Ok....my neighbor has asked me to do a cake for his works party wednesday. He wants a fall theme, with the frosting being buttercream. Fondant or gumpaste accents are ok, but he just didnt want the whole thing covered in fondant.....

So to be honest, its weird...but I feel a little limited only being able to frost in BC. I mean, this is how I started. I only started using fondant a few months ago, but now that I can do such cool stuff with it, it just seems like BC isnt the way to go anymore.

I want the cake to look really cool since I am doing it at cost with the goal being a great portfolio piece. Originally I was just thinking of making a 9" square and 6" round with a kind of floral arrangement with mini gumpaste sunflowers, fall leaves, brown GP twigs and little pumpkins. I was thinking of using a basketweave pattern for the buttercream so that it didnt look so plain...but after looking up photos of fall cakes....and seeing stuff that is so amazing....Im trying to think of something really nice to do. Basketweave doesnt seem like its done much anymore. Is that kind of outdated??? What other pattern or design can I use on the BC for the background for my floral arrangement so that it doesnt look so plain?

I see these amazing cakes and sometimes I think I would never have the creativity to think of some of those things myself. Im in awe. Anyone have any ideas for me? Im completly open. :/

Of course Im looking at these and drooling....I just love that topsy turvy cake. Too bad I cant use fondant.

http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/gallery/fall-themed-wedding-cakes

Basketweave? I think it looks stunning when done right. If I did it, it would be a hot mess.

Oh, honey, you're so funny!

First, read my blog on this VERY topic: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/trend

Oh sweetie, who told you THAT lie? You will find LOTS of folks on here who do nothing but or 99% BC cakes, me included. Just because you see nothing but fondant on TV (which holds up better under hot studio lights) and nothing but fondant in the wilton books (because they're trying to sell you their fondant), doesn't mean that BC is "out".

I say, nothing is outdated if that's what the client wants. (And don't the students of Wilton classes do a basketweave cake still? Isnt' it still being taught?)

In the 300 photos of my work on my Flickr site, only about 3 or 4 are fondant. BC is not as limiting as you think. But I've been doing it for 30 years. Back when I started, you learned BC decorating or you didn't decorate. Period.

A basketweave cake with BC flowers cascading out of it is beautiful!

Here ... check out this search on CC where you will find 102 pages of basketweaves cakes: http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&meta=search&type=full&search=basketweave&album=-&search_user=

LOL oh Im not knocking BC. That is all I did for 2 years. Im just so excited about my new skills using fondant because you can just do so much cool stuff with it that you really cant with BC. LOL Im going to check out your links. I wasnt saying BC was outdated, I was just wondering if the basketweave was. Ive only done it a few times and Im not really that great at it. I tend to mess up my spacing, no matter how careful I am. Ive got to figure that out.

I know what you mean about having fun with fondant, though! I'm a fondant newbie and it's pretty cool when it's all done!

Read my blog. I don't believe anything is "outdated". Everything goes in cycles and I've already seen Martha Stewart's site promoting and celebrating (what the youngun's on here call) the "older" style of BC decorating.

I'm still getting orders for basketweave and fountain cakes, so as long as they are still being ordered, then I dont' believe it's "outdated".

I like the look of fondant, but you dont get a good crsip edge with it. If you can smooth bc correctly (I cant) it loks even better than fondant and no one is picking it off. Why not do a bc with poured ganache over it (only half way down the sides) with fall flowers. I think that would look nice.

Why couldn't you do that topsy turvy in buttercream with fondant accents????

http://www.pinkcakebox.com/images/cake819.jpg

I just love this one by tamivo. I actually just made one very similar to be auctioned in my DD's school Fall Festival tonight.

lol aww that is very cute! I think I came up with something I want to do. Ill post a photo when Im done. Its due tues night/wed morning. So Ill post it sometime then.

Most people near me do not want fondant cakes - they're stuck in traditional, white wedding cakes.

Back to subject -

Basketweave is my favorite technique to pipe. If you want to do a basketweave, then fill the basket with apple cookies or piped chrysanthemums and sunflowers, add some fondant leaves for accent, and maybe a couple of fondant acorns.

Theresa

Really? You can do a topsy turvy in BC? Honestly I didnt think you could. lol. Ive never seen one in just BC. Thought maybe it would look weird or something

Almost all of the topsy turvy's I have done have been buttercream! I use the cut-out method (where you set each tier down inside a well you have carved out of the layer beneath it). After I have placed each tier, I go back over my seams where the tiers meet each other with a spatula dipped in hot water and then VIVA it. Add a border around the base of each tier to cover any little leftover imperfections and...........voila!

The orange topsy turvy cake and red topsy turvy cake in my photos are both done in buttercream.

I've only done them in bc w/ fondant accents.

check out tonedna's! she's got oooooooooodles of 'em done in bc w/fondant accents!

were you talking about tonedna having bc with fondant accents or basketweave?

topsy turvies done in bc w/fondant accents....

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos-by-tonedna.html

Personally, a well-done basketweave cake with the top covered in well-made flowers is gorgeous. If you can pipe a perfect basketweave cake, take pride in that! It's not something everyone can or will do.

I agree....basketweave is beautiful when it comes out good

Edna's my hero. LOL. I even told my husband that. I love her cakes. <3