How In The World Would You Do A Cake Like This?
Decorating By clarmar Updated 16 Mar 2009 , 10:11pm by gleep
I had a request for a cake like this. First of all she doesn't want fondant, even if I used fondant how would I go about making the bananas. Trully I'm thinking they are real bananas. Any ideas?
http://felyne.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/happybirthdaybabyj.jpg
The bananas aren't real. Each one is hand modeled out of fondant and then accented with brushed on gel/paste color. The monkey is also hand modeled from fondant or half fondant/half gum paste.
I don't think you could ever make a comparable cake out of regular buttercream. You could certainly use rolled buttercream (recipe on this site) and you could ice the cake under the banana pile with buttercream.
I think the Wilton Wonder mold pan would be used for the cake.
HTH
RAe
wow, i dont know how you would do that all in bc! why no fondant - maybe yours tastes better than others she has tried? would she like modelling chocolate? or bananna sweets?
xx
I think I've seen that cake done on here before...
seems tricky to do without fondant...
Here's one using marzipan:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_42792.html
And this one only has a little fondant 
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1102943.html
I can imagine to do it in buttercream, depending of size of the cake. It would be lot of work.
Bake a half round cake (in ball pan, in a bowl etc.).
Crumbcoat.
On a piece of parchment paper, pipe a monkey - similar to http://www.wilton.com/technique/Teddy-Bear-2
How to pipe a banana: http://www.wilton.com/technique/Banana
For best effect I would pipe most of it on parchment paper, freeze it, then arrange on the cake and pipe the rest.
You can make a lot with buttercream, see my all buttercream cake here: http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1329805
The only tip I used was basketweave tip for the "wood", everything else was made by cut parchment triangle.
Why doesn't she want fondant? I mean I'm sure the recipient of that cake didn't actually EAT all of those fondant bananas! I guess you could try rolled buttercream like Rae suggested, but honestly are they going to sit there and eat them? 
Have you tried MMF? I think it actually tastes pretty good and you can flavor it with extracts........banana flavored Lorann oil would be awesome!
Good luck!
Great info majka - I get a lot of buttercream only requests, that will come in handy!
Wow! Lovely "Sugar People"
Your answers are amazing. I knew I could count on your expertise.
Thanks for all your answers. I'm making some MFF and flavoring it with Amoretti's banana compound so that I can have her taste it. If she still doesn't like it I'll go with the marzipan but will have to charge her extra.
I hope no one takes this the wrong way but IMO in certain instances customers should not dictate to us what medium to use. It is our job to be the expert and use the best medium to get the look that they want.
Sometimes buttercream can be used instead of fondant with no ill effect on the design and sometimes it can't. Just something I thought about when I read the post!
MMF actually taste pretty good. But I would try marzipan as a lot of fruit is sculpted out of marzipan.
But I would try marzipan as a lot of fruit is sculpted out of marzipan.
Very true, and marzipan is wonderful to work with, but good quality marzipan is really very expensive compared to other mediums.
Considering that the cake will have to be "deconstructed", just to get to the cake part, I'd be inclined to use something that's more cost effective---unless the client specifies that they intend to eat everything and therefore must have a certain ingredient.
Rae
Maybe it's just me but if she doesn't want fondant, why not just cheat and buy the candy bananas. They are part of Runts...mixed fruit candies. They are small but are actually more proportionate to the monkey. I am pretty sure my bulk candy store sells just the bananas. And it would save you a ton of time. And the kids could eat them no muss no fuss You could cover the wonder mold in yellow buttercream and just stick them on.
Actually I did a quick google search, see them here
http://www.bulkcandystore.com/store/Bananarama-Just-like-Banana-Runts-P262C16.aspx?afid=7
Just a thought. Good luck..I really want to make that cake some day.
Maybe it's just me but if she doesn't want fondant, why not just cheat and buy the candy bananas. They are part of Runts...mixed fruit candies. They are small but are actually more proportionate to the monkey. I am pretty sure my bulk candy store sells just the bananas. And it would save you a ton of time. And the kids could eat them no muss no fuss
You could cover the wonder mold in yellow buttercream and just stick them on. Actually I did a quick google search, see them here
http://www.bulkcandystore.com/store/Bananarama-Just-like-Banana-Runts-P262C16.aspx?afid=7
Just a thought. Good luck..I really want to make that cake some day.
SUPER ALTERNATIVE! You could use brown or black gel/paste color to accent them and save yourself HOURS & HOURS of time!
Rae
Blakescakes your absolutely right about good quality marzipan being expensive. And it MUST be very good quality marzipan, because only the best taste good & the fruits look SOOO pretty. Wow, you must have the patients of a Saint if you painted runts bananas with detail. Good luck. With what ever you choose.
What about using modeling chocolate for all those 'nanners and the monkey?
Well, what do you know, my daughter (she's a chef) says "Not to worry, she's got it figured out" and she stuffs the fondant with cake and adds the finishing touches. Voila... a banana! Size about 1"x4"
Took her about 5 to 6 minutes.
I have a picture but I don't know how to upload it.
I made a cake similar to that years ago. I made it out of butterceam.
http://cakesbycarla.com/Photogallery/monkeycake.jpg
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