Cake decorating

Mr_Bun

Forgot to say there are loads of tutorials on YouTube showing you how to ice a basic cake.
Search for how to ice a cake dummy.
BTW sugar paste,roll out icing and fondant are the same thing.

DigForVictory

How're the preparations (& cakes?!) coming along?

Artytarty

Well, we've just eaten e last of my trial cake! I only kept a quarter, gave away the rest. It was very nice actually. Moist but not maybe as rich as I'd like. I only had time to feed it twice before we cut it.
I reckon it was too flat though, not enough mixture In the tin. But fruit evenly distributed.
It was an 8" square and will be the middle layer.
Bottom will be twlve sq. probs and top ? Six? I'm going to fake the top layer, icing on a box!
My HM marzipan was good, not as grained as I'd feared and the fondant from Creative Cakes was as pleasant as that stuff can be.
It looked fine, I did a sort of simple quilted pattern on the sides with tiny edible pearly balls on the crossed lines, a ribbon round it and smooth on top.
I forgot to turn the cake upside down to get the flattest side but that's why a practice run is important.
I'm busy next week but the following week I hope to make the bottom thanks for asking.

Mr_Bun

Good job for trying!!!
I would recommend making the bottom tier a 10". Making it a 12" will look out of proportion to the rest of the tiers.

Artytarty

Thanks, I wasn't at all sure about size.
The venue is a big high ceilings wooden panelled hall and the cake table is an enormous round job.
I'm a bit worried my wee cake will look minute!
Maybe I should go for twelve , ten and eight?
I'm not worried about having left overs, that's Christmas sorted.

Mr_Bun

Yes,that would work��

Artytarty

Oh boy oh boy! This cake making /decorating lark is hard and tricky work!
I think I'm going to have to out dowels between the bottom and middle layer. The weight of the marzipan and the fruitcake itself is very heavy. The top layer is light, it's iced polysterene!
I don't know how I'm ever going to get the thing assembled and moved. I don't know if I should transport it in layers or already out together.
I don't know if I have to stick each cake onto its board with royal icing.
I am worried about the removal,of the middle layer lifting the icing off the bottom layer, I think that's a big concern actually.
im past the fear of it looking homemade, it will and I've made peace with that, but I don't want a total disaster on my hands.

Golden_Anemone

You will definitely need to dowel if you are stacking cake on cake. Even sponge cakes would require this but for fruit cake it is essential. You won't need dowels to support an iced polystyrene dummy.


I always transport tiers separately and stack in location.


You do need to stick each cake to its board. I normally use butter cream but royal icing will work too.


I wouldn't worry about damaging the icing of the bottom cake. The caterers will normally take the cake away to cut it into portions and bring it back cut up to serve so they will deal with separating the 2 tiers.


The link I posted in my earlier post has good instructions for assembling the cake tiers including how to measure and cut the dowels.


Good luck.

Smodlet

Hi, you sound like an amazing mum. Whilst I freely admit I could not make a cake (flukes notwithstanding) to save my life, I do remember from a Lorraine Pascale programme that you DO NOT transport a tiered cake already assembled. She said she did that once and lived to regret it. A "disaaahster, darling" waiting to happen, I reckon.

I really hope all goes well for you and your daughter and her OH appreciate your efforts.

Artytarty

Thank you Golden!
Just as well I actually wanted to do this but it's really not that MSE I've discovered.
I've spent a fortune on the ingredients, marzipan, icing, non stick rolling pin, non stick mat to roll it on, hire of tins, trimming etc not to mention the stress!
I would say to anybody like me, inexperienced ,-considering this, think carefully, there are easier ways to save money!
Thanks too to the last poster, I had not read your post before writing this.
I'm not an amazing Mum at all but I do have strong creative urges! I am fairly sure they both appreciate my efforts too. They've been understanding of my need to keep it simple .