Rookie Seeks Much Needed Advice! Please Help:)
Decorating By Crystalm Updated 1 May 2006 , 4:07am by ellyrae
I am curious, can boxed cakes hold up to being stacked, say three tiers high? I am worried they are too light and fluffy to hold much weight. Also, will fondant look as nice on them? I am new to this whole cake scene, and was just wondering. Also, is Wilton fondant really that gross tasting? I have heard so many bad things about it as far as taste goes. I tried MMF and it was a disaster. It stuck to the counter three times, and sagged when I finally put it on I literally cried in my cake!! So I think until I get better I should use ready-made. Also, what is the timeline I should use for making a two tiered cake? Any suggestions? Thanks so much in advance for all of your much needed help! Sincerely, The Rookie
Wow - that's a lot of questions!
First of all, boxed cakes will be OK, though most of the people on here add pudding and an extra egg (or something similar) to make it a little more solid. I usually make scratch cakes, so I can't vouch for it, but I would think that as long as you've got your dowels in there right, you shouldn't have much of a problem.
And YES!! Wilton fondant tastes foul. I think it tastes like stale cooking oil, DH thinks it just tastes like chemicals, but nobody likes it. You have other options for fondant, including Satin Ice (my fave) and Pettinice, both of which you can get at a cake supply store, or online. You can also search the forums for Collette Peters Fondant, because I've posted her recipe (which is what I use most of the time) on here before. It's not much more complicated than the MMF, but I think it handles better. If you're having that much of a problem with sticking and sagging, you probably don't have enough sugar in there. Try kneading in a little more if it's still sticky after letting it sit overnight.
I think the basic timeline I've seen most often and use myself is bake (and freeze) on Tuesday or Wednesday, make and color icing the next day, fondant on Thursday, thaw & decorate Friday for a Saturday delivery.
Good luck, and welcome to CC!
1. Stacked cakes need the support of dowels.
2. Wilton Fondant is not very good tasting. Haven't tried it yet but lots think Satin Ice is much better.
3. First cake I ever covered in fondant was a doctored box cake. It is the only picture I have here so it would be easy to find. I don't know if it was beginners luck - but I had a really easy time with covering the cake. It went like clockwork.
Can't help you with your other questions, but I have found people to be very helpful on this website.
Good Luck to you - Joan
Here's my two pennies. Most of the people around here use doctored cake mixes which help to make the boxed mixes a little more dense. Usually you just add 1 pkg. of pudding{flavor that compliments your mix}and an extra egg along with what the box says to add. I haven't had any problems with stacking cakes made from mixes. I assume they are going to be stacked tiers? About the fondant you can always buy some of the other pre-made fondants out on the market, like satin ice or choco-pan. There are some really good websites around, like Sugarcraft.com. As far as timelines go I personally would bake my cakes the day before, wrap and leave out on the counter. The next day I would coat with the icing, cover with fondant and decorate. Some people on here also prefer to freeze their cakes ahead of time. It all depends on the baker. Good luck on your cake and welcome to CC.
Welcome Rookie!
Hang in there babe!
First, I've used boxed mixes many-o-many a time with no probs. The best I've found that holds up well for stacked cakes is Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow mix. On the side of the box is a recipe where you add a box of jell-o instant pudding which makes a little firmer cake. There's also one on the devils food flavor too.
I agree with everyone about the taste of Wilton fondant. To me its just very, very bland. It's great to work with but not to eat. It could be something you could practice with til you get "the feel" for fondant down, then switch over to a good tasting one. What are you icing your cake with before placing your fondant? I typically use buttercream. (Wilton has a ready made BC that's pretty good).
As for a time line, I agree with alimonkey. I always bake and freeze ahead. Sometimes the week before. The cake's are much easier to handle that way too.
The biggest and best advice anyone can give or get on this site is practice, Practice, PRACTICE!!! The more you practice, the better you get!!!
HTH and glad to have you in the CC'er family!
elly=o)
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