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Has anyone here successfully made shiny/glossy fondant? I'm trying to achieve this look and am having a hard time finding info on it. I've been told that mixing water and corn syrup together and using a spray bottle works. Anyone else have any tips? I'm looking for this kind of shine: Edited to add cake pics: I made marshmallow fondant for the first time this past weekend and what a success. It was so much easier than I had imagined. I microwaved 2 cups of mini marshmallows with 2 tbsp of water for 30 seconds. Took it out, stirred it up, and added 1 cup of confectioner's sugar. Stirred some more... then added another cup.. incorporated it all and then turned it onto my work surface where I kneaded it and added more powdered sugar until it was the right consistency. Here's how it looked on the cake (crappy iPhone pics): Frosted cake (not as smooth as I would have liked, but it was being covered so it was ok):  Click here for the full 600x800 image. Covered:  Click here for the full 800x600 image. Ribbon around bottom of cake:  Click here for the full 800x600 image. Slice:  Click here for the full 600x800 image. Side view - I rolled the fondant out thin and it was so easy to cut through, even with a fork:  Click here for the full 600x800 image. jennyinstereo fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Aug 13, 2009 |
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Aug 13, 2009 18:09
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Coca Koala posted:vanilla cake Looks like a cake recipe to me. I'd probably do 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. I'd check it at 25 and go from there adding time if needed. Check with toothpick/skewer/fork/whatever you use. Clean toothpick from the center of cake = done cake. Your recipe would probably fit into two 8 inch pans, maybe? I'd grease the bottom and sides.
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Aug 18, 2009 20:26
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I've been making cakes every weekend as practice for my sister's baby shower. At the beginning of my adventure, I couldn't even frost a cake properly. It's been 2 months now and I just made this on Saturday: Before:  After:  When I make my sister's cake, I won't be using diamonds. I might to polka dots or stars or maybe even switch the blue to the top and green to the bottom and do white clouds on the blue, grass and flowers on the green and maybe stick a smiley sun on top. I used marshmallow fondant and I swear it tasted amazing. I was very very impressed. I've made marshmallow fondant before but this time it just tasted so good for some reason. jennyinstereo fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Aug 24, 2009 |
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Aug 24, 2009 19:40
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Demagogue posted:Crosspostin' from the gaycke thread: Amazing! I love the blue. So vibrant. Isn't marshmallow fondant great? Easy as poo poo to make and tastes good. I like your little pink fondant balls.
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Aug 24, 2009 20:13
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Pooptron2003 posted:I have a color related dilemma for all of you cake enthusiasts: You can try adding cocoa to your icing before colouring it black. It gives you a darker base colour to start with. Or, if you don't want to use chocolate frosting, you can use black gel to make your frosting gray, then add black food colour powder to it to make it nice and black.
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Sep 14, 2009 17:38
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Timo posted:So what's the deal with fondant? It seems like some people peel it off before eating the cake, but others leave it on? I only make and use marshmallow fondant. "Real" fondant is pretty gross and I definitely peel it off before I eat cake. Marshmallow fondant is nice and sugary and you can make it chewy and thick or less chewy and thin. I've never had complaints and I've never seen anyone peel it off. I love the stuff. Today, I tried icing a cake upside down. It was a little weird and I definitely didn't do a great job. I beat my icing for far too long and it was too airy and full of holes. Also, it was hard to get the icing to be really smooth. Oh well. I think with more practice, the results could be really amazing. The cake:  Click here for the full 448x604 image. Added dragees for fun:  Click here for the full 448x604 image. A friend came over and couldn't stay for cake so I sent him home with a cupcake in a jar:  Click here for the full 448x604 image. All packaged:  Click here for the full 448x604 image.
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Sep 20, 2009 00:28
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HookShot posted:This is probably a stupid question, but how do you guys get the cakes in the shapes you want? Do you buy pans in those shapes, make a "normal" shaped cake and cut it into the shape you want, or what? I don't want to speak for everyone, but I believe most people bake 'normal' cakes and then 'sculpt' or carve the cake into the shape they want. You can use a large serrated knife (I like a good bread knife).
