Cake decorating?

[Bucktown]

I made my own fondant off this website:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm

It's the marshmallow fondant and is very tasty, well very sugary. This woman, Peggy, gives step by step directions and everything she said happened but she also walks you thru everything. This was my first fondant cake and making my own fondant. I had tried other fondant cakes that the fondant is either tasteless or just gross. Cake looks pretty and not so bad tasting. :)

For coloring, I just used food coloring. Takes awhile to knead in but not so bad.

meggers~ Thanks for the tips. I didn't know they make baking strips. I will look for them. I did buy a cake leveler that I'm going to try next. If that doesn't work, onto the next!

Ellidew~ Don't be afraid! I think the important thing is to get a non-stick pin. I bought a 20" one by Wilton (Joann's 30% off sale!) and got these rings that attach to the pin so you get the correct thickness. It was awesome. I'll never roll our dough/fondant with anything else.

Here is what it looks like:

http://www.cakesbysam.com/store/images/pi_21609.gif

[f1eur]

I have that rolling pin too, its awesome -- nice and heavy.

[Pineknot]

Bucktown, thanks for posting that link. She has some great tutorials on there.

[Bucktown]

Does anyone know if chocolate buttercream will show through white fondant? I won't really have time for test cake but would love to use the choco buttercream for a cake for Easter.

Anyone?

[TennJane]

Bucktown - I don't have any personal experience with that one, but I would think if you made the fondant thick enough you maybe wouldn't have a problem.

[Bucktown]

I managed to successfully make it through baking & decorating 2 cakes for Easter. One was for a school/church family and one for for my family's Easter brunch.

To answer my own question, YES you can cover a chocolate buttercream frosted cake with white fondant.

Here are a few pics:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/Croceil9/Springcake2.jpg?t=1206311984

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/Croceil9/Springcake.jpg?t=1206312056

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/Croceil9/IMG_3159_1.jpg?t=1206312099

[Pineknot]

Bucktown,

ABSOLUTELY fantastic! And thanks for answering the chocolate/fondant question. I am finishing up gumpaste and fondant class this coming week and I wanted to make a choc. cake and put fondant on it.

BTW, is that Wilton fondant on your cake or homemade fondant? That Wilton fondant is just plain nasty and I was going to make MMF this week for my cake. Just curious if your fondant was homemade.

[Bucktown]

Thank you Pineknot I was pretty happy with the outcome too! It is homemade, MMF. I just love that stuff. Have fun!

[meggers]

Bucktown--Great cakes! I like the border that you did and you did a great job getting the fondant smooth.

[jenji]

I'm almost embarrassed to post this but am going to do it anyway. this was my neice's cake for her 2nd birthday party. The colors and design were requested by my sister-in-law.
I really struggle with buttercream for whatever reason, but SIL wanted it to be buttercream, so I did as much as I could with fondant elements (dots and stripes) over a buttercream base.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j283/jenji11/Babies/Maggie/midmarch080032.jpg

[jennylou]

jenji - it looks great!

bucktown - great cakes. :)

[Bucktown]

Jenji~ You shouldn't be embarassed. Your cake looks fantastic! I've never attempted to decorate a cake with buttercream (other than the character cakes) so I try to avoid it. I bet your niece was thrilled!

Meggers & Jennylou~ Thanks for the compliment!

[ajb524]

Jenji & bucktown- Beautiful cakes!!

I did a quick easter cake on Sunday
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2298/2357992956_9ed4a0d7e4.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2357158711_0a2576614d.jpg?v=0

and here is a birthday cake I did for my sisters
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2309493495_b0db941522.jpg?v=0

my MIL's birthday cake. I made a bunch of royal icing flowers and put them in a tupperware container a couple of months ago so they were perfect to add onto her cake when I didn't know what else to put on.
I should have added a bunny peep to it or something.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2045/2281006846_95d5f53ebc.jpg?v=0

[Pineknot]

Andrea,

I love the grass on top of your cake. Is that tip hard to use?

[Chylynn]

Can anyone direct me to a couple of different recipes that I can use for DDs cake for her birthday at a park? I need one that does not need to be refrigerated since her party is at a park. TIA!

[ajb524]

Andrea,

I love the grass on top of your cake. Is that tip hard to use?
Not at all :). It's super easy to use. Probably one of my favorite tips because it's so unique.

[Janey]

ajb - CUTE easter cake! What a great idea. :)

Pineknot - I also like the grass tip, and agree it is easy to use. I bought it to make a haystack on my Halloween cake (http://www.flickr.com/photos/seahills/1739409608/) for the wilton class.

[FoxyBlue]

jenji- The cake is terrific!

[Bucktown]

Ok, I have some questions I'm hoping someone could answer for me. I'd like to try to stack a 6" on top of a 8". I've read the directions that Wilton gives (placing dowels, etc) but I'm alittle confused.

** Do I put the dowels in before I cover the cake? I'm using fondant.
** If they are level with the cake do you just cut around them when you're ready to serve?
** For the top, 6" cake I use the cardboard cake plate for added stability, correct?


I know I should really take a class right now but life is crazy here with my 2 kids! :)

[LoveYouKisses]

Ok, I have some questions I'm hoping someone could answer for me. I'd like to try to stack a 6" on top of a 8". I've read the directions that Wilton gives (placing dowels, etc) but I'm alittle confused.

** Do I put the dowels in before I cover the cake? I'm using fondant.
** If they are level with the cake do you just cut around them when you're ready to serve?
** For the top, 6" cake I use the cardboard cake plate for added stability, correct?


I know I should really take a class right now but life is crazy here with my 2 kids! :)

I usually put the dowels in post decorating, and yes I do just cut around them when I'm serving. I also don't use actual dowels, I use the lollipop or cookie sticks that Michaels sells. The cookie sticks are stronger.

I put a cake board that is slightly smaller (I usually cut down a much larger one into the correct size, as I never think far enough ahead to buy 6 inch cake boards.

[Bucktown]

loveyoukisses~ thanks! I'm going to attempt it on Thursday for DH's b-day on Friday. We'll see how it goes!

[Darin's Girl]

You ladies have inspired me to finally sign up for the Wilton 1 class. I've been wanting to do it for a long time and finally did it! My class starts next Monday- however they didn't give me a supplies list yet (they said it would be handed out at the class) but I have a Michael's 50% off coupon I'd like to use for something. (I am taking the class at our little local craft store.) Anyone know what supplies are used for the first series?

[Janey]

If you think you'll keep up with cake decorating, I highly recommend using the coupon to buy yourself the wilton box to keep all your supplies in. It is one of the more expensive items (Regular price is around $25) so it will be a good use of the coupon, and I always felt really good about having someplace to keep all my stuff.

You could also use it to buy the turntable. The $12 white plastic turntable works fine. Or a box of clear plastic icing bags.

[ellidew]

Or the class 1 kit.

[ajb524]

I also recommend the tackle box thing as well. There are 3 different kinds. One that is just the box (no tips or accessories), one that is mid-level box that would have most everything you need for course 1 plus some, and the most expensive one that has pretty much any and everything you could need for decorating.

The first time I took course one (back in 2003) I bought the middle box for around $25 after coupons. It wasn't that much more than just the regular course 1 kit. It was really handy to have everything in a box that was easy to transport.

Last year I decided to take the course again and found out I hadn't cleaned my tips really good when I put it in storage 4 years ago and the tips were pretty much ruined so I bought the more expensive box and was very pleased with it.

Some other things you'll need is meringue powder, icing colors, turntable (not necessary, but it helps), and bags (disposable or reusable).

