Hi all,
I've seen so many amazing cakes on here with notes in the description stating that a portion of it was sculpted Rice Krispies and I'm hoping someone that has done this could offer this newbie a tip or two on doing this method. My first question is what recipe is used to make it, the original one you can find on the box? an altered one? I didn't see any recipes on CC about making it. Next I was wondering how it is put together for the shape wanted? Is it baked in 9x13 pans then stacked together or made in a 3d pan? I was thinking of doing a church steeple for a cake I will be making out of this since it would be lighter than doing a cake and I don't need the extra cake servings.
Any help you can offer is great and much appreciated.

i actually used the premade bars you get in with the snack foods at the store. I just used my hands to mold the head and the tail then covered it in a "crumb" coat with the rest of the cake.

I make mine just like the box says BUT NO butter ... just melt your MM then add your RK ..
Easy Peasy =)

I make mine just like on the box.....as soon as I have made it I mold it into what i'm making. I also use gloves on my hands til it cools down a bit.

Make sure you coat it with buttercream to fill in the gaps before putting any fondant on it.

HTH

I buy them pre-made bulk at Costco. The giant box is about $10. I found that they are much stiffer than the ones I make at home and much less trouble. I love using Rice Krispy Treat! I find it so much easier than cake for so many things and I can make pieces ahead of time. Good luck!

I use RKT quite a bit in my 3D cakes since they allow you to make some pretty crazy shapes and pieces without adding a lot of weight to your cake! I use the premade bars, or else I buy the big 12x12 sheet from my supply store! I just cut out the shapes I need and stick them to the cakes with BC! Then I ice them in BC and cover in fondant!

Some tips for using RKT are this

- If you're making something large, like a head or a base for something, always compact the RKT to make it more dense and minimize the chance of separation if it gets too hot. We've all seen the pics of the exploded Elmo head!!!

- Once you get the shape you want, let it set for a bit to harden before using. Again, just to minimize the chance of it being too soft or separating if it's warm outside.

- Dowls and skewers running thru the RKT are troublesome because the RKT will usually slide down under it's own weight! So stuff like a "floating" balloon effect is best made with styrofoam!! But if you're using the RKT as a base or other pieces of your scultpture, you should be fine.

- Be mindful of the weight. If in doubt, put a small board and a couple dowls underneath to keep the RKT from smashing the cake underneath! I learned that the very hard way!!

- To get a smooth appearance with fondant, try to shave the RKT down with a sharp blade to get rid of the bumps! Then when you ice it and cover it, those bumps won't transfer thru your fondant!!

- I like to use RKT because it works like styrofoam while keeping the cake 100% edible!! But sometimes, you just gotta use styrofoam!! You'll learn what you can and cannot use RKT for the more you work with it!

Hope this helps!! Just a few things I learned via trial and error!!

Rob

THANK YOU Mamacitadedos for asking that question, and to every one else for their responses!!

I've been wondering the same thing myself.

Ewwww LittleLinda! It kinda looks like Elmo committed suicide! Like we're sure to see a pistol under him when he's "removed"!
*Sorry - I watch way to many crime stories on the tube!!

Littlelinda,

Yep! That's the pic I was referring too!!! I had the same thing happen to me on a baseball I did. I didn't pack it tight enough, or let it "set" and as soon as it got warm, the whole thing just crumbled!!!

Oh, the exploding Elmo head wasn't mine ... the credit (credit?) goes to mommak. This happened in Oct of 2007.

I use the recipe straight off the box and it has worked everytime. You can see some of the things that I have made in my pictures. I let it set in its shape for a few days before I start adding decorations and they never fall apart. In fact I have an Elmo sitting in my kitchen right now and he has been in his shape for days...he is a practice one for my daughters cake on May 16th. Good Luck!

Hi there! I use RKT on several cakes when I too need something lighter and more moldable. I like to make them with the box recipe(no changes). I grease my hands up with shortening and press them in to the shape I need. So if I am doing a head I sometimes use a bowl about the size I need and press the RKT in them(everything needs to be greased) and rotatate until I get a nice round ball. After it sets up a little, I take the RKT and nuke them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and the marshmallow melts a little so it is pliable again. Then I add details(nose, cheeks, mouth etc.). You can keep doing this until you get a good shape that is close to what you want. Then carve down any bumps after it has hard set(at least a few hours) frost and cover with fondant.

I will attempt to attach a cake I did with the RKT dog topper. I also used RKT for the head, arms, and wheel of a Walle cookie cake I made recently. Worked well. Good luck!!

