Hi everyone, ive been asked to recreate this cake but with hydrangeas instead of the flowers pictured.

I havent ever tried to do a cake with these pleats/wraps and was wondering if its best to do them with fondant or a fondant with a little tylose? Also any tips for getting the strips long enough to wrap round without tearing? Im a bit anxious that i wont be able to get them straight enough or thin enough to look right.

any help, much appreciated, i will have a good practice on a cake dummy too but any advice from experience would be great

Is that fondant or buttercream? Why not just frost with buttercream and work from the bottom up? Same effect.

It does rather look like buttercream strips. I think you would have to apply fondant pretty thick to achieve that same look.

My mind is like a sieve ... I don't remember who did one of these but did it with
buttercream. They had some help by spinning the turntable for them.

Duff did this cake on one of his early episodes and he used strips of fondant. His big concern was the seem in the back but there isn't much you can do about that. Buttons or something would be cute to hide the seem. For me I could not do that in buttercream and get the lines straight but I think more experienced people could definately do it in buttercream

actually, if you take a close look at it the fondant isn't really all that straight. that's actually one of the beauties of this cake

I would let the bride know you can't do it exactly but create it as close as possible. I don't know if the tylose powder would make any difference. just work from the bottom up and you should be fine!

btw, if you do buttercream you wouldn't be able to get those one or two white strips in there. JMO

I agree, it looks like buttercream. I hope you don't have a wobbly turntable, but the hardest part will be trying to push a very full pastry bag with only one squeeze all the way around the larger tiers. You won't have as much control over your bag while holding it nearest to the bag's filling end therefore shaking hands are very likely. If you practice first and don't get straight line results, then you might need to consider using fondant strips if the bride is okay with paying for your fondant prices.

(of course, you'll use a pastry bag filled with white along with another filled with the color if you choose the buttercream route.)

They actually make a rolling pin that does this effect now! You can get it at Global Sugar Art under RVO Designs. Its kinda expensive but it will give you the effect without have a "back" to the cake.
Here is the link: http://www.globalsugarart.com/cat.php?cid=832&s=60&name=RVO%20%20Rosa's%20Designs

Cool rolling pin. I might get that!

I'm agreeing with the rest of the folks. I have done this cake in buttercream before. I have an electirc turntable though, so I guess I'm a bit spoiled. Def get help spinning the turn table. It will make your life so much easier.

If you decide to do it in fondant, I remember from that episode of Ace of Cakes that they did the entire side flat on the table so they could line up all the pleats evening, then lifted it as a whole piece and wrapped it around the cake.

thanks for all the replies. i was pretty sure it was done in fondant - i actually remember that ace of cakes episode - i remember now they had issues with it and then they ended up doing it in one piece.

absolutly NO WAY id do it in buttercream, im a buttercream virgin - wouldnt know where to start have no idea how all you guys get buttercream to look like fondant so neatly.

think il addd a little tylose and try and get the strips realy thin and cover up the back with buttons?? i did notice that the strips arent exactly straight which made me feel a little better!

Good luck and be sure to let us know how you make out.

That rolling pin is incredible.