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Sep 22, 2009 13:25
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I've been asked to make my sister's wedding cake. I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time. My sister lives 500 miles away and I'm only getting there in early morning, the day of the wedding. I have to attend the courthouse ceremony in the morning and the reception at 6pm in the evening. Sometime between all that, I have to make her a wedding cake  Think I can get away with transporting my cake layers on the 500 mile trip with me? It would save me a LOT of time and I could just make the buttercream and fillings there and assemble in between the ceremony and reception... I would transport them double wrapped in plastic wrap and in a cooler.
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Oct 1, 2009 18:45
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Psychobabble posted:Everything needs to be made ahead. Buttercream and the cakes can be made ahead and frozen and the filling might be able to as well depending on what you use. I would even go as far as trimming and splitting your layers ahead of time as well. You'll be lucky to find half an hour to finish so you need to be as mised as possible. That's the plan. I've never transported a cake before so I'm nervous about that too. I've got lots of practicing to do!
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Oct 2, 2009 02:30
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PezMaster posted:I couldn't imagine doing this! Good luck to you! I'll most likely make all fillings, frosting, cake layers etc and bring them with me in coolers. The only thing I'm nervous about is transporting the cake and assembling it at the hall. Even if I assemble it beforehand, I'm nervous about transporting a stacked cake. I'm not worried about it tipping over or anything. I'm worried that somehow, I'll dent the sides of the cake and have to re-smooth the buttercream at the hall. Or, if I assemble at the hall, I worry that I'll do a bad job of stacking the layers and that it will be a huge ugly mess. Oh the joys of making a wedding cake for your twin sister! I will definitely document it though!
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Oct 2, 2009 20:03
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Devi posted:Go to Wilton, Bed Bath & Beyond, or any other place that sells baking stuff. They make holders to transport cupcakes in. I think they usually hold 24. They're not that expensive, either. Yup, I'd probably go with something like this: 
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Oct 9, 2009 19:04
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So, I made a test tier last night for my sister's wedding cake. She said her theme is white and red, so this is what I came up with: I think the piped border makes it look like a birthday cake but she loved it! I might do dots instead of a starred tip. My main goal was to try to get the buttercream as smooth as possible. I'm happy with it. Thank god for putty scrapers and Viva paper towels.
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Oct 11, 2009 18:47
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PezMaster posted:Remind me again about the trick with the paper towels? Do you literally use them to smooth out the buttercream by wiping it across the cake? My buttercream always gets little divots and bumps - the sides or your cake looks so smooth and clean! First, get the frosting as smooth as you can using your frosting spatulas, scrapers, etc. Once you've got it looking decent, let the buttercream crust for 15 minutes. Then take the paper towel, gently lay it on the frosting and use a scraper to essentially scrape the frosting smooth. You must be gentle or you'll actually start pushing the frosting around (which we don't want). Or, you can use a fondant smoother or your hands to use gentle pressure over the paper towel (a gentle rubbing with your fingers) but I like using scrapers, as I find they do the best job (better than your hands or a fondant smoother can do). Here's a good video example that I actually used to learn the technique. jennyinstereo fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Oct 12, 2009 |
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Oct 12, 2009 00:16
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Project wedding cake was a success! (mostly) I ended up not having enough buttercream (I made 6 times the usual amount and still ran out) so I couldn't pipe around the bottom of the top 2 tiers but I used rose petals to cover up the edges. It wasn't fantastic looking but nobody seemed to think it looked bad. Most importantly, my sister loved it and that was all that mattered. I made all of the cake layers, fillings and frosting in advance. Wrapped each layer twice in plastic wrap, then once in foil. Froze them all in the freezer. I made buttercream, ganache and lemon curd. Those all went in the fridge in ziploc bags. On Friday, my husband and I made the 10 hour drive from Maryland to Montreal with the cake layers packed up in a box and the frosting and fillings in a cooler. Saturday, the day of the wedding, I got up early to assemble the cakes. Filling them went extremely quickly. Frosting was quick as well but I was stressing about getting the buttercream smooth enough. I had issues with the large bottom tier but ended up using rose petals to cover mistakes. After all 3 tiers were frosted, I packed each one in a cake box. We had to bring people in our car to the wedding so we had people in the car hold boxes. I held the largest tier on my lap, best friend had the middle, and other friend held the top of the cake. We didn't have any issues at all with sliding or anything. When I got to the hall, I stacked the cake tiers, piped around the top, added flowers, and called it a day. If I ever make another wedding cake, I'm going to make much more buttercream and not use ribbon around the tiers. The ribbon was hard to keep level and I thought it looked bad (no one else did, or they were lying lol) I could have done a much better job if I had more time but I did the best I could! Next month, I make her baby shower cake. I'll document that as well. So anyways, after this wall of text, here are a few pics!     
