Hi everyone! I have been lurking on this site for weeks and I have learned soooo much! I have always been a lover of baking but I have never really tried my hand at decorating cakes before. When my daughter requested a Max and Ruby cake I went scouring the web looking for cakes. I came across a great one on flickr by Andreas sweetcakes and she fell in love! I had no idea what I was getting into but I hoped I could pull it off. I started reading, watching tutorials, and reading everything I could get my hands on! I finally made a couple of practice cakes but yesterday was the BIG day! People have already starting asking me a lot already about making cakes for them but I need some constructive criticism! I know you all are busy but I appreciate any input! Thanks and I'm so glad I found this forum!



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I forgot to add that the fondant is Fondarific Buttercream flavor. The gum paste is the Wilton mix. I didnt want to chance making my own for this special day...plus theirs tasted great! The top tier was strawberry cake with cream cheese icing and the bottom layer was butter cake with strawberry icing,

Good job for your first try. It really just takes practice. The more you work with fondant the better you will get at geting it smooth. I have found that if you take a small piece of fondant and kneed it in your hand you can then "rub" it over the fondant to help remove any ps or cornstarch residue.

Welcome to CC. I'm no expert but I think you did a fantastic job on your 1st decorated cake. My neice and nephew would love this cake. I made a Max and Ruby for them but it wasn't 3D.

You did great for your first cake! The colors are very Max and Ruby--awesome. I really like the elements you used, the details you added and the overall adaptation of the theme. My favorite are the vegetable garden on this side--what a nice accent.

Since you are asking for some constructive criticism, you may want to dust off the powered sugar/cornstarch off the fondant. I like to use a thick soft brush. Wiping it off with shortening also works well. If you don't want the jagged edges on the letters, recutting it with an exacto knife works.

Other than that, you are deing perfectly well!

Thanks for all of your compliments! I felt pretty happy with the outcome although I did barely get done in time for the guests to arrive. I underestimated how long it would take me. I sat at the kitchen table for over 8 hours working on the covering and decorating. Thats why a lot of the spots were left...I wasnt sure how to get rid of all of them so I really appreciate the tips! I will hopefully be posting some pics of some different cakes. I already have a lot of ideas that I can't wait to start! This could become an obsession!!

Great job for your first fondant cake I would suggest that you roll your fondant a bit thinner. Looking forward to seeing that next cake