Foraying into Fondant (Part 1)
I realize that I have been slacking a little as far as updating this site is concerned. To make up for the days I’ve been quiet, I’ll try to post two consecutive entries, “try” being the operative word. Is that a fair enough deal? Great! In two parts, I’ll tell you about my foray into fondant. ;)
oOo
Wednesday last week, I gave decorating a cake with fondant a try…my first! And it was not love at first try! It was the most frustrating cake decorating experience I’ve had thus far. To think that I was so looking forward to the adventure! I actually had second thoughts about doing an entry about it because I am too embarrassed. Had things gone my way, I would have loved to be raving about how it was all great with matching photos of a beautifully decorated cake. But that was not to be. Oh well.
The hardest part was the amount of kneading and rolling involved. I didn’t want a boring white cake so color had to be kneaded into the fondant. It also didn’t help that fondant dries up fast and Texas isn’t exactly the best state to be doing fondants unless the temperature in one’s working environment is almost winter like. I may be exaggerating a little. Hee hee. :D By bed time, I was sore all over, my back and arms, specially. And that is not an exaggeration! :)
To cut a long story short, the fondant that covered my 8″ x 3″ cake ended up cracking everywhere. In an attempt to salvage the situation, the bow that was supposed to be only 1.5″ wide had to be doubled in size. Hee hee. It’s like I had a huge bow with a cake, not the other way around. Hahaha!
Here are the photos (I’m actually feeling nervous posting these! Silly!):
The cake is best viewed at this angle where you can only see a few of the horribly hideous mistakes I made…save for the bow that is so tiny it is almost invisible! :P
A view from the top
I should have used a bigger tip for the bottom border to better hide THAT. :)
This is the most unsightly portion of the cake, for obvious reasons. Made me want to drown my sorrow in music from ‘em Mp3 players.
I should have probably just shown you this pic and the first one and left you to believe that I did a not so bad job after all. But nah! :D
And there you have it. My far from successful first foray into fondant. I used a yellow cake for this project with buttercream filling. The cake was also thinly iced with buttercream before it was covered in fondant. I wasn’t very pleased with how the recipe turned out because the cake was too crumbly! But I did give the recipe a try again for fondant cake #2. Let me check first if it turned out ok before I share the recipe. :D
Later today, I’ll post Part 2…a more ambitious fondant undertaking that still left me frustrated for the most part. :D
I admire cake decorateurs so much! I’ve saved so many pictures of wonderful cake creations that I hope I’d someday make din eheheh.
I know ur busy putting your resto up haha…
gmirages last blog post..Playing cook
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Hi G! Ako naman, lately na lang nahilig sa cake decorating and have become more conscious of cake designs. I know you’ll be able to do those cake creations some day. You’re just too busy. :D
I’m itching to redecorate my virtual resto! I have to do some overdue replies to comments muna. *mwah*
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these cake is awesome. really nice! Lucky the receiver of this cake :)
snooky doodles last blog post..Bride and groom cake
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Hi Snooky Doodle! I made this cake for no one in particular. But after I took photos, I did my usual thing of dividing it into four…one for my family and the rest were shared with friends. :D
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This is so pretty Weng, I don’t care about the cracks! So who’s the lucky one who got this?
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Hi Thess! Thank you! *mwah* But I do care about the cracks. Hahaha! As always, a quarter of the cake was for D and little girl and three quarters were shared with my neighbors. ;)
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[...] Foraying into Fondant (Part 1) [...]
Congratulations on your venturte into Fondant! You did a good job! Maybe you are just being too hard on yourself! :) If you can make those beautiful cakes with buttercream, you will definitely make good with fondant. I once read that some actually microve the fondant for a few seconds to make it more malleable. Also, you can try working with Satin Ice fondant which tastes much better and is a bit softer than Wilton. The colors turned out really nice!
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Hi Sarah! Thank you, thank you! Coming from a seasoned cake decorator (naks!), your congratulatory comment means a lot. Promise! :D I will use Satin Ice for extra special occasions…and when I’ve mastered covering a cake with fondant. I hear Satin Ice is supposed to be pricier eh. Sayang naman, di ba? Hee hee. :D
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That cake doesn’t look too bad at all – from ALL angles too! Besides, imperfections do add character so don’t be too hard on yourself… you did an awesome first fondant try! :)
Pinkys last blog post..LaPiS: Fluffy
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Hi Pinks! Thank you! Awww, you’re too kind…it looks bad! Anuveh?! Promise, this was the first cake that almost made me cry in frustration. Over but true! :D Hee hee.
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done be too hard on yourself… it looks very good and for a first timer this is an excellent job… you’re such a culinary artist i tell you… im always happy to see your creations… keep it up
Jigi
jigis last blog post..My DIY Birth Announcement for our Little Hannah Elisse
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Hi Jigi! Congratulations on the arrival of Hannah! I’m only replying to comments now. So sorry for the delay! :D I guess when it comes to adding a bit of artistry to food, it helps that I have a background in architecture and design. At least, I found an outlet for creative expression in food. Hee hee. ;)
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I wouldn’t have noticed any errors if you didn’t point them out. In fact, they are so little compared to how the wonderful the whole cake looks! I can’t even frost a cake with regular icing, much less fondant. This is lovely!
Tangled Noodles last blog post..Happy Birthday to Meme
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Hi Tangled Noodle! I had to point out the errors, of course!…in the hope that some day, I’ll look back to this first fondant venture and say, “I’ve come a long way.” Hee hee. *cross fingers*
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congrats on this new venture, weng! galing-galing mo na talaga!!
Gracies last blog post..over the top award
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munchkinmommy Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Hi Gracie! Thank you!! :