[Pineknot]

I'm now starting on my last class. When I started Class I, I bought the largest tacklebox with all the tips and stuff. It was about 125.00 and I had a 50% off coupon. I saved so much money doing this as opposed to buying each class kit, then buying the required items as I needed them.

You can go to Michael's or Joann's, get the class kits, read what's on them and then read what's in the large tackle box and you'll see, you'll save quite a bit.

As everyone else said, don't do that unless you know you are going to continue on.

I'm totally addicted and next week, I'll be learning wedding cakes. I've had such a great time doing this. Very relaxing.

[Darin's Girl]

Thanks for the advice! I went to Michaels and bought the first course kit. I'd better see how I do in class before I start spending lots of money on things! I can see where this might get addicting! :)

[Bucktown]

Dropping off my husband's birthday cake!

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/Croceil9/Antwcandels.jpg?t=1207397466

I was alittle annoyed with the actual cakes because again I had huge domes so when I leveled them off I took most of the cake height with it so the design I actually wanted to do didn't fit so I had to think of something else. :rolleyes: I have a couple of 50% off coupons for JoAnn that I think need to go toward those baking strips.

This cake was just a 6" tester to try out chocolate marshmallow fondant. It was very tasty. A light cocoa taste with marshmallows. I made the cake a peanut butter flavored with chocolate buttercream. Yum.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/Croceil9/IMG_3249.jpg?t=1207397727

[ellidew]

Beautiful cakes Bucktown!! Can you post your choc marshmallow fondant recipe?

[Bucktown]

Ellidew~ Sure! But I can't take any credit for it. I found it here:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm


Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant:

16 oz white, mini-marshmallows
3-5 TBL water (I've had best results with 4TBL)
2 lbs powdered sugar (I use the Domino's confectioners sugar)
about 1/2 c. shortening
1 oz melted semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 TBL Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate & cocoa

I add both the melted chocolate and the powdered cocoa to the marshmallows right after I have them melted. I make sure it's stirred in really well, then I add the powdered sugar.

[bunny nose]

What's the best way to make frosting easier to spread. Is there a way I should be thinning it out or soemthing? I had planned on taking a class before I attempted to make a cake for DS's birthday- but none fit into my schedule as of yet. :(

Thanks girls

[jennylou]

bunny - what recipe are you using now? You can add water to thin, powdered sugar will help thicken it up (I've also used a small amount of flour so that it didn't get sweeter before).

[bunny nose]

Right now I am just using the frosting from the tub. Will a little bit of water do for that too?

[jennylou]

Nope - I know that the tub frosting is really hard to spread on a cake.

[LoveYouKisses]

The tub frosting is stiff consistency for roses, so you have to add about 2 teaspoons of water to get it to the right consistency for frosting.

I usually just add a little at a time and stir really well until i feel its thin enough to frost with.

[Sue]

The tub frosting is stiff consistency for roses, so you have to add about 2 teaspoons of water to get it to the right consistency for frosting.

I usually just add a little at a time and stir really well until i feel its thin enough to frost with.

If she's using the Wilton brand... if she's using Betty Crocker, water isn't going to work. Try heating it up in the microwave for a few seconds, that should help it spread better.

[FoxyBlue]

I like to keep a bowl of warm water to dip my spatula in while frosting.

[jennylou]

If she's using the Wilton brand... if she's using Betty Crocker, water isn't going to work. Try heating it up in the microwave for a few seconds, that should help it spread better.

I forgot about the Wilton tub frosting....I was thinking just of the Betty Crocker kind. ;)

[bunny nose]

Yes- its the Betty Crocker frosting. Thanks for the tips ladies. I was going to ask if I can just heat it up in the micro, Sue- glad you answered that before I asked it. LOL I think I am going to get started on Wednesday making the cake.

Thanks again ladies!

[Chylynn]

My cake is not as pretty as all of yours, but this was my first free hand cake I made without any special pans. My DD had her third birthday party this weekend and it was the Little Einsteins theme, so I made her a rocket cake:

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n38/Chylynn/Rocketcake.jpg?t=1207750397

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n38/Chylynn/Sideprofileofcake.jpg?t=1207750424

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n38/Chylynn/Cake.jpg?t=1207750449

There are definately mistakes, but she did not notice any of them and it was perfect in her eyes, so that was all that mattered.

[Kingdono]

That cake is great. :D It's a very difficult task to take on something you have to create. I think you are being too hard on yourself.

[ajb524]

Chylynn- Your cake looks great :)

[ellidew]

Awesome rocket cake!! Love it!

[1_mommy]

rocket cake looks great! good job!

[tgr68]

Great job on the cake, Chylynn!!

[Chylynn]

Aw, thanks girls. You guys are so sweet.

[ellidew]

I haven't done any serious cake decorating in a couple of months but i did make 2 delicious desserts on Easter that i'm really proud of.

This is a Carrot Cake Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Carrot Peel Garnish. They were delicious!! Who the heck knew you could candy carrot peel?! It was SOOO easy!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafts/2008_03d054.jpg

This is an Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Fluff Icing and Mandarin Orange Garnish.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafts/2008_03d060.jpg

[Sunshine]

Chylynn~What a great job!!! I Love it!

ellidew~Beautiful cupcake! I LOVE that you put ribbon on the wrapper! Must have been time consuming! Looks perfect though!

[Lisa]

I haven't done any serious cake decorating in a couple of months but i did make 2 delicious desserts on Easter that i'm really proud of.

This is a Carrot Cake Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Carrot Peel Garnish. They were delicious!! Who the heck knew you could candy carrot peel?! It was SOOO easy!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafts/2008_03d054.jpg

This is an Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Fluff Icing and Mandarin Orange Garnish.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafts/2008_03d060.jpg


looks great! Can you pst your Cream cheese icing recipe?

[tgr68]

ellidew~Both of those look delicious!!!

[meggers]

ellidew--Those look great.


Does anyone have any tips on cake carving? I'm trying that for the first time tonight and I'm nervous. I'm doing the grooms cake for a friend's wedding reception.

[SunnyAB]

Here you go (its a guide at least) :)

http://www.wilton.com/wedding/cakeinfo/cuttingguide.cfm

actually along with the above, there are a few more places to see (towards the bottom of the page) -

http://weddings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/How_to_Cut_a_Wedding_Cake

[blueskygirl]

Cake carving is truly an art - I struggle with it, but as long as you have patience (I am not patient and therefore like to take off huge chunks at a time) and you practice, you'll be fine. Those are both good cake-carving guides.

I thought I would drop off photos of my latest creation because it's my own recipe and I had SO much fun doing it. I haven't had time to do cakes in a while, and I forgot how much I enjoy doing it. This is my "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere" cake - it's a margarita flavored cake (lime + tequila) with a pineapple-lime buttercream. FBCT on top, of course, and green sanding sugar for the margarita "salt." Marshmallow Fondant flip flops, sun, and palm trees around the side.

http://images35.fotki.com/v1164/photos/1/1325786/6134483/MargaritavilleCake019-vi.jpg

http://images33.fotki.com/v1139/photos/1/1325786/6134483/MargaritavilleCake007-vi.jpg

http://images27.fotki.com/v990/photos/1/1325786/6134483/MargaritavilleCake022-vi.jpg

[ellidew]

I have a FREE Wilton Course 1 book if anyone wants it. I bought one before class started then they gave us one at class and wouldn't let me return the one i'd bought because they don't take books back. It's never been used. pm me your name and addy. I wont be able to mail it until next Monday or Tuesday.

[ellidew]

btw, bluesky... AWESOME cake!! I'm going to the Buffett concert tomorrow night! :D I'd love the recipe for the cake and icing. Dh is turning 30 this year so i'm collecting ideas for a theme. I think that would be perfect!

