Howdy! I have an order for next Saturday for a 16th birthday. The client wants a topper in gold of the number 16. I was thinking of using cookie cutters to cut out gumpaste and then painting the numbers with gold luster dust, but I can't figure out how to get the numbers to stand up as a topper. I am sure there is a thread on here as to how to do numeral toppers, but I can't seem to find it. Any advice on how to make this topper? TIA! Have an awesome day!!

I carefully thread floral wire through the numbers, with the bottom part @3" to be stuck into the cake (in coffee stirrers). However I have seen some that look to be standing up with no wires going through & wondering how those are done.

I make the numbers and put a thin skewer thru the bottom while it is still soft, then let them dry and when ready just stick it in the cake....check out the #13 in this cake pic

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1678842

If your gumpaste numbers are nice and hard, simply turn them over and attached a lolly stick with some melted chocolate, pop in the freezer to harden, and stick in your cake. That's how I do all my toppers....the zebra print one in my pics with the #10 is done like that, pretty simple, Good luck

You can always make sausages out of fondant/tylose and "draw" the numbers over wax paper, inserting a toothpick or thin skewer through the bottom, let them dry and then stick it in the cake.

http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/flared-sweet-16-cheetah-print-cake-2010-10-06.htm

http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/sweet-16-butterfly-rose-topsy-turvy-cake-2009-12-23.htm

http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/zebra-print-sweet-16-cupcake-stand-2009-12-28.htm

http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/sweet-16-square-cake-2009-01-05.htm

pate choux

Ok--I remembered an even better picture I have to try & get more people to use pate choux for letters & toppers & stuff.

Now you do have to click on it to be able to see the lettering--it says Rachel across the top in black so the contrast isn't the best.

Pate choux is cream puff dough of course. It's

1 cup water
1 stick butter (1/2 cup, 4 ounces)

put in pan ^^^ and melt the butter & bring just to a boil

add
one cup flour all at once stirring all the time until it forms a ball--a minute or so--

then put that in your mixer bowl & add
four eggs one at a time beating very well in between each addition

pipe away

You can frige it and then pipe it and bake it.

Then you can either use toothpicks inserted after baking or just sink the letters into the icing.

If sinking into the icing I think I'd pipe extra doodads on the bottom of the letters before baking so you can submerge the doodads.

Easy peasy. Easy to make many extras. Lightweight. Muy versatile.

It's super easy to pipe--it's got all that egg in there --very cohesive and a perfect consistency. Typically I cut the tip off a parchment bag. I cut it twice --once each way--so the hole is more rounded.

Or any tip like a size ten or so maybe. You could use a star tip. You have to kind of practice a bit to get the feel for the puff. I just test a bit--just toss a test in the oven before hand. But the size I have there does not puff out the sides, stays smooth. A nice fat line can be piped & it works fine.

Pretty sure I keep the temp in the oven lower toward 350 and let them dry out a bit more if memory serves. I mean there's no wrong way to do it. The higher temp makes it puff more so keeping it lower is better.

Oh I hope you try it--let me know if you do. It's a wonderful tool!

Was always gonna add a chapter in my book on this...

And you can half the recipe too.

It puffs like twice as much or half again as much. Kinda depends on what you're up to. I can say this --it's like cookies--you wanna bake the same size on each pan--littler ones bake faster.

I use fondant to do my stand up letters and numbers. I add either corn starch, tylose or dry gum paste powder to the fondant. I roll my fondant out then run it through a pasta machine until its thin but not see thru cut out my numbers or letters with a sharp xacto knife and let dry on a rack overnight then attach them to a kabob stick with melted chocolate. Make sure to allow plenty of time for them to firm up after painting with luster dust.

I've done black & gold and the pretty brown it comes in after baking. I've dried them out and kept them white using shortening--I've made them with red and purple koolaid--results were ok--needed another coat of paint.