This is a continuation of my previous conversation about the really big cake that I a doing. The two bottom tiers are dummies and are 32" and 40" diameter, 6" tall each. Since dummy cakes don't come that big, as far as I know, I'm having my husband make them for me. He made me an 8" test dummy. It's not your typical styrofoam that store bought cake dummies are made of. This foam is more of an industrial foam and has more indents in it. I'm thinking that I need to fill in the small holes in the foam. Do you think royal icing would do the trick? Could I then safely cover it in fondant?
These two dummy cakes will have seams. There is no way around it. I cannot roll out fondant big enough to cover these huge "cakes" in one piece. What is the best way to hide seams, besides decorations. This cake will have a bouquet of flowers on the very top tier, then the flowers will cascade down the cake. There is no way I can put flowers where all the seams will be. If I can just "meld" them together, I'll be happy with that.
One more question. This cake will be most likely standing for about 2 hours before it gets cut. In your opinion, should I do ganache or buttercream under the fondant? Which one holds up best? The buttercream recipe I use is 2 of Everything on this site. I'm not very experienced in covering with ganache.
Can you tell this cake is making me extremely nervous??? LOL I'm really trying to think the whole thing through.....
Christina
mrsmac888
Yes you most certainly can use royal icing to cover your dummies first. I use royal icing to fill in the divits in my older styrofoam dummies. Dries rock hard, smooths the edges, so pretty easy to cover with fondant. Yes, I agree, will be pretty hard to cover these sizes of cakes without a seam. I’d probably place fondant leaves, or something pretty to hide the seams. Even fondant pearls. If you do that on both dummies, it’s a continuation of the theme.
And as far as bc or ganache, definitely ganache. Ganache will give you a nice clean finish and crisp edges. Which in turn will give you sharp edges once covered in fondant and smoothed. And ganache definitely holds up better. I’ve done both, and I prefer ganache. Now depending on the weather, I have done 100% ganache, or a 50/50-60/40-80/20 ratio of ganache to bc. I make Liz Mareks/Sugar Geeks easy buttercream. Add the ganache to it. I forget if you mentioned what the season/weather was going to be. Or if cake will be inside or outside. Those factors would very much decide what icing and ratio I would use. And if the cake is inside, 2 hours is perfectly fine. I’ve set up wedding cakes mid morning that weren’t cut until after dinner. We’re just fine.
Hope this helps.
Yes, royal icing will work perfectly for filling in the holes. Dry wall mud would also work, since they are dummies and will no be eaten. As to hiding the seams, have you considered covering the dummy tiers with ruffled fondant, the kind done with circles of fondant scrunched and applied to look like ruffles? A more sophicated, fairly new design is to wrap large pieces of fondant around the sides of the cake and over lap them in layers, leaving the outer edges a little wavy and often painted gold (the edges). I know this doesn't make sense, but if you will look on Pinterest, I am sure you will see the technique I am trying to describe. It would make appling the fondant to such large cakes a whole lot easier and add interest on the bottom undecorated tiers.
I agree with June, ganache is the safer bet. It sounds scary, but once you try it, you will love it! It is easier than buttercream to get perfect. Just use a scraper and spatula warmed in a pan of simmering water.
i would not try to get a smoothie smooth look with fondant on cakes that size -- i would have re-directed the client -- unless i had been all practiced up and had my seam hiding procedure down pat -- there is some kind of glue or something that is supposed to completely conceal and heal but i unsuccessfully tried it once decorating a cake in real time, not practice and just went with some other method -- if memory serves it's made of royal icing and diluted fondant or something -- somebody might remember but i gave all my cake library away -- but i'll look online...
now about the foam -- for one thing i don't know how invested your husband is at this point -- but there's dallas foam Round Cake Dummies (dallas-foam.com) and they can make your dummies --
i have cut foam for eons with kitchen knives as well as hot foam cutters -- the dummies can be sanded smooth -- unless it's a hot foam cutter it is a messy foamy mess but i always enjoyed it -- and did it outside --
michael's sells cheap hot foam cutters and lowe's sells sheet insulation that will cut perfectly smooth -- i would buy the 1" sheets and stack them up to cut --
this company is great! and has tons of videos Hot Wire Foam Factory
oh wow -- michael's upped their game this is potentially a real nice cutter 3-In-1 Hot Wire Foam Cutting Tool | Hobby Lobby | 1728179
Need Help With Blending A Fondant Seam - CakeCentral.com
The Bake More: Gunging - Sugar Spackle that Hides ALL Fondant Flaws
the 'gunge' method uses vodka -- i would just forget the fondant and go bottoms up on that -- hahahahahaha
there's just going to be so many seams i would so recommend having a decorative backup plan -- explain to client in advance
-K8, I think about you every time I carve foam! I just did the base for a small bust and I used florist oasis, which is so much easier to carve. It is still stuck all over everything and gives me the hebbie jebbies!
hahahahaha "heebie jeebies"
I love to carve that stuff!
are you using a kitchen knife or a hot foam knife?
I am using a kitchen knife. I did sacrifice one of my cheap knives by heating it and carving and I didn't like that any better. I HATE the stuff that sticks to everything for a million years! I continue to do it, however, because it makes wonderful bases for my busts.
sandra, check out the michaels link or the other one up there that I posted — it might perhaps save you some money too — I should have explained better— a “hot knife” is an electric contraption — then you can buy sheet insulation if you want and get some foam glue — idk how much the florist foam costs but the insulation may be more reasonable — and it will definitely decrease the heebie jeebieness —
but obviously what you’re doing is working too
but don't mind me -- I think we've had this conversation before 
We have talked about cutting foam before, -K8, but I learn something new each time. I actually have a full sheet of the foam insulation in the basement, left over from building the last cat house - maybe I should clarify by saying "kitty" house, lol.
i thought 'cat house' was more colorful -- but i never even thought of that till you said kitty house 
Ok Girls,
I did it. I "talked her down". Thank God! This monstrous cake has been downsized! The "client" is being very understanding and I am being very thankful!
