ChocoChris

I guess I'll make some and experiment. Do you purchase the Guittard online or locally? Thanks again! Chris

Awesome advice! Thanks! I was concerned about fondant on fondant getting too thick but if i roll the strips thin, that should help. I hadn't even considered modelling chocolate. i would use white chocolate. The only problem with that would be that she wants tones of white and it would probably be yellowish, wouldn't it? I haven't worked with white chocolate modelling chocolate just dark or milk...

Thanks for the picture! I've been really curious about what that cake would look like. As it is, I spoke with the bride today and she chose a different sketch of mine that she was also considering (altho now I still would like to develop the design I initially posted here.) This other design requires the application of fondant as vertical strips. Would it be ok to apply fontant strips on top of buttercream? I have an awful image of them sliding off a cake. I'm going to try some tests but thought that I would ask as well. Thanks again! Chris

OK, here's a preliminary sketch (gulp) of an idea that is under consideration. I hope this helps. As sketches go...its pretty sketchy... Thanks! Chris

HI, I am going to make a wedding cake (115 servings) for Oct. 6. The bride requested an art nouveau theme. I LOVE art nouveau and always wanted to do a cake like this, however, she does not want specific floral or leaf references. Rather, she is more interested in a design that focuses on the linear style which is the signature of art nouveau decoration (for instance, as in objects like iron work.) I have some ideas but I'm wondering about execution of them. One type of design I am considering is one that will go from the top to the bottom tier as one entire design (as opposed to decorating each tier separately.) I imagine that the lines will have to be quite thick and was trying to decide if I should start with gumpaste or fondant and then pipe the details in royal icing. Also, the cake will essentially be monochrome - white with highlights put in with shades of luster dust - pearl, silver, antique white. I realize that it might be hard to answer the question since the design description is so vague right now but I'm really looking for suggestions for creating lines that span the height of the entire cake. Thanks so much! Chris

I've also tried that recipe and concur with Patrick. I thought the filling and the whipped cream were great but I did not like the consistency of the cake very much.

Yes, sanresho, that is what I mean. A kid requested the flavors. I was surprised by the unusual cake choice. I am going to ask the parents about the sliced strawberry idea.

Patrick, I haven't heard of anyone ever talking about a good strawberry cake they've tasted. Thanks for the link miladyinsanity!

Hi all, I was just asked to make a strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream. I have never made an actual strawberry cake where it is the cake that has the strawberry flavor. Does anyone have a recipe that they recommend? Thanks!! Take care, Chris

These postings say it all. I am reminded of a time where I proceeded to the bathroom to wash my hands after being seated but before ordering and I noticed that the hot water did not work - at all - and there was not a drop of soap to be found anywhere. Very gross! I couldn't bring myself to order any food after that.

I've made this type of buttercream many times, however, it always seems to take longer than 5 minutes for the mixture to cool down. I get worried and a few times I've added the butter too soon because I was concerned that I would overwhip italian meringue while waiting for it to cool. I managed to recover the buttercream those times but I want to get a feel for how long it has taken for others to cool the meringue. So has anyone else had to wait longer than 5 min. for the bowl to feel cool? Thanks! Chris

I like your berry arrangement idea. I was wondering how you make your custard on the "thick side." Thanks!

Hi, I am making a cake that will have custard and strawberries as one filling and custard with banana as another. I have questions about each. Is it safe to put uncooked sliced strawberries in with custard and not have the juice from the berries thin the custard? I don't want the strawberries to be in huge chunks so I was thinking of slicing them fairly thin and layering them in the custard. Also, will the bananas discolor if I just add them as slices into the custard? Thanks for any advice. Take care, Chris

Hi Kerry, Any chance you can share the recipe with us...it sounds intriguing. Thanks! Chris

Thank you both for your advice and for the link to the thread. I will try to avoid fondant or if I make figures, put them next to the cake as part of the presentation. I feel better about the stabilizing part. Making two batches sounds like a good idea. Have you made whipped cream roses?

