Storing a Cake Covered in Fondant

[*Deborah*]

It's braid I may or may not use at the seam of the two layers...I may unweave it and just use one strand; or twine two; I won't know till I see it in front of me.

You don't think it will dry out to the point where it will break or crack when you go to place it?

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It's well-wrapped in plastic...is there something else I should do to keep it more pliable, or refresh it later?

I'm also holding the possibility of just putting some icing there in reserve. I'm making a pile of white chocolate ganache and will likely have enough to tint some green and pipe it in the seam, if I need to. I may just arrange the leaves so that the seam doesn't show. I am not worried about it as I don't have an exact diagram in my head of how it will look, these things come to me when they come to me, and not before. The bride has left it in my hands, so I'm not worried that it will not live up to whatever she is picturing in her head (although of course I'm hoping she's not picturing anything TOO fabulous, but she knows I've never done one before).

[chefpeon]

It's well-wrapped in plastic...is there something else I should do to keep it more pliable, or refresh it later?

Whenever I work with fondant, I have found that it's ok to pre-form stuff like flowers, leaves, balls, individual bows, etc, but when it's something like a long rope that you will have to manipulate later, you can run into trouble because even though you have it well wrapped, the outside STILL forms a skin and it will wrinkle, crack and even break.

Take one of your pre-formed ropes and see how it is.....test to see that you can manipulate it around easily without it cracking or breaking....you'd hate to get a nasty surprise on-site. How much longer will they sit there before you go to assemble your cake?

[*Deborah*]

Assembly is slated for Saturday.

I guess I will not have my heart set on using those!!

[bkeith]

Assembly is slated for Saturday.

I guess I will not have my heart set on using those!!

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You might try sticking them in the fridge. No guarantees, but it should keep them pliable longer than just sitting at room temp. And if they're well wrapped, they shouldn't get dewey enough to stick together and give you a hassle when you go to unwrap them.

Like I said, no guarantee, but I think the fridge would at least increase your chances of having usable viney things by the time you go to use them.

[*Deborah*]

Assembly is slated for Saturday.

I guess I will not have my heart set on using those!!

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You might try sticking them in the fridge. No guarantees, but it should keep them pliable longer than just sitting at room temp. And if they're well wrapped, they shouldn't get dewey enough to stick together and give you a hassle when you go to unwrap them.

Like I said, no guarantee, but I think the fridge would at least increase your chances of having usable viney things by the time you go to use them.

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I can do that! thanks

[*Deborah*]

Well, I have one layer (top) down, one to go!

Working with this fondant is not too bad! It's a bit more pliable than the Wilton stuff, and it tastes good. My results are not perfect; but I made it thick enough that it's got that nice rounded edge, so it looks like a real cake and the parts at the bottom that did not turn out as smooth as I would have liked (because the fondant caught a chill from the cake and became less pliant, I think) I can cover with my decorations!

Thanks so much to everyone for your help and advice, photos will follow!

Edit: there are photos in my ImageGullet if anyone cares to look.

Edited January 20, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)

[*Deborah*]

Here it is:

People seemed impressed, and certainly it tasted marvelous!! The McCall's white chocolate fondant was quite tasty! not as good as my favourite type of icing, but more than edible, and nobody peeled it off.

With the cream and the raspberry sauce I made (and squizzled on the plates like I knew what I was doing ) (sorry, I didn't take a photo of a plated piece!), everyone ate their whole portion, which I take as an accolade.

I will not be doing this for every friend that comes along, though...so stressful!

Thanks again, everyone! the rope didn't make, it, btw, but I managed without.

[Wendy DeBord]

Congratulations, job well done! I bet the Bride and Groom were thrilled! When they all eat it, thats the best compliment of all.

[K8memphis]

Deborah - That's beautiful!! The plaid and berries are a great compliment to your gorgeous creation - wonderful work!!!

[Chef Metcalf]

Deborah,

The cake looks great. Good for you.

Looks like a lot of hours went into that.

How long do you think it took you?

Chef M

[*Deborah*]

Deborah,

The cake looks great. Good for you.

Looks like a lot of hours went into that.

How long do you think it took you?

Chef M

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Thanks

Research, sourcing, shopping, stuff like that? unknown. I read 6 cookbooks and all kinds of stuff on the net.

I took two days off work to do the baking and covering.

Preparing the green fondant for the leaves: about 45 minutes (not counting running to the store to find more colours)

Making the leaves: about 4 hours with a friend to help--that was my first time with fondant though.

Baking the cakes themselves: about an hour per layer; my oven is not big enough to do two at once, and I don't have the equipment. Maybe a little longer; I had forgotten the time I spent taking the stringy things off the eggs as I cracked them, and there were 21 all together.

Preparing and applying the ganache and white fondant: about 3 hours, including time I spent putting them back in the fridge or freezer to keep the ganache stuck on beneath the fondant (I goofed the proportion for the ganache and had too much cream, so it was runnier than I would have liked).

About 2 hours making the raspberry sauce, straining, reducing...

About half an hour preparing the packaging (time well spent as they got up that curvy highway in perfect order).

About half an hour assembling it.

So about 13 hours not including non-kitchen preparation, and then cleanup and like that...there was a severe learning curve involved, though, so I expect if I did another (maybe one day if I catch my breath!) I'd probably be able to cut that down to 10, or maybe even 8. I left myself enough time to do things slowly out of a fear of messing up irrevocably if I had to hurry. If I had a bigger kitchen and someone to help me wash things, and all the bowls and spatulas in the world, it would be even quicker!

