I'm going to make the Einstein caterpillar for my twins 1st B-day. My DH bought the wrong pan, he bought the soccer ball pan instead of the sports ball pan, but I'm going to be serving about 40 people,so I think it's going to work out better anyways. There are some divets in the pan (for the soccerball design),but I think it will be okay b/c each section is going to be iced in buttercream and then covered with fill-in stars.

It's five sections, and I'm going to use cupcakes for the feet and tail. Do I have to ice the entire thing with buttercream first with fill-in stars on top? Or can I just do the stars?

What could I use for the antenna? (they are red)

Can I torte and put filling in this shaped pan or do you think I should just leave it intact?

I'm going to assemble this cake on a table of it's own. I've laid it out and the dimensions (to be safe) should be 45 inches by 25 inches. How thick do I need to make the board? ....I will not be lifting the cake at all with this board.

Thanks in advance,

Crystal

if each section is one color I would put a thin layer of BC on first and then do the stars, this helps to not have cake show through

How about red licorice laces cut to the right length

Yes you can torte and fill, chill afterward to help the stability while you are decorating

I would use foamcore board, I cut mine with a heated exacto knife, since you are not going to move him once assembled you could use the 3/16 inch thick.

Hope this helps!

Jibbies

Sports ball will be fine...You don't need to ice the cake before doing the stars. As for the board I'm not sure since it will be that long...I use pipe cleaner for the antennas for lady bugs, it also comes in red. I have two of them posted in my pictures.

First, if you don't have to lift the board at all, it doesn't need to be more than a cardboard thick. Second, I would torte the cakes, because they are so thick. You can simply cut off the top half, fill, and plop it back on. That is how I have done my jack-o-lanterns and it works just great.

You can just use stars if you'd like, but sometimes it's easier to do a quick coat of the same color underneath, just in case your stars aren't close enough together and the cake shows through.

Antennae can be the pull-apart licorice. If you want them to stand up, just let it sit out to dry. It actually gets pretty firm and will most likely stand up straight for you.

Have fun!!

I made a similar cake recently and used two large covered cakeboards (taped together on the bottom). Since I did have to move it slightly (to put the table cloth on), I put another board directly under the seam between the two top boards just for a bit of support.

I didn't ice the sports balls before hand, I just star tipped. I used pipe cleaners for the antenae. It turned out not too badly for a first attempt. Good luck!

Thanks! This is going to be a big cake and a huge undertaking for me. I'm going to start baking this weekend,fill,crumbcoat and freeze. My baking time is after my kids go to bed,so I'll probably have to do one cake each night to have it ready in time It really relaxes me though. I'll be sure to post my pics.

Crystal

Glad to be able to help you

Jibbies