I have been experimenting with using rkt to make different parts of the cake-- How do I get them to stay together-- I attempted a tail for a helicopter and started to fall apart. Can someone help me?

Thanks.

I have used rice treats for several cakes and i have noticed that once you form your treats to the shape you want put them in the frig to get hard. they will stay the best though if allowed to completely dry out in the air for several days. they may not be very good to eat when they are stale but in my experience if they treats were not dried out they fell apart or seperated. for instance, i made 3 round balls for a mickey head the night i decorated it. I covered them in fondant and put them in the frig, they were nice and hard when i put the cake together. it stayed that way till the halfway through the party and one of the ears broke in half and fell off the head. now had i allowed them to dry out i dont think they would have happened. i hope this helps? sorry so long

I made a teddy bear. After I shaped the bear (body, head, arms, legs) out of RKT I let them dry for a couple of days. Soon I realized they were not drying (getting firm), so I decided to cover them in fondant. I assembled the bear that way and it dried very nicely. It has not fallen apart and I did it a week ago. (I will tell them not to eat the bear since it's probably stale)!

I am thankful for the discussion on making the RKT forms ahead of time. I have one of those baby rump cakes to do for this Sunday, and the feet are made of RKT. From the little bit of discussion here, I can't tell if I should let them dry out in the fridge, or take them out of the fridge to dry after they harden. Also, since I am new to this website and to using RKT, do you coat the RKT with buttercream before you cover it with fondant? Thanks for your help, this is a fundraiser for me for Team in Training for Leukemia Lymphoma Society, and if I do well, I know I will get orders for more! Go Team!

I usually just pack the rkt real tight when molding it and carve a bit to smooth anything out. I then wrap it in a ziplock bag and leave it out for at least a day. When I'm ready to cover it in fondant or modeling choco I cover it with a very thin coat of buttercream before doing so. I made the ears and face of my Odie cake this way and it held up beautifully, the ears were super heavy too! I would imagine refrigerating would help it to set all the more, though I haven't had a prob leaving it out in the zip lock. Also haven't had them end up stale this way.

What I do when Im making the RKT is not add as much butter then the recipe calls for. Then when you are making your shaped you want to compress it as much as possible. Then stick it in the fridge so that it can cool. You might have to take it out about fifteen minutes after you put it in there and compress it some more because it will have a tendancy to try to fall apart. Then once its the shape you want, you want to cover it with a light coating of buttercream to adhere the fondant. Not too much because it will make the RKT too wet which you dont want either. If you want, you can also use white modeling chocolate to cover it with (or dark) depending on what your making. I find that it doesnt show the ridges of the rice crispies as much and its easier to model. I did my baby cake that way (I think the picture is in the Great American Cake Show pics).

Wow, I'm probably the only one here but I never even thought to make it. I just buy it by the large boxes for $6.99. Weirkd, is the consistency the same as when you buy it commercially made? I know the commercial RKT have worked well for me, but if I can save money and it's the same then then I'm all for it. Just curious.

Once you have the desired shape you want, place it in the freezer while you melt some candy melts or chocolate almond bark. Remove your rot shape from the freezer and using a pastry brush paint the entire shape with the melted chocolate, allow it to dry and paint several more coats of chocolate on it. The chocolate seals the rkt keeping it fresh longer and also helps by holding the shape of the object.

I crush my crispies a little before I mold them. This lets you pack it firmer that way there's no chance they will crush/lose shape under the weight of the fondant. Also I don't use any butter in the recipe.....this really hels make a stiffer RKT.

Wow thanks for all the help-- I will try all of the different ways!

I always use the recommended butter in the recipe but I cut back a cup and a half of the cereal. I then just put them in a pan and squash them down like normal. Then the next day or when they have had a couple of hours of setting up I just tear chunks and mold them making sure I squash them really good. Then I cover in two layers of fondant so that they are smooth. I have never had a problem with them falling apart. When they have a dowel in them I do dip the dowel in chocolate and let in dry in the rice crispy before I attempt putting it in a cake.

I am so glad I signed on to CC - all of you are so helpful! I agree with crazyteach - I am ready to try your suggestions.

These hints have been very helpful. I molded some pine trees needed for a large order and the trial trees fell off the lollipop stick. After reading hints here, I found the solution. I left the butter out of the recipe and layered the krispies between two buttered sheets of waxed paper pounding them flat with a rolling pin to compact. Chilling them in the fridge isn't necessary because the krispies are so compacted they aren't going anywhere!

Molding Rice Krispie Treats sounds like a heck of a lot of work. The moldings you guys have done are quite cute!

I use a lot of Marshmallows when I make my RKT. I've never had any problems with it. If I mold them, they stay that way.I think the Marshmallows are the trick as it makes it really sticky. When I'm done, I normally leave them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before I cover it with fondant.

Works perfectly every time!

I've made a ball (formed in the Wilton 2 pc ball pan) & the heads of my 2 zombie cakes (formed in a 8 cup Tupperware pitcher/bowl) out of RKT as well as other shapes. I follow the Kellogg's RKT recipe as well as add a scoop of creamy peanut butter to the melted marshmallows (although the only ingredient I measure is the rice krispies).  I don't like to pack the treats hard nor do I let them get stale. I want my customers to enjoy my RKT as much as the cake - with the added PB they are really yummy!! Be sure no one has peanut allergies!!! Is all I do is compact the treats enough to create the needed shape & put it in a bowl to firm up (I don't refrigerate it). Be sure and butter your bowl so you can easily remove it later!!

For a smoother surface I use a thin coating of modeling chocolate pressed into & all over the surface, then cover with 50/50 fondant/modeling chocolate. The modeling chocolate will help hold the integrity of the RKT - I've never had a problem with them falling apart or losing shape if you give it enough time to firm up. I use a serrated knife to cut smaller shapes or carve when needed.