Ok...I'm sure there are plenty of posts but I just don't have time to sort through them so I'm hoping somebody can help.

I am making a vertical rocket ship cake for my son's 4th birthday. I intend to cover the rocket itself with red fondant and add fins, decorations, etc.

So...my history with MMF is not great. I don't know what it is, but everytime I make it, I end up with double bubble gum cake. You know what I mean? That bubble gum that's SO soft. My MMF always ends up like that...and it's not fun to eat cake with bubble gum on top.

Moreover, my fondant tends to degrade after just a day or so.

Obviously, I am a beginner at this...novice at best. But, I enjoy creating 3D cakes for the kids, even if they are less than perfect.

So...any suggestions for the fondant? I've made it days ahead and the day of and still not had much success with it.

I'm also well aware that red fondant is hard to achieve. I use Wilton Gel coloring and have no taste red and christmas red. Any suggestions?

And how about the hard decorations? Last year, I made a firetruck cake for my son and I made a ladder out of fondant...it dried alright, but it took forever and then, when it broke and I attempted to create another one, it never really dried well. I was thinking pastillage but I'd like it to be edible. Any suggestions?

Thanks for any suggestions and advice...it's much appreciated. This is a busy time of year for us..we have his birthday, my daughter's birthday and then Christmas (which we celebrate as Jesus' birthday complete with a six layer rainbow cake...this year with a star inside, perhaps). Time is limited for me and I appreciate any help doled out. Thanks again!

--Crystal

Marshmallow fondant...and red candymelts, too.

http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-red-marshmallow-fondant-mmf.html

http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/09/recipe-marshmallow-fondant-mmf.html

Thanks for posting those links..I just bought Red Satin Ice Fondant because the last time I tried to make red Fondant, it was a complete mess. I'll have to try that one. Thanks!!

You're welcome. She's also got a lot of other step-by-steps for children that you might like. I love her blog. So detailed for beginners.

Her profile here is:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-forum-userprofile-639191.html

i would say why not just buy the fondant? (dont know if red is the main colour or just an accessory)

for hard, edible, accessories, id go for gumpaste (way stronger than fondant). possibly chocolate/ candy melts or royal icing runouts.

id use a small round cake, several layers. remember to use a cardboard and dowels for every 4-6 inches of cake.
for the pointy top, id carve down cake - or possibly use an icea cream cone. or cover a foam/ card cone in fondant!
for fins on the side, you could make them from gumpaste, or again cover card.

as for actually fondanting it... depends on the look. you could do it in panels, and make them look riveted, so the seams are not out of place. or make one rectangle to wrap round, and just have the seam at the back. personally i wouldnt be trying to cover it like a traditional cake.
xx

Some rocket cake ideas:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34609352@N00/3148185155/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamabakes/4606322759/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47752938@N06/5181738713/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patacakecreations/4670966739/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trulycrumbtious/4898691898/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13435306@N07/2941920089/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slicescakes/4940026312/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/belisacupcakes/4386878290/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bakerandwife/3323323754/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mummymakescakes/4402152864/

Thanks for the suggestions and links. The cake itself will be red. It has to be a red rocket...lol! The first time I worked with fondant, I used red store bought Wilton fondant to cover a ladybug cake. It looked fine and was easy to work with...but it didn't taste that great.

I've made my own ever since...sometimes it's better than others, but it's just never been perfect. I like the candy melts idea for making red fondant. I was able to successfully make red fondant for last year's fire truck...but it was a beast to do...lol.

The cake I'm doing and the directions are here: http://www.vatsaas.org/rtv/misc/cakes/rocket_cake.pdf I'm just not sure how I can make the seems blend. Any suggestions?

Now...as for decorations...I've never worked with gumpaste. Can I make it from scratch? Is it tasty? What do I need to know about working with it?

Hi Cindy, hopefully I can help answer some questions...

Bubble gum MMF: Not enough PS? 2lbs PS to 1lb Marshmallows and only a drizzle of water over the marshmallows. I usually have about 1-2 cups PS left over after making the MMF. The mmf should be smooth and not tacky. Too much PS will make it crumby, too little will be soft and sticky - almost like bubble gum.

Degrading MMF: Too much shortening but usually after a couple days/weeks. Too much water and not enough PS? I don't use a lot of shortening since I've read it somewhere that it causes the MMF to breakdown over time - I only use the shortening to keep it from sticking to surfaces, never to soften it up with. If you need it to be more pliable, add about 1/2 tspn light corn syrup instead. Too much of the corn syrup will result in very stretchy MMF (lesson learned - I just melted more marshmallows and added it in with more PS to salvage it).

Red MMF: I've used both Strawberry JELL-O and Candy Melts to make my red. I love the candy melts, so much easier and faster. Jello gives you a pink base but it takes 2-3 days after adding the Wilton No Taste Red to get really red (see my Ferrari Cake). The candy melts was instant and very easy (see my Toy Story Cake). I did use the full amount of PS though when I made it with the candy melts.

Don't use the Wilton Christmas Red unless you want the red to have an orange shade to it and it never really intensifies into a nice, deep red (from experience)...unless you want that shade.

Hard decorations: Use gumpaste. Or you can add Tylose/Gumtex to your MMF. It helps it dry faster and harder. About a 1/4 tspn to a tennis ball size of MMF...I just eye it and you can tell the texture of the MMF changes a little. It becomes a little more smoother feeling (hard to explain) almost like silly putty. To help it dry even faster, put the pieces in the oven with the pilot light on (keep darker colors away from the direct light or else it'll fade) plus, it keeps everything out of the way and out of sight from the kids =)

Good luck with the SI and hopefully you'll give MMF a try again soon.

although gumpaste is technically edible, its only really kids and sugar addicts that will eat it! i dont kow that it has much taste really, but drying rock solid it has a good crunch!
you can buy it ready made (maybe a good idea for your first time) or make it - look for nicholas lodge's recipe, its one of the best.

what that tutorial leaves out is the need for doewls and supports - you are taking a chance if you leave that out! id stack the cakes with no support or filling to carve, then take apart and add filling and supports.

if you are following their design, i wouldnt worry about the seam, since it will be covered by the extra strip that got added on.
other way to hide seems - they may blend with some gentle rubbing, or rubbing with crisco, or rubbing with ps. or you can colour ri and use that to help blend. or water down fondant and use that.
xx

Excellent information...thank-you all for your help!

--Crystal