Can Anyone Tell Me How This Cake Will Hold Up?
Decorating By rockymtnbaker Updated 4 Jul 2007 , 2:37am by DianeLM
I am doing a modified version of this cake for wedding that is being held at a Renaissance festival. I have to deliver the cake on Friday and the wedding is on Sunday. The cake will be in a walk in refrigerator during that time. ( I am totally stressed about leaving my cake for someone else to set up, by the way! 
) Anyway, the cake is iced with regular buttercream and then covered with a gumpaste "shell". All of the walls, turrets, etc. are gumpaste. Do you think the gumpaste will be okay in a refigerator up against buttercream for 2 days?!? Tell me now so I can modify if I need to!
thanks,
Tara
Moisture and humidity are the enemies of gumpaste. Refrigerator = humidity.
That's a really beautiful and complicated cake. I certainly hope you're being well paid for it. Frankly I wouldn't attempt it for less than $3500. And I'd absolutely set it up myself. For one thing, I'd want everyone to know it was mine!
I think leaving that cake in the frig for more than a couple of hours would be a disaster. I would never leave a cake like this for someone else to set up, nor would I deliver it more than a couple hours before the reception. And, I would insist that the cake not be moved after it's delivered.
If you have no other options, I'd suggest making the walls out of chocolate. Those would hold up under refrigeration, but if the festival is outside, you'll have a different kind of disaster on your hands.
I'd be very worried about walls falling down while the cake is being moved. Tie several ribbons around the cake so if any pieces try to escape, they'll be held in.
Finally, be sure you have a signed, very detailed, waiver. Make sure everyone from the bride to the caterer to the flower girl knows and understands how enormously risky this is.
Thanks for the input, everyone. I do have a signed waiver from the bride and groom regarding damages. Unfortunately I have no choice but to deliver early, because the organizers don't want vendors walking through the festival after it opens. I will probably change the design to eliminate most of the gumpaste. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make the turrets without using gumpaste?
Tara
Fridges at restaurants are really cold and I have seen it here before (one of my friend made a wedding cake which had to stay in the restaurant in the fridge), it will melt the gumpaste and could also crack or collapse.
If I would make something like this (by the way it is GORGEOUS!!!) I would deliver it myself and make sure it's there right on the table 
Oeps I already read right now that you are not able to do that.....
About the turret, maybe use ice-cones with royal icing on them, or make them with candy melts in a hollow mold?
Wish you lots of good luck!!
Lara
I can't imagine why you can't deliver once the festival gets started. Won't they have to replenish ice and other foods at the festival? Won't they have their porta potties emptied? Or trashcans emptied? Vendors will be there after the festival starts! I am pretty assertive, and I'd go head to head with the festival organizer and I assure you that I'd win.
I do weddings at and attend many, many Renaissance Faires in costume. All the vendors at ALL Faires are required to be in period costume during the run of the Faire. Most Faire management are very strict about that. Most Faires have all their supplies in their booth but if they have to leave and go thru the shire, they do in in costume and also use period looking vessels (ie wooden wagon, chests, etc ) to carry things in. I have been to that Faire and you also want to take your time walking to the wedding garden site. Is it too late to change the cake? A lot of the weddings I have attended at Faire usually have cupcakes or a very plain looking cake especially to be more period. I seriouisly worry about transporting that kind of cake. Good Luck and Huzzah Mi'Lady
Well, here's an update on the whole thing! First of all, I talked with the wedding coordinator and I can deliver the cake on Sunday morning, so it will only be in the fridge for 2 hours instead of 2 days. I still have to leave it and have the wedding party move it to the reception area, but it will be on one board and no assembly necessary, so that should not be a problem. I have already gotten a waiver from the bride for any damages, so I am covered there. I have simplified the design and am using buttercream icing for the main cake and only using gumpaste for the crenallations on the top and windows, doors, and other trims. The turrets I will make out of little rounds of cake with a dowel down through to keep them straight. I actually feel much better about doing it this way, as I will not worry so much about the gumpaste melting, cracking, etc. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions and I will post a pic as soon as I am done!
Happy caking and happy 4th of July everyone!
Tara
Glad to hear you can deliver the cake on the day of the wedding. The structure sounds fine except for one thing - I would not recommend using cake to make the towers. Even with a dowel running through it, cake is very flimsy. After much trial and error (mostly error!) I now do all my towers in RK treats exclusively.
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