I have been asked to make a POOL PARTY cake for a neighborhood pool. they gave me creative license.

How do I make water? I read you can color piping gel but this is a 1/2 sheet cake! plus a smaller to resemble the baby pool. My question...will the piping gel break down my gumpaste/fondant people that will be "in the pool?" I can marble fondant but rather than make the decision, I guess I'm asking you to make the decision for me. HELP!!! The cake is due at 3PM on Saturday and I normally assemble the decorative pieces on the cake just before delivery.

Your help will be appreciated! Also...I've made 3 kids, 2 adults to put in the water...2 noodles, a beach ball, chairs to go around (just a few) the community logo on the deck of the pool, a float, a few towels...am I missing anything. Oh, I did a shark fin since they just converted to salt water! If you can think of anything...please add.

THX in advance.

I made a 1/2 sheet for pool party once and I cut into the cake to make a "figure eight" type pool. I just used BC for the pool water. I added a colorful beach ball, a diving board and then "paved" a walk around it with bits of fondant - it looked like stone.You could make some fondant pool "noodles" for the water and maybe some kid's toy for the kiddie pool.

I used coloured gel for the water. I made a lot of little girls out of royal icing
to put in the pool. The cake was covered in BC. Nothing melted. I've since
improved my decorating skills so would have done a nicer job making a pool.
It's in my pics. Good luck!!!

I can't believe I'm going to answer my own post!!! But...I learn alot by the posts here in the forum. Maybe this will help someone else. I was told the piping gel is edible but it really shouldn't be put on the cake itself...at least not the main area and it may "melt" the gumpaste figures.

Clear Fruit Glaze. .a decorator that happened to be at the store told me to use it instead and just color it. Said it will work better than piping gel and people will not need to eat around it! She also told me "it shouldn't" break down the gum paste!

Wish me luck! This cake will introduce me to potential customers...at least, that is what I am hoping for.

I used piping gel on my pool cake and put a raft with a figure in it. I did put the figures on the cake right before the event and I took them off a couple of hours later. No problems.

You can also use blue raspberry jello, Family Circles bear pool party cake was made that way.

If you'd rather use fruit glaze, I think that's fine, but piping gel is totally edible (although probably less tasty than fruit glaze!). I think either one would be okay if you put your figures on at the last minute. You could keep most of them on the side of the pool, away from the water just to be sure.

Oh, I forgot! Other things you could add to the cake if you have time and the desire to put more things on (though you probably won't need them): some flip-flops, a radio, sunglasses, a bottle of tanning lotion, a pail and shovel near the kiddie pool, food, beer cans and pop bottles, a grill (can you tell I was planning a beach cake once that never got made? I have a whole list...). Did you see the lawnmower with the little swatch of mowed lawn in FACSlady's cake? That was SO nifty!

Hi all...and thank you for your responses. Marianna...thank you for giving me the heads up on "stuff." I have made many but never thought about a grill and taking it to that level. Hell, girl...I have a hard enough time making a towel!

My first thought was piping gel, but I remember when I first smelled it...didn't smell like something I would want to eat...(although edible). I will try the fruit glaze...just wondering what to do with the left over.

As far as the people...yeah, thats a joke! I tried and my bodies are so out of proportion that I figure I will stick the heads in the pooll. I tried making sunglasses but they are so small that they broke when I turned them to dry...instead, I did a kid with a snorkel.

Yeah, jerseygirlNga, I hear you. That's one of the reasons the beach cake never got made! But I have to admit I spend an inordinate amount of time playing around with fondant and gumpaste just to see what I can do - take a look at the overnight case on top of the suitcase cake in my photos, if you have a chance (there's a close-up). One day I'll either be a great cake artist or the oldest goof-off of all time!

I have a family pool in my photos. I carved out a "pool" in a 9 x 13 sheet cake, put a BC crumb coat and then used piping gel colored blue with Wilton's royal blue gel color. Folks at work were in awe on how I made "water". None of the fondant (mixed w/Tylose) people dissolved, although they looked like they needed to lose a few pounds!

Very cool cake, TucsonGina!