So I bought a cricut cake machine last weekend and I cannot get it to work right. IF I can get it to cut smoothly I cannot get the design off the mat........For someone like me who makes cakes on a reg basis I do not see this really helping, it's very time consuming. Any suggestions to fellow owners or should I just return the machine?
I can definitely see getting WAAY more use out of an airbrush machine.
Thank you for your input in advance!
there are actually several threads on here about the cricut cake. I would search and many will come up.
A few things I have learned:
*** thin, thin, thin. You have to roll it as thin as paper. As someone said, you want to be able to see the mat underneath.
*** I let it sit for about 15 minutes to let it dry a bit. some put in the fridg/freezer
*** slow your speed down
hope this helps... just have to be patient and try try try!
So I bought a cake machine last weekend and I cannot get it to work right. IF I can get it to cut smoothly I cannot get the design off the mat........For someone like me who makes cakes on a reg basis I do not see this really helping, it's very time consuming. Any suggestions to fellow owners or should I just return the machine?
I can definitely see getting WAAY more use out of an airbrush machine.
Thank you for your input in advance!
I've had a great deal of success with the Cricut
One of the things you can do to make the cut cleaner & not mess up is the number of cuts for each design... I have mine on 2 cuts which helps out a lot. Also I've watched the videos on cricut.com
You will have to adjust your speed ... I have learned that the more intricate designs the slower the speed must be. Also if you're using your on GP make sure it is thin enough to see the underneath it.
When you say it sticks to the mat....how much shortening are you using on the mat...it doesn't take that much just a tiny bit to cover the entire mat. If you can see the shortening it's too much
I hope this helps
i've also had great results with my cricut cake! i absolutely love it. like they've said, be sure to roll the fondant (i prefer gum paste) thin! if you're having problems getting the design off the mat, i suggest you invest in the little green spatula cricut made for paper (approx $15). i use that thing to lift everything off the mat! it'll def help
Be sure you are greasing your mat really well. Roll your gumpaste to 1/4" thick, then pop in in the freezer for 30 minutes. Pull it out of the freezer & put it directly into your cricut, don't let it sit & thaw. Play with the speed. I had to slow mine down a lot to get it right. And start out playing with bigger less detailed designs. Hang in there, it will get easier. And it really is a great piece of equipment, once you get it figured out. 
be sure to roll the fondant (i prefer gum paste) thin!
It's not suggested that you use Fondant...Fondant will stretch & won't hold the design while the Cricut is cutting
You can use a 50/50 mix ... I've had better results with 75/25. But never all Fondant you will just frustrate yourself.
Don't give up, it takes a little practice but it's so worth it!
Rolling it really thin with the right amount of crisco on the mat takes some practice to get just right. I think the kind of fondant you're using makes a big difference too. For me wilton fondant rolls out nice on the mat and cuts well and comes off easily, satin ice fondant rolls out nice and cuts well but is a PAIN to get off the mat.
For getting it off the mat I usually use a toothpick to get under the design and lift it off the mat. Sometimes if it's very intricate I will take off all the excess so only the design is left and then pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen it up. Then when I take it out, I can kinda bend the edge of the mat and the design comes right off, but you have to work quickly before they thaw.
Jury is still out for me, I have one and wanted to use mostly for lettering, but I find that the prep time + usage time < time I could have cut with cutters. I did a birthday cake and decorated the whole thing with Cricut, and it took 2 hours to cut balloons and the letters out of 4 different colors of 50/50 MFF+ gumpaste. I probably could have done it in a fraction of the time with balloon cutters and tappits, but wanted to do a full project from beginning to end on Cricut. Most of the time was fiddling with the sizes (it's not intuitive) and waiting for the rolled gumpaste to firm up enough to run thru the machine.
Cake is here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jenniferbratko/CelebrationCakes02#5567777635288132802
Loved the end product but it was a time hog for this one cake.
Jen
be sure to roll the fondant (i prefer gum paste) thin!
It's not suggested that you use Fondant...Fondant will stretch & won't hold the design while the is cutting
You can use a 50/50 mix ... I've had better results with 75/25. But never all Fondant you will just frustrate yourself.
I've only used all fondant and had great results. I use Satin Ice (i know i've heard others ones don't work well that are softer) and roll it really thin so i can see the lines through it. Then i let it sit for 20-30 mins (i have multiple mats so by the time i get back to the first one or finish wrangling up the kids it's ready to use) I haven't had any issues with the fondant stretching.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%