Hi There,
I was wondering, for those of you who have done a soccer ball cake before, is it difficult? I have been asked to do a cake similar to this for a customer:
http://www.thecakestore.co.uk/acatalog/Football___Scarf.html
I am not hugely experienced, and just wondered if I should give it a try, seeing as though I am a relatively newbie?
Thanks
Pauline
It is not a difficult cake. Do you have a half ball pan? It is not strictly necessary, you can make this cake without it.
The design your customer choose is even easier than "a soccer ball only" cake, because the scarf can hide a lot of imperfections.
Here is a step-by-step "tutorial" in pictures http://seva.rajce.idnes.cz/Mic-postup/
The pentagons and hexagons have the same length of the side - it is pretty much 1/5 of the diameter of the ball - this means 20 cm diameter - 4 cm side or 6 inch diameter (sport ball pan) - 1 1/5 inch side.
If you don't own a ball pan - either use stainless steel bowl or pyrex bowl, or even colander as substitute, or bake sheet cake and cut circles, stack and shape.
I would say - definitively take the order and bake the cake!
Good luck!
It is not a difficult cake.
I would say - definitively take the order and bake the cake!
Good luck!
I agree, I have made this cake a couple of times but I have the wilson ball tin. I have attached a picture. The only thing I would say to make your life easier is that make sure you start with your black hexagon in the centre at the top and work your way around and down from there. There is no other way of getting the pattern to meet up and if you can't get it to meet at the bottom, it won't matter because you can put your scarfe around it.
Good luck,
. It's only due for 12th September, so I still have time to figure it out.
It is not a difficult cake. Do you have a half ball pan? It is not strictly necessary, you can make this cake without it.
The design your customer choose is even easier than "a soccer ball only" cake, because the scarf can hide a lot of imperfections.
Here is a step-by-step "tutorial" in pictures http://seva.rajce.idnes.cz/Mic-postup/
The pentagons and hexagons have the same length of the side - it is pretty much 1/5 of the diameter of the ball - this means 20 cm diameter - 4 cm side or 6 inch diameter (sport ball pan) - 1 1/5 inch side.
If you don't own a ball pan - either use stainless steel bowl or pyrex bowl, or even colander as substitute, or bake sheet cake and cut circles, stack and shape.
I would say - definitively take the order and bake the cake!
Good luck!
Where can I purchase those hexagon cutters?
Where can I purchase those hexagon cutters?
You don't need cutter - make simple cardboard template and cut around it. You don't need too many hexagons for the cake and it is simpler to make the template than to buy an exact cutter.
You could make a homemade cutter - either from metal or even from plastic strip, but it could be more work than to cut around a template. Unless you plan to make countless soccer balls, of course 
I agree that your design will be much easier since the bottom is covered where all the problems begin. Thanks majka-ze for the formula for the hexagon/pentagon sizes. I eyeballed it and it was close but then had problems at the bottom.
I used the half ball pan but had to trim the sides to make it a exactly round. I have a picture of my cake in my photos.
Where can I purchase those hexagon cutters?
You don't need cutter - make simple cardboard template and cut around it. You don't need too many hexagons for the cake and it is simpler to make the template than to buy an exact cutter.
I made my own also, I used an old lid from a butter or margarine container - once you have finished you can wash it and use it again and again, I have used mine a few times.
Kim, what a great idea to make the pattern reusable!
http://www.cakecraftshop.co.uk/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_FRA176D181&url=http://www.cakecraftshop.co.uk/shop/6/311/99/index.htm
I found these awhile ago, but they don't ship to US, seems much easier than cutting around a template. I agree with the black hexagon on top, I figured that out when I was half done with mine.
How many people does the wilton ball pan feed? I have a cake order for only 10 servings and I am not sure what size pan to do the customer wants either a soccer field or a baseball field, but since she only needs it to feed 10 people this would be kind of difficult. Any thoughts?
How many people does the wilton ball pan feed?
Wilton sports ball pan - here http://www.wilton.com/idea/Soccer-Ball-Cake - is said to feed 12.
There is even a pattern for the pentagons and hexagons.
Oh no! Only 12 people? My customer needs it for 20 people. I guess I should have made sure. Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to make up the portions?
Pauline
I know some people have put a 6" round in between the two halves of the ball. It's not perfectly round that way, but it doesn't look TOO odd.
I've made one soccer ball (in my photos) and I really underestimated it. I copied and cut out the pattern but completely failed at piping it on. I ended up piping stars all over it and cutting out black pieces of fondant in the appropriate areas.
Make sure to cut a flat spot on whichever half is going to be the bottom, so it stays put. Someone told me to put icing on the bottom to anchor it, but for me, all it did was put it on roller skates and it ended up sliding all over the place. Putting a bit of chocolate underneath would have been better. Although, I think the scarf might help hold it still.
Good luck!
Pauline, the soccer ball pan - as here - http://www.wilton.com/idea/Gridiron-Classic is ca. 8 1/2 inch and the half serve 12. This would be the approx. size you would need.
It would be also the size of Betty Betty Crocker Bake 'n Fill pan - it is 8 inch - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4407981 - I mean the dome pan
Alternatively, you could:
- find an 8" - 9" big pyrex or stainless steel bowl and bake there
- carve from 8 or 9 inch round
- cut rounds from sheet cake, stack and carve
Normally, you could stretch the servings number by stacking two cakes - rectangular and ball, but you need only 8 to 10 additional servings.
The complete ball cake - servings approx.:
Diameter 6" (15 cm) serves ca. 12
Diameter 8" (20 cm) serves ca. 24
This is according to Wilton site, but I have seen it already mentioned somewhere here on CC.
One more idea what could work:
6" (sports ball pan) on top of 2" high 9" round cake - this should give you the necessary servings and doesn't look bad - see attachment for drawing.
I have an order for the ball cake but it has to be the planet Jupiter. Has anyone wrapped a ball cake in fondant? Is it hard to do or does anyone have any suggestions on how I should do it?
For the Jupiter cake - covering ball with fondant is something awful. The football cake is different, because you make a mosaic.
But there is some grace in the "Jupiter" part. See it yourself 
For me, it prompts to be made in buttercream. Easier work, easier decoration.
In fondant: Make the halves, cover each half separately. Glue the halves together with little icing and cover the seam - either with marbled wider strip for the middle of the planet, or a narrow strip of fondant over the seam only. Smooth again and paint.
Alternatively for fondant: Torte the halves in the middle (4 layers now) and stack asymmetrically - leave one layer and stack three layers together. The stacked part would be the bottom part in the picture. Again, cover with fondant separately. It could be easier to disguise the seam this way.
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