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MsTonyasCakes
Frequent Member
Joined: Oct 07, 2005
Posts: 238
Location: Fountain Inn, SC
Birthday: Feb 15
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Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:03 am |
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I had the opportunity over the weekend to make my first baby shower cake. I was SO excited. I've had the Wilton 3-D Duck pan for a while, just waiting on the opportunity to use it! I decided this would be the perfect time! The mom-to-be wanted chocolate cake (of course!). This was for our children's choir director at church and since I'm one of the leaders, I volunteered to do the cake. We knew the kids would get a kick out of giving Ms Amy a shower. Anyways, we usually have around 50 kids, so I figured 75 - 100 people with parents. I did a tier cake with 2 rounds (chocolate cake w/cookies & cream filling), iced them blue with bubbles and cutesie duck, rattles, bottles, etc candy molds around it. Then, I put the duck cake (pound cake) on top and decorated. It was SO cute!! I was running late and decided to just grab my camera and get a picture after I got set up at church.
As I walked into the back door of the church, the duck's tail separated from the body. It was still upright, so I figured, no problem, as soon as I get upstairs, I'll just stick it together with some icing stolen from a spot in the back or something. As the elevator door opens and I'm walking off, the tail falls on the floor and the body & head decide to lay down for a nap. 
I had cut a small piece of board for the duck to sit on with 3 dowels under it for stability. Mr duck didn't want to sit up straight, so I sharpened a dowel and put it through the duck and all the way through both tiers so he would be more stable. I also noticed his head wanted to fall over, so I put a dowel there too.
Please help me figure out why he bit the dust!! He's the cutest little guy ever, but I'm hesitant to use him again. Any advice would be greatley appreciated! Everyone at church got a bick kick out of it and told me how pretty it was anyway. Of course we still ate it, it was chocolate after all! I'm just SO thankful it wasn't an ordered/paid for cake!! I would really feel bad if it had been. Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated. Sorry for the long post!
Tonya |
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mmdd
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 2747
Birthday: Jul 30
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Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:09 am |
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I recently made a cake, too, with a duck on it. I had a board and dowels underneath the board AND I even had a sharpened dowel down through the duck through to the bottom of the cake. It fell over in no time.
Luckily, this was still on my table...so I ran to the store and got a toy rubber ducky.
Sorry, I couldn't help you solve your problem, but I had a similar story and wanted to share also.
Hint, hint: kinda curious, too, as what some people might say bout this........anyone???? |
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crp7
Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 02, 2004
Posts: 605
Birthday: Dec 07
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Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:10 am |
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Poor ducky! I have not used the pan but I cannot imagine what else you could have done with all the dowelling and everything.
Hopefully, someone with experience will see this post.
Cindy |
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fearlessbaker
Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 07, 2006
Posts: 1165
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Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:13 am |
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Pretty sure you can a good sized candy duck mold. After reading this, that's probably what I would use. If you think it would be too heavy you could make it hollow. But it can't be heavier than the cake ducky. |
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kaecakes
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 08, 2005
Posts: 399
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Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:29 am |
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I did the duck when it first came out, I used a yellow DH cake mix I had no problems with it breaking or cracking. My problem was I had to decorate it in a hotel room and forgot the sharpened dowel so it fell over, I put it back up and repaired the icing everything was fine after that. |
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MsTonyasCakes
Frequent Member
Joined: Oct 07, 2005
Posts: 238
Location: Fountain Inn, SC
Birthday: Feb 15
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Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:02 am |
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Thanks guys!! I'm glad I'm not the only one with duckie problems! I might try a DH mix next time instead of scratch....PURELY EXPERIMENTAL ON MY OWN $$$ AND TIME!!!!  If that doesn't work, you may see my duckie pan on Ebay! |
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Laurie_Clarke
Newbie
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 11
Location: Morgan Hill / San Jose CA
Birthday: Apr 29
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Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:45 pm |
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I'm glad to hear all this ducky business now, rather than later when I'm experiencing it for myself! I've had similar issues with the Wilton 3D sheep pan..
In hindsight, I think I would have used a pound cake mix rather than a traditional red velvet -- but this was one of my first cakes, baked for my own 21st birthday. I was remembering fondly the armadillo groom's cake from "Steel Magnolias"...
The head fell off as soon as I applied icing to the cake. I stuck it back on with a plastic dowel rod -- which ended up cleaving so much of the interior of the cake that the head crumbled apart entirely. I ended up piling on about a pound of icing to make up for the fact that the sheep was, basically, headless.
I wish I could say no one was the wiser, but the effect was quite noticable, particularly since this was years before any decorating experience and there were smears of red and crumbs all through the icing anyway. The best comment I received was "Wow!" (which is usually good), but it was followed by "...What happened to it?"
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beany
Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 03, 2005
Posts: 586
Location: Western Australia
Birthday: Oct 10
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Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:12 pm |
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| Laurie_Clarke wrote: | I ended up piling on about a pound of icing to make up for the fact that the sheep was, basically, headless.
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OMG that is hilarious! I'm so sorry to laugh at your pain.....but your post cracked me up! |
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ljkforester
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 07, 2006
Posts: 31
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Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:39 pm |
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I hate when you spend sooooo much time on a cake and it does not turn out!! |
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smittycat77
Newbie
Joined: May 17, 2006
Posts: 2
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Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:32 pm |
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I can completely relate to this duckie problem. I ended up trying to skewer my duck cake with a couple of dowel rods to keep it together. In the long run it really just looked like a duck who'd been shot through with arrows. While not what I was going for, it was luckily for a friend and we all had a good laugh over it in the long run.
Best of luck if you try it again! |
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sweetoccasions
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 29, 2005
Posts: 42
Location: Central Missouri
Birthday: Sep 13
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Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:46 pm |
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I actually had the same problem with a 3D bunny pan. It was for Easter dessert when my in-laws came to visit for the first time (1993). I was so proud. While posing for the picture my mother-in-law was taking, the head fell down. We laughed so hard we cried. Really, it broke the ice for us and we've been dear friends since. Never tried a 3D cake again.
But, i'd be willing if we got some good advise on how to keep this from happening. |
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Ksue
Frequent Member
Joined: May 19, 2006
Posts: 297
Location: Houston, TX
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Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:49 pm |
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I haven't had the torture of trying to use that ducky cake pan, but this idea occurred to me as I read all of your admittedly-hilarious tales of woe with the darn thing ...
What about if you just shoved that 3-D pan full of Rice Krispie treats? Then covered THAT resulting form with fondant or buttercream? It seems like the ducky would be lighter, more able to hold itself together, and less prone to requiring a dozen arrows shot through it. |
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rachmakescakes
Junior Member
Joined: May 21, 2006
Posts: 95
Location: Marietta, GA
Birthday: Dec 23
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Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:37 am |
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The very same thing happened to me when I used that duck pan. A lady I worked with asked me to make the cake for her daughter's first birthday party. I was running late and when I finally finished it, I rushed out the door to meet her. I was one stop light away from the destination and I looked back at the cake...the duck's head had fallen completely off.
I started crying and when I got there I cried even more. I showed it to her and apologized over and over again. Obviously, that was the last time I used that pan.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! |
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MsTonyasCakes
Frequent Member
Joined: Oct 07, 2005
Posts: 238
Location: Fountain Inn, SC
Birthday: Feb 15
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Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:59 am |
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I don't understand how Wilton and all the great decorators on this site get the duckie to look so darn cute! I'm thinking cement may work next time, then you could always use it in the garden after the party. |
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imartsy
Forum Fanatic
Joined: May 26, 2006
Posts: 2360
Location: Louisville, KY
Birthday: Sep 14
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Thu Jun 29, 2006 8:08 am |
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for 3D pans you MUST use a POUND CAKE mix or other dense cake. Or I think you can "add" ingredients to a cake mix to make it denser and that will help. The regular mix is just too "light, moist, and fluffy" and doesn't hold up well in that shape. I've had that happen too... I made a cute duck and had a bowling pin on it's little behind (see www.rubbaducks.com for ideas) and it started to fall apart.... I still took it to the birthday b/c it was my gift - and it DID taste good.... but I was so upset and frustrated. I think there's a cake recipe for Madeira cake that is supposed to be good for 3D stuff too - haven't tried it yet. I love the 3D cakes and I have several pans and haven't had too many problems as long as I used a denser cake mix/recipe. I think it even calls for that in the instructions.....
HTH(i just figured out what that acronym means by the way!) |
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