Hi all!
Just wondered if you could help... I am making a pirate ship cake for this weekend and just trying to figure out if I can use the FMM impression mat for the wood effect for the planks of wood it's made of... Question is... if I ammm able to use it, do I do it before applying the fondant? (in which case, wouldn't it stretch and lose the detail.... or if after... I'm sure there would be bits that aren't reachable... hmmm... what do you guys think?
Originally I was thinking to cut the planks individually and apply them onto the ship.. but not sure if that wouldn't be too time-consuming for no reason.. And not sure if the overall effect would be that good? And if I did that... do you think I should do a very thin layer of fondant beneath and then add onto that? Hmmm.... definitely making me think... hehe! Any help would be greatly appreciated! i've learned so so much from you all!
Thanks in advance!
Vicky
I wonder the very same thing. If you use the impression mat first then apply the fondant to the cake I imagine the impression would be ruined from stretching and smoothing the fondant onto the cake. I haven't used an impression mat yet because of this reason. I'm very interested in others feedback who have used impression mats.
Sorry my answer wasn't helpful. I am interested in learning from the experience of others about this.
Good Luck, I hope you get an answer.
How about applying the fondant as usual and then using a dull knife and ruler "draw" the planks. You could make random cuts and scrapes. It's an old pirate ship, so I don't think you want it too perfect. Maybe lightly air brush or almost dry brush a darker brown "stain" made with coloring and vodka.
wow... lots of people with the same question! lol!
victoriacakery.. thanks for your tip! I did think to do that as well... but seeing as i'd ordered the small impression mat.. I thought to see if it's usable in that sense or not... or even if not... how would one normally end up using it anyway! know what i mean?
I don't have an airbrush.. but was also debating between actually coloring the fondant brown and then adding perhaps a bit darker color streaks after scraping... or just applying the fondant to the ship in white and then perhaps painting it a yellowish color... doing the scrapes... and then painting brown on top... what do you think?
Just a thought!
Thanks for your help though!
Vicky
I made a pirate ship for my son and cut out the planks individually. First I crumb coated the cake in ganache and then used a 50/50 mix of fondant and modelling chocolate. As victoriacakery mentioned, it is a pirate ship so you don't have to worry about it being too perfect 
I used a knife to score the wood and then used a mixture of vodka and gel colour and painted that over top.
It was a bit time consuming cutting out each plank but when you get into a rhythm it doesn't take that long and it saves the frustration of trying to cover the cake at once. Good luck with your cake!
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1692379
Thanks so much cherrycakes for your input on that! So... your 50/50 mix of fondant and modeling chocolate.. I'm guessing turned out a beigy sorta brown color.. and then after scoring, you painted over it again to get the darker bits? is that right? Love love love your cake by the way! Just wish I could get mine to look that good! Do you mind telling me how you did the sails? Assume they were gumpaste and you just dried them over something rounded? But how did you get them to stick to your masts? Several people have told me that the sails just fall through.. so am a bit worried!
Anyway... great cake and thanks so much for sharing!!
Best,
Vicky
Hi! I have done the wood grain both ways. I'm no expert but I found what worked for me. If you want to use the mat, roll out your fondant a little on the thick side, then I used a rolling pin and impressed that way. I then let it dry a bit, say 10 minutes or so, then applied it to the cake. If you try to move it right away, I found it stretched and lost some of the detail. The plank way is easy as well. Just roll out the fondant and use a ruler to make the planks, adding details such as nail holes and grain. I then painted the wood and then wiped with a paper towel to lighten in some areas. You can then let that dry as well, cut your planks, and apply. I usually just use BC or piping gel to apply to the cake. HTH!
Thanks so much nicunurse! Definitely very helpful! So you painted straight onto the white fondant? And... do you mean that you score the grain in.. as well as just scoring the planks... and then after it's painted and "dried" you cut the individual planks out? Or do you just do the grain first and then when painted n dried, you cut into the size you want?
And btw... if your nickname refers to you really being a NICU nurse.. then hats off to you! My lil guy was a preemie... and without the love,care, expertise and attention he got in there... I'm sure he wouldn't be the rambunctious 3.5 year old I have now! 
