Cake Craft discussions and questions thread

[MissKitty]

Anyone had any experience with hemisphere moulds?

For LOs birthday I made him a ladybird cake, in the image of the ladybird character from his favourite storybook. The cake looked fab, and would have tasted even better had it not taken 1 and 3/4 hours to cook and ended up with about 4mm of dark dry crust - albeit a perfect smooth hemisphere surface for decorating with fondant. Everyone who had some loved it, but I was fixated on the dark crust and kicking myself for not doing something to prevent it with such a deep cake.

It was a madeira sponge - 6 egg quantity to fill the 20cm large hemisphere mould (the one from the online and high street store beginning with L...).

I will be using it again, but how can I ensure the deep cake cooks evenly without the crust going dark and dry?! (aside from doing a fruit cake, that is...)

[fourweewonders]

Any advice on animal print icing???

[weasley]

[fourweewonders]

[weasley]

[weasley]

http://www.cakechooser.com/534/tastecomau-•-view-topic-birthday-cake-in-shape-of-a-3/CAaTEwNy5waG90b2J1Y2tldC5jb20vYWxidW1zL20zMTcvYnJva2VuX3NoYWRvd3NfaXNfTVlfbmFtZV9zb21lb25laGFzc3RvbGVkaXQvbWVsbHljYWtlcy9udW1iZXIyY3JvY29kaWxlLmpwZw/

This is cute too!

Fondant does give a better finish though, if you can be faffed.

Have fun what ever the plan. Xx

[Spanner]

Kanga how did hello kitty go? I just did one last week for dds family party. I did an 8 inch round sandwich cake and used a cut out picture of hello kitty to get the shape. I used the cut off bits to form the ears. I used white sugarpaste to cover and a small amount of black for he nose, eyes and whiskers. Dh used normal food colouring with the white paste to make yellow for the nose and pink for the bow.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... fedab5787f

Next challenge is cinderella! I have half a doll on a spike who I have managed to make decent with blue sugar paste and lots of glitter. Dd got a disney Cinderella for her birthday so I have stolen her hair band. I have got a tiffin tin for the actual cake which is a kind of tall dome with a bit of a lip at the bottom. Fingers crossed!

[fourweewonders]

ive just found a4 size sheets of that sugar paper waffery stuff in ooodles of choices of prints. so i could just ready roll then cut paper to fit the top.

also wondering about ready roll and food colouring pens to detail

[Fozza]

4ww. Go with sugar paste/fondant. Zebra is easy. White and random uneven slices of black. Giraffe is also easy, I imagine, beige with tan colored angular sploges.

[Fozza]

I'm doing a hen party cake. Strawberry cream tea theme with marzipan hens. Not what I would choose but is fun making a sugar tea pot and tea cup.

[Splash]

I plan to make R a Mickey Mouse birthday cake this year. The few birthday cakes I have made have all been vanilla.

I want to do a different flavour but not sure what. Any ideas?
I don't want chocolate and he doesn't seem to like strawberry cake. It needs to be something basic and easy enough to make as I'm no pro.

[Kanga]

Spanner, I haven't done hello kitty yet was just thinking about it too far in advance. Her birthday is in 2 weeks. Yours is just what I'm aimi for

4ww I did a 1 shaped giraffe (pic on Flickr) which I did with yellow buttercream & random shapes of brown fondant.

Splash, how about lemon cake? Or orange for that matter?

My mil has just asked if I'll make fil's 60th birthday cake! I was going to offer as she's stressed but didn't want to step on her toes, so I am happy she's asked. She said just do icing & write 60 but dh & I want to something more personal. Trouble is that has ended up with us deciding on a terry Pritchett discworld theme so we'll see how it goes! Oh & it's for next weekend!!

[blackberrycrimble]

There are some amazing discworld cakes out there, e.g.

http://www.paulkidby.com/news/feb2009.html

!!!!

[Kanga]

[blackberrycrimble]

I've not seen dowels in the supermarket, but don't often go to very big ones.

WHY WHY FING WHY did I tell the insurance company that I decorate cakes at home?! Current insurers don't cover baking businesses in the home, have to go to another insurer. Suspect ridiculously higher premium. Might be the end of my cake business am seriously Pd off with it at the moment.

/end rant