Hi Guys,
OK, pretty new to the whole cake decorating and I have a mammoth task ahead of me for a week on Saturday. I'm making a friends 30th birthday cake for his party and I have bought all the supplies and I'm ready to go but I have some questions that I think I should really get the answer to before I just bumble my way through things.
Ok, so it's going to be a 3 layer cake (10", 8", 6") chocolate fudge cake with chocolate frosting. I have bought plastic dowels and I have also just ordered bubble tea straws as someone I trust for their cake knowledge told me that, that is what they use.
So here are my questions:
1. The cake will weigh a small ton and I have bought a 14" cake drum to put the cake on - is this going to be strong enough? If I travel with it stacked, is that drum going to be able to take the weight of the cake?
2. The fondant is going to be pure black and taking into account how much fondant I will need for 3 cakes in the size mentioned above, how much black paste colouring will it take? I bought a 42g tub of Extra Strength black icing paste colour - is this likely to be enough to colour roughly about 2.5 kilos of fondant? I don't want to start colouring only to find out I don't have nearly enough.
3. How far in advance can I colour the fondant? I would preferably like to get it done the week before so that it's out of the way and has time to rest.
4. Does anyone have any good tutorials on how to make a number cake topper? I want to do a 3 and a 0 but I want them really quite chunky (it's a guys cake). Also how far in advance should I make them so that they are dry and ready to go?
Anyway, I think that's everything, I'd appreciate any advice you have.
Thanks.
Well aren't you a brave soul! This is what I know...
1.Yes the 14" cake drum should support the cake, make sure that when you carry it your hands are under the cake not just on the edges.
2. I think 5-7 pounds of fondant should be enough, That sounds like enough black coloring to me, it is always easier to start with brown fondant then add black, you'll use much less coloring.
3. You can color the fondant anytime, a week is fine.
4.I have never seen a tutorial on numbers. I just go to my computer, pick out a font I like, enlarge it to the size I need and use it as a template. You would need several days for them to dry if they re made from fondant if you make them from gum paste you probably would have them ready in a couple days I hope this help get you started. Good luck and be sure post pics!
Well aren't you a brave soul! This is what I know...
1.Yes the 14" cake drum should support the cake, make sure that when you carry it your hands are under the cake not just on the edges.
2. I think 5-7 pounds of fondant should be enough, That sounds like enough black coloring to me, it is always easier to start with brown fondant then add black, you'll use much less coloring.
3. You can color the fondant anytime, a week is fine.
4.I have never seen a tutorial on numbers. I just go to my computer, pick out a font I like, enlarge it to the size I need and use it as a template. You would need several days for them to dry if they re made from fondant if you make them from gum paste you probably would have them ready in a couple days I hope this help get you started. Good luck and be sure post pics!
Excellent - this was exactly what I was looking for. The whole cake board thing makes me nervous though lol - I just picture myself carrying it and it cracking underneath and me ending up holding half of my cake, whilst crying looking at the other half on the ground (oh good grief I hope that doesn't happen) - my fiancee will be with me though and he is amazing at all the lifting type stuff etc, so I'm sure I'll be fine. The only reason I never bought pre-coloured fondant is because it's so much more expensive here in the UK than just plain old white. So I figured that I do the hard slog and colour it myself - I'll colour it this weekend though so that I can be sure I have enough colour. I think I'll just free hand the numbers out of gumpaste and stick cocktail sticks in the bottom and let them dry - I'll do them this weekend as well, so they are out of the way. I will also be sure to post the pictures - but I do sure hope to the heavens that I'm posting a success photo and not a 'cake disaster' photo lol. Oh I need everyone to pray for me lol.
thanks 
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