[Lisa]

I have a FREE Wilton Course 1 book if anyone wants it. I bought one before class started then they gave us one at class and wouldn't let me return the one i'd bought because they don't take books back. It's never been used. pm me your name and addy. I wont be able to mail it until next Monday or Tuesday.

I pm'd you :)

[LoveYouKisses]

Cake carving is truly an art - I struggle with it, but as long as you have patience (I am not patient and therefore like to take off huge chunks at a time) and you practice, you'll be fine. Those are both good cake-carving guides.

I thought I would drop off photos of my latest creation because it's my own recipe and I had SO much fun doing it. I haven't had time to do cakes in a while, and I forgot how much I enjoy doing it. This is my "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere" cake - it's a margarita flavored cake (lime + tequila) with a pineapple-lime buttercream. FBCT on top, of course, and green sanding sugar for the margarita "salt." Marshmallow Fondant flip flops, sun, and palm trees around the side.



Can I ask for the recipe you used for the cake and buttercream. My graduation party is this weekend, it's cinco de mayo themed, and I was thinking that the margarita flavored cake would be a perfect compliment to that. Thanks!

[blueskygirl]

I didn't realize I had recipe requests, so sorry! Here is the recipe

Cake:
1 cup cake flour
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter
3 eggs
1/2 of a lime rind, grated
3 Tbl. tequila
2 Tbl. milk
3 tsp. Triple Sec
3 tsp. baking powder

Just mix it all together (I mix wet ingredients and slowly add dry) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. I ended up making two of these recipes to get a cake as tall as I wanted it.

The frosting was just my regular buttercream with some pineapple juice added to it.

4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbl milk
1 Tbl pineapple juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

[blueskygirl]

More cake photos...this was for a friend's baby shower on Monday. Buttercream with mmf accents and homemade mmf bow (painted with food coloring and luster dust). Designed to match shower decorations.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c85/levinea/Baking/showercakejpg.jpg

[sparkle&shine]

Great job blueskygirl! That striped bow had to be hard.

[ellidew]

A couple of questions...

1. I can make all the royal icing flowers ahead of time... just store them in a sealed tupperware container at room temp, right? They'll still be good even if the party isn't until the end of June, right?

2. Is that fondant that comes ready made in a box already rolled out or do I have to roll it out? I hate the idea of rolling out fondant! If i have to i know i've read about getting a pin with the things on the end to roll it out to the proper thickness so i'll be sure to do that.

3. How do i add color to the fondant. Can i just 'paint' it on? If so how? If the fondant in a box already comes rolled out i'd hate to ruin it by kneading (?) in color but if i have to work with it and roll it out i'll color it the right way. But i don't know how to do that either! This will be my first fondant project. I'm hoping it's like working with clay!

4. Can the fondant bow be made ahead of time? If so, how do i store it? Does fondant harden like royal icing if exposed to the air?

TIA!

[sparkle&shine]

I can't see photobucket from work so I can't see a pic of the cake you are trying to do but here are some answers anyway :D

1. I can make all the royal icing flowers ahead of time... just store them in a sealed tupperware container at room temp, right? They'll still be good even if the party isn't until the end of June, right? You can make the flowers WAAAY ahead of time. They will keep pretty much forever as long as they aren't exposed to moisture or dust ;). I have used some that were well over 6 months old!

2. Is that fondant that comes ready made in a box already rolled out or do I have to roll it out? I hate the idea of rolling out fondant! If i have to i know i've read about getting a pin with the things on the end to roll it out to the proper thickness so i'll be sure to do that. It is not rolled out and you will have to knead it and roll it out yourself. Depending on what brand you use some are easier to roll than others. Getting your measurements right on how wide to roll it is important. If the cake is 10 inches wide and 4 inches high you will have to make sure that you have at least 18 inches across so that it will cover everything in one sheet.

3. How do i add color to the fondant. Can i just 'paint' it on? If so how? If the fondant in a box already comes rolled out i'd hate to ruin it by kneading (?) in color but if i have to work with it and roll it out i'll color it the right way. But i don't know how to do that either! This will be my first fondant project. I'm hoping it's like working with clay! It is a lot like working with clay! Most people knead in the color. Kneading doesn't hurt the fondant and is necessary anyway to work with it.

4. Can the fondant bow be made ahead of time? If so, how do i store it? Does fondant harden like royal icing if exposed to the air?
You can definitely make it ahead of time and you really need to otherwise it won't have time to harden. It will eventually harden when exposed to air but it takes a long time depending on the thickness. I recommend adding in some gum paste powder to make sure that it hardens properly. You can find great instuctions on bow making at cake central.

I hope this helps you out! Working with fondant can be a lot of fun!

[Bernie & Matt]

I'm going to attempt to make a stacked, carved Thomas the Train cake for DS's birthday party in 3 weeks. I found a great tutorial blog that I'm going to follow, but I thought I'd check in here for advice as well. The blog said I could use regular cake mix from a box, but I wasn't sure if you all thought that would work or if I should try a pound cake or something. Thoughts?

[jesvet]

I think cake mixes work fine. I've done sculpted cakes with them before and had good results. I do like the heavier mixes like devil's food- they are more dense and easier to carve than the lighter white cake mixes, which are crumblier.

[blueskygirl]

I'm going to attempt to make a stacked, carved Thomas the Train cake for DS's birthday party in 3 weeks. I found a great tutorial blog that I'm going to follow, but I thought I'd check in here for advice as well. The blog said I could use regular cake mix from a box, but I wasn't sure if you all thought that would work or if I should try a pound cake or something. Thoughts?

Cake mix will be fine, but you probably want to refrigerate it for a while before you start carving. Personally I think that makes it easier.

[Bernie & Matt]

Thanks for the thoughts, ladies. Chocolate is the only way to go at our house, so devil's food it is. And the directions I have for the cake actually said to freeze, rather than refridgerate, so that's what I plan on.

If it turns out enough to share with the public, I'll be sure to post pics when it's done :)

[Hula1974]

I just made this cake for my friend's baby shower. Her theme was sea life. I would have been very pleased with the cake minus the fish! Not that I thought it was a bad idea, it's just that is where I really struggled. It was delis though :)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2615805465_60bf4620fa.jpg?v=0

[tgr68]

DDs 3rd Birthday Cake

http://media4.dropshots.com/photos/32398/20080621/012007.jpg

[jesvet]

Lightning McQueen cake for DS's second birthday:

http://pics.livejournal.com/zoofussa/pic/000810ad

[JenInAZ]

Wow, I think I need to try these classes out! It looks like SO MUCH FUN! :D

While I doubt I'll ever be as good as her (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF9tu4-CHJI&NR=1), you all make it look so fun I can't pass up the opportunity.

[ellidew]

Here's a cake I made over the weekend for my nieces 2nd birthday:

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafts/craftd012.jpg

It's only my second cake, my first fondant bow and my first filled cake. Incidentally, how do you prevent filling from oozing out through the icing? I did the icing dam but it still oozed and i had to do some fixes before the party this morning. Did I just over fill? Is it because I put the second tier off center to fit the bow? All of the oozing was out the back on the bottom layer.

Anyway, I'm proud of it. :)

[junkinmytrunk]

Here's a cake a made over the weekend for my nieces 2nd birthday:

It's only my second cake, my first fondant bow and my first filled cake. Incidentally, how do you prevent filling from oozing out through the icing? I did the icing dam but it still oozed and i had to do some fixes before the party this morning. Did I just over fill? Is it because I put the second tier off center to fit the bow? Most of the oozing was out the back.

