Golding Frosting And Satin Ice Questions; Help!
Decorating By Bekah66 Updated 29 Dec 2006 , 3:10pm by Bekah66
Help! I covered my first fake cake (smallest pedal cake) in satin ice today. My first problem was that I tried to cover that shape with one large piece of SI. I couldn't get it right. So I did it again in strips (no one will see the top of the cake), that worked out ok, but I am having problems with it adhering to the styrofoam. I coated it first with butter cream but it doesn't want to stick on the very bottom.
Second, I tried to color some of it gold by mixing gold luster dust with lemon extract, but not even close. How do you make that gold frosting?
If it isn't sticking to the buttercream you can spray a little water on it before apply the SI then it should stick. Are you wanting to color the SI a shade of gold or are you wanting a shiny, bright gold finish? If you want a shade of gold you will need to knead your gel color into the fondant. If you are going for the bright, shiny gold you will have to paint on the mixture of luster dust & lemon extract (or alcohol). HTH
Edited to correct spelling 
This is a petal dummy, correct? I see you embossed it. Did you put the pattern on after you attached it to the dummy?
Rolled fondant can usually be put directly on the dummy with warm water. You brush the fondant with a thin layer of water, then attach the fondant directly to the cake. It should dry hard after that.
Others use piping gel to attach fondant to a dummy.
As far as the gilding, what was your ratio of gold luster dust to lemon extract? It should be about 50-50. ShirleyW recently posted some information on how she was advised to do her gilding - mix the gold luster dust with pearl dust. Take a look at her cakes, the gold on them is great!
You might PM her for more information.
Theresa 
Yes, it is the petal shape. I embossed after I had put on the SI. I used a little grey petal dust with some silver luster dust to make like 'tarnish' on the blocks, hard to see in pix. I am making this big project for a bridal show and I am giving away a pillow cake and am wanting to make a purple pillow with gold tassles. I am looking for that sharp metallic gold (kinda like gold leaf). I have seen it used on cakes as accents and it looks as if it is piped on. I am so confused! 
I'm sure I am not explaining myself very well.
I have two more layers on cover with SI yet, I am hoping this one was hard b/c I used the petal shape, the 12" and 14" are both round. I will try the water and piping gel. I tried to cover with saran wrap like I have read, but that was a total loss! 
How thin should the SI be rolled out?
That depends upon how you will decorate the fondant. If you are going to leave it plain, then paint it or add cut-out or piped decorations to it, then you can roll it to about 1/8 inch thin, if you have a very smooth work surface.
If you are going to emboss it, I would go 3/16 to 1/4 inch thick.
Covering the petal pan probably would have been easier with thinner fondant, but then you would have had to be very careful when embossing it, so as to not cut through to the dummy.
Theresa
Theresa, thank you so much for the tips on the fondant! I think at first i rolled it out way to thick. when I tried the second time, i made it a little thinner but did notice when embossing that it wanted to cut out the squares.
The next two laters will have buttercream accents and fondant overlays, so I will try it thinner! Should it wrap under the cake or just rest on the board? I am sorry for all the questions/ 
I had such trouble with the first one with cutting and fitting it on that particular shape, I am hoping the two rounds won't be as bad! 
Thanks again!
The two rounds will not be nearly as bad as the petal dummy was.
Now, when you say "board" do you mean that you are putting cardboard cake rounds under the dummies, or do you mean the cake drum at the bottom of the display in the photo?
With dummies, you do not have to put the cardboard cake rounds under them, unless you are using the display for competition. Then you should use the rounds, as the display must be done as you would do a cake. If you are talking about the drum at the bottom, which serves as the base for the cake, I would cut the fondant inward, to the center of the bottom, so that it forms a slight curve under.
Theresa
If there is a word 'cake moron', I am one! I cut a board like the petal cake and put it underneath. I don't know why, I knew at the time I did it. For the second layer, should I 'fold' the fondant under the fake cake? Or should it just touch it. I think I understand cutting the fondant inward. I hadn't planned on putting border on the bottom of the cakes where they meet, but I am going ot have to on the top one because the bottom edge doesn't look to well. 
Thanks so much Theresa!
Oh, please!! You are not a moron! Did you not say that this was your first display dummy cake? And do you think that you are the first, or only, person to ever put a board under a dummy? I would put really good money on the fact that there is at least one person out there who beat you to it.
Now, first, you Always, Always use a bottom border on all your cake tiers, even if it is just a tiny piped bead border or a piece of satin ribbon. Do not underestimate your client - they will notice that it is not there.
You do not necessarily have to fold the fondant under on any tier, because if done correctly, the undercutting should give you a nice little curve that starts to roll under the edge of the dummy. The dummy should be elevated to do this properly, and your knifestrokes should be from outside to the center of the bottom.
Theresa
And do you think that you are the first, or only, person to ever put a board under a dummy? I would put really good money on the fact that there is at least one person out there who beat you to it.
Oops! I put a cake board under my dummy cake. Never even thought about it not really needing one until you gals mentioned it. No, it was not a show piece.
See - you are not alone. Many have. It is a part of learning, just like there are some people who forgot to put the dowels into their first stacked cake (me, me, me!).
Let's digress.
Please post a pic of the final cake for us, and let me know how the water works for you in attaching the fondant.
Theresa
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%