Hi all!

As the title implies... I want to do a book cake... the girl I'm making it for is really into her chick-lit.. authors like Jodi Picoult etc... So originally was just going to do one or two books stacked on each other.. but then remembered her other true love... Crunchy Cheetos! lol! I was thinking of making the book(s) out of cake... but then perhaps doing a bag of cheetos leaning onto the side...

First of all... any tips on how to do book cakes? How do you do the pages effect? And how do you get the fondant to stick over the side like the cover of a book? What's the best way to stack the books if I do more than one? I wanted to do them a bit off-set, in that they aren't straight on top of each other... also any tips on how to do the bag of cheetos? I'm not the best artist so would worry about painting the decos on... but was thinking of trying to do a fbct onto a bag made of fondant... is that possible? or would the fbct cause problems for the fondant when it defrosts?

Any help/advice/tips appreciated! Thanks so much!

Best,

Vicky

I made a Cheetos cake for someone, it's in my photo gallery. I just cut all the decorations out of fondant.

Hi there!

Thanks so much for your reply! I love the cheetos cake you made!! Looks fantastic! Am thinking my "bag of cheetos" won't be actual cake.. just fondant decoration on the side with the book(s) being the actual cake.

Have you done any book cakes? Any tips on that? Anyone else have any advice for me?

Thanks,

Vicky

I don't think you'd have a problem with the fbct on a fondant bag- I don't see why it would be any different than on a flat fondant cake.

Books are easy- dry the top cover seperately for a bit and then when you put it on your cake, put little paper tabs under the corners to support them until you are ready to deliver..

I do my pages in BC and use a serrated knife or a serrated cake smoother. Then, airbrush them gold ... you could use canned color if you need to.

you can easily offset the books, just use a thin foam core as the bottom cover, and you'll never even see it.. you can use cardboard cake boards, but I think the foam core is more reliable.

good luck.

I've done lots of chip bags, they are pretty easy.

Janet,

Thank you so much for your response! Your cakes are just incredible!! Just a quick question (or 2 or 3! lol)... when you say.. dry the top cover separately... how long for? and how do you transfer it without it cracking etc? And do you do the top cover direct with the binding bit? or do you do the bind.. and then just put the top on? Do you actually put a whole bottom cover under the cake? or do you do strips around the bottom to give that illusion?

With regards to the chip bag... I'm not going to make it out of cake... more likely out of modeling paste or something similar... my one question about doing it.. and doing the fbct... if the bag isn't totally flat... won't the transfer crack (let alone look odd as it would probably stick up) when it's on the uneven surface of a "bag that has chips inside?"

Thanks again and hope you can help me with the questions above!

Best,

Vicky

tow ways I do a binding. 1) you can dry a strip in a rounded former (or over a paper towel holder if you book is thin enough) OR 2) pipe icing along the spine- rounded, shape it with a spatula, then put a strip of fondant over it...

I dry the covers on parchment paper for several hours or overnight if I have time.... Just make sure they aren't sticking. I usually flip 'em over so both sides dry decent. But if I don't have time, I let them set up as much as I can. Just make sure to put support tabs under the corners- and remove them after delivery. Don't let the cover ovelap very much, just a hair...

cut the base board the same size as your cover, and center the cake over it, then only do strips exactly the same size as what's stickingout.

hrm...can't help you too much with the FBCT the way you are describing... I would try to make the area of the transfer as flat as possible.. I haven't used them for years...but wouldn't the bc warm up and settle into place as long as it is just a slight bend?

Janet Brown... you are a star... thanks so much for your replies!! Will be trying to do all this today! I know it won't turn out anywhere near as fantastic as your works of art.. but I gotta start somewhere right? hehe!

Thanks again!!

Vicky