If Anyone is knows answers to any of these questions...... can you please post a reply? I start baking this week and need some help........... My idea for my cake is the 'Hey diddle-diddle' cake in the cake ideas forum. Thanks!



1) Has anyone ever made cakes ahead and frozen them? How do you do it? I saw on a few forums that ppl say you can do a crumb coating and freeze, however a few posts said not to do this and to freeze just the cakes. Any insight?

2) Has anyone ever traveled with frozen cakes? I am baking these in Chicago (i'm putting on my best friend's bridal shower there) and then flying to Kansas City with the frozen cakes and will ice them there at my aunt's house (she has a beautiful new, big kitchen w/ample counter space). I will have 3" cakes (12", 8" and 6"). The 12" cakes i don't know how to pack these- maybe i should pack them in a box and pad them in my bag for overhead compartment? If they are frozen, and i pad them well they should be fine?

3) How do wrap a cake to freeze it, so it stays ultra moist and doesn't get frostbite? Lots of saran wrap and wax paper?

4) For my hey diddle-diddle cake- I will be using fondant cut-outs for the first time: Do i use the MMF type? I heard it's the best. I'm making my own, and so of course that involves more questions..........

a) Is it best to color it w/wilton colors?

b) How do i get the black to be really BLACK?

c) Can i mix this with an electric hand mixer- my kitchen-aid mixer will not fit in the overhead bin on the flight to Kansas City So, i'll need to use my Aunt's electric hand mixer!

d)How long does it actually take to make the MMF and to color many various sections of it?

e) When do i add Food Coloring- when Marshmallows are hot (and then seperate each portion of recipe into seperate dishes w/respective food colors) or after MMF is made and knead in each color to each MMF dough ball?

f) Fondant figurines: how long does it take these to dry? Do they crack? Storage tip? How long can i make these in advance?

g) Fondant cutouts: do the same rules apply, as for the fondant figurines? I know the cutouts will probably dry faster, but do they crack? How do i attach to cake?

h) Specific- Fondant Figurine (3D Tree Question): How in the world does a person get fondant leaves to stay on the tree? I saw this once on the forum in a pic, and wish i would've asked then but can't find the forum now! I heard i could wrap some sort of mesh wire form in fondant for the trunk, but the leaves have me baffled.

Can only answer a couple of your questions....

can u freeze a cake? I always go ahead and freeze my cakes...i get told they are the most moist cake and always asked my secet...
i just saran wrap them then wrap them in foil then put them in freezer bags...


And as for fondant trees...i make the base of the tree the nite before let that get nice and hard...then come back the next day and make royal icing leaves with a tip 352 working from the bottom up..i have never had a leaf fall off....

sorry i couldnt answer more of your questions...good luck, dawn

Well, I can't answer all of your questions but with the MMF I would make that at home and wrap in very well in plastic wrap and put it in an airtight container...I use freezer baggie. To add color to your MMF you have to knead it into your dough and yes you can use Wilton. It doesn't take long to make MMF, probably 15-20 minutes but it's tough stuff so you can't mix it with a kitchen beater. It's best to mix it with your hands. I start with my kitchen aid and end up with my hands. Hope this helps with some of your questions.

WOW, thats alot of questions!! I can't help with all of them, but here's my input -
Last weekend, I baked three two-layer cakes, wrapped in saran wrap, wrapped in foil, put in a garbage bag, and stuck in the freezer for nearly a week. After they were decorated, oohed and ahhhed over, and we started eating them, a few of my "Regulars" said they tasted better than usual, what did I do different? So, apparently freezing makes it better.

I have heard that Wilton colors aren't the best, but if they are what you have, then yes, you can use them. I have also heard it is best to color the MMF while the marshmallows are hot, before you mix in the sugar, but it seems like it would be hard to me to separate to know how much you are making. I also wouldn't suggest making the MMF with the hand held; you might burn it up. I have also heard that MMF is not hard to make by hand. For the black, you should start with a chocolate base, because its easier to go from brown to black than white to black.

