I am doing a cake for a farewell party tonight. My best friend is moving out of town so I wanted to surprise her with a cake. I was thinking of making an 8 inch round stacked 4 layers high, filled with a mousse, and covered in buttercream and fondant. I wanted to leave the fondant blank and bring edible markers for everyone to write their farewell messages on it. She loves the signed picture frames, so I thought this would be fun.

My questions are:

Will the fondant dry enough in 5 hours to be written on with markers?

Will the taller cake hold up to the pressure of everyone writing on it?
I plan on supporting the top layer with straws and cake boards as i would a normal stacked cake, then covering in fondant. Maybe even dowel the two layers together before covering in fondant to add support.

Also, I am a little concerned about everyone's hands touching the cake....kinda gross. Maybe make then wash before and have some hand sanitizer ready.


Any tips, ideas, words of wisdom, and constructive criticism is welcome. I sometimes get too big for my britches in the cake world!!!

Thanks so much.

I think that it sounds like a wonderful idea

I would give the fondant at least a day to dry off personally. If you are making a particularlly tall cake I might advise that you dowel it for security. The only issue I see is that people will press too hard when they sign the cake.

obviously make sure that eveyone has clean hands before they go close to to your wonderful cake

good luck

Zerrin

i wouldn't do for 1 reason:

can't keep the messages and that's important in a situation like this

you'd have to have everyone sign and then get really really really good clear pin sharp in focus pics of all the messages for her to keep and that could be difficult.

I don't think you want to peel off the fondant and then preserve it with the messages.

better to do the frame thing.

---

cake could look like one of those tall square boxes of kleenex with tissue sticking out the top

make it look like it's standing in a puddle.

"we're crying a river over missing you."

"tissue for when we kiss you and miss you:

I think it's a great idea!!! Very creative!! Most people are scared of knocking over a cake, so most people will be careful, I think.

I'm with Doug..I wouldn't do it. She isn't going to be able to keep these messages and personally I wouldn't want everyone touching the cake.
That's gross...or even being that close as to breath all over it....LOL....

I think writing messages to her is a wonderful idea...just not on the cake.
A pretty notebook with blank pages would be a wonderful gift and the guest could write there messages in her book rather than the cake.

What if, instead of having all the party guests write on the cake, YOU write a bunch of different messages, using different handwriting styles and different colors, all over the fondant -- decorate the cake with phrases like "Good luck!" and "We'll miss you" and so on. Then put a blank piece of butcher paper or something of the sort -- you could even use a plain white tablecloth and fabric markers -- on an oversize cake board, and ask the guests to write THEIR messages on the board.

She can keep the paper. And nobody's hands will be touching or pushing on the cake.