jennyinstereo fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Oct 20, 2009 |
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Oct 20, 2009 03:20
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PezMaster posted:/\/\ thanks for documenting the process! I seriously would have freaked out half way through if I didn't have enough buttercream - probably would have gone to DQ and picked up an ice cream cake instead. Yeah the ribbon was a nightmare. Never again. I am making her baby shower cake next month so I'll document that too. I LOVE your cupcake 'staches. What recipe did you use for the champagne buttercream?
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Oct 21, 2009 18:34
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grumples posted:How should I get the excess icing sugar off? Pastry brush? I generally wipe away excess sugar with my hands. Though, I suppose you could try a brush. I've just had more success with my hands. I stick fondant to cake with either buttercream frosting or clear piping gel. It acts like glue and if any squeezes out from under the fondant, it dries clear. To stick fondant to fondant, yes, a little bit of water will do the trick or again, clear piping gel.
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Oct 27, 2009 19:14
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BEEFARONI posted:I wish I could actually make awesome cakes myself. I consider it a win if I can make them from a mix and frost them without loving the whole thing up When I first started, I could barely frost a cake. I used to get so stressed out and upset. In May, my sister told me she was pregnant and I immediately started thinking of her baby shower. I wanted to be able to make a fantastic looking cake and maybe even use fondant. That was pretty ambitious considering I was used to making cakes that looked like this:  Click here for the full 453x604 image. ^^ What an uneven mess! ^^ However, with time and lots of practice, I became pretty decent. I owe it all to watching tons and tons of youtube videos and reading a lot of articles on cakecentral.com. I would just look up "how to ice a cake" or "how to get smooth icing", etc. The one thing I will tell you is to always level your cakes. I used to think it was wasteful and stupid and wouldn't do it. Ugh. It's hard to frost any rounded surface easily. Level your cakes. It will be so much easier and look so much better. In the past 7 months, I've gotten much better. I went from crap to decent. Here are a few of the cakes I made in the last couple of months: Click here for the full 448x604 image.  Click here for the full 604x453 image. Click here for the full 453x604 image. They're not fantastic by any means but I'm pretty happy with my progress. My biggest accomplishment was making my sister's wedding cake:  Click here for the full 604x402 image. Also, the right tools help. Smoothing icing is so much easier with a putty scraper and some viva paper towels. I've never gotten better results. I learned by watching this video. You can do it too! Practise really does make perfect (or decent, anyways) 
jennyinstereo fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Nov 24, 2009 |
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Nov 24, 2009 23:19
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I am going to be trying more baking from now on though, since we got a brand new oven. I never thought something so simple could be so exciting...!