Hi All, I am making a baby shower cake for someone. At first we discussed different shape and decorating ideas until she decided that she would really like it covered in whipped cream. I am unsure as to what is possible with whipped cream decorations. How much piping is possible? It does not seem like it would be very stable for any elaborate decoration. I've been thinking of fondant figures placed on the cake. Maybe piping buttercream decoration on the whipped cream? Anyone have any experience with this and/or ideas to share? Thanks! Chris

Hi Everyone, Thanks so much for your very helpful suggestions. I wound up using a shortbread thumbprint cookie much like the one bluechefk posted but without the hazelnuts. I then filled the center with soft caramel and topped with a ganache. They went very quickly and I was happy with the result - atho I only got to eat one. I'd like to make them again but I might roll them in chopped pecans since I wouldn't need the pecan "feet" for the turtle look. Anyhow, I thought you might like to see some pictures. Single turtle cookie. and here's one of the turtles returning to the sea. Thanks again! Chris

Wow, good ideas here. I like the thumbprint idea. So far I've ruled out a cookie recipe from Chocolate Chocolate because, while yummy, I think the addition of carmel might make them way too sweet. I do have a recipe for brown sugar pecan shortbread from The Good Cookie. Do you think I could form that dough into thumbprint cookies and go from there? K8memphis: what types of lacey oatmeal cookies do you mean? Are they the very thin ones? I like the "chocolate plate" idea. These ideas sure are helping! Chris

HI, My goal is to make cookies that look like and have the flavors of turtle candies. Basically they will consist of a cookie that has been baked on top of 5 pecans (4 feet/head) and then glazed with chocolate. I am aware that there are recipes for turtle bars but I want them to resemble the candy. The recipes that I have seen for turtle cookies suggest chopping up store bought caramels and mixing into the dough. Seems to me that they might get too hard or chewy upon cooling. I was thinking of a sandwich cookie with a caramel filling or a brown sugar or caramel flavored cookie. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks in advance! Chris

Thanks so much and thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I did tell the bride of the bc issue. She was ok with the idea of tweaking but not an entire replacement with a different bc. Unfortunately, she equates bc with the stuff that a grocery store puts on their cakes so she thinks of it as super sweet. As I don't have time to convince her otherwise and she doesn't have time either, I plan on using one of the variations posted here. I'll let you know how it goes. Chris

Hi All, I'm back to my original question but now with a twist to the story. The wedding is now a week away and the groom was in a bad accident last weekend so the couple are, needless to say, extremely stressed but still determined to have their wedding. The reason I'm telling you this background info is that my quandry is whether I even give a bride in this situation even more to think about by telling her that I may "tweak" her recipe by using one of the variants posted here because of the stability issue. She seems so overwhelmed (I know her personally) and in light of their situation I don't know how I could interject a buttercream issue. So...should I just make the change? Thanks! Chris

Hi, I am making a red velvet week cake this week. When I did a practice run, I followed the advice in one of the threads and used a "healthy teaspoon" of red paste (Wilton's no-taste red to be exact) and diluted it in enough water to make 2 oz. of coloring like the recipe called for. I was skeptical but it worked! The color was fine - the bride approved - and no red residue on anyone's tongues! Hopefully this will help! Take care, Chris

As I understand it, this is an old recipe. The flour/milk mixture is a thickener. I've heard people call it a custard based buttercream which makes no sense to me. When I first read the recipe I was baffled but it does come together quickly. It just doesn't stay together well in the heat. It tastes better than I thought it would. A little sweeter than the usual Italian buttercream that I use. I'll have to try the recipes suggested here. Thanks!! Chris

Hi, I am making a wedding cake for a wedding that will be outdoors on Sept. 17. To familiarize myself with the buttercream the bride requested, I've made it a couple of times and this brought up a couple of questions. First, the recipe in a nutshell...I cook a milk and flour mixture over a double boiler until thickened, cream the sugar and butter, add flavoring and then mix in the thickened flour/milk mixture. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this type of buttercream. From what I've seen so far, this buttercream seems to melt very quickly once it starts to reach room temp. Is there any way to stabilize it, for example, adding in some shortening? If so, what ratio would you think would work? The basic recipe that I am working from makes about 4 1/2 c. of frosting and uses 1 1/2 c. butter. Would adding more butter help? Also, is it ok to make this type of frosting at least a week ahead of time and keep it chilled in the fridge? Thanks so much for any guidance. Chris

This is a great thread. I was just wondering how you present your diagrams to the caterer or staff who is responsible for cutting it? My guess is that you want to present the information in a clear but simple way. Is it on a sheet of paper? If so, do you give them multiple copies in case one gets misplaced? Chris