Would I obsess any less? probably not! although if it's not your best friend you probably don't care quite so much whether you make a good impression.

Edited January 25, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)

[Ling]

The wedding cake looks marvelous! You have a lucky, lucky friend.

[In2Pastry]

I am looking for an out of this world White Chocolate Rolled Fondant recipe. I have purchased ready mades, but still don't like the taste. Does anyone have one and be willing to share? I am also in need of a recipe for a stong pastillage. Thank you so much for any help~~~

[Wendy DeBord]

I'd just like to add this note: you can add flavorings to rolling fondant and chocolate fondants. You'd be supprised how much better they taste.............and in my opinion they can taste better then homemade if you do so. Plus you still keep the advantages of purchased fondants.

I've made a couple different recipes for both items your searching for and haven't found the definitive recipe for either, so I'll step aside.

[In2Pastry]

Thank you Wendy. I have always had trouble adding flavoring to already made fondant. I find that it gets way too wet then when I add in more powder sugar, I get a nasty mess. Do you have a trick for that? By the way, I LOVE YOUR BLOG--lots of great information.

Thanks again for the reply

[chefette]

What pastillage recipe are you using now?

Strong pastillage is generaly thick pastillage

Pastillage is by its very nature brittle. If you need it to be weight bearing you need to think about the structure and possibly use pastillage to cover cardboard, styrofoam, or some other support piece.

If you cannot use some material that is actually strong you need to think about structure and design as I mentioned before.

One option is to use multiple thin layers with air space in between so that the load is borne by many pieces over a wider base. But if you are not in a competition that forbids use of non-edible infrastructure and you want some specific look - then use another material and cover it with pastillage.

This is a recipe I like alot - it is from Ewald Notter

850g 10x

150g cornstarch

10g gelatin (sheets)

30g glucose

15g vinegar

I usually need to add a bit more water - about 50g

[In2Pastry]

Thank you for the great information on the pastillage Chefette! I will definately give Ewald's recipe a try. I haven't used pastillage, I usually stick with gumpaste, but for a couple of projects I will be working on I needed something a little stonger and after having read that pastillage is the better of the two, I thought I would give that a try. Thanks again!

[Wendy DeBord]

Let me breifly say that Chefette is a genious with gum paste! Go check out the California Forum, she posted a photo of a sculpture she did of two planes while flying, out of gum paste. It was displayed in a pastry show at the airport. It's incrediable!

You can really trust her advice, you won't find better.

Flavoring fondant: you need to choose flavoring agents that don't require alot of wet volume to flavor. I really love natural fruit oils for flavorings. Other then oils choose strong extracts like lemon or almond........of course don't add enough to make your fondant strongly flavored. A little of either or a combo of several flavors changes the rolled fondants taste into something pleasant.

[In2Pastry]

Wendy thanks again for the information. WOW! Chefette your work is terrific, those plane were incredible. I just can't thank everyone enough for all the great information. Being from Montana, we just don't have the resources for sugar art. Thanks again. I will let you know how my projects turn out when I get them done.

[mignardise]

Margaret Braun's pastillage is great and easy to make.

[chefette]

Thanks Wendy - that was swet. My biplanes are actually pastillage - not gumpaste although I made some of the more delicate components from gumpaste. specifically - the little windows.

In2Pastry - pastillage in definitely stronger than gumpaste and is better for structural work where gumpaste is lighter, more delicate, allows you more working time and does things like stretching and frilling better than pastillage. The Ewald pastillage actually is a very nice and workable recipe. Ewald even does fairly thin flowers with it.

If you haven't worked with pastillage before it does work differently than gumpaste.

you will want to lightly dust your work surface with cornstarch before rolling out.

you have to work quickly and cleanly bec ause the surface will start wrinkling as it starts to form a skin almost immediately.

You can extend the working window by creating moisture to prevent surface drying. Some people roll out then freeze so that a natural condensation forms as it warms. I prefer using a steamer (mostly for larger jobs or pieces that require many intricate cuts before being shaped.

If you want curved or shaped pieces you need to locate or create forms for drying and shaping.

If you are sticking with flat pieces - or pieces than can be dried on a flat surface (I like sheets of styrofoam since they are clean, flat, and allow some air flow to the bottom so they dry a bit faster) you need to fluip the pieces every few hours or they tend to warp slightly or develop a tiny lip on the bottom side.

Good luck with your creation.

[pastrymama]

could you tell us the title to the post with the planes, I can't seem to find it. thanks

[In2Pastry]

Chefette, thank you. Those tips and tricks will save me so much time! Do you happen to know what the ratio would be between gelatine sheets and powdered gelatine? I know I've read it somewhere here on the board, but for the life of me can't think where. Actually maybe it was in the marshamllow thread......

If these turn out well I will take a picture and try to post them. Thanks again for all the wonderful help!!

~~Kelli

[Tepee]

could you tell us the title to the post with the planes, I can't seem to find it. thanks

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Here you go

--- Truly spectacular!

Edited April 20, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[sherribabee]

Chefette, thank you. Those tips and tricks will save me so much time!  Do you happen to know what the ratio would be between gelatine sheets and powdered gelatine? I know I've read it somewhere here on the board, but for the life of me can't think where. Actually maybe it was in the marshamllow thread......

If these turn out well I will take a picture and try to post them. Thanks again for all the wonderful help!!

~~Kelli

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4 sheets gelatin = 1/4 oz. powdered gelatin