First off what kind of chocolate do I use for tempering? Also I know how to make fondant roses using the cutters but is there any way to make a huge rose out of fondant height not width. Does anyone else have the problem of having way to much fondant on their decorated cakes? Yes I rolled out the fondant as thin as possible to cover the cakes but there was alot of details that needed to be done with fondant and when it was time to eat the cake i had to take most of them off. I made a cake for a little for her first birthday and it had a large bow on top of it made of fondant but it was way to much to be eaten with the cake itself. So right I am kinda clueless as to be able to get the details that i want on the cake without adding tons of fondant or am I just out of luck. Any suggestions/tips would be awesome. Also I will post some pics of my newest creations. Please give me your thoughts the people said that they loved it but they were friends and family so I am turning to complete strangers to tell what you think and what I could've done better. Be as harsh as you want I can't get better if people tell me that they like the cake. Thank you in advanced can't wait to read the comments.

Hi Christina - glad you posted your questions - I've learned so much from all the cc'ers on here!

For your rose, unless you mean just a bud, I think increasing the height of a fondant rose would also increase the width (circumference). There are some great cutters you can get in more diverse sizes than Wilton offers (though I still love the Wilton easy rose set). Get some sturdy floral wire and wrap several together with floral tape if necessary, depending on just what size you want (need to support the weight). Check out the "gumpaste cutters/flowers" section on Global Sugar Art's website. They have a TON, depending on whether you want to make individual petals or the easy-rose type cutter that cuts five at once. You can also use a circle cutter to make individual petals and then flatten it out yourself to the desired size. The center of the rose you make into that teardrop shape (I'm sure there is a scientific name for it - LOL) will be slightly shorter than the total height of your rose, so you can use that as a guide. There may also be some information for you in the tutorial forum.

Hope that helps get you started - happy caking!
Dana/Blueburd

As for the "too much fondant" issue. When it comes to items like large bows you just have to get use to the idea that most of those decorations come off the cake before serving. Usually stand up decorations are a mix of fondant and tylose or are gumpaste and as such taste pretty much like cardboard when they dry so no one really wants to eat those anyways. I tend to remove as many of the decorations as I can before serving. Those that would rip away part of the fondant I leave in place.

Cat

Okay I just wasn't sure if I was the only one taking off the large fondant decorations. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong.