Hi everybody,
I'm totally confused 
. I've never made a special cake before and am in need of knowing the important basics.
I'm making my own wedding cake, but thought it would be a great idea to make a few (or more) practice cakes before that. My first cake will be for fathers day.
What i'm very unsure of is what to use to cover the cake: fondant, gum paste, buttercream or plain icing. I'm wanting to make a theme for the cake (poker).
Which is easier to work with? Does the buttercream have that texture and taste of grocery store bought cakes? Does fondant or gum paste taste like marzipan? How can I flavor the fondant and gum paste to my liking? Is there a site where I can get "templates" for cakes?
Is there a site that anybody knows of that can tell me all about this stuff?
I'm looking forward to trying this, but i'm also really nervous. I've seen alot of the cakes on this site and they are brillant.
Thanks for the help and suggestions!
samantha, you have come to the right place.... you will find PLENTY of answers and friends here.... I think I would suggest starting with a buttercream.... you can do the basic buttecream to begin with and flavor it to your tastes. Buttercream can be smoothed once it has crusted and is fairly easy to work with. if you are going to make figures, you might use a firmer medium like fondant or gumpaste, which you can add extracts to to flavor, though I am not a taste fan of either... Marshmallow Fondant often referred to on this site as MMF is easy to make and is cheap and tastes fabulous... maybe give it a whirl... go to the recipe section and do a search fo rit, you will love it 
I am new to this as well. Good luck but as everyone will warn you be careful because it is addicting 
I have used the alternative marshmallow fondant recipe on this site and it is wonderful to work with. The last batch I made I used coconut flavoring and it was tasty! Good luck with your cake! This site is wonderful for help of any sort.
Good Luck, I'm sorta a newbie myself. I'm 1/2 way into my first Wilton class and I think it would be best for you to start with a buttercream.
I would find a crusting buttercream icing. I use the Wilton Class Buttercream Recipe which can be found on their website. I will start experimenting with other buttercreams soon though.
I have had alot of luck using the VIVA Papertowel method descibed in the articles section of this website. Basically frost your cake as smooth as possible. Let it crust 15-30 minutes and then use a VIVA towel to smooth out the cake.
Good Luck!
Welcome to CC!! Definitely use buttercream to start. Cake decorating is addictive!! It's so much fun! But it's also a lot of work. Definitely do as much practicing as you can before attempting something as complicated as a wedding cake. There is so much wonderful information on this site - you can learn a lot very quickly, as long as you practice!!! Have fun learning and ask all the questions you need - we're here for you!
Welcome to CC!
No, buttercream doesn't taste like grocery store frosting and is great for covering cakes.
Fondant makes a nice smooth cake covering but requires practice and patience.
Gumpaste: makes nice decorations, but not so edible. Not for covering entire cakes.
Hi everybody,
I'm totally confused
. I've never made a special cake before and am in need of knowing the important basics.I'm making my own wedding cake, but thought it would be a great idea to make a few (or more) practice cakes before that. My first cake will be for fathers day.
What i'm very unsure of is what to use to cover the cake: fondant, gum paste, buttercream or plain icing. I'm wanting to make a theme for the cake (poker).
Which is easier to work with? Does the buttercream have that texture and taste of grocery store bought cakes? Does fondant or gum paste taste like marzipan? How can I flavor the fondant and gum paste to my liking? Is there a site where I can get "templates" for cakes?
Is there a site that anybody knows of that can tell me all about this stuff?
I'm looking forward to trying this, but i'm also really nervous. I've seen alot of the cakes on this site and they are brillant.
Thanks for the help and suggestions!
Okies, not sue what you meant by template, but here is CC templates for different things...
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&aid=121
Otherwise if you meant different cakes to look at to get ideas, here is a link to the galleries, there are so many cake pictures, it will blow your mind=)
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos.html
Here is a link to "poker" themed cakes for ideas for your dad's cake=)
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&meta=search&type=full&search=poker
Personally I would start working with BC, as other members mentioned. For a couple of reasons. First is, it is easier for most to work with BC, second is, most use a thin layer of BC under their fondant. So getting the BC recipe down, and learning to frost with it would be a great step=) One recipe on here that members love...
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2123-Buttercream-Dream.html
It has a 5 star rating, and is yummy! This recipe does crust, so you can use the Viva or melvira method to smooth it nicely. Melvira method is prolly the most popular on our site=) Here is the link to the tutorial for the Melvira method...
http://cakecentral.com/article83-Quick--Easy-Smooth-Icing-Using-a-Roller-Melvira-Method.html
Here is the link to the Viva method...
http://www.cakecentral.com/article10-How-To-Create-Faux-Fondant-The-Paper-Towel-Method----Viva.html
And for when you are ready to try fondant=) Here is a link to a very popular MMF recipe that has a 5 star rating..
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-3183-1-Rhondas-Ultimate-MMF.html
Otherwise, you can purchase fondant if you do not want to make it(more expensive, but obviously easier). Do not purchase the wilton fondant to cover a cake, the taste is pretty bad. But for practicing, wilton is good to play with. Fondx and Satin Ice is mentioned a lot on this site as being really tasty and good to work with. If interested in those, I bet a CC member can get you the link of where to purchase those=) And last but not least...Ask any questions you have!! The members on here are so cake smart and so kind to share all their tricks with us=) Welcome to CC!! Jen
thanks so much to everybody for all of your suggestions. i'm really looking forward to trying, learning and creating.
i'm pretty sure that i'll be posting alot on here within the next few months.
here goes nothing 
Welcome to CC! You'll soon find out that this is the best place to learn most every thing about cakes. Anything that isn't already posted just ask and you'll be amazed how quick you get an answer. I wanted to let you know that you should never cover your cakes in gumpaste. I'm a big fan of the stuff but its meant to be used for decorations. It dries very hard and would be very difficult to bite into. This is a list of articles you can read, its a good way to start http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-guides.html
Don't be afraid to try fondant its great! Here's the first recipe I used it taste good and is very easy to make. http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2148-8-Easy-Marshmallow-Fondant.html
My only suggestion is to get alot of practice. And make sure you have plenty of ginnea pigs, shouldn't be hard all my neighbors love me, even an usgly cake still taste good. LOL Good Luck.
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