Hi everyone,

I'm making a cake for my husband's 30th next week. I have 2 issues I can't quite figure out or I've come up with an answer but I'm hoping someone out there has something better.

1 - I've made a key chain and 2 keys out of gumpaste. I also made a key ring out of gumpaste but it keeps breaking when I try to fit in the keys and key chain. If I try and fit the keys in while it's still pliable, the shape will be all crazy. If i wait till it's dry, it'll break. The only thing I could think of is using actual wire and finding some kind that's food safe if I can. The key chain is important because it's a mascot and the keys are symbolic too so I need to have them both. Anyone else have ideas?

2 - I'd like to make a book that's open, but not open like the book pan. The idea is for the book to be open at the first page. How do I create the book cover so that it stays in place and looks right? It's a 3 tier cake, so there will be 2 other "closed books" under the top tier which is the open book.

ANY ideas would really help. TIA.

Sorry, don't have any ideas for your first problem, but for the 2nd, I'd use a sturdy piece of cardboard or a thin piece of foam core for the book cover. HTH

Thanks prterrell. The part I'm having trouble with is how to attach the open cover so that it's just at the edge of the cake where it meets the "spine" of the book. How would I connect the cardboard to the cake?

You would actually want the cardboard to be longer than just the part sticking out). Basically you want the cake to be sitting on the cardboard with the cover coming up at an angle. I'd use RKT or modelling chocolate to form the spine on the otherside of the cardboard.

Aaaaaaaaah! Thank you so much.

I've never done a key chain but perhaps rolling out gumpaste or modeling chocolate and cutting out two circles (one smaller than the other) and once dried, attach with a small amount of royal icing. Or make a thicker circle cut out and score it on the outside and in the middle so it looks like it's two pieces like a key ring.

To attach the keys, make a chain link (a small circle similar to a chain link that you find at the end of a necklace that attaches to the clasp) out of a gumpaste and attach to the key. While the chain link is still soft, attach it to the key ring so that the key is not directly on the ring itself but hanging off the ring.

I hope that makes sense. Hopefully, someone else will have a good idea for you. Good luck!