Hi Everyone,
Well I am doing my first bridal show this weekend and wanted to make a fake cake to bring along. I decided that I would do the cake in Royal Icing so that I could take it to the bakery I work at as a sample cake. I'm not sure if it was just my icing or if royal icing was not a good idea to start with!! I had problems with the icing crusting on me to quickly. Once I did it all the layers frosted I tried to smooth them out a little with the Viva method. It seemed that once the cake started drying the frosting started to get little cracks in it.
I decorated it anyway and when I half done I asked my husband for his opinion. Well it he said it was ugly 
. I then asked my daughter who is newly married and she said it was "fine" I then said "Fine" is not good enough for a cake at a bridal show and proceeded to rip it apart. This was after about 6 hours of working on it!!! SO my question is has anyone ever decorated a cake dummie for a show or for a cake that will sit out for customers to look at? If so what did you use. Needless to say I will not have a cake to take with me today
Thanks
Karen
Hi there...I'm sorry you had such a problem....Royal icing dries too quickly to allow for smoothing. It also is very brittle when it dries, so the slightest shift will cause cracks.
I suggest using buttercream next time....or even better....fondant...it has a smooth, matte finish that is very elegant for a wedding cake.
A fondant covered dummy can be handled much easier. Use the tutorials on CC to figure out how to use fondant and practice practice practice!!!!
I've heard of people letting royal dry completely and then SANDING it to get it smooth. But, it's not a surface that will work for the Viva method. People choose it for dummies because it's durable. You can also use drywall compound for a totally non-edible but VERY durable surface.
Here are some directions for applying royal icing to any cake at this site. www.pastrywiz.com
They have quite an extensive "how to" on everything from how to frost a cake to how to make sugar roses (pulled sugar). Just go to the bottom of the page and there will be several choices for ya
Here are some directions for applying royal icing to any cake at this site. www.pastrywiz.com
They have quite an extensive "how to" on everything from how to frost a cake to how to make sugar roses (pulled sugar). Just go to the bottom of the page and there will be several choices for ya
To ice a dummy with royal icing, you need to thin the royal icing so that it flows easily--like warm ganache. Don't put any cream of tartar in the royal as it will dry too hard too quickly. I've heard that adding a small amount of glucose can slow the drying so that it stays workable longer, but I haven't done that--just the extra water to thin it seems to keep it moving long enough.
You need to do several coats of the royal, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next one. After each coat dries, you can sand down any rough spots. If you use a colored royal, you can't sand the final coat without getting discolorations, so make sure that coat goes on over a nice smooth base.
This cake is done completely in royal icing.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=allby&uname=BlakesCakes&cat=0&pos=41
HTH
Rae
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