Anyway, I'm proud of it. :)

You are REALLY talented. The barn cake was terrific but holy smokes, you could do this professionally. Curious what flavor the cake was.

[ellidew]

You are REALLY talented. The barn cake was terrific but holy smokes, you could do this professionally. Curious what flavor the cake was.

Wow, thanks so much. The cake was almond flavored with red raspberry filling. It was delish!

[polkadot]

ladies maybe some of you can help me out...My sister is just begining to decorate cakes as a hobby and she would like to decorate my sons 1st birthday cake. Our theme is fish. Can anyone give us some websites that we can check out for ideas. thanks

[ellidew]

www.cakecentral.com also, i use google images.

[tgr68]

ellidew~I have no clue on the filling, but your cake looks great from the outside!! Very nice job!

polkadot~I generally use Cake Central as well.

[polkadot]

thanks ladies

[meggers]

ellidew--Your cake looks great. I always do the icing dam and I never have any trouble with the filling oozing out. You might have just put too much filling in.

[Pineknot]

Ellidew,

Sometimes I find the heat will take its toll on my fillings. They'll be fine, but then when the cake sits in a warmer room, the oozing begins. I had a wedding cake do that on an exceptionally warm day. :(

[petdoc08]

I just made this cake for one of my DD's little friend's second birthday. It turned out better than I had expected. :)

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/petdoc/elmocake.jpg

[1_mommy]

cute cakes! good job!

[Hula1974]

Can someone who is a CakeCentral guru help me out? I am having a tech. problem and I keep getting these errors about NO POSTS. :mad:

Anywho....I asked a question in the "My Buttercream Tips" thread in How To. I need to know if my icing is still ok to use. I got an email notification that there were new posts in the thread but I can't see them. Can someone go there and tell me if my question was answered?

I would totally appreciate it!

[LoveYouKisses]

The no post problem is because there was a database crash earlier in the year and they were unable to recover a large portion of the posts in the forums. If you're looking for inspiration - I suggest looking at the gallery, if you have questions, people have generally given advice in the comments under the pictures. HTH

[Hula1974]

I've posted in the Tech support section about the problem I'm having and they said they can't replicate it.
For instance, I can see up to page 36 of that thread but it actually goes to page 48 or something.

[LoveYouKisses]

Can you link to a specific thread, see if I'm having the same troubles?

[Hula1974]

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-19948-0.html
See if you can get to the last few pages of this thread. I'm linking to the first page because I can't get all the way through it.

[Katie&Micah]

Hula
It's telling me no posts exist for this topic when I click on the pages in the 40's.

[LoveYouKisses]

That has to do with the crash - those posts are MIA thanks to that. There was a corruption that simply erased selected posts from selected threads, and the corruption has made it so even new posts can't be seen. A lot of the major threads have had new, working, threads made to replace the broken ones.
I'm not sure why you got the answer you did from tech support - I'm not sure if it was just the person who was responding, or perhaps they weren't understanding what your actual problem was....Unfortunately, I don't have any good advice on how to get more recent info, aside from looking for a new thread that is on the same topic!

[Hula1974]

Thanks for your help.
Glad to see I'm not crazy!

So - any advice from you guys on how long buttercream icing can last? ;)

[LoveYouKisses]

I'd say 2-3 weeks. I'm not very neurotic about that kind of stuff though. When I was taking the classes, we way over made buttercream our first week, so we used it for the whole course one, so that was 3 weeks.
I have read that there is some reaction with the butter when you add the powdered sugar that stabilizes it for a longer period of time.

[Ellyn]

Here's the buttercream icing I've used on my last 2 cakes....it is very good, light&fluffy and not too sweet. It got alot of great feedback.

Chef Leah's adaptation of Charlotte's Whipped Cream Buttercream
This is a heat and humidity stable decorator's buttercream that can be used
successfully for outdoor receptions.
Single recipe
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup meringue powder
Mix in 1/2 cup boiling water
Whip to medium firm peaks.
Add in 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla, or your choice of flavorings.

Beat in 1 pound of confectioner's sugar. Whip to stiff peak.

Whip in 1 pound of vegetable shortening. The mixture will deflate and you
will think that it is ruined. It is not ruined! Just let the mixer
continue to whip and the volume will come back to where it was before the
addition of the fat.

If you have a few more minutes, change to the flat beater and mix on the
slowest speed to get out some of the air.

A very soft icing, light and fluffy, easy to spread and naturally smooth.
Minimal crusting, generally considered a non-crusting icing. Also very
repairable for those little "dings."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is also a recipes for marshmallow fondant which I just used this past weekend. I hated the taste of the wilton fondant...and it was expensive, so I gave this a try....it worked great....and tasted like a circus peanut.

MARSHMALLOW FONDANT
small batch

1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 Tbsp. water
powdered sugar (approx 1 1/2 cups)

Melt marshmallows and water in microwave for about 20 - 30 seconds and stir in about 1 cup of sugar.
Knead the rest of the sugar in until its not sticky. Let sit till cool. (about an hour or so) Store tightly wrapped
and in an airtight container. Can be reheated in microwave to use again if it gets hard. Can be refrigerated
and colored easily.


I am fairly new to cake decorating and would like to use these two recipes for my DS and DD's birthday cakes. I have some store bought fondant (wilton) but this sounds better. I have some beginners questions...if anyone could answer them, I'd appreciate it :)

1. How do I "hook" the fondant on a cake? I am making a giant cupcake for DD's birthday and would like it to look like this (the second pic):
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1663306&postcount=373...how do I get it to stay on the sides? (is there a crumb coat on the entire cake?) How do you color fondant? And is that "cherry" ALL fondant or do you think there is a small cupcake or something underneath? I know I need to let the fondant harden - how long does that take? Can I put the whole finished cake in the refrig?

2. With the Whipped Cream BUttercream (recipe above) - does it pipe okay? Can I color it and decorate with it also? I really like that one because I have struggled to find a dairy free one and one that will withstand heat and humidity because DS's party is outside near the end of August...haven't tried it yet but it sounds great

3. I am carving part of DS's Big Jet cake. I tried a practice run this weekend and used a box cake mix (dairy free) and added a box of pudding and an extra egg, but it still seemed crumbly...any tips? SHould I refrig. the cake first for a while?

Sorry that was so long...I am sort of in panic mode now that DDs party is in a week and a half and DS's is in a month and I don't know how to do these things. Any answers would be appreciated :D

[ellidew]

Okay, I'll bite :)

1. How do I "hook" the fondant on a cake? Royal icing. Just squeeze a dab on and stick.I am making a giant cupcake for DD's birthday and would like it to look like this (the second pic):
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum...&postcount=373...how do I get it to stay on the sides? eta: I might have misunderstood your question... i've never covered an entire cake in fondant so i'm not sure... i'd imagine it sticks right to room temp buttercream though. (is there a crumb coat on the entire cake?) How do you color fondant? I just did this for the first time and it was super easy. Just dab on some coloring (the same you use for the buttercream) and knead it in. It's a great workout! lol.And is that "cherry" ALL fondant or do you think there is a small cupcake or something underneath? If I were doing it I'd just do all fondant because then you can just roll it into a ball and you're done. I know I need to let the fondant harden - how long does that take? I let my ribbon sit out overnight and it was hardened then I put it in a tupperware container until the day of the party and I just stuck it on with royal icing.Can I put the whole finished cake in the refrig? I do because I usually finish them the night before. I've never had a problem. My fondant bow did sweat a little bit for about 30-40 minutes so it looked a little wet in photographs but there was nothing wrong with it.

