The Cake That Fought Back

Decorating By wysmommy Updated 3 Mar 2007 , 6:30pm by wysmommy

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wysmommy Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:49pm
post #1 of 18

Ok, so I just finished, and delivered my elmo cake for a party. I've made everything on the cake more than a few times in the past for other cakes. So WHY did everything possible go wrong this time? The buttercream, which I've made seriously 300x was an odd consistancy, the gumpaste wouldn't harden right and my letters wouldn't stay stuck to the name plates. What the heck happened?

Has this happened to anyone else?

At least it's over....sigh...

-Michelle
LL

17 replies
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aine2 Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:52pm
post #2 of 18

Goodness knows, I can't help you but your cake is fabulous!! thumbs_up.gif

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crumbscakeartistry Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:52pm
post #3 of 18

Sorry you had a hard time with the cake. You would never know. It looks awesome!

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shelbur10 Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:53pm
post #4 of 18

Hard to tell you had any problems with this cake, it is ADORABLE!!
But yes, sometimes it seems like the cake gods are against us.
Great job overcoming the problems and making a GORGEOUS cake!!

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cocorum21 Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:53pm
post #5 of 18

I can't offer any advice but I love your cake I think it's beautiful! I'd love to know how you got elmo to look "fuzzy"?

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RisqueBusiness Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:55pm
post #6 of 18

how was the weather over by you today? if there was a lot of humidy then yes, your sugar IS going to go berzerk!

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Teekakes Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:56pm
post #7 of 18

Don't know why you had all the problems..........weather/temperature related maybe? Your cake is fantastic!!!

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all4cake Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 3:58pm
post #8 of 18

I have issues with every cake I do...

Your cake is gorgeous!

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bethola Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 4:00pm
post #9 of 18

Any HUMIDITY in your neck of the woods? Here in KY it took GUMPASTE 2 weeks to harden in NOVEMBER!!

LOVE this cake! It's soooo cute!

Beth

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wysmommy Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 4:03pm
post #10 of 18

Thanks guys!

You know, it's winter here, so I hadn't thought about humidity as a cause BUT it got super warm, foggy and the crazy snowstorm we had here yesterday turned into rain. That just might be what happened! That's making me reeeeeally NOT happy to make cakes this summer! It's going to be crazy humid here. I hope my a/c will help!


I guess it's just onward and upwards...

-Michelle

PS...elmo was cut about a million times with a tiny pair of snips I have to become "fuzzy"

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mcdebbie Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 4:05pm
post #11 of 18

You did an awesome job on the cake. I would have never known by looking at it that you had any problems with it.
Debbie

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JasonL Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 4:09pm
post #12 of 18

You got that right Beth. I made a cake and tried and tried to make gumpsate ladies shoes and I let it set out for 3 days and never would hardened I just got disgusted and threw it away. I also tried to make some fondant and it took almost two bags to get the consistancy right.

And yes your cake looks great it doesn't show that you had trouble, but we never see the process only the end result.

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Doug Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 4:23pm
post #13 of 18

great job!

yep, humididity will kill ya!

hint for summer so don't have to crank A/C up so high:

IF you can close off the kitchen from rest of house...invest in a portable dehumidifier and use in kitchen.

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RisqueBusiness Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 5:26pm
post #14 of 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug

great job!

yep, humididity will kill ya!

hint for summer so don't have to crank A/C up so high:

IF you can close off the kitchen from rest of house...invest in a portable dehumidifier and use in kitchen.




Yes, A dehumidifier is a great investment, add that to your list of equipment, I used to have a small one running all the time in my gumpaste room, but be careful when you take your sugar items from 'no humidity' to the 'real world' or they WILL melt in a matter of minutes!

I learned that lesson well when I had made a roomful of gumpaste tulips for sale to a "well known' cake decorator, and she went on vaca and left the tulips out...she came back to wires siting in the center of puddles...then tried to get me to make her another couple of hundred tulips..needless to say..she never paid me for the first batch..ugh!

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cakes21 Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 5:32pm
post #15 of 18

I just adore your cake. Sometimes all the trouble that we have with a cake doesn't show. We are our worst critic and no one would even notice the errors.

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pookster Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 5:35pm
post #16 of 18

sorry i can't help in the what went wrong department....but that cake is just awesome...you cannot tell the stress you went through to decorate it!!! i just love it!!

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ShirleyW Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 6:21pm
post #17 of 18

Well he is just adorable and you would never know from looking that you had any issues with this cake at all.

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wysmommy Posted 3 Mar 2007 , 6:30pm
post #18 of 18

you guys are really so sweet!

I wish they would call (or email me) and let me know if he tasted ok! I tried all the parts and they were good, I'm just curious about the whole thing together!

I think I will get a dehumidifier. We could use one anyways, it gets horrible here in the summer!

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