How do I make a closed book cake? Can I do it with buttercream or is it better to use fondant? (i have only worked with fondant a few times and never covered a cake)

I've done it with buttercream:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1154318
This was a 9x13 cut in half and stacked. I frosted the pages part first, then the parts for the cover. I used a round tip to do the edges of the cover for the overhang.
Hope this helps!

the books were easy just time consuming. a thick piece of white scored fondant with the lines was placed on the 3 sides for the pages. the spine and top cover were one piece. i added a TON of tylose to the colored fondant. rolled it out just under 1/4 inch thick. let it set up some before i put it on the cake. go no more than 1/4 inch over the top edge of the cake or cover will droop. I propped the corners up with viva for a while so they would not droop. the bottm "cover" is just strips (1/4 inch wide) applied along the bottom white part of the pages.

Sugarshack, is this the cake you're talking about? http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1222803

yes bob!

Beautiful cake Sugar shack! Question for you though.... you description makes perfect sense to me for the bottom cake but is the top cake done in the exact same way? I wonder about what support the 1/4 strip that you add to look like the back cover of the top book. Is it just attached to "pages" and it sticks? kind of hovering?

Awesome thanks!

There ia alittle description of how i made these,hope it helps. I cut the panels seperately and let them dry for a while (half a day),its fondant and gumpaste.I covered the white pages first with a strip and scored it with a fork.

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1739065/1739078

If you let them dry for 1/2 day does it not crack/tear when you fold it for the binding edge?

Here is a tutorial I found because I have to make one as well, but have not tried it yet.
http://thefrostedcakencookie.blogspot.com/2009/05/graduation-cake.html

would adding alot of TYLOSE to the fondant and allowing it to set for a little while prior to placing on the cake make the fondant crack upon placing upon the cake and will it be hard to cut thru for serving?

Adding Tylose makes it stiffer, like gumpaste that will harden. So not sure you should use it to actually cover the cakes.

To keep the edges of the covers from curling as they dry, you could cut a piece of foamcore the size of your 'pages' and put it between the top and bottom cover edge until the fondant dries enough to remain stable.

I used sugarshack's method and my books turned out beautifully. Tylose was not a problem when cutting as there is plenty of moisture in the cake to keep it soft. Check it out in my photos.

Will this help? I have Sugarshacks dvd also, but this will help you now.


http://www.lovelytutorials.com/forum/showthread.php?s=7dc01739a5dd7cf391269a913cbe4a44&t=2931