2. With the Whipped Cream BUttercream (recipe above) - does it pipe okay? Sorry, I haven't used it so I don't know but if it's too soft add more sugar and if it's too hard add more liquid.Can I color it and decorate with it also? I don't see why not.I really like that one because I have struggled to find a dairy free one and one that will withstand heat and humidity because DS's party is outside near the end of August...haven't tried it yet but it sounds great

3. I am carving part of DS's Big Jet cake. I tried a practice run this weekend and used a box cake mix (dairy free) and added a box of pudding and an extra egg, but it still seemed crumbly...any tips? SHould I refrig. the cake first for a while?Sorry, I can't help here. Theoretically I'd say yes because I think most cakes harden a little in the fridge but I have no proof or scientific explanation to back that up.

Good luck with everything. I'm self taught through trial and error too so I know how it goes.

[alliekat75]

Hi ladies,
I'm teaching myself how to decorate cakes and have started on something small....cupcakes. Unfortunately, each batch I've made have sunk in the middle. They look so sad and deflated.

I've kept on the oven light, so I know that they start to rise beautifully. Somewhere in the last few minutes, they fall. I'm using a cake tester and it comes out clean, but they still taste kind of chewy.

Any ideas???

BTW, everyone's creations are just beautiful.

[Darin's Girl]

Hey Allie!

It could be a few things. It could have too much water or oil in the mix, or it could be from either overbeating or underbeating. I found with mine, I was over beating it and my cakes would sink. I don't normally beat as long as the box says to and I make sure to not have my mixer speed too fast.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

[Ellyn]

Thank you ellidew for answering my questions...the party is this weekend, so I will take pics and let you know how it goes. Off to find meringue powder. ;)

[alliekat75]

Hey Allie!

It could be a few things. It could have too much water or oil in the mix, or it could be from either overbeating or underbeating. I found with mine, I was over beating it and my cakes would sink. I don't normally beat as long as the box says to and I make sure to not have my mixer speed too fast.

Hope that helps! Good luck!


I bet I've been over-beating them. I'm using the Cupcake Doctor's book and have found a lot of errors in her directions. I'll adjust my time on the next batch. Thank you so much for your response.

[ellidew]

This is the cake I want to make and I need advice.

I know what you're saying... that's not a cake, it's a lime... therein lies the problem ;)

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/lime.jpg

I want to make a cake to look like the lime. The sides (the rind) of the cake will be marshmallow fondant tinted green. The white is easy enough, buttercream (pineapple to go with the margarita cake posted a while back) but... what should i use to get the gel like texture of the fruit itself? Do they make a decorating gel? Does piping gel taste bad? Can it be flavored and/or colored?

Any suggestions for texturizing the rind?

Looking for advice!! TIA!

[SunnyAB]

I think I would make a glaze - I make one out of pineapple juice and sugar etc., that I use to 'seal' the fruit on my fruit pizza. You could add a drop of food coloring to get the color right (it doesnt have much color - maybe a very very light carmel color if anything), I've never used much of the piping gel -just the very basic grocery store kind and not much of it. I dont think it tasted awful, but I dont think it tasted good either. :) Good luck! (Have to add - that lime looks SO refreshing!!) :D

[mrschica]

Any suggestions for texturizing the rind?

Looking for advice!! TIA!


Have you considered coconut flakes to texturize the rind a little? It'd go great with the pineapple buttercream flavor. :)

[ellidew]

Coconut is a good idea... dh dislikes it though.

Do you think i could use Pineapple sundae topping for the top of the cake rather than make a glaze? It's very yellow... Should i use green or blue coloring to get it green? Probably a little dab of blue don't ya think? I just need it to be slightly limey (if that's a word)

SunnyAB - how do you make the glaze?

[mrsface]

I would probably just use piping gel. I know that Wilton sells it in tubs- you can find it at craft stores. Here are a couple of cakes (not mine) that used piping gel- I think it keeps the shine much better than a homemade glaze would.
beach cake (http://bakedecoratecelebrate.com/projects/funsashorething.cfm?cat=1)
coffee cake (http://bakedecoratecelebrate.com/projects/megamugajoe.cfm?cat=1)

[LoveYouKisses]

This is the cake I want to make and I need advice.

I know what you're saying... that's not a cake, it's a lime... therein lies the problem ;)


I want to make a cake to look like the lime. The sides (the rind) of the cake will be marshmallow fondant tinted green. The white is easy enough, buttercream (pineapple to go with the margarita cake posted a while back) but... what should i use to get the gel like texture of the fruit itself? Do they make a decorating gel? Does piping gel taste bad? Can it be flavored and/or colored?

Any suggestions for texturizing the rind?

Looking for advice!! TIA!

http://cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-6998-Piping-Gel-That-Works.html

I've used that piping gel before, and I found it to taste pretty good (I used it as a water hazard on a golf course) It has quite a bit of lemon juice in it, I'm sure you could use lime juice instead. It is super easy to make, I keep a batch of it in my fridge, and i use it to attach the fondant to my cakes.

[ellidew]

Thanks for the piping gel recipe. I'm going to use it for the top of the cake. I think i'm going to replace lemon juice with lime juice to stick with the theme of the cake more. I'm baking tonight and taking a half day from work to decorate it on Thursday. I'll post pics once it's complete! Thanks for all your suggestions!!

[SunnyAB]

SO sorry Ellidew! I didnt see your request for the recipe for the glaze - but it sounds VERY much like what LoveYouKisses posted for a gel recipe (when I mentioned the gel not tasting that great (in my opiion) - I meant the pre-made stuff you buy) :p I will post my recipe tonight though - just to compare - but the only difference might be the type of jiuce!

[ellidew]

blueskygirl - Is it possible you can check the cake recipe you posted? I just made it exactly as you had it typed out and i'm not sure it's right. It didn't look like any cake mix i'd ever seen once mixed and it's been in the oven for 25 minutes and it's still liquid. Was the flour right? 1 cup?

eta: okay i'm about 35 minutes in and it's solidifying (sp? sorry too lazy to spell check). It's very buttery, was yours?

[ellidew]

Okay, i'm perhaps freaking out about nothing... will have to wait and see.

[SunnyAB]

OK - the recipe seems pretty close as far as ingredients -

2 TB cornstarch
1 c pineapple juice
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Cook until thick and pour over fruit. Chill.

(This is from a Fruit Pizza recipe - made with a shortbread type crust, cream cheese and sugar 'sauce' - covered with various fruit and then the glaze is poured over the fruit to seal everything. YUM!!!)

Did your cake turn out OK?

[ellidew]

Thanks SunnyAB. I'm going to make both and see which one tastes better and/or has the better consistency for this cake! I'm going to save your glaze recipe to pour over fruit for sure!!

The cake is fine or rather it isn't fine but the baker should pay more attention to how many cups are in a stick of butter ;) I'm not sure what i was thinking but i used 3 sticks of butter even though I know that 1 stick = half a cup. Dummy! I was up for hours trying to figure out what I did wrong/what could be wrong with the recipe when I finally realized the mistake.

The cake had a good flavor but it was really buttery. lol. I've doubled all the ingredients to make a double batch tonight (2 - double batches actually) so when I throw in 3 sticks of butter i'll have the right amount. :)

[SunnyAB]

Good luck Ellidew - I can't wait to see the pictures!

One thing to remember for mine (probably the other one too) is that the longer you cook this, the thicker it gets, and one time I had to 'glop' the glaze on because it was fairly stiff - it still tasted good, but it was a little harder to spread (but that might actually be better for your purpose?). Be sure your burner isnt too high/hot either - and I continually stir mine (gently) so it won't scorch. If you find either one is still too runny - you can always add a bit more cornstarch, but do this small bits at a time (like maybe a tablespoon (max) at a time, with enough water to make it like a paste and add very gradually - I would say no more than 2 extra, 3 tops! tablespoonfuls though).

