Is It Possible To...

Decorating By KarenOR Updated 26 May 2006 , 11:00pm by KarenOR

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 23 May 2006 , 11:43pm
post #1 of 16

make a rocking chair out of fondant/gumpaste? Chocolate transfer? I was thinking of making one for the top of the retirement cake (which I am still having decorater's block about). Any ideas? I was hoping it could stand up.

15 replies
Kiddiekakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Kiddiekakes Posted 23 May 2006 , 11:44pm
post #2 of 16

Sure you can but you may have to do it in stages to allow certain pieces to dry before you attach the legs etc..I have never made a rocking chair but I'm sure it would work.

sweetsuccess Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
sweetsuccess Posted 23 May 2006 , 11:47pm
post #3 of 16

Never tried making a rocking chair, but I think gumpaste or pastillage would do the trick. Good Luck!

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 23 May 2006 , 11:55pm
post #4 of 16

Well, I don't need it until the 10th of June, so I can start now, I just need to figure out HOW the heck to get it to work! (And I'll probably have to make several of them just in case one breaks).
I wonder if there are patterns online for rocking chairs that I could modify for pastry...hmmm....

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 24 May 2006 , 12:43am
post #5 of 16

Let's talk about this some more...LOL.

My brother thinks that we need to have two chairs, and in each would be a fondant character resembling each of my parents. I told him he was crazy, but I thought I woudl explore.

So, what would you use to make the rocking chair strong enough to hold fondant figurines?
Is gumpaste lighter than fondant? Fondant can be pretty heavy.... help?!
Thanks!

TooMuchCake Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
TooMuchCake Posted 24 May 2006 , 12:49am
post #6 of 16

Since you have to place a fondant figure in the chairs, I think, if it were me doing it, I'd make a square of cake and build the chairs around that square of cake, so that it would support the weight of the fondant figure. If you try to make it too "airy" I think it would break under the weight of a figure. Plus, it would make assembly much easier to have some cake underneath. You could help hide the block of cake by making a fondant lap blanket to drape over the figures' laps, or put a cat at their feet, or a knitting basket, or something like that.

Please post a picture when you're done!

Deanna

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 24 May 2006 , 1:19am
post #7 of 16

Excellent points. Thanks Deanna.

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 25 May 2006 , 5:38pm
post #8 of 16

Would you guys suggest, fondant? Gumpaste? Chocolate ?

fronklowes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
fronklowes Posted 26 May 2006 , 3:31am
post #9 of 16

If you want to do a "cutesy" version of the figures rocking, you could get the people fondant cutters that Wilton sells and make your people out of that, attaching a real picture (shrunk and cut to size) of each person to the head part of each fondant figure. I hope that makes sense.

Ursula40 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Ursula40 Posted 26 May 2006 , 3:51am
post #10 of 16

If I had to try, I would make the rocking bits first, not too thin and let them dry. For the legs I'd just use sawed off lollipopsticks (did that for my chalice, worked great) Then attach the legs to the rocking bits(can't for the life of me remember what they are called). Make all bits seperately, all gumpaste and let dry, than attach together with royal icing and let dry.
The figure, to make it lighter, you could try and make the basic shapes out of foil and cover with gumpaste, that would in theory take care of the weight problem, wouldn't it?
I suppose you would have to experiment a bit, just thinking out loud at the moment

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:08am
post #11 of 16

Thanks for the ideas. I guess I'm going to have to find a rocking chair pattern and try a few things to see how it works. Hmmm, my wheels are spinning now. icon_smile.gif

fronklowes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
fronklowes Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:49am
post #12 of 16

Since you're having "decorator's block" about your rubics cube cake, I thought I'd share some ideas that I had about it. I haven't seen the cake that was your inspiration, but if it were me, I'd get myself a square cookie cutter and cut the colored squares for the cube out of fondant or I'd use a ruler and a pizza cutter to make uniformly shaped squares. I'd use MMF because it's cheap, easy to make, and tastes great, plus you can flavor it how you want and can control the stickiness by adding less or more water...and...the best part is that if it gets too stiff to work with easily, you can just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and it'll be nice and pliable again. You can make a batch of white and divide it into portions, coloring each one a different color on the cube (be sure to store unused MMF in press and seal).

