I was just asked by a friend to do some gumpaste figures for an icecream cake...Has anyone ever done this? I pretty much assume that gumpaste touching that cake would not work... but any ideas on how to do this and protect the figures from getting wet?

Thanks!

Anyone have thoughts on this?

I'm really not sure.... Maybe do the figure on a stick so barely any of it touches the cake and put it on in the last minute possible

Never done it. I think they will be fine, though.

Martha Stewart once had an ice cream in a magazine, covered in white chocolate buttercream (that might be a good idea with an ice cream cake) and she had marzipan penguins on it.

So you might be able to make them in marzipan instead, or see if fondant will be OK. I think it will.

Here's the cake:

http://www.marthastewart.com/282299/igloo-cake

http://www.marthastewart.com/261213/white-chocolate-buttercream

http://www.marthastewart.com/261317/marzipan-penguins

If the gumpaste has had plenty of time to dry (a couple weeks) then it will be totally fine on the cake. Anyway, ice cream cakes can only sit out for so long...a perfectly dry figure will not have time to get mushy by the time the cake is consumed.

Or you could use modeling chocolate? Those dry fast.

http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2011/03/korean-hanbok-dol-cake.html

http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-make-modeling-chocolate.html

I'm working with gumpaste snowman figures that will be placed on top of ice cream topped cupcakes. The figures will have had weeks to dry. The cupcakes will be assembled shortly before being served - at least that is what I'm told -- I won't be available for the assembling process. I was thinking if the bottoms of the gumpaste figures were dipped in white chocolate or white candy melts it would act as a barrier - that would prevent any melting problems should they be left on for a long period of time. Any thoughts on whether or not this will work?

I think you will be fine with or without the dipping... the figures i did for the icecream cake held up just fine... and actually only had a day or 2 to dry!

I just did a Dinosaur Train ice cream cake a couple of weeks ago. I did the cake and ice cream layers, covered it all in chocolate buttercream and froze everything. Then I did all the decorations out of fondant and gumpaste. @ 30 minutes before delivery, I took the cake out of the freezer, put the fondant and gumpaste on it, and delivered. The figures and decorations held up just fine. I stayed at the party to help cut the cake because it had to be unassembled a bit to cut. The cake sat outside for about 1 hour before cutting, and there wasn't any trouble at all.

The ice cream will be freshly scooped onto the cupcakes so it won't be very hard, which is why I was concerned about the gumpaste figures. Maybe I ought to do a test run with one and see what happens.