Drat! I always seem to have problems getting my pics to display. I think if you double click on my RKT.jpg image(not displayed with the x) it will pull up another browser and display. Just trying to figure this website out- just when I think I have got it.... Back to the drawing board!

Trish

I have a question about RKT, do they have to be covered in fondant or will a couple of coats of BC do it as I too am doing a church cake and would like to do the steeple in RKT (but the church will be iced in BC) Last time I did a church, I made the steeple out of white chocolate (What a PIA)

I don't see why you couldn't cover them in BC- probably at least two coats. I would spend more time with the carving off of the humps and bumbs so it is smooth. Otherwise shoudl work just fine.

Love to see pics when you are done!

OMG! I about fell off the couch when I saw the Elmo shot. Rob, thank you so much for all of that information. Now I need something to sculpt!

We use RKT in many of our sculpted cakes. I am not sure how to attach a picture (I am new to this), but if you go to our grooms cake gallery on our website and check out our deer cake, the head is made entirely out of RKt. Once you sculpt your RKT, simply paint it with melted chocolate, allow it to harden and then paint again, this will give a firm coat to your RKT and it will keep its shape better. You can then either paint it with a little piping gel to give your fondant something to stick to.

We purchase the 12" x12" sheets. You can also use the chocolate as "glue" to stick pieces of RKT topgether. When we do make it we use the recipe on the box and just cook the MM and butter a little longer than normal and it will be firmer when it cools.

[quote="dxerebl"]THANK YOU Mamacitadedos for asking that question, and to every one else for their responses!!

I've been wondering the same thing myself. [/quote]

this is definately a great post I have never used it myself but very tempted too.

WOW! Thanks so much for all the posts. Been having Electronics issues the last couple days and have been seriously deprived of my CC fixes. But for now it's all good, just in time for me to go buy my RK and get a trial steple done. Hubbs n the kids will have a nice snack by Sunday evening I'm sure. I may be back with more questions though
Thanks my fellow Sugar Friends (or fiends, whichever you may be..me I'm usually the later )

Cookiesbymomme: I had no trouble clicking on your picture. Cute dog! Love the hearts in the eyes!

My question is the opposite of Pattycakesne: I would like to know if you HAVE to frost in bc before putting on the fondant! Would like to hear your experience both ways.

So far I have used RKT twice... once for the new Jack Skellington head and once for a project that failed big time.

For the Jack head I made just melted marshmallows and RK.. no butter. Compacted them in bowls and let them set... they hardened up nicely. Covered in BC and fondant. The fondant wouldn't have stuck without BC... they dry hard and it's pretty smooth as in un-sticky.

For my failed project, I have no idea why but I made the RKT the same and they never completely hardened... even after 48 hours. One specific piece I needed to conform to a shape to look right... it was still flexible and fell apart. I covered some other pieces I made in BC, this time the fondant fell off without it being on (I had several small pieces I could cover so I tried it).

I'll definately use them again... I just wish I knew a sure fire way to make them harden. I guess you could make it a week before and let it dry.. but then what is the sense of saying the cake is edible if the RKT are like rocks? I'm going to try cooking the MM longer next time like suggested. I think I did that with Jack.

Anyway, that is my experience. I'm kind of a "jump in there and try it" type of guy, so I say GO FOR IT!! Good luck!

I usually cover my RKT with two layers of fondant to get that smooth finish.

Ugh man.. 2 layers of fondant? I get frustrated just trying to get 1 layer on without hassles.

I think I would just roll my 1 layer double thick.

For a church steeple I would suggest a styrofoam form rather than the molded RKTs. Like a previous poster said, the weight can ruin the cake - and styrofoam isn't as heavy and comes in many shapes and forms (and will probably cost you less than making/buying the RKTs).

Just remember to cover the styrofoam in BC before as well, so the fondant will stick to it.

****

Poor Elmo! Did anyone call in CSI?

I am still waiting to try this

I have used RKT in many forms. If you really want them compacted grind up your RK before you mold, but they will be heavier this way. Another tip is to mix some chocolate into the RKT & it'll help hold them together. I've always put a thin to med layer of buttercream on before coating. I do smooth the bc w/ a Viva papertowel before fondant & never had a problem. I've also read to cover it w/ melted chocolate before fondant---it helps hold the RK together & I would also think you could use the heat of your hands to smooth it after it has set.

I didnt' read through these so I don't know if someone has already said this. But can you cover the RKTs in like dipping chocolate? Maybe two coats to get it smooth? Just a thought because I don't like fondant and don't know if I can get the icing on there good enough.

thank you all I learned alot. I had made my own in the past and it was very sticky to work with. I am going to try the store bought.