hello, im just starting to get into cake decorating and i need some help.

what is the best type of cake to use when cutting/shaping? i used a betty crocker fluffy white, and it crumbled. Would a sheet cake be better?

what is the best way to use fondant?


and sorry if ive posted this in the wrong forum.

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There are several posts about 'carving cake' or 'cake for carving' or 'recipe for sculpting'

Rolled fondant can be used to make decorations, or used to cover the cake. It depends on your design, which will work best.

If you're carving a cake you basically want to use something that's denser as opposed to softer and more crumbly. I bake from scratch, so I can't recommend specific cake mixes, but I'd guess that anything with "fluffy" in the name wouldn't work that well. Pound cakes would be the densest, and maybe a chocolate fudge or something else that has a little more body to it would be good. You should avoid really light cakes that are going to create a lot of crumbs when you cut them because it just makes you job icing them harder.

Do a search in recipes and find WASC (White Almond Sour Cream). It is a fantastic white cake that is a little denser. When you go to carve, make sure your cake is not fresh from the oven. It needs to be cool or it will just tear apart. I don't find the Betty Crocker works for me very well. Some people like Duncan Hines but I personally prefer Pillsbury Plus. I like the flavor, it rises well for me and doesn't crumble as band.

WASC is a great for carving!

I'm a chocolate fondant girl all the way! In my opinion, it's the best.

Regular layer of firm bodied buttercream, with thin fondant on top.

Jen

Welcome to CC. You'll be addicted in no time!

If you chill the cake in the fridge or even partially freeze it, carving will be alot easier and you won't have as much of a mess.

I have also had good results with the WASC, it can be adjusted for any flavor, substitute the almond ext. with more vanilla or any other desired extract and just add 3 T. cocoa powder if using a choc. mix. I've also removed the 2 T. oil and added 1 stick melted butter and replaced some of the liquid with buttermildk for the choc. mix. I like Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines, I've found that the Pillsbury tends to settle/sink more under the weight of fondant. Good luck and have fun!!!!