically deformable walls that can be positioned within the aforementioned mold and define an internal cavity, A plurality of discrete bodies held within the internal cavity of the expandable enclosure, A displacement member that protrudes into the interior of the expandable enclosure, is reversibly movable within the enclosure, displaces the discrete body, thereby reversibly expanding the flexible, elastically deformable wall of the expandable enclosure; A device equipped with the following features.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mold support having a recess for releasably receiving and supporting the mold.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the outer surface of the concave mold and the wall of the recess of the mold support have complementary shapes and dimensions.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the concave mold is received in the recess of the mold support, the outer surface of the concave mold is in contact with the wall of the recess of the mold support.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the concave mold is elastically deformable.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the concave mold includes silicone rubber.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a plurality of substantially identical discrete bodies held within the internal cavity of the expandable enclosure.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising discrete bodies of different shapes and / or dimensions.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a plurality of spherical discrete bodies.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the expandable enclosure is elongated when not deformed.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the expandable enclosure is generally frustoconical when not deformed.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the expandable enclosure includes a rounded head.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a movable carriage to which the expandable enclosure is attached.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the expandable enclosure is attached to the lower surface of the movable carriage.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the carriage is movable to position the expandable enclosure within the mold.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the carriage is movable in both directions along the vertical axis.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the displacement member is attached to the movable carriage.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the displacement member penetrates the aperture of the movable carriage and enters the internal cavity of the expandable enclosure.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the displacement member is slidably mounted within the aperture of the movable carriage.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the displacement member is generally cylindrical.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the displacement member has a rounded head that protrudes into the internal cavity of the expandable enclosure.

22. A method for forming a coating layer for a cake using the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 21, Positioning a layer of moldable coating material within the aforementioned concave mold, Positioning the expandable enclosure within the moldable covering material, The displacement member is moved to displace the discrete body, thereby expanding the flexible, elastically deformable wall of the expandable container, thereby engaging with the layer of moldable coating material, pressing it against the molding surface of the mold, and forming a molded layer of coating material. To withdraw the displacement member, allowing the flexible, elastically deformable wall of the expandable container to retract so as to disengage from the molded layer of the covering material, Removing the expandable enclosure from inside the molded layer of the coating material. A method for forming a coating layer for a cake, including the following:

23. A method for coating a cake base, comprising forming a coating layer for a cake according to claim 22, and positioning the cake base within the molded layer of the coating material.

24. The method for coating a cake base according to claim 23, wherein the cake base is positioned within the molded coating layer while the molded coating layer is within the mold, and the mold is subsequently removed.

25. The method for coating a cake base according to claim 24, wherein the cake base and the molded coating are cooled.

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