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The Pillowman posted:So, i tried the marshmallow fondant. I accidentally started the kneading to early and got ridiculously sticky mashmallow all over me. I go through so much crisco when making MMF. I lube up my hands all good with it before I touch the stuff 
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Nov 25, 2009 05:12
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Waffle Grid posted:I love it, it's adorable Do you want to make real fondant or are you cool with marshmallow fondant? I only use MMF and it is fantastic and tastes so much better than that garbage that Wilton sells pre-packaged and I don't much like regular fondant... so if you're up for trying it, it's super easy, easy to work with, and tastes pretty good: (incoming wall of text) Use lots of shortening on your hands when working with the fondant. It will not stick to your hands if you put shortening on your hands first. Also, put icing sugar (powdered sugar/confectioner's sugar) on your work surface to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Recipe: Marshmallow fondant 2 cup mini marshmallows 2 tbsp water... See More 3 cups powder sugar (if still sticky, add more) Measure marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky. I take it out of the bowl when it gets to the point where most of the sugar is incorporated and I knead it in my hands. This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out. After I roll a few times, I lift the fondant slightly and rotate it. I keep rotating it quarter turns while rolling so it doesn't get stuck to the surface I'm rolling on. Oh, if you are going to colour the fondant, put the food colouring in when the marshmallow mix is soupy and stir. It will be much easier to colour it this way. Or, if you need different colours, then yeah, knead it and separate it later and colour it then. It will take longer to colour it, but it works. Don't forget to keep checking to make sure the fondant doesn't stick to your work surface. If you need to, lift and re-powder your work surface. Oh and put icing sugar on the roller/rolling pin so it doesn't stick to the fondant either. Measure the sides of the cake and the diameter of the top of the cake. Add 2-4 inches to that measurement and roll out the fondant to that size. So, if you have an 8 inch pan that is 2 inches deep but you have 2 of those pans that you're using, it will be a 4 inch high cake. So, 8 + 4 + 4 + extra 2 = at least 18 inch diameter circle. It seems like a lot but you need the fondant to cover the entire cake and not have it be too short. When you've rolled out enough, and are ready to cover the cake, roll it up over the rolling pin (it won't stick to itself) and bring it to the back of the cake, and slowly unroll it over the cake. Start smoothing it down over the sides and make sure there aren't any creases. I used fondant smoothers for this. This takes some time and practice. The longer the fondant is when draped over the cake, the easier it will be. This is why you want to roll it out so large. It's hard to explain but I hope you get it. I usually brush piping gel around the bottom of my cake (right on the buttercream since my buttercream is usually a crusting one and isn't sticky when I put the fondant on) so the fondant has something to stick to when I put it on. Or, if you don't want to use or don't have gel, it will still stick to the frosting if it's a bit sticky. When it's all around the cake, use a pizza cutter to cut the excess off from around the cake. Tips: -To stick fondant to fondant, put a bit of water on the back of the fondant you want to stick. Then, just press it onto whatever fondant you are sticking it to. The above batch of fondant should cover one 8 or 9 inch cake that has 2 layers. If you need more, make each batch separately and then combine because it's really hard to stir up 4 cups of melted marshmallows!! Also, you can use the piping gel to stick fondant to fondant. -Always make sure that you have buttercream frosting on your cake before you cover with fondant. It won't stick very well to just cake. You can just put a thin layer of the canned Betty Crocker stuff if you don't want to make your own.
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Jan 5, 2010 21:12
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Wow those cakes are awesome!! I don't know if I put up my sister's baby shower cake or not... It was supposed to be a lot more elaborate but I spent 3 days cooking for the shower so I kind of half-assed it at the end. She loved it though, so that's all that counts: cake guts!!  I used marshmallow fondant.
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Jan 6, 2010 03:32
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cowofwar posted:That is a thick layer of fondant. Are you looking at the buttercream underneath, perhaps? The fondant is very thin. I happened to put a thick layer of buttercream under the fondant since my sister and her husband really love buttercream. The white is buttercream and the thin purple is fondant. Here it is zoomed in: 
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Jan 7, 2010 17:05
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Rubber Nugget posted:Yayyy people I can show my work to that aren't my parents! But baking is half the work! I didn't know you could decorate cakes without having to bake them. That's pretty cool but I think I like going through the whole excruciating process (even tho I swear to never make a cake again every drat time I make one) Your decorating is awesome!
