So it took a while, but I finally finished very late on 05/17/2010. I have found that with every cake I make…I always end up with unexpected problems. This time the problem ended up being the final layer of frosting. But I guess that is where good friends and strong problem solving skills come in.
This is how it all began…
After drawing it out, I figured that I would need at least 6 cake mixes to really be sure I wouldn’t need to make a last minute mad dash to the store in the 11th hour.
With 6 cake mixes, I figured only 3 huge cans of frosting, but really ended up needing 6 cans to finish the entire cake.
After finally assembling the cake, shaping and frosting…I just had to make up the fondant and cover the cake. By frosting the entire cake & allowing it to “crust” for a couple hours (or overnight), the finished product looks less lumpy than without this protective layer…
The fondant is an easy recipe that can be found online by googling “Marshmallow Fondant”. Plain white fondant is a pliable and wonderful substance. When adding color, though…this wonderful substance can start breaking apart, over sticky, and an absolute mess. In the past, I have used liquid food coloring, but this time tried ChefMaster’s Powdered Food Coloring. With the liquid food coloring, I find it becomes a bit overly sticky and requires adding more powdered sugar to get the right consistency… With the powdered food coloring, I found it harder to work into the fondant. The color consistency is about the same with both. But I think essentially a combination of both is what I will try next time.
After applying the fondant…the cake had an overly shiny appearance and, due to the large nature of the cake, many seams that were far from invisible. My husband eventually ended up with the winning idea to cover the outer layer of fondant with a layer of brush applied dyed frosting. This created a very realistic fur like texture on the outside of the cake. This application along with the gum paste feet & ears, and peanut butter bon bons for the eyes brought about the final result.
Now all that was left
was to apply the ears and
put on finishing touches.
and then I was finally finished.
One of the hardest things about this entire cake was putting a price on hard work & creativity. I have made plenty of cakes for birthdays, weddings, and work events. Unfortunately, I had never actually “SOLD” one… so what to do? I eventually came up with 150.00 for materials and labor. This may be selling myself short. I have always been more concerned about whether the end result turns out than how much I was paid to do it. I guess I will just have to do some research and find out how much an amateur cake maker can charge…
All in all, I was pleased with the result…and so was everyone at the party. Isn’t that what really matters in all of this?
creative yogi 