That being said, I'd bake my cakes, let them cool, and fill between the layers with icing or whatever filling you're using. If you're using icing for the filling, you can let the cake sit for maybe 10-20 minutes to allow the icing to set and then ice the sides and top of the cake as smooth as you can with dark brown buttercream. If you're using a slippery filling that requires a dam, I would let the cake sit for at least six hours before icing the sides and top to allow the cakes to settle. (I've rushed this process before and ended up with a very ugly bulge that was entirely my own fault.)

Allow your base icing to crust well. 15 minutes will usually do the trick. Then, take a piece of computer paper and put it on each side and the top, rubbing it gently with your hand or a fondant smoother. Most likely, this icing will never actually show, so I wouldn't worry about having it perfectly smooth. Next, I would spritz one side of the cake with water and attach the colored squares one by one right next to each other, starting with the bottom row and working up, leaving no gaps. Once you have the whole side done, continue the process and cover each of the other sides and the top with squares. The fondant will attach to the cake by using just water. If, however, your squares end up being too heavy, you can attach them using buttercream, piping gel, or royal icing, too. I would try brushing the back of each square with a little more water first, though.

Next step...take a small basketweave tip and use the flat side of it to pipe lines using black buttercream on all of the seams of your cube, on the edges and around each square. If you don't have a small basketweave tip, use a round tip and after each line has crusted just a bit, flatten it with your finger. This should take care of the rubics cube part of the cake.

If I were you, I would cut my squares out ahead of time to make the decorating part fast and easy. Get yourself some Glad press and seal and place a sheet on the counter. As you cut out each square, put it on the press and seal. When you've completed all of the squares for one color, take another sheet of press and seal and place it on top of the first one. Press down all over. Then, take a toothpick and trace around each square to make an airtight seal, keeping the fondant squares fresh. Do this for each color on your cube. Then, when you're placing your squares on the cake, you can simply peal the wrap back and remove one square at a time, keeping the others fresh and ready for immediate use. I've done MMF pieces this way up to about 2 weeks ahead of time and they were fine.

The reason I suggest base coating your cake in the dark brown buttercream is so that you don't have to mess with colors bleeding through or showing through your fondant squares. Also, then you can simply take a little bit of it and add black food coloring to it to make the black for the seams on your cube.

In the 2003 yearbook on page 56 there's a picture of a mother and baby in a rocking chair. The directions say they made the chair from gumpaste and cookie sticks. The pattern for the rocking chair is in the 2003 pattern book. They used a doll pick for the mother and made a robe for her, but if you used longer sticks, you could probably use a Barbie and Ken doll.

I have all of the directions and the pattern if you need or want them. Just let me know. I have slow internet, so sometimes I have problems posting files, but I can always fax them or stick them in the mail for you.

alimonkey Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
alimonkey Posted 26 May 2006 , 5:02am
post #13 of 16

Gum paste is stronger than fondant, and I wouldn't recommend chocolate for anything that will need to hold major weight.

What about gingerbread? The color is right, and to make it stronger, you can make interlocking joints (like old woodworking) rather than just using royal icing. If you're interested but can't quite figure out what I mean, let me know and I'll do a quick sketch for you.

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 26 May 2006 , 2:39pm
post #14 of 16

I PMd you both. Thanks!!

FatFace Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
FatFace Posted 26 May 2006 , 6:40pm
post #15 of 16

Sounds like you've got some work ahead of you!
Good Luck

KarenOR Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KarenOR Posted 26 May 2006 , 11:00pm
post #16 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by FatFace

Sounds like you've got some work ahead of you!
Good Luck




LOL! Um, yeah, thanks. I'm going to need it!!

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%