My First 3D Cake Attempt Led To My First Two Cake Disasters.
Decorating By kathik Updated 29 Jun 2007 , 12:08am by lardbutt
Well, it's been a few days and I'm not quite as depressed over this cake as I was at first. I had such high hopes for it, especially since so many people in the community were going to see it.
This was a graduation cake for our Jewish Day School. My intentions was to have a 3D hot air ballon on the top of the sheet cake. I practiced a hot air balloon cake, but didn't completely frost it, thinking, "oh, I know how to frost a cake". Well, I should have practiced! 
When I attached the balloon part it was fine, but I didn't realize just how carefully I should frost it and I loosed the dowels in the base cake (shaped like a basket) while frosting it. I was even holding the dowels steady while I frosted! Then, I thought I could heat up some ganache and when it hardened it would hold the dowels steady but as I was bringing the ganache to the table my balloon hit the floor! I didn't cry, although I was tempted. It landed upside down, so the basket part was in the air and I thought I could try to rescue it.....
So I baked a second cake and tried again. I poured the ganache onto the basket and down into the areas around the dowels and it seemed to have hardened things, so I thought I was okay. WRONG!! Anyway, so my daughter held the dowels while I frosted cake number 2. It seemed okay, not as sturdy as I wanted, but I added a center dowel from the top of the balloon down through the basket and I thought we would make it. Apparently it wasn't nearly as sturdy as I hoped and about 30 seconds after I put this in the car it broke and fell over. This time the side of the basket broke off, the basket weave broke off another side, the fondant school logo broke and one of my figures lost an arm. 
I was literally dumbfounded! I was standing there trying to think what I could pipe on the sheet cake to get the idea across (since all the figures, etc. were meant to go in the balloon), when my husband suggested stopping at the store to buy a balloon. It got the idea across, and everyone really liked it, but I hated it! I was given free reign on this cake and only a couple close friends knew what I intended, so I was the only one disappointed, but I still think it looks dorky. Thankfully, everyone was focused on the figures! I propped the menorah in front of the boy who lost his arm and you couldn't tell. 
Personally, I NEED to figure out a way to make a balloon cake that stands! I feel like a failure and I worked on the figures and plans for a long time!
Kathi
i agree with SaraO. it did turn out wonderfuly
i think it turned out great. At least you could come up with something to get the idea across...Brownie points for your husband's idea on using the balloon 
Think of it this was at least you did deliver a cake...it could have turned out worse right...
Good Job!
It may not be what you wanted, but it turned out great!
If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have known you didn't mean to do the cake this way in the first place. It looks great to me 
I think it is cute. You did a great job. I know that I am always more critical of my cakes than anyone else is. I think that it is because the creation is never like what the creator pictures in their head.
Try talking to Doug about the balloon. I know that he helped someone else with their hotballoon cake. That way you know for the future.
That happens to me all the time! I always think I have these great ideas, and then I'm either rushed, or I don't practice, and then . . . disaster strikes! I always manage to make something work out, and everyone else loves it, but I'm disappointed because it didn't turn out how I wanted or envisioned. I think sometimes we can be our own worst critics!
I think the cake looks great, but I do understand how disappointing it is when things don't turn out the way you envisioned.
I really think we are our worst critic. I think it's because we know how it was supposed to look. You cake came out lovely!
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