i have lots of fondant...can i dry it out to make a handle? if so how long?

I am leaving to deliver my easter basket cakes in one hour. I made the handles out of fondant mixed with gumpaste to help it dry quicker. Let the handles dry for 48 hours. If you use them before that I have found that they have a much better chance of shifting, cracking, losing shape, etc.

I made mine out of RI... You can see it in my pics MLP cake...

HTH

I would suggest either 70/30 gp to fondant or all gumpaste for the handle.

I used a piece of wire and royal icing. I bent the wire to the shape I needed then placed the wire on a piece of waxed paper. I then piped shells on the piece of wire, let it dry then turned it over and did the other side. I left about 1" of wire exposed on each end and stuck that down into the cake.

It worked great!

That's a good idea, but what I like about the gp is that you can braid or twist it to get a more authentic look, especially if you do each strand of the braid in a different color (if you're so inclined to do the basket that way).

I did one last easter and I used RI to pipe a rope in the shape I wanted for the handle. When it dried, I flipped it over, put a lollipop stick on each end of the handle and piped another rope over the back.

~Chelle

I said shells, but actually it was a "rope" - sorry

If you want to make a great looking handle, just go to Wilton.com and take a look at the Easter Basket Cake covered with Cookies and a handle. It's very easy to do.

ashleyb73448
Use at least 50/50 fondant and gumpaste otherwise your handle may break. Measure your handle and shape around a form, Styrofoam, bowl etc. let dry at least 24 hours. Cut lollypop sticks and insert in the handle bottoms before drying and when dry insert the handle into straws you inserted down in the basket. Good luck, and remember to post the pix.

My fondant braided handle is on its 3rd day of drying. I live in Cent Cal with zero humidity.It already broke. I used Vanilla to try and glue it. didnt hold. I took a piece of fondant and tried to cover so that I can make a bow to try and hide the piecing together. The @#$% ribbon broke. I am off to Michaels to buy a purse handle like I used on my dummy cake for the fair (in my photos). Any idea why the fondant is just crumbling?

anoldhippy wrote:

Sure, I'm thinking you didn't add gumpaste to it did you? I have found that Fondant is extremely fragile by itself and always mix it with gumpaste when needed for strength.

Ive had similar problems. This is what I did use Sugar-plum- fairy's 70-30 ratio of fondant and gumpaste then get 20 gauge wire and than roll out snakes with the wire in it, then braid the snakes. the wire and gum paste add lots of additional support

can I get gum paste at Joann's or Michaels? How fast does it dry?
Thank you so much for taking time to answer

You can get wilton's gumpaste mix at micheals. It dries fairly quick (probably a day or so).

This may sound really strange, but I used a piece of Romex wire, like what they wire houses with. My husband had pieces left after wiring a new outlet for my cake freezer. I cleaned it really well, bent it into shape, stuck the ends in stryofoam,and coated it with two coats of candy melts. The brush marks in the chocolate made it look like wood. Then I stuck it in stryofoam and let it dry. Then carefully put in the cake when I delivered it.

I've attached a picture if you'd like to see.

Melissa

I think you would have to be careful of non-edibles in the electrical wire....like lead...? Just a thought...not sure.

I used 50/50 mix of gumpaste and fondant for the handle on my practice bunny cake (in my photos). It dried within a day but I didn't use till weeks later. I also inserted toothpicks into each end before it dried to stick into cake.

Has anyone considered using a hardened sugar to make the handle? I considered making an easter basket cake this weekend but then chickened out. I thought maybe it was possible to make a hard sugar handle. Meaning melting down the sugar with water and kayro syrup. It would be pretty brittle though, but I thought with a few different colors and a a few stringly layers it might hold up. I saw the sugar used for some other decoration on a Martha Steward wedding cake special and thought the idea might work. Any takers?

Except for sugar flowers, I am a purest avoiding non-edible or "non-food approved" products in my edible cakes whenever possible.

I find it a fun challenge to figure out ways to create something with as little help support items as possible.

But, after last night and seeing Bronwen's cake and all the gee-gaw dohicky thingamajigs maybe I should just get over it - huh.

Ok, let me make this clearer. I read all about Romex before using it. It is a hard plastic sheathing that contains plastic covered wires inside.I removed the wires from the inside of the ends and was left with the stiff plastic sheath. Those ends then went into the cake. The only part of the wire that was left inside was towards the top and sides for the curve. Wiring is made from copper. I considered that since we use plastic boards, dowels, the plastic should be safe. I considered that since wire is consistenly used with gumpaste flowers and decorative fondant accents then leaving the wire inside the sheathing but not in the cake itself should be safe. I don't know how we'd make the elaborate cakes we do today without a little something not edible. I've had people think it's horrible that we use wooden dowels inside a cake.

mdtargac wrote:

Yeah, yeah my point exactly about the wooden dowels......like I said above, life changes to quickly and after Bronwen's cake last night on the Food Challenge it's my issue and I just need to get over it.......

what was the deal with the cake last night?

Tiptop, I loved the handle on your Japanese teapot by the way. I'd have sworn it was bamboo. I guess we all have issues about our cake process that we live with. I know I do!!! One day we'll all get past them, maybe with lots of therapy!!

marthajo1 - Bronwen had every nut, screw, PVC pipe, rubber coupler ever made in that cake sculpture. Looked like a hardware store.

Is there somewhere to see a picture of it? I went to ther web site but it was hard to navigate. I don't get that channel. There looks like there are some fun shows.

I need help with making an edible Easter basket handle. I don't have gum paste or fondant. what kinda candy can i make it out of ?Would the nerd rope work if I braided it and stuck it in the cake ?

Does it have to stand up? 

I would like for it to