I'm glad you found what you did wrong or different with your cake. Stuff like that bugs me until I figure it out! Most of our cookbooks are now in metric (I'm in Canada) but I am 'old' :eek: so still use cups and such - so if I am trying a new recipe it sometimes happens that, metric to imperial conversion + usually being in a hurry + that 'old' thing = OOOOPS :p :o :D

[JayJay]

Okay, just a quick question...does anyone know how much the Wilton classes are? Maybe they vary by region, I'm not sure...I looked on the Wilton website and saw something about $350.00, is that about right? Or was I not looking at the right thing when I saw that?

TIA!

[ajb524]

Okay, just a quick question...does anyone know how much the Wilton classes are? Maybe they vary by region, I'm not sure...I looked on the Wilton website and saw something about $350.00, is that about right? Or was I not looking at the right thing when I saw that?

TIA!

I paid $25-$30 per course at Michaels. They have a different special on the classes every month.

[ellidew]

Same as ajb524.

The $350 might be to take the course at the Wilton school... i think it's located in IL.

[JayJay]

Thanks ladies! That makes it alot more do-able!

BTW, I always lurk in here, checking out all the gorgeous cakes!

[ellidew]

SunnyAB - That glaze is remarkably delicious! I licked the pan clean :) Thanks!!

[SunnyAB]

Im so glad you like it Ellidew. I get requests for my fruit pizza qutie often, so I was pretty confident you would like the taste. ;) How was it for consistency? and color? Did you add some food coloring to make it green?

[ellidew]

I added a little extra corn starch and it worked out beautifully. I might have to microwave it to get it runny enough to spread tomorrow but it sets nicely. I added just a dab of dye to tint it green and it's perfect! Thanks again!! Feel free to post the rest of the fruit pizza recipe ;)

[ajb524]

Hobby lobby has 40% off all wilton products this week with coupon. No limit so stock up!
http://www.hobbylobby.com/site3/weekly/weekly.cfm

[SunnyAB]

Fruit Pizza
Crust:
1/2 c butter (soft)
1/4 c icing sugar
1 cup flour
Mix and press in pizza pan. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool.

Cream together:
1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/3 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Spread over cooled crust. Spread sliced (fresh) fruit on cream cheese. eg. strawberries, pineapple, grapes, kiwi, mandarin oranges.

Glaze:
2 TB cornstarch
1 c pineapple juice
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Cook until thick and pour over fruit. Chill and serve.

I have also used bananas, blueberries and my ultimate favorite, fresh raspberries! I also tried a variation - basically the same filling as for making a pie, sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, about a TB of flour and some water - then I cook this all on the stove until the apples are tender. Cool the filling and then put over cream cheese. You can squiggle some thin white icing over all, and/or heat it up a bit and add icecream. My family loved this - but I prefer the fresh fruit. I always have whipped cream available for those that want it as well.

I hope anyone who tries this enjoys it as much as we do (since I have been going on and on about it!) :o :p Its a nice light treat for summer! (although my brother requested this as my contribution for Christmas dinner last year!) :cool:

Enjoy! :D

[Mrs. M.]

I made this hungry little caterpillar for DD2's birthday last night.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2771323301_519d554896.jpg?v=0

[ellidew]

Thanks for the recipe Sunny! I'll definitely be making that in the future!

Great caterpillar MrsM! LOVE it!

Here's the lime cake. It only turned out okay. It could've been so much better but it got late and i got tired and after baking 5 cakes + glaze + buttercream + marshmallow fondant (that i didn't end up using) i was done with the whole project.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/Miles/2008_08a085.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/Miles/2008_08a128.jpg

I tried making the margarita cake listed a couple of pages back and i seriously made 3 of them. The first one turned out a flop because of a mistake on my part but then i made two more and they were awful too. They were really dense... like heavy bread dense and the flavor was terrible. I don't know if the recipe was typed wrong or our own personal taste preferance (or maybe I did the measuring/mixing wrong but I've made tons of cakes from scratch before and say for a couple of mistakes here or there i've never botched 3 cakes in a row! Though it's possible ;))but dh and i both agreed there was no way we could serve it. So then i had to make 2 more of a different recipe. It was a really easy recipe that just used a cake mix. It was 1 white cake mix then follow the directions provided on the box but in place of water add frozen non-alcoholic margarita mix (thawed) instead. Then I made the buttercream dream recipe on cake central but used 2 T milk and the rest pineapple juice until I got the consistency I wanted. It was super citrusy and smelled amazing and tasted even better than it smelled! I used SunnyAB's glaze on top and it added a nice additional pineapple flavor. It was 2 - 12" rounds with buttercream between the layers.

[maplekitty]

Mrs.M - great hungry caterpillar! did you use some kind of colouring spray technique??



ellidew - well done on the lime cake! it looked great! (and I have so been there, having to make 500 cakes because they just aren't turning out...by the end you're sick of the cake!!)

[jennylou]

mrsm - great job. :)

ellidew - I totally understand how you felt tired. I made DDs cake two weekends ago (at 35 weeks pregnant) and by the end, I was like "whatever, I don't care what it looks like, I'm tired!". I think yours looks better than mine!

Here's N's cake that I made for her second birthday. My writing was awful - I was so tired at that point and my hands and legs were shaking. What's funny is that it isn't that involved of a cake - it was clearly about my tired level by the time that I got ready to ice the cake. I'd been on my feet for hours, had gotten up and made a full breakfast (bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, toast). I think I just did too much in one day. Again, nothing complicated, but my arms and legs felt like jello by the time I got to the icing portion of the day. :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2748302012_97afde7f62.jpg?v=0

[maplekitty]

I'm wanting to make a cake similar to this (maybe a little scaled back) for DD's b-day.
http://coolest-birthday-cakes.shippony.com/images/theme/fantasy/castles/princess-castle-cake-28.jpg

What do I do about the towers? I havnt seen cake pans that shape, but then I thought maybe baking the cake in a soup can? Do you think that would work? Has anyone tried that???

eta:

here's a better one to think of copying, looks a little easier...

http://coolest-birthday-cakes.shippony.com/images/theme/fantasy/castles/castle-cakes-23a.jpg

[ellidew]

Jenny - I think your cake turned out great! I feel your pain ;)

maplekitty - That'll be fun! I don't know about baking the cylinders. I know that on the barn cake instructions on the wilton website (http://www.wilton.com/idea/Little-Red-Barn)they iced and stacked round cookies to get the shape of the silo. Or maybe you could bake cupcakes and lop the tops off and stack them on a long dowel rod then ice it or i guess you could make a sheet cake and use a round cookie cutter to get the shape and then stack those. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try a soup can either though! That'd be the fastest and easiest. It's going to be one of those trial and error things. Good luck! Can't wait to see it!

[Sunshine]

Maplekitty~On "Ace of Cakes" they used rice Krispies squares smooshed to make the cylinder shapes. Maybe you could do that?

[SunnyAB]

I can't wait to see all these cakes (I'm taking a MUCH deserved break from work, but most pics are blocked here) :p

maplekitty, I can see yours though (how cute!) and for something different you could make the pillars with the rice krispie treats recipe. It would be nice and easy to mold (might even be able to use a can for a mold - just grease it up very well, have both sides open then slide out when it is a little bit cooled and set). Its easy to ice and when dismantling your castle you can either scrape all/most of the icing off or just on one side so you can lay the cylinder on its side and slice off circles of rice krispie treats!

