Hi,
Well, I've been making a birthday cake for my best friend and decided I'd do the Planet Cake Spring Time - well a version of it at least, decided instead of it being 8" high I'd just do it 6" high.
Well, It's a pretty simply cake, considering I've covered 5" high cakes no problem, didn't think the extra inch would be too much hassle. Well it's been one of those cakes where EVERYTHING is going wrong. I'm actually sitting in the livingroom wondering when it's going to crumble.
So first off it's two tiers with the bottom being an 8" by 6" high vanilla cake with alternate layers of lemon curd SMBC and raspberry SMBC and then the top tier is 6" by 4" high chocolate cake soaked with Chambord simple syrup layered with raspberry buttercream. The bottom tier is covered in white chocolate ganache and the top covered in dark chocolate ganache. Well the plan was to support the bottom tier half way with a smaller cake board and some straws, however I totally forgot and only remembered once it was ganached. However I thought to myself, it's no biggy, it's not that big. Anyway, I was really proud of myself because they were totally level and totally smooth. So today comes the fun part - DECORATING!!! So the bottom tier is a pale powder blue and the top tier a bright mustard yellow, so quite a lot of colour required for the fondant. Anyway, I use Carma Massa Ticino fondant and I've been singing it's praises since I bought it (and to be honest there is nothing wrong with it today) but I think because I coloured it today and used it today, I haven't given it time to firm up enough. So went to cover the bright yellow tier and I hate covering 6" cakes at the best of times and I rolled it, as I usually do to 1/16th of an inch and started covering it and it ripped straight away. So tore it off and started again, time it covered but it had stretched and there is a bit of elephant skin (not that you can really notice much). So anyway, moving on to the powder blue tier. After colouring the fondant, I put it in the fridge to firm up a bit, then started rolling and decided to roll it to 1/8th of an inch this time and it was covering beautifully and I was all chuffed with myself and when I got to the very last piece that needed smoothed down, it fricking ripped!!! I could have cried. However I thought it's fine, the decor with cover that, so I smooshed some fondant with water and covered it up best I could. So now they are stacked using my favoured method which is bubble tea straws and I've now added a black border round each of the tiers. So I was sitting looking at it wondering what I was going to do decoration wise as my original idea was scuppered after the tearing fondant episode and when I turned the cake round to the messy part, I noticed a small crack in the fondant just above the tear. Took my paint brush to wet that area to put more fondant on and you can see right through the fondant and see that the ganache has cracked underneath!!!! So right now I have covered the crack but I'm now thinking that it's a waste of time and I'm sitting in the living room gutted and wondering if I should bother continuing. I know that the delivery of the cake is going to be an absolute nightmare with me constantly wondering if it's going to break and I think it will!!
Lucky thing is, it's a free cake for my friend, so it's not a huge drama, but I'm just so annoyed because I've spent ages and money on this and it's looking like it's going to be a disaster!
Anyway, rant over!!!
There is always a solution take a break over night is always good but at least a cup of tea and step away. When you go back to it you will find the solution. i made a pink number one cake and the fondant riped right around the curve of the number one. I was putting a teddy ontop with writting. So I made patches and made it into a tatty teddy cake and you would never even know. I'm sure you will come to a solution and the cke will look fab. X
It's actually shaped up not to badly - I'll post pics once I've finished.
It's not to do with lemon curd or raspberry jam, they are on alternating layers and they are incorporated into the buttercream, not just spread onto the sponge if that makes sense. I know what you mean though, if you have jam etc underneath buttercream, but these are well mixed in.
If it just makes it to the destination without crumbling, I'll be happy!
You made SMBC with lemon curd mixed in and some with raspberry jam mixed in right? If so you are right... that's not the issue... I do that all the time and it's very stable. Sound like the cake gremlins were at your house. We all have those moments... where nothing will go right and you just want to throw the cake across the room... LOL.
I find that it is best to give strongly colored fondant a day to rest (and sometimes a little tylose if it's REALLY dark). Can't wait to see pictures!
(BTW... this is Jeanne from Flickr... thewelldressedcake.. HI!!!!)
Ah Ha!!! It's you!!! lol - Funny, because I recognised your avatar!!!!
Well I've literally just finished the little blighter and it's not perfect but it's not too bad. However I still have the drive tomorrow for delivery and I am dreading it with every morsel of being left in me!! I'm uploading the photo's to Flickr just now - word of warning though, it is bright yellow and powder blue and not yellow and white like the photo would suggest. I actually hate yellow and white together (don't know why) and it kills me that I can't get the blue to show up on camera lol. Well long story short, the cake is NOTHING like it was meant to be, but I did the best with what I had........and yes it was one of those 'launch that bad boy across the room' cakes!!
I read of all the issues you had going on with your cake, but I'm happy to see that it came out BEAUTIFULLY! I absolutely love the ruffles on the lower tier...wow!
The flavor combo sounds yummy as well. Here's to a smooth delivery 
Well I've literally just finished the little blighter and it's not perfect but it's not too bad.
Well, that's an understatement! It's gorgeous, and I wish we could see the blue color a little stronger because I'd guess it's even more gorgeous.
You've got some mad skillz, nanefy.
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