) you guys do excellent work!
anyway.. sorry for that tangent! hehe!! Thanks again for your help!
Best,
Vicky
Thanks for the compliment! For the masts, yes, I made them out of gumpaste, cut them out and draped them over Wilton flower formers - you could use a paper towel roll too. After they dried for a while (a couple of hours, I think) I stuck a skewer through them to make the holes and then removed the skewers and let them dry. I remember it being kind of finicky! They stayed on surprisingly well but my plan was to use a touch of white chocolate under each hole if they started to move around.
Make sure you post a picture when done!
(BTW...I was an au pair for a year and lived in Vaucresson (west of Paris) - Paris will always be very dear to my heart!!)
Cherrycakes.. .thanks for that... I had been thinking about using something like chocolate or royal icing perhaps to do that.. but seeing as I wasn't going to use royal icing for anything else... seemed a bit much to make it just for the few dots! hehe! had also debated having the sails sorta rolled around a horizontal mast too... hmmm... better get my ideas in check so that I can finally get going with this all! hahaha! By the way... quick question.. did you dowel and separate your layers? And if you don't mind me asking.. what size cake pans did you use for this?
As for Paris... glad you liked it! I live in the 17th arrondissement right by the Arc de Triomphe.. and although on a day to day basis I take for granted that I live here... others I think.. wow... I'm so lucky! hehehe! Never been to Vaucresson... was it nice there?
Have promised others on here who have helped me.. that I'd post a picture.. but the more and more I think about it.. I am getting more nervous! So hope I can pull this off! hahaha! I'm still pretty new to all of this.. so each new cake is a challenge in some way! But I like that too! hehe! 
Best,
Vicky
I tinted the fondant a light brown first, rolled it a little thick, scored, nail holes, knots etc. I then took wilton brown and painted the entire surface. More color here, a little less there etc. Then I took a paper towel and wiped the area, kind of like staining furniture if that makes sense. Let it dry for a bit so it won't stretch on you, then cut out the planks. And yes, I am really a Nicu nurse! Love, love, love my job!! I'm so glad you had a good experience!!
Can't wait to see the pics!! Let us know what worked for you! 
I used a 10 inch square. I made a template of the shape that I wanted and used 1/2 inch foam core which I tripled and glued together to form the base. I then used that to carve the cake (which was semi-frozen). Because my base was 1 1/2 inches I only needed to use two layers of cake and then built up the front and back of the ship with more cake. As I was using ganache as filling I didn't bother to dowel as the front and back measured just over 5 inches high. It was actually very sturdy but then again, I didn't have to transport it. If you have to deliver it somewhere then you may want to dowel it for security and peace of mind.
You know, I always find that I am much more nervous thinking about a project than when I'm actually doing it! Relax, and have fun - you'll do a great job
Cherrycakes.... you mention that you crumb coated with ganache.. and then applied the fondant. As it's my first time with ganache... do you need to let it totally set first? Between ganache and fondant application... does it need to go in the fridge? Or does the ganache act like a seal. I mean.. when making bc covered cake... once it has the bc over it... doesn't need to be refrigerated... how about with ganache? And how do you attach the fondant to the ganache? With bc, i could just sprinkle water and apply it... is it the same with ganache? I've heard from another member that she smeared some crisco and it stuck ok.
Oh.. and with ganache.. do you think it'll help to sorta keep everything sorta stuck and supported? Does it become quite hard? Sorry for all these questions but I've never used it! lol!
Thanks again!
Vicky
Hi! I'm not sure if you have time to wade through these threads but this will supply you with a lot of information and tips! I'm certainly not an expert but yes, the ganache is like a seal and it doesn't need to be refrigerated (that's what letting the cream to a boil is for). To attach the fondant I just use a small brush and just dab on a bit of water and apply it. The ganache will support and stabilize your cake much more than bc.
http://www.artandappetite.com/2009/11/ganache-instead-of-buttercream/
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-633264-.html&sid=04afd3b7d773750ed947c38872d3facc
Hi guys!
Just to let you know that I've finally done it!! Pic in my gallery... it was a lot of hard work and sleepless nights (I'm still relatively new to this all.. so am pretty slow I think! hhehe)... thanks to you all for your help and inspiration!!
Best,
Vicky
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