A56, so not too old just feels old!

AI don't work, I have a disabled daughter, she's the reason I started decorating cakes actually, it's not a birthday without cake as far as she's concerned! She'll be having birthday tea parties all her life so I thought I should learn to make them presentable. I love it so much but I'm not any good yet! I made a cupcake bouquet last year, just to see if I could, I didn't think it was much good but I need two cakes for mothers day so I'm thinking of trying again.

AThanks everyone I'm looking forward to doing a bit more practise when I get chance. I'm also going to experiment with ganache instead of butter cream. It's mothers day at the end of this month so I'll have a good practice ready to make a cake for that - my mum never complains at anything I make so they'll be no pressure if it goes wrong! Mums love everything you do haha

AOk, I've got a new ambition! Make a birdcage cake like yours by the time I'm 55! :-)

AI always practice on my family, they love getting my rejects! Good luck sugarluva, show us a photo when it's done. :-)

AHa Maisie, don't wait til then do it now, it was really easy now when I think of it, I bought the hemisphical tins from Lakeland, I made 2 6 inch round cakes and a small dome for the top, jam an creamed them, I will say I add satin ice gumpaste to my fondant to make to less tearable as its a high cake and wasn't sure how the sugarpaste would take but it was OK,the biggest issue was getting the band straight grrr.

Sugarluva, ganache has to be the best thing on earth, when I make it I use the largest pot of double cream I can find and usually use Bourneville chocolate as hate it too bitter, its a gorgeous filling.

AMy rejects go to work, I have to make a gluten free minion cake next week and as I've made cupcakes before I hadn't a large cake, so had an experiment the other day and was so pleased with it but as it was a 10 inch couldn't eat all that ( could I) it made its way to work.

AIt's the straight lines that frighten me nannycook! I looked at it and thought I could make the shape quite easily, i've made a doll cake (with a rather large backside, more carving next time!) and used the same pans to make a mountain (3 sandwich tins and my pyrex bowl). Does that sound about right? Straight lines I struggle with, I even bought a fondant roller cutter thingy and still can't do them!

ADidn't see your last post nannycook, I' ve been asked to make a GF cake for the 22nd march. I did a test cake in my sandwich tins, tasted lovely but didn't rise much. The lady who asked me wants a giant cupcake but I don't know if I'll be able to do it after seeing how flat thetest cake was. I usually use a 3 egg mix for victoria sponge and a 6 egg mix for a giant cupcake, doubling the gluten free mix won't work, any suggestions?

AI use a clay gun Maisie, so much easier, such a useful tool. I didnt have cut any of the cake.

For my 10 inch round cake I used a 4 egg mix, yes it doesn't rise as much but it was still light and moist, but I make two of that amount gas 3 for 55 mins, really pleased with it.

AGas 3 is quite low isn't it? I'll look it up to convert it, I do sponge at 160 fan. I might do a test cake in my giant cupcake pan then, maybe use an 8 egg mix. Clay gun- never heard of it! I'll certainly investigate though. Thanks nannycook.:-)

AIts a gun type tool where you put very soft sugarpaste mixed with some trex till its chewing gum consistency, its comes with a small tub of discs which go at the bottom and you squeeze out the sugarpaste into ropes, etc, good for hair on models,platted ropes to go around base of cakes, its cost about £23 .00

AIf its a big sponge I normally do gas3 but or 8 inch sandwich tins I always do gas or 160, however when its a very deep sponge which the hemispherical is then its gas 2 and it cooks for about 1 HR 10 mins

AOoh, would it be good for boxing ring ropes? My husbands grandson wanted a boxing ring cake last year but I didn't have a clue how to go about it, having done a few more cakes now I'm feelina a bit more adventurous so I might attempt it this year! Is Trex the same as Crisco? I bought Crisco from the American food aisle in Tesco for £4.50, a couple of weeks later I saw Trex, had a look and couldn't see any difference.

ASorry nannycook, can I pick your brains just once more before I get off my phone and go to bed?! Just had a look on ebay and clay guns are going for anything from £4 or £5. There's a Sculpey one for £12, should I be looking for any particular brand or are they all the same?

AOoo, not sure will check that and get back to you, I had mine from a cake Dec shop, it black barrel with red handle.

AOk, thanks Nannycook. The ones I saw on ebay all look like stainless steel or silver coloured metal at least! I'll check back tomorrow, thanks again, goodnight. :-)

AFound it on Amazon, its called ********** extruder gun, and it £17.93, much cheaper than mine, grrr.

ASorry,**********.

ANot sure why it wont let me write the word.

A:-) thankyou.

ANight Maisie, been lovely talking to you.

AI gathered you were having trouble, might be copyright or something. I'll have a look, I'm sure I'll find it.

AYou too, thanks for all the advice and tips. Night.

AJust type clay gun into search bar, its there

AI will. Thankyou. :-)

ASugarluva, if you want to try ganache, have a look at this video. She's got some more videos on ganaching a cake and covering a ganached cake too.

http://www.inspired-by-chocolate-and-cakes.com

This is the method I use. The ratio for dark choc ganache is 1:2 and for white choc it's 1:3 double cream to chocolate.

To stop getting the bulges, I pipe a dam around the edge of each layer of the cake with ganache using a piping bag and the couplers. Ganache is the best thing ever. You get a great finish it the cake. Never go back to buttercream. :D

AThanks bashini, I am going to go and watch all of her videos now they look very useful - that's another day taken up by cake 'research' haha.

Can I just ask, when you use ganache to cover a cake under the fondant do you also use ganache between the layers of cake? I can imagine a mix of ganache on the outside and buttercream between the layers would be crazily sickly but I like using different flavoured buttercream, is that still possible with a ganache?

I have only ever had buttercream under fondant on a cake so can't really imagine what it tastes like but I can't wait to give it a go. I have made this cake with a dark chocolate ganache before and it was amazingly chocolatey. [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3199893/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

I just wonder if it would be too much with fondant too? Though I'm guessing not if it's so popular with everyone...

AYou are welcome.:D I would do and watch cakes stuff if I could Sugarluva. :D

It really is lovely with ganache. You can use any filling for the cake. I just put a dam around the layers with ganache and fill it with ganache Italian Meringue Butter Cream for chocolate cake. When you put the filling, make sure it doesn't go above the dam. If you do that the filling will come through the layers, which you don't want that to happen.

I know there are lots of decorators use ganache as the filling as well as to cover the cake. If you check Paul Bradford's website, which you can register for free (but you only can watch limited videos), he only uses ganache. He uses a different technique to cover the cake with ganache. You need find which method works for you best.

Like you said, I also like using different flavours of butter cream in cakes and I get to try these only for the cakes that I make for my birthday and for friends of mine. :D

Try it and I am sure you'll love it.:D

AI have just watched those 3 ganache videos and they were so helpful! She managed to get the sided of her cake so smooth and sharp they looked great. I can't wait to give this a go now. If ganache can improve the bulges on my cakes and I can manage to actually cover a cake without the fondant tearing then they will look so much better! Just need to find the time to practise now hehe