An ambitious beginner in decorating

nickyjellybaby

Hi all,

I've been doing nothing but watching cake decorating tutorials online and made my first stab at a puppy cake topper and teapot - I made them from marzipan as I didn't have access to any other supplies

So it's my babies christening in March and I am really hoping to do the cake myself. I have been looking at some stunning designs and would love to try my hand at something like this
http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/children-elephant-cake-2006-03-25.htm
I am not sure how difficult the ribbon and elephant are but these I can improvise anyway

So, I was hoping some of you could share some of your advice on what tools and products (ie cutters, fondant) I should buy online to get me started. I know its a tall order to ask but I am getting confused with different names Americans have for the same thing

I am wondering if cakes like this can be made the night before or even 2 days before?

Ta

Acoshla

Hi nickyjellybaby,

A cake like that would be very difficult to make in one night or the night before if you're just starting off, there's a lot of work in that with the elephant and the detail, if you gave yourself a few days and you could get it done no problem

Firstly you could make the elephant a good few days before it out of marzipan or sugar paste, I'd use sugar paste but that's just because I hate marzipan, the smell of it, all almondy, ugh! Once he's made he'll last no problem so no need to leave him until the last minute. The bow mightn't actually be too difficult, all the separate pieces would be easy enough, it just looks really well all put together.

Then ideally you'd make a cake that would last a few days without drying out and going off. A madeira type cake - quite dense, heavier than a standard sponge cake - would be good, I make a chocolate one with chocolate filling that tastes better after about 2 days which is ideal.

I can't help with what tools to use as all the ones I have I nicked from my Mom and don't know what they're called, but I will say that for mixing colour into the sugarpaste/marzipan, I use coloured paste, it's quite potent so use only a tiny bit first, you can always add more and make it darker so start off easy. I stick the very tip of a cocktail stick into it then rub that on the sugarpaste and knead it a bit, easy. You might need wooden dowels to support the top tier, depending on how tall and/or heavy it is, but you might be ok with just the one stacked tier.

Good Luck!

molliesassy

Hi Nickyjellybaby,
I'm doing the same as you at the moment - watching as many cake decorating videos as I can - as I am attempting my daughter's 21st birthday cake in a few weeks time. Actually the cake I have in mind is similar to your one but made with 2 squares to look like 2 parcels with some sort of decoration or bow on the top.
What I really need is a good sponge recipe (or 2) a choc and a vanilla would be great, perhaps Spadina might be able to share her recipes or point me in the right direction?
I had a test run with Nigella's buttermilk birthday cake and it was ok, but I am looking for something a bit lighter but denser if that makes sense.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking I should make the sponges in advance and freeze them to give me a bit more time. Any thoughts on this?
Also, I wonder is it better to bake the layers separately, or bake thicker sponges and cut the layers in the sponge?

nickyjellybaby

Ohladies thanks for the responses!
Im so excited about this.

Completely agree about the marzipan smell! I happened to use it last time as it's all I could get in the shops at the time. I will definitely make the topper in advance and have as much prep work done ie colour the sugarpaste in advance etc

I was wondering how long a cake keeps? That's a good tip on baking the cakes and freezing them, I wonder if you can do that with the filling like ganache?

From a cake class I looked at online it seems that the tiers are baked and then cut into 2 or 3 parts with filling put in between. There are a lot of American tutorials and receipes for vanilla/lemon/chocolate and something called red velvet. I'd like to do a really nice chocolate but not too rich, a more milk version
however if you google it or you tube for a chocolate cake you could get anything back at you and im not experienced to know if they're suitable for an iced cake (maybe all cakes can be iced-this is how ignorant I am! )

I'll start another thread looking for a good and simple receipe and must also find out where to buy sugarpaste!

Im really excited. Love the idea of the 2 gift box cakes molliesassy, have seen similar online-gorgeous

tscul32

I regularly use tesco own brand ready to roll icing. It's cheaper than other sugarpastes and is absolutely fine to work with.
For colours and tools I would recommend the site http:\\cakestuff.bpweb.net
They're absed in Scotland and charge delivery to ireland based on weight so it's easy to work out your delivery costs as you go along. They do a good price on basic wilton colour paste sets. A basic set of tools may be helpful if you're going for an ambitious cake but I've always found that you can improvise anything.
If you're not planning on cutting the cakes to a particular shape then you're really free to make whatever cake you want. Make your elephant in advance and have all your icings coloured and ready to go. Obviously a madeira or choc bisc cake would keep better than a basic sponge cake so you could have a few days to work on it but if you've to do it all in one go then just make sure everything is prepared in advance and you have a long night free.
If you want some more inspiration you can have a look at rollercoaster - http://www.rollercoaster.ie/boards/mc.asp?ID=196049&G=42&forumdb=5 - and see what other amateur decorators are up to.