I don't know how long it takes for figurines to dry, but I would suggest a couple of days. I did cutouts, and they dried in about a day, and I just used BC to attach them. HTH

Oh, to attach fondant to a cake...if your cake is covered in fondant you can use clear vanilla extract. You want to brush on just a little (a little goes a long way) and don't get the vanilla on any part of the cake you want visable as it will show a shiny spot. You can also use Royal Icing and I've also heard people use water.

I don't have all the answers for you either, but I can help you with the frozen cakes part. Wait until your layers cool, then put them on cake boards and wrap with 2 layers of plastic and a layer of foil. Thaw them in their wrapping to help retain moisture.

I am making my friends wedding cake in October- baking the layers here in Michigan and shipping them frozen to New Mexico. I thought about taking them on the plane with me too but with all my decorating tools it would just be a headache. I would go to your local fed-ex, ups, or other shipping store and ask them to help you as far as packaging- it would really save you some hassle!

Ok i'll see what questions I can help with =)

1,2 & 3) First freezing everyone gave you good advice. Wrap well in seran wrap for sure. You can add foil if you like or place in a sealed ziplock bag or uncented trash bag (everyone does it different) I would make sure to keep them frozen as long as you can b/c they will thaw on your trip. Maybe get some ice pack to pack with them =) Also make sure they have plenty of suport so that if they do thaw on the trip they don't get squished and become uneven heigths.

Personnal preference is to freeze before any crumb coating. You can freeze for up to 2 weeks no problems I believe has been the general consensus on CC. Although again... personal preferences.

4) MMF is easy to make and many like it better than wilton's however there are other name brands out there (usually have to order online) that others prefer.

a) I have used wilton and americolor, whatever you have on hand will work

b) I would recommend coloring the MMF BEFORE adding in the powdered sugar. I will include a small batch recipe at the end of my post since you seem to have a lot of colors you want to do. For me it is easier than trying to kneed in the color later.

c) You can definitely mix this at home with your KA if you want. I would make sure you have it well wrapped in seran wrap, then put in a ziplock bag and then you can put all of it in a tupperware container if it will fit or you can pack each portion of MMF in the knooks and crannies i know are always in a bag when packing If you go to use it after you have traveled just nuke it for 8-10 second in the plastic wrap and kneed it in your hands with just little bit of crisco on your hands to keep from sticking

d) I can make a small batch colored start to finish in about 10-15 mins max (if I don't get side tracked)

e) I would recommend adding the coloring when the MM are hot-I will include a small batch recipe at the end since you want to do multiple colors

f) You can make these well in advance I would recommend at least a week to make sure they dry (it is starting to get pretty humid here with all the rain) then they will be dry enough to pack in tuperware... with papertowel cushioning maybe?.... i haven't traveled with fondant figures, hopefully this was answered already (i didn't quite read ALL the post.. oops!)

g) As long as your MMF isn't dry the cutouts shouldn't crack. I would suggest making them at least an 1/8" thick if they are not small items. The thinner they MMF the more likely to have problems when transporting. Where will these MMF cutouts be? Do you want them above the cake? on the edge? If you are doing above you could make two cutouts-lightly brush water on one just to get it damp, take a lollipop stick (or dowel) and place it about 1/2"-1" in from the edge you want to be the bottom, put your other cutout on top and gently rub together.... can also do same concept with royal icing.... just make sure you allow enough time to dry. If they are just flat you can use royal icing or buttercream.... or is your cake covered in fondant? Ok.. this questions created more questions for me

h) ok this one i am not sure, but i would make your leaves ahead and let them dry (maybe over flower formers for extra texture?) transport then use royal icing or candy melts (colored to match) to put everything together.....

OK i think i covered everything... if not ask away!

Here is the small batch of MMF, i use this often and can double up to make sure i have enough of my colors, but it isn't as much as the large batch so i don't have a ton of extra.


Marshmallow fondant

1 cup mini marshmallows
1 tbsp water
1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup powder sugar

Place marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well.

At this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky. I take it out of the bowl when it gets to the point where most of the sugar is incorporated and I knead it in my hands. This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out just as you would Wilton's fondant.

You can get this fondant almost paper thin and it also repairs well.
It's cheap, easy to work with, and tastes great too.


HTH

Leily