The new dimensions of the cake are: 8", 10", 12", 14", 16" on top of a 18" dummy cake, on top of a 32" foam cake stand, which my husband made out. All cakes and dummies are 6" tall. The cake stand made of foam will be covered in a nice white fabric. Should be very pretty and still get her the look of a grand cake! Don't you think?
I think I'm going to give the ganache a try. She really, really wants this cake to be outdoors, first weekend in October. This is Kansas, so it's iffy. Could be hot and humid still or it could be nice and dry. I told her that we must have an indoor option if the weather does not cooperate. With that said, JChuck, what would your ganache to bc ratio be for possible humid weather? I'd rather err on the side of caution. I've not used Liz Mareks buttercream but I am using her fondant recipe, thank you Sandra for that gem! Wow! That fondant is a dream!
As always, thank you all for helping me out!
yay mrsmac888 for talking her down!!! whoop whoop whooo!!!
Now that sounds more doable! It will still be a magnificent display!
you still gotta roll out fondant over thirty inches for the 6" tall 18" tier -- but at least you could go with the roll it around a big dowel method or a length of pvc --
mrsmac888
Glad you’re customer “downsized”….better ratio in size. And definitely will still look spectacular. My ratio for ganache for hot/humid weather for dark chocolate is 3/4 :1. For white 4:1. It’s pretty thick. But what I do is nuke the ganache for like 5 seconds at 40% so it’s consistency of peanut butter. Then it’s easier to apply. I usually have to nuke several times to keep ganache spreadable. If weather is more coolish fall like weather, which I hope for your sake it is, I do 2/3:1 dark. White 3:1. White always tends to be a little loose and less stable. So I always make thick.
I use Liz/Sugar Geeks easy buttercream all the time. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll love it. I’ve added ganache to it as well for stability. I love Liz’s LMF. Use to make all the time. But I rarely cover cakes with fondant, and use mostly for modelling, covering boards, making embellishments. So I buy in bulk from a local cake decorating warehouse. Plus I’m older and lazy…ha ha.
And first week of October is when I got married. Was supposed to be lovely fall weather. But it rained, rained, rained the whole week before and on our wedding day. Miserable soggy and wet.
Really would like to see the cake when it’s done. But know you won’t be able to post here.
June aka Jchuck
June,
Just trying to clarify what you're saying. You make Liz's easy buttercream and mix it with the ganache? Then you'd cover the cakes with that, then Liz's fondant? I will definitely be using chocolate ganache, not white.
Liz's Easy Buttercream recipe states that you can add shortening to the BC for added stability. Would you also do that?
Thank you SO much for your continued advice!
mrsmac888
Sorry if my post was confusing. When I ganache a cake, it’s either left just all ganache or I cover with fondant. As ganached cakes hold up better. And give you sharper edges on your fondant.
When I’m doing a strictly buttercream cake, I always do a hybrid…easy buttercream + ganache. I like the stability the ganache adds to the buttercream. And I get a lovely smooth finish. Depends on the weather how much ganache I add. The hotter the weather, the more ganache. I personally don’t like shortening in a icing. I have only used shortening when making a vegan icing. I know so many decorators swear the icing is more stable with added shortening. But I have not found that to be the case. Actually, it was Liz Marek who told me that for stability in hot/humid weather to do either all ganache or the hybrid easy bc + ganache. I belong to Liz’s Sugar Geeks (free) fb page. I posed a question about having a cake at a outdoor bday party in August. Liz answered me with what I wrote above. I actually did all white ganache. Cake sat under a picnic table, in the shade. In a cooler filled with ice packs, for about 2 1/2 hours. And it was hot, hot, hot. Ninety degrees and super humid. Cake was fine. Two bday parties this year, at the beach. Did easy bc hybrid. Again, cakes stored in a cooler with ice packs. Was fine. But I can honestly say, I wouldn’t have trusted either cake to have sat out, even in the shade, for any length of time. I don’t think I’d ever do a cake for a outdoor wedding in the summer. Not unless cake was kept in a cool ac area, and brought out just before cutting.
Weather wise, hopefully you will get high 60’s or low 70’s in temperature. Which will be perfect. It’s predicted to be in the mid 70’s …72-75 here in Ontario where I live. Hopefully no rain.
We were actually in Kansas City airport for a 1 hour layover on our way to Hawaii.
June,
Thank you for the clarification. I get what you're saying, sometimes I can be pretty dense!
I am intrigued by your statement, and maybe dense again. When you are doing a strictly buttercream cake, can you explain your hybrid bc + ganache?
Christina
mrsmac888
Sorry if my post was confusing. When I ganache a cake, it’s either left just all ganache or I cover with fondant. As ganached cakes hold up better. And give you sharper edges on your fondant.
When I’m doing a strictly buttercream cake, I always do a hybrid…easy buttercream + ganache. I like the stability the ganache adds to the buttercream.
mrsmac888
Ok, when I make easy buttercream, I usually add a 1/2 cup of ganache to one batch. Either dark/white. I like the taste and the stability. When it’s hot/humid I will do a 60/40. 60% ganache/40% bc. Even done 70/30. Hope that clears things up.
June,
As always, I learn something new from you wonderful ladies! I had never heard of adding ganache to buttercream strictly for stability, only for adding flavor. I've done it for making buttercream chocolate, but never realized it made it more stable.
Thank you!
Christina
I've never added ganache to buttercream, but have made white chocolate SMB many times by just added melted, cooled, white chocolate.
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