Early Cake For Mom

Decorating By Raynebow88 Updated 8 Feb 2016 , 3:06pm by -K8memphis

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Raynebow88 Posted 31 Jan 2016 , 11:41pm
post #1 of 9

Hello I'm 13 years old and I'm learning how to bake and decorate cakes. I want to make my mom a ballerina cake for her birthday this Saturday, I posted a pic below of the how I'm gonna make it. I plan on baking on Wednesday and finishing up everything on Thursday, that is the only time I'll be able to cause my grandmas gonna help me. My question is will it be ok by Saturday if I finish it on Thursday? Will the ballerina shoes (topper) be ok on top the cake till than, or should I poke a hole through the top and wait till Saturday to put it on? Please help thank you!56aea2173e5d3.jpeg

*Last edited by Raynebow88 on 1 Feb 2016 , 12:08am
8 replies
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Pastrybaglady Posted 1 Feb 2016 , 3:37am
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The shoes will need time to dry sufficiently to hold their shape.  Personally I would be making the shoes at least a week in advance.  No reason to put them on Thursday.  Keep them in a cardboard box to protect them until you need them and put them on sometime Saturday.

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Raynebow88 Posted 1 Feb 2016 , 7:24am
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I'll be sure to do so. Thank you so much for your help!:) @Pastrybaglady ‍ 

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-K8memphis Posted 1 Feb 2016 , 11:35am
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raynebow -- i'm not sure how advanced your skills are but i want to write this to make sure you do not let yourself get discouraged -- the cake you have chosen is one that requires a great deal of expertise that you definitely could pull off -- however just the idea of making it all in two days would be something mostly only a very experienced decorator would attempt and this would not be their plan "A" would not be their first plan -- like pastrybaglady said she would make the shoes in advance --

so all that to say don't let yourself get discouraged if things go a little differently than you expect -- hey if you pull it off great more power to you but otherwise do your best, chalk anything off that needs to be chalked off to learning and i know your mom's gonna love it -- how sweet of you to do something so wonderful and sweet for her --

i'm usually on here daily if you have any questions -- lots of peeps will be glad to help you --  best to you and grandma and your lucky mom

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-K8memphis Posted 1 Feb 2016 , 11:59am
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and it depends on what kind of cake you're making as to how to store and hold -- a scratch cake might be a little worn out in 4 days sitting out already decorated -- a scratch pound cake would be ok though -- your decor needs to be made very stiff so it could withstand refrigeration if you use a filling that needs to be kept cold -- just so many different variables -- what kind of cake are you making?

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-K8memphis Posted 1 Feb 2016 , 12:21pm
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a valuable modus operandi of cake decorators is the power of plans a,b,c, etc. and while i understand your plate is quite full with this design and i totally want you to hit it out of the park sky high you eventually want to be able to still create a pleasant work of art even if it's not plan 'A' which would be exactly like the inspiration photo --  or aat least a delicious dessert if you get into plans xyz :)  so aim for the next gallaxy but be prepared to orbit with the space shuttle kwim, munchkin?

but i hope you have a camera handy too -- i'm really excited about this -- but use it as your starting point and next time the plan is do better than this time 

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Raynebow88 Posted 7 Feb 2016 , 11:51pm
post #7 of 9

Hi @-K8memphis ‍ thank you for all your helpful advice! Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to finish the cake completely despite that I've been planning this for a whole month! I got as far as making the shoes (done 1 week prior), I baked a WASC cake I used kakeladi's recipe, covered the cake with my homemade fondant, and just some Ruffles (I ran out of fondant) I really felt like if I had just a little bit more time I really could of finished it, but the good news is mommy loved it anyway! She was so happy, and so was the rest of the fam, I already have two whole cake orders to do for next month, one for my  Aunt's birthday and another for my other Aunt's and Uncle's anniversary:) but I can't take all the credit for it though, grandma did drive me to the store to get everything I needed lol. I really enjoy baking and decorating cakes and I wanted to know what are some tips to become better at it? Most of the stuffs I know I've learned from here on CC, everyday I'm in the forums trying to learn as much as I can, I also go on YouTube. Lucky for me I have a really big family so everytime we have a party I get to practice:) I would like to know everything so that I could make it a business one day, where should I start? Thank you for your help, I know I will be much more prepared for my next order now:)

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Pastrybaglady Posted 8 Feb 2016 , 4:18am
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You're 13 years old?  I would say keep doing what you're doing.  Bake for your relatives and practice your recipes until youve got them down cold.  Practice your icing technique to get smooth surfaces and sharp corners.  Practice your piping for borders and writing.  Practice making your own fondant for sculpting.  In short: practice practice practice!

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-K8memphis Posted 8 Feb 2016 , 3:06pm
post #9 of 9

so proud of you!

 for me the object of the game is to ring their bell (in a good way not the football tackle way :) so you are already a champion -- and you have already taught yourself several invaluable lessons --

'just a little more time' is the difference between a great cake and a jaw dropping cake -- i pushed hard against my deadlines for years never having enough time to do 'just another hour and i could apply one more crowning glory thing'  -- and one day surprise surprise i had extra time and hatched a crazy idea -- i pulled it off and i was a rock star (to myself) and it was wonderful --

so especially at first allow more time -- twice as much -- nothing wrong with a cake being done early -- 

i made it a habit to make/have more than i needed of icing and decor even extra cake ingredients for back ups  -- so that when you do have extra time and motivation and you're just dying to hatch a plan that you didn't initially foresee -- you'll have all the tools to pull it off -- and i hate to switch from decorating mode back to 'let's go re-make more components' <shudder-> it really zaps my momentum -- but even just sweet sweet time to breathe easy adorning the finishing touches can really make a huge difference -- 

moral of the story -- safeguard that time and your components are firmly abundantly on your side --

i'm guessing you did not have to deliver your creation? but anyway this is a good thing i like to do -- i make it a point to do the last things first as well as anything else that can be done in advance -- for example i make my boxes and all decor like you did the ballet slippers -- so that at a certain point in assembling i meet up with my work and it's smooth sailing all i have to do is follow the bread crumbs I've already laid down -- because your brain does get  a little overloaded sometimes -- making a substantial cake is like keeping spinning plates going and not falling off the sticks like jugglers do kwim -- quite a balancing act -- and of course any boards including bottom boards can be made in advance -- pans can be prepared well in advance and covered in plastic wrap -- ingredients can be measured in advance and placed in plastic bags marked with a sharpie as to contents and date -- you can actually make yourself more time -- an aside here -- i like to use coffee filters to measure things out into -- and double check the recipe before piling into the mixer bowl -- that way you never loose count -- kwim

a form of 'nyquil' that i use is when i lay down at night i meditate on the steps i will take doing my next cake -- not to be anxious but to plan and visualize -- and drift off to sleep with the sugar plums...

i'm so happy for you -- i wish you best of the best of success that blossoms more and more the harder/smarter you work


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