[SunnyAB]

(the "Suns" are even on the same wavelength!) :D

[maplekitty]

you could make a sheet cake and use a round cookie cutter to get the shape and then stack those

Hhhmm, that's a good idea! and the rice krispie treats too! great ideas ladies! thank you!
Her b-day isn't until Oct, HAHA! but never too early to start planning :D

[Sunshine]

The Sun's Rock! lol

[Mrs. M.]

Thank you ladies, for the compliments on the caterpillar!

I used Massa Ticino (like a rolled fondant) and dyed it with powdered food coloring. After I was done, I misted the cake with water, which made it shiny.

ellidew I think the lime looks great. You are making me crave a margarita right now :D
Sorry to hear it was such hard work - 5 cakes wow!

jennylou nice cake. I like the color combo.

maplekitty I think a sheet cake and cookie cutters might work best for the towers. I have seen a castle cake where they used upside down ice cream cones for the tower roofs. Just an idea.

I'll be making a princess cake in 10 days - DD1's birthday. That should be fun! I'll probably use a Guglhupf (tall bundt) pan and stack that on a round cake and stick one of DD's barbies in.

[SunnyAB]

AWESOME cakes ladies! I knew it would be worth the wait to see them! :D

[1_mommy]

this isn't the best castle cake, but it was pretty simple to make.
the towers are toliet paper rolls frosted then waffle cones on top

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c114/1_mommy/101_5084.jpg?t=1219114849

[Chris~n~Jen]

Wow all these cakes look awesome! This thread is really making me want to get into cake making. :D

[meggers]

It's not a great cake, but here's the cake I did for DS's first birthday:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/444382275_2c0d55a64d.jpg?v=0

Also, check out the castle set (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=2AAE04F0-423B-522D-FD9974A4926ACCA3&killnav=1)that Wilton sells.

[ellidew]

I'm diggin' these castle cakes! I love the use of the hershey bar for doors and windows, so clever!

[ajb524]

Awesome cakes!!

[Mrs. M.]

Barbie cake:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/2806772708_753ab8fb70.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2805923281_41c5e079ea.jpg?v=0

That was a bunch of work.

[ajb524]

Mrs. M- I love the barbie cake!! It does look like a lot of work though :).

Last weekend I made Petit Fours (for the first & last time, lol). OMG, they were such a pain in the a$$ to do. I didn't believe people when they said it was very time consuming. I tried to pour the glaze stuff over them, but it wouldn't coat them on all sides so I ended up dipping all 60 plus probably another 10 or so that messed up. The only thing that saved me time Saturday morning was that I made the flowers and baby booties early in the week so all I had to do was put them on top.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2789697797_11edc69c08.jpg?v=0
All 60 in a box

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2790538270_a5749f4b50.jpg?v=0
Royal icing booties

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2790534334_a7f20870ff.jpg?v=0
Royal icing flowers

I made this one last month for my dad's girlfriend's birthday. I'd been wanting to use my "gigantic" cupcake pan for a while so I figured it would be cute to do for her b-day
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2666255453_b997bdc4ce.jpg?v=1216041385

[Mrs. M.]

Oh my that is a lot of petit fours. Great work, but tiring I bet.
Looks like a shot out of a Martha Stewart magazine!
Such cute baby booties :)

[Katie1]

I finished my Wilton class last week, here are the cakes I made (obviously still perfecting my techniques):

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/kalphen/IMG_3761.jpg?t=1220472139

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/kalphen/IMG_3773.jpg?t=1220472189

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/kalphen/IMG_3791.jpg?t=1220472277

[emschwar]

Quick question.

Daniel's birthday party is 9/13. Like an idiot, I decided to make cupcakes for the guests and Daniel's smash cake. How early can I make the cakes and still have them be ok on saturday morning (party is from 11-1, so I can't make anything that morning)? I can't freeze them, because we don't have the freezer space. If I make the cupcakes on thursday will they be ok on saturday? My cupcake carrier only holds 12 cupcakes, but I'm going to see if I can get one of the 36 cupcake ones.

[ajb524]

Quick question.

Daniel's birthday party is 9/13. Like an idiot, I decided to make cupcakes for the guests and Daniel's smash cake. How early can I make the cakes and still have them be ok on saturday morning (party is from 11-1, so I can't make anything that morning)? I can't freeze them, because we don't have the freezer space. If I make the cupcakes on thursday will they be ok on saturday? My cupcake carrier only holds 12 cupcakes, but I'm going to see if I can get one of the 36 cupcake ones.


Cute cakes! They should definitely be fine to make on Thursday and eat on Saturday. A lot of times cakes taste better to me if they sit a day or two to let the flavor develop :)

[ellidew]

Here are some cupcakes I made for a baby shower. She did the baby's room in pink and orange.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafte004.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafte001.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/crafte024.jpg

[LoveYouKisses]

ellidew- I love them! What tip did you use to pipe the tops? I can never get mine to look that good!

[ellidew]

LoveYouKisses- Thanks! It was a 12 tip. I just piled it on!

[junkinmytrunk]

Ellie: GORGEOUS - they look so professional - you could easily sell those in a cupcake cafe!

[maplekitty]

Well done ellidew! I never thought to put cupcakes in little dixie cups - do you bake them in those as well?

[ellidew]

maplekitty - I baked them in the cups. They're little snack/favor bowl type things (nearly the same size of a cupcake). I bought them at Michaels but I've also seen them at the cake store I go to. I like them b/c they hold their shape.

[maplekitty]

maplekitty - I baked them in the cups. They're little snack/favor bowl type things (nearly the same size of a cupcake). I bought them at Michaels but I've also seen them at the cake store I go to. I like them b/c they hold their shape.


do you put them in a muffin tin? or just set them on a baking sheet?

[ellidew]

I put them in my muffin tin but i don't see why they wouldn't stand up on a baking sheet.

[maplekitty]

awesome! I'll have to try that! :D

[jesvet]

Castle cake from DD's 4th birthday:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2898284056_0387a4928c.jpg

I considered the Wilton cake kit, but my daughter really wanted the one with the princesses on it (of course. :) ) I found the kit at sugarcraft.com and it was pretty easy- the turrets, princesses, topper and doorway were included, and the only baking I needed to do was a half sheet cake that was cut into squares and stacked.

[ajb524]

jesvet- I love your cake. You did a wonderful job with it :)

[ellidew]

LOVE your cake jesvet! Awesome job!

[meggers]

Great cake!

[jesvet]

Thank you! :D

[mmm0708]

That castle cake is amazing! Great job. It's almost too pretty to eat. Almost. (LOL) Not much gets in between me and cake. Really, though, it's beautiful!

[meggers]

I made my husband a birthday cake this weekend. He's kind of a comic book geek, so I made him a Green Lantern cake.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2913414022_32221c3307.jpg?v=0

[Mrs. M.]

Dinosaur!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/2914888346_1551448f33.jpg?v=0

[maplekitty]

I was too tired to attempt the 3D castle cake i posted a page back....so i ended up making the Wilton castle cake.
Still turned out great, I think (after 2 hours of piping!) ;)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e29/maplekitty/robyns%202nd%20birthday%20party/IMG_5703-1.jpg?t=1223316073

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e29/maplekitty/robyns%202nd%20birthday%20party/IMG_5704-1.jpg?t=1223316126

[honeygirl]

Maplekitty - It's a beautiful cake! So much work to do all that piping. I can't believe Robyn is 2 btw, it seems like yesterday that you posted your BFP video. :)


So I'm a big time lurker in this thread and admirer of all your work. My DD is turning 1 this month and I'm going to make her cupcakes, hopefully from scratch. Does anyone have a suggestion for a pretty way to present the cupcakes without buying a dedicated holder?

[sparkle&shine]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a pretty way to present the cupcakes without buying a dedicated holder?

How many cupcakes??

Depending on what you already own you can do so many things. A regular cake pedestal works (you can even stack them if you have different sized ones. Or you can use bowls from around your house and put a plate or a cookie tray covered with fabric on top. If you want different levels you can use vases with a plate on top also. One other way is to use fabric over boxes. Chargers are wonderful to use also!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/374961683_ddd2b0dc68.jpg?v=0

[honeygirl]

Thanks for the ideas sparkle&shine! I'm thinking about 16-24 cupcakes (it's a small party about 15 ppl). We have a lot of Fiesta ware so I might try to find a way to use/stack those.

[jenji]

honeygirl - we just had DS's birthday this past weekend. I made my cupcakes and didn't really think about how to display them till the morning of, so I ended up with a makeshift holder. I turned a bowl upside down and had a platter on top of it. this is how it looked:
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v348/107/106/516823903/n516823903_785711_1997.jpg

[Mrs. M.]

jenji, cute piggies! Are those marshmallow noses?

[ellidew]

I tried marshmallow fondant again today trying a different recipe than the one posted further back where you melt the marshmallows. This one just uses marshmallow creme. It was SOOOO easy and tastes great!

Ingredients:
1 16oz tub of Marshmallow Fluff/Creme/Cream
6-8 cups of confectioners sugar
2 tsp of flavoring of your choice
paste colors (Optional)

Directions:
Empty contents of marshmallow fluff in large bowl, add flavoring and stir with spoon. If you desire to color the fondant add your desired color at this stage. Then add confectioners sugar two cups at a time and mix with spoon until too thick to mix, then wipe counter with shortening dust with confectioners sugar and knead until it's no longer sticky. Continue kneading until smooth and pliable. Roll out to desired size for covering cake or cut out shapes.

eta: I used a 13 oz tub, same general idea... i just didn't measure the sugar perfectly. I just stopped adding it once it was the right texture to roll out. I had to do a few practice roll outs before i knew i was there. I'm guessing that judging when enough is enough gets easier with practice.

[jesvet]

I'll have to try that ellidew! Thanks for sharing! I've been using the Wilton and man, it's easy to work with but it tastes foul!!

[ellidew]

Yeah, the mmf tastes delicious. I just ate some out of the bag of left over trimmings. lol. I just somehow botched the recipe where you melt the marshmallows so i tried this new recipe today. I'd eat a cake covered in it!

[1_mommy]

my ds turned 3 last week, and wanted a spiderman cake
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c114/1_mommy/cake-5.jpg?t=1224346839

[jenji]

mrs M - yes, the noses are strawberry marshmallows and all the kiddos loved them

[rosa727]

What's the best way to get icing black? I am doing a construction-theme cake for DS's 2nd birthday party and want to road black. It was gray on the trial cake.

[ajb524]

Rosa- I always buy black icing because I can never get it to come out right. I've always just done small things and not an entire cake so I don't worry about the taste since IMO the bought icing isn't as good.

[Sunshine]

What did you use?
I use a gel colouring that works pretty well. Still have to use a lot of it, but works the best out of everything i have tried so far.
I have also heard to put cocoa in the icing to darken it first, that way it wont taste so bad and you wont have to use as much black.

[rosa727]

I used black gel food coloring in white buttercream frosting. It was gray, and didn't seem to be getting black any time soon. Maybe the cocoa would work...

[emschwar]

For black, either start with chocolate frosting, or, if you don't need much, just buy a tube of the premade wilton black icing.

[Hula1974]

Does it have to be icing? Could you line the road with crushed oreo crumbs, like gravel?

[Kingdono]

TGR68
Where did you get the doll pick you used for your doll cake?
We have been looking for one with the hair up just like that.

[ellidew]

For black frosting i've always heard to start with chocolate frosting too. I've never made black before though. I know I've had to use an entire container of red wilton icing dye to get a true red so i'd imagine if you start at white it's going to take a lot to get to black! That being said, they're only like $1.20 each so to buy 2 or 3 wouldn't break the bank.

[Sunshine]

Love the idea of cookie crumbles! What about black licorice? You can buy the flat ribbon licorice!

[Kingdono]

You could always color fondant black. then roll it out and cut a road. I too struggle to make black all the time. The only thing I can say is keep adding color.

[Hula1974]

Just be careful, I'm not sure where the breaking point is on too much color. At some point you'll sacrifice texture and taste. yick

[rosa727]

Well I don't want to do crushed cookies because the road is in the shape of a "2" and then I have a "dirt" pile at the end that is made of crushed Oreos. If the road were the same thing, it would lose the effect of the "2", I think. I think I'll try the chocolate frosting idea or putting some cocoa into the white frosting.

[thyme]

Or you could use vanilla sandwich cookies crushed for the dirt (lighter colored dirt!) and then use oreos for the road.

[Chimichanga]

I made black frosting for Halloween. I started with chocolate frosting and added black gel. I didn't add too terribly much black, but I did have to add more halfway through since it didn't seem to mix all the way down in the container.

It was a good black color. DH didn't want to eat it because of the look - he said he couldn't bring himself to eat black icing...

[LIZNKEITH]

Everyone's cakes are awesome! Seeing them makes me want to pick up the old decorating bag and jump back in.

I haven't done a cake since Caroline's birthday in June. She wanted a Land Before Time themed birthday.

I made these cupcakes for her party at daycare:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/3020587343_760b83a0ee.jpg?v=0

And a Cera the Triceratops cake for her birthday party:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3285/3021418804_a7e2361d6f.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/3020587679_1f365dd1ae.jpg?v=0

I basically made a couple of 10" and 6" cakes and sculpted them together, using an ice cream cone covered in icing for the horn and fondant for the eyes and mouth. Chocolate cake, buttercream icing, with caramel filling. Mmmmmm...

[alisong]

I forgot to share these - I made them a few weeks ago for a treehouse party:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2933805644_5a21c626df.jpg?v=0

The cupcakes themselves were chocolate, with white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

[jesvet]

Those are so, so awesome. :D

[Mrs. M.]

Great dinosaurs!

I recently made this with a friend - for a baby shower
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/3010559495_2eba6d7e2f.jpg?v=1226092845

and these for Halloween:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/3010562049_772b69043e.jpg?v=0
I didn't want to do spiders because it was for a 2yo playgroup, but I did silver dragées as dewdrops.

[May27JnJ]

My mom is making a wedding cake and they've asked her to put golf balls on the cake. I'm guessing they should be edible. How would you make them?

[ellidew]

She could make them from fondant and meticulously put the indents on them. It'd be a pita! Here's a link (http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/coolest-golf-bag-cake-18.html) to a cake where someone molded them from white chocolate. That'd be WAY easier than marking the indents! Here's a link to a golf ball chocolate mold (http://cgi.ebay.com/Golf-Ball-Chocolate-Mold-Sheet-Makes-4-3-D-Balls_W0QQitemZ300262418803QQcmdZViewItem) on ebay.

[Mrs. M.]

I am pretty sure that chocolate or sugar golf balls can be bought.

This place has them wrapped and without foil

http://www.chocolatefantasies.com/golf.htm

[May27JnJ]

Thanks!

What about golf clubs? She wants little golf clubs on the sides of each tier. (I should probably take a picture of her drawing and post it.) Can anyone find pictures of a golf themed wedding cake?