ALOL Nanny I'll see what I can do ;) I hope it's possible, not sure I'd want white choc flavour with the lemon! I doubt it's as easy as stirring in some extract though. Hmm might try that though as I think I have some leftover white in the fridge.........choc for breakfast is ok right? :grin:

Not sure is lemon and chocolate are a great mix - if I was flavouring a lemon cake then raspberry is the right combination with white chocolate granache.  May need a few drops of extract as jam is a bit wet and wont just the best flavour. colour it pink?

Oh Tiddy - forgot to ask how you were ....sorry   - let us see the end result (unless you are still adding tiers that is!)

Mel - chocolate is also very good for elevenses, lunch, tea and dinner.  Ignore the news today where it says research has proved it isn't (they said that about red wine too - and I am beginning to think they are right on that one....will have another glass tonight to see if they are right).

Flavoured ganache - still a virgin but hope to embrace all that is ganacheness very soon - so watching and waiting with interest! Lol.

Kathy

Good morning all!  Ooh, lemon ganache sounds lovely, Mel.  I did my first ganached cake a week ago - think I need to do a bit more practice with the ordinary sort before I even think about flavouring.  I'm from Hertfordshire by the way

AI like your thinking Kathy :-D

Well, that wasn't a disaster! Had some leftover white ganache, so I just stirred in some lemon extract (the alcohol type not the oil) and it's definitely lemony! Sort of like the lemon truffles you get in Thorntons? Not exactly zesty, but it's definitely lemon rather than the vanilla white Choc taste. I use all real lemons in my cakes and try to avoid extracts but I think I'm happy to make an exception here, as I don't want zest bits in it, and god knows what juice would do! This didn't seem to alter consistency, so if that's all it takes I'm going to stick with that LOL!

Hi Mel - can I ask what brand of lemon extract you use please?  I need to do a really lemony cake and am not sure what to get.  Thanks!

AI used the Nielsson Massey one Kathy, bit ££ but it's much stronger than others I've tried.

To be honest though, if you want a really lemony cake, I'd use real lemons. Nothing beats freshly grated lemon zest for flavour! My average 8" cake will use the zest of at least 2 large lemons, then another 1 to 1 1/2 in my buttercream, along with some of the juice if needed. To top it off I also layer with a good lemon curd - it's really lemony LOL but I get so much great feedback on it that it's worth it.

Thanks Mel - apparently they hate lemon curd - I am not sure why.  I did a nice lemon and ginger cake last year but they don't like ginger either (I used crystallised ginger finely chopped and lemon zest/juice).  I am worried that this might taste really artificial - and they won't come back!

AEverything that can go wrong is *crys*

Stupid assessment.

Self obsessed rant over :(

AMel if you wanted to make me feel better some of that lemon cake would surely help. Would probably need a whole one to be sure though :D

Oh Siany - are you OK?  Your work has been incredibly hard I might say.  Chin up and have some chocolate.

AWho doesn't like lemon curd? Madness LOL! I love the stuff! I'd go with lots of lemon zest then still, and maybe as Chasingmytail suggested pair it with a raspberry jam? The lemon/ginger combo sounds lovely!

Oh no Siany what's up? Anything we can help with? Aside from popping a lemon cake in the post :) x

Haha!  It's not me!  I like lemon curd (my husband hates it btw).  It's for a friend of ours - it's his birthday and my gift cake was going to be an advert!

Hi all! 

What a good idea flavouring the ganache, that's another thing on my I need to try that list.

Hope everything is going ok for you Tiddy and Siany.

Lemon cake in the post YES PLEASE! 

AOh I've been so busy working I've not had to time to come on here much. I miss my cakes friends...

I must say all this talk of lemony white chocolate ganache sounds yummy. I hadn't thought of flavouring the apache before but sounds delicious.

And yes it's been proven that chocolate at any time of the day is never EVER a bad thing... Same goes for wine!

A

Sorry I vanished. Decided to jump off the pity party express and fix it instead of sulk. Have now got 8 more little round cakes cut, marzipaned and ganached and 3 more paisley shape ones joining them.

On my round ones the transfer sheet I got made it's rubbish. It seem too thick as it won't hold in place once wrapped around and keeps popping open ruining the image. Think I'm going to have to leave them off.

My little paisley ones u messed up the writing on them, I'm hand painting it and I am not happy with it. I had two done really well and thought ohh they'd look good shiney so sprayed them with glaze. Does anyone want to guess what happened to my nicely painted words?? Yep that's right, they're now a puddle lol

So now my remakes are chilling in the fridge where they shall stay till just before I go to college this evening.

I don't trust people who don't like lemon curd. I mean there must be something wrong at the molecular level. I adore the stuff. I eat it in sandwiches for goodness sake lol. This is why I have none in the house. I can't be trusted alone with a jar off it :D

AOK, lemon ganache is next on the list for, however I'm willing to become anyones guinea pig, ha ha.

Who doesn't like lemon curd????

Sometimes I even put fresh lemon juice if I have any very straight into my lemon curd, adds a lot more zingy zestyness.

Siany, try not too stress bless you.

AHaha apache. I really should check before I submit stupid phone!

I'm sure they're all going to look great when they're done siany, good luck with the assessment.

I love lemon curd too, can eat it on just about anything. Including a spoon...from the jar...

Hi all  well its stacked and patiently waiting for me to beautify it! Christ only knows why i decided to add a tier 

Its for Nan & Bamps 70th wedding anniversary and i just felt a one tier jobby was not good enough! Theyre almost royalty haha!

Anyway I had a free run with it, the only info given was not too big (oops) and that they are having pink and silver bunting! So I shall post the finished creation if i can get my creative head on!

I suffer from a rare neurological condition and the headache is still lingering and making me worry unduly that an attack is imminent 

Think ive just been a bit stressed lately as the husband person was being a bit of a twunt 

Anyway must get on as its also Bamps 90th Bithday so another to do after this one.......nice to finally have a play in my new cake room though!

Be interested in seeing if the lemon flavour ganache works!

AWheres your pics tiddy?

ARight ok my fab friends I'm in panic mode, I have 7 cakes between 27th May to the 5th June, the one for the 27th is a boxing ring, arrrrghhhh! Thats not all, they want his belt, and 2 figures, one looking like birthday boy, no idea at all.

Then grandson on the 28th, absolutely no idea what he wants as keeps changing his mind.

Then 2 cakes for the 30th, one being a trampoline with jumping girl in a leotard, and the other is fireman Sam and his engine, either havn't done them before.

Then the 1st June I have a pair of booties to go on a christening cake along with standing up bunting on poles.

Then the 2nd is a pirate ship which think Roxylee kindly sent me some pics bless her, then final cake is for daughter, again no idea, so am stressing as all these cakes are out of my comfort zone!!

Crikey Nanny!  I'm not really offering any advice - just ..... wow!  I am thinking the boxing ring and trampoline could be similar as both have raised sides.  I haven't done Fireman Sam but have done Postman Pat - not the same but probably the same sort of problems.  Are they all 3d?  I have a ton of admiration for you but I know you can do it.

AJust popping in to say hi everyone!

Not given up on this thread but cakes seem to be taking over my life so must try and limit my time on them!

Nanny I'm sure you will be great your cakes are fab! Think of me, I have loads coming up too and next no skill compared to you ;-)

Haven't got time to flip through all posts but hope everyone good :-)

AAw shucks, thank you. It isn't so much the bigger details like the cakes itself more the figures, not the greatest when it comes to figures, and carved cakes like the engine and the ship worries me, to me if you mess the shape up well you've had it havn't you?

For some reason I make hard work out of everything and take so long to do everything.

AJo thats not true is it? Theres nothing wrong with your cakes, have faith in yourself. What you making now?

AOut of curiousity how would you make a jumping girl on a trampoline? In the pic I have its hard to see, she's about an inch from the trampoline like doing a star jump? Cant figure out how to suspend her in mid air!!!

AKebab sticks spring to mind! Lol. One for each leg. :)

AThe all important christening cake is first, then a fisherman cake to do, with him in a boat ! A ballerina cake with the girl sat on edge of cake with dangling legs - they will probably fall off ha ha!

My own birthday cake, probably my brothers a few days after, then a week after that my nephews then my daughters 3rd birthday cake!! It's officially cake season :-[

AAw Nanny you will be fine, your cakes are amazing! I know what you mean though when you have so much on, it can seem overwhelming! I find writing a plan for each cake helps, having it on paper makes me feel less panicked?

Break down each cake and work out what bits you aren't sure of and then research how to get around each bit and write the answers down next to each problem? I had a quick google for a trampoline cake and this came up, hopefully it might help, actually looks fairly simple just the figure on a floral wire, I like the 'spring' effect of the coil, must give her some bounce lol! :)

http://cakesbyerin.ca/top-20-trampoline-cake/

Just reporting back on success of my B&Q bought trowel for double barelled ganached chocolate cake. Decided last minute that 3 layers were enough otherwise it would of been 10"!

This was http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/handtools/plastering-tools/trowels/Ragni-Soft-Grip-Small-Tool-9285382?skuId=9295082 £10.48 and is the perfect solution not too high but the build quality is there and solves the problem.  I am always looking for cheaper solutions and can recommend this one.

As much as I tried the sides of the cake were like zigzags.  I used a spirit level to try and stop me from achieving wonky cakes.  I still dont get how the edges of cakes can be so smooth pre ganache/buttercream.  But I am sure it will be fine.

This is going in the freezer now so I havent got the stress closer to the date - all I have to get right is getting the SP to work on a narrow tall cake.