About a year ago, a friend of my daughter was getting married with just about a zero budget. Lots of people stepped in to help and her day was beautiful and perfect for her. At the time, I wished very much that I could help her with a cake, but with a short engagement, I had no time to try to discover if such a thing was even within my ability range.
Fast forward to today. In the last couple of weeks, my long dormant cake bug has re-emerged with avengance. Years ago, I just made cakes to make my kids and their cousins smile. I like a pretty cake, and I'm willing to learn, but I will readily admit that I am more crafty and not very artsy. I'm also the queen of the curved line design as straight lines and I don't often see eye to eye.
What I'm thinking I would really like to do is begin to learn some basic skills that could help me in the future be able to help someone who would otherwise not have a wedding cake. I have no doubt that this situation will come up again. Plus, my own daughter some day will need a cake, and I would dearly love to be able to provide that for her.
So, I'm wondering if any of you could share your ideas for the type of cake that is easiest for one for a person with more desire than skill to learn to make? I'm wondering, for example, about learning to use gum paste. Is that just waay too advanced? Can you spend a small amount of money to get started and are there certain designs that are easier?
And, I've even wondered if a cheesecake wedding cake could be done in such a way as to require minimal decorating?
I would love any of your thoughts, ideas, suggestions. I'm loving how open all of you are to sharing. This place is great!
The best thing I have found to do it cruise the forum and see if there have been other posts especially in the "recipes" and "how to" forums. You'll learn oodles and oodles of things and also another great thing on this site are the articles. Most are tutorials with pics and they will show you what you need to know.
Another great resource is the wilton website, they have tutorials there also.
It's a lot easier to learn something if you can "see" it than trying to explain in words what we mean.
Plus there are several posts on here with links to You-tube where there are great little snippets of how-to videos. There are some really good ones on there and some hilarious ones too. I find a link there and I am stuck for hours watchin cake videos.
Hope that helps you a little bit hun and of course, WELCOME to C.C.
The wilton method classes teach how to do a basic wedding cake and the second class really isn't necessary. They also have a fondant and gumpaste class. hope that helps Good luck
Thanks guys!
Do any of you have an opinion as to the best presentation for the least skill? A picture of a cake that is an "easier" lofty goal?
I took the Wilton courses to get the basic understanding. I personally feel that was enough for me. I have not taken Fondant and Gum Paste and I'm not planning on it anytime soon. The fondant was fun in course three, but I just didn't care for the gum paste and the time commitment it would take to "master" it. You can do such beautiful things with it, but I'm not ready for it. I still need a lot of practice, but I'm happy that I can make a great tasting cake and ice it fairly smooth. I have the baking bug, but I'm caked out for the next little while...shame on me!
I used to be soooooo intimdated by gumpaste and little figures and such. I just bought some and sat down and worked it out. I am now addicted to it! I find I am able to be more creative with it. I am a BC disaster, self-admitted and need a class. I'm just having waaaayyy too much fun doing other styles of cakes to take one. Give me some fondant, gumpaste, crisco and an extruder and we're cakin'! Have fun with it. Make some "home cakes" to see where you are as far as level goes and go from there.Good luck and have fun!
Elle
I just wanted to say about the whole cheesecake thing for a wedding cake.......looks so awesome with chocolate ganache over the top dripping down.....I've never done it so I don't know what skill level it is (sometimes the simple looking things give you the biggest headache) but I just know it looks STUNNING!!!
here is an example
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=26065
"And, I've even wondered if a cheesecake wedding cake could be done in such a way as to require minimal decorating?"
Yes. I've done a few cheesecake wedding cakes and the recipe I use has a white chocolate-creamcheese buttercream frosting. With a simple reverse shell border on the top and base and optionally adding halved strawberries with a glaze on the top, it looks (and tastes) really good.
I'll have to look for some of my pictures, then scan and upload them over the weekend.
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