Hello all,

I'm totally new here but thought you all seemed lovely and friendly so I'll ask my total newbie question here.

I want to make fondant cherries complete with stalks - I'm saying fondant because that's the only way I can logically think to do it with my limited knowledge.

What materials would I need? Also it'd be great if they were really shiny, is there some material you can buy to do this?

Thank you in advance for any replies.

Sarah

Hi Sarah -- welcome!

Fondant would be a great choice -- as you know, you can buy it, but here are some great recipes to make your own:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-3663-16-Michele-Fosters-Delicious-Fondant.html

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1949-15-Marshmallow-Fondant-MMF.html

Also: the stalks -- if you want them completely edible, you could pipe thin lines of dark Royal Icing, and then carefully add them once the cherries are on the cake. Thin chocolate stems might be nice too, but I'd think they'd be near-impossible to manage unless you had a really cold working area. Some people who work with gumpaste do use wires-- but of course, not edible.

As far as shiny...hmmm...I know you can use sanding sugars for a sparkly look, or luster dusts, but I know other CC members will have better ideas!

Thank you Petit-Four for your advice, I really appreciate it! I think I could really get into all this! I'll have to post some pictures when I've had a go, I'm trying to make muffins for the cast of a show I'm in "the Witches of Eastwick, so I'm going to alternate red and black icing with cherries on the top - those who have seen the film will know the relevance to the cherries

Thanks so much for the helpful advice, I will have a go at piping the stalks as you suggested!

Sarah x

You can also dip real cherries in whipped egg whites (would probably use pasteurized powdered as safest) and then dip in sparkling sugar. Very elegant, but would have to be done shortly before serving cupcakes.

If you pipe the stems over a curved surface (like half of a paper towel roll) covered with waxed paper, you'd get the natural curve of a cherry stem. Give a little "push" of pressure at the end to get the natural enlargement of the stem.

Enjoy!

Thank you so much for your helpful tips, all my cake decorating bits and bobs came this morning, I'm really looking forward to getting started on these!

How far in advance can you make fondant bits for cakes? Do they keep well?

Well, commercial fondant tends to get hard, MMF would stay softer longer. You could prepare the cherries several days in advance without problems (assuming you're not in a tropical climate). Indenting it with some gumpaste tools would make it look quite realistic.

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30C96E-475A-BAC0-5A07E76ADD836146

The RI should set up in less than a day with such thin strips. I'd suggest tip #2 to make the stems. You could just set them gently on the cupcake, or, attach with a tiny dab of RI.

You have been more than helpful! I'm not on a tropical climate, I'm in good old rainy England! I'm going to see if I can get a hold of those tools over here in the UK, they look brilliant!

I can't wait to get started, I'll be sure to post some pics up once I've done them!