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Feb 12, 2010 03:00
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cowofwar posted:So I was bored and baked a cake. It's the double layer cake from smittenkitchen. Original recipe is for 2x10 inch rounds but I did 3x9 inch rounds. It looks absolutely gorgeous. Now I want to make it. I haven't made a proper cake since my sister's baby shower and have been looking for an excuse to make one. The raspberry filling looks incredible.
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Feb 24, 2010 17:11
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Vashmaster posted:I used the marshmallow fondant recipe posted by jennyinstereo (it's on page 8 of this thread). It's the only one I've tried so far but it's been perfect for me. I think I added a LOT more powder sugar than the recipe calls for though (just kept adding it until it was manageable and not super sticky). I ended up having to add a lot more sugar to the 2nd batch of fondant I made (for the star cake), but I never really had a problem with cracking. Yeah, sometimes you need to add a lot more sugar. I find that if I screw up on my water measurement (too much or too little) it throws the whole thing off. I also add sugar until I get the consistency I want. I'm so glad you tried it and it was a success! Your cakes look great
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Mar 16, 2010 01:12
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Phalex posted:I had fun making them, and I owe it to this thread, thanks GWS! Your cakes look great! I notice shortening and icing sugar... was it MMF?  I love the blue stripe on your first cake. For your first try, I'd say you nailed it
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Mar 22, 2010 21:58
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Paper Lantern posted:
Nice cake! I like to roll it out thin enough that you can cut through it easily with a fork but some people like it thicker. I would personally go a bit thicker than what you made there. If it's too thin, it doesn't cover lumps well and might look too soft.
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Apr 7, 2010 19:02
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wheatpuppy posted:I made my first-ever fondant yesterday, from a recipe I got from this thread. I made a cake in honor of my best friend's birthday. Since it was also Shakespeare's birthday (observed) I had no difficulty figuring out what decorations to include: It looks like it was rolled out kinda thick? Definitely get a sharper knife. Some people use pizza wheels/slicers. I usually use my fondant cutter but couldn't find mine today so I used a really sharp boning knife. Worked pretty well. I don't think anyone took pics of the cake I made today but if I find any, I'll put it up. To avoid marshmallow mittens, I mix everything together in the bowl with a spoon until I feel like I can use my hands. Then, I slather shortening all over my hands before I even touch the stuff.
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Apr 25, 2010 03:23
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Made 2 cakes this weekend. One was for a BBQ. I was feeling lazy so I bought boxed cake mixes. My sister begged me to use Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting to fill the cake and I obliged... but never ever again. That poo poo is so light and melty, the top layer squeezed down onto the frosting and it oozed all over the sides of the cake. Needless to say, there wasn't much filling. Also, one of the layers broke in half so I had to mash the pieces together and hope the frosting would hold it all together. Then, I ran out of yellow fondant so couldn't cover the whole cake and ended up having to make more. My sister asked to make green "grass" around the cake so I did. Here is the monstrosity that sort of looked alright in the end:   Today, my sister wanted to make a cake for my dad so she asked me to show her how to do it. She chose the colours and helped pipe. I didn't take the time to smooth the buttercream well like I usually do since it was a quick practice cake. She had lots of fun piping roses, squiggles, stars, etc. An ugly cake, but my dad loved it:  
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Apr 26, 2010 06:13
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GiantAmazonianOtter posted:You know whats better than cake? I made these for my sister's baby shower and everyone LOVED them. They were such a hit! But now I can't find candy melts in Canada!
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Apr 27, 2010 01:50
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pointerSex posted:Bulk barn? They have a wide variety of melts, but I dunno if they're just chocolate or candy ones too. I'm in Quebec. I checked the Wilton section in Walmart and 3 grocery stores (Loblaws, Super C and Maxi) and no one had them  I'll see where the nearest Bulk Barn is.
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Apr 27, 2010 05:50
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Beichan posted:
Yup, ok with that. I only checked the Wilton section cos I figured it would be the only place to find melts in this little French town. Thanks for the link! I <3 Merckens
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Apr 27, 2010 06:39
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grumples posted:I make lots of sweet things, but I'm always hesitant to post as they're probably not considered cake (eg: danishes, souffles, etc). Woah! How did you do that!? You bent chocolate to form a cylinder? Can you post up a recipe? It's BEAUTIFUL!
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May 12, 2010 04:36
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frankdiabetes posted:I made an obscene cake for a bachelorette party tonight. Ahahaa that is amazing! Maybe you can hide the syringe in something that you put next to the cake? Like a napkin or something?
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May 15, 2010 04:58
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Made the smitten kitchen chocolate peanut butter cake. It was so much easier than I expected and took way less time than I thought it would. All in all, I am pleased. My brother asked me to make a cake for a coworker of his who is going on her 1 year maternity leave. How sweet CAKE (chillin' in the fridge): 
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May 27, 2010 22:50
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PezMaster posted:The Nanaimo Bar Cupcakes came out awesome!  That is amazing. Nanaimo bars are my favourite dessert of all time. This just blew my mind. Thank you for the recipe.
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Jul 1, 2010 20:37
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Demagogue posted:I made a from scratch strawberry cake yesterday. I think the ingredients were fine, but against my better judgement I followed the recipe instead of using a more typical method of building a cake batter. It managed to come out clumpy and somewhat gummy at the same time. I quite like the smitten kitchen pink lady cake and it uses pureed frozen strawberries.
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Jul 19, 2010 16:05
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Fight Club posted:Made my wedding cake a little more than a month ago. Wow, what a beautiful cake! Also, I use the same leveler as you. Isn't it great?? I am also in awe of how smooth your cake is. Viva method? Did you frost the top tier upside down or are you just that good? 
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Aug 1, 2010 09:39
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filo posted:Italian meringue buttercream is a non-crusting so I don't think you can use the Viva method for it. So I too would like to know how you got such clean edges. Hot bench scraper? Ah, you're right. I would think a hot bench scraper might melt it quite a bit but I could be wrong. I normally use one with crusting buttercream but meringue buttercream seems a little too delicate maybe? I could be very wrong. Tell us your secrets! Fight Club posted:I smoothed them as best I could using a large spatula (courtesy of my little brother who just graduated culinary school) and threw them in the fridge overnight. Yeah, I made my sister's wedding cake and the leveler just barely made it through the 12". Thanks for letting us know how you did it! I was so rushed with my sister's wedding cake, that I had to smooth it while at room temperature and it was pretty awful. Your cake looks gorgeous and you should definitely make more wedding cakes. E: haha, is that cake on a flipped over pizza pan? I use the SAME thing
jennyinstereo fucked around with this message at 18:45 on Aug 1, 2010 |
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Aug 1, 2010 18:33
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frankdiabetes posted:I can almost always tell when a cake is made with MMF. It just looks slightly bumpy and lumpy to me, no matter how well it's rolled and applied. I've heard others say the same. I do agree that Wilton fondant barely qualifies as food, but it's good for practicing on cake dummies. Weird. Mine usually turns out pretty well. I don't think it has ever looked bumpy or lumpy. In other news, I made my sister's wedding cake last year and today she is going to have a piece of the top tier with her husband for their anniversary. Someone left the flowers on the cake when they wrapped it up so we've got icy flowers fused to the cake. This is going to be a disaster but I can't wait to see how the lemon curd held up over the year
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Nov 7, 2010 17:50
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PezMaster posted:Haven't been in the kitchen for a while, but when I made my return, it was glorious: Oh my god those must taste like heaven! I'm going to go ahead and assume those are for today! As a Canadian, I've never been more proud 
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Jul 1, 2012 14:34
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