So I got this order for the 3D Crown like the picture below.I sort of know what to expect when I stack and carve the cakes.I am wavering back and forth whether I should attempt to coverthe entire cake and smooth the fondant and I have never had good results and the fondant always tears etc..I am wondering if I can cover it in pleated panels to make it look like draping material instead of smooth...It would be easier also as I can cut into 6 separate pieces rather than one big rolled out piece.Has anyone done this before?

also a few other questions...

1. should I airbrush the pearl strips gold when they are soft and plyable and then place on the cake.Painting with lustre dust etc is such a mess and the color streaks and trying to airbrush after its on causes overspray and a mess also.

2. What is best to glue it down to the cake?

3. Should I dowel it?


So many questions running through my mind.I have 4 weeks to figure this out but I am charging him a fair amount so I want it to look really nice.Any tips would be appreciated!!


Laurel

IMO the way the pearl strips are, you could even do seperate panels to make the fondant smooth - they are small enough, it wouldn't be hard to get a nice smooth finish. Just use the pearl strips to cover the seams. I would still just dry dust them - not enough there to mess with the airbrush. To glue the pieces down I use gumglue, works fine, and adheres the 2 pieces of fondant together nicely. Can't wait to see it when it is done!

Thanks Loucinda..I figured that would be the easier way to go too! Do you have a recipe for the gum glue?

You can do it one of two ways, you can put a small amount of gumpaste in a container and add water (like 1/4 t. piece of gumpaste to 1 T. of water) or you can add a tiny bit of tylose to some water. I use a teeny tupperware container for mine - has a lid that seals. It doesn't stay good very long - refrigerate it when you aren't using it.

Great Thanks!!

I would be a little scared that if you do each panel separately that the weight of them would try to slide down off the cake.

I agree with Khalstead... if you are worried about tearing the fondant, maybe try rolling it out onto a large peice of plastic and then flip it over on to the cake....

I don't think it will....make sure you ice it with fresh buttercream so there is something for the fondant to adhere to. I have seen folks use fondant on vertical pieces and they stay fine. If it is a worry, do a practice run and see how it behaves.

Should I dowel it also??? I have tried flipping fondant from a large plastic circle and the weight of the fondant falling down the sides makes it begin to stretch and tear.

I would dowell one that tall, into the cake drum.

Hello Loucinda,

It is a bit tricky. I would add a cardboad in the center and treat it as a stacked construction. make the spearating board in the middle a bit smaller so you can freely carve with support. Then I would fondant the whole thing. I have always had sucess using caljava white chocolate fondant. It tears less is more elastic and you can roll thinner that cheap brands. Its expencive but worth it. After you drape paint on the color instead of adding to fondant. let dry then begin with embelishments let set and then hand paint on the luster to the emeblishments. You will have more control this way. It will take some time and be tediuos but the results will be very skillfull and cleaner and sharper.

Hope this helps ...thats my two cents.

Cindy

Thanks Cindy..I appreciate your input! Would you torte the layers so that they are 1 inch like I see on all the cake shows? or will the 2 inch layers be sturdy enough?

If you tort and fill it will make things stick better ,more stability once chilled. But dont fill with something unstable like bavarian cream or custards or mousses. Something firm like a simple buttercream that chills and sets quickly.

Cindy

Thanks Cindy..I am going to do that.I have seen them only use skinny layers on Cakeboss and Ace of cakes and I often wondered if this was more stable...I sure wish I could flip my sponge cakes like Buddy...

Glad to help . I really enjoy sculpted cakes.

Is it easier to sculpt the cake when slightly frozen or just a very cold cake? I just did a trial run with a few 6 and 8 inch cakes I had leftover and the white cake crumbled really bad but I think because it was a little over done and dry...The cake I will be doing is chocolate which is more dense to work with.How about the top rim of the cake..any suggestions do it doesn't break off?

Sorry about all the questions...

Top Rim? Do you mean the silver band at the base?

No I meant the top of the cake the smooth rounded edge.

oh, well the fondant will hold it in place . I made a staked cake of different shaped crowns and didnt have a problem.

cindy

MYCHEFTX....Wow..What an awesomw cake....That is the pleats I am talking about..Was that hard to do? If I did that and ran it all the way down to the bottom would that look tacky? I just am not good at covering cakes in fondant and I don't want it to look amateurish....How did you do it?

Also can I stack and carve the cakes a few days before...The cake goes out on a friday night so I wanted to get started on Tuesday so if something goes wrong I have time to rebake or fix it...

If I wanted to make the slats out of gumpaste...you know the gold flat bands that flow out of the top of some crowns...How would I form those so they would stand up?

get started the sooner the better. Your cake will be protected once you drape with fondant from drying out . The detail work over the fonadnt is what is going to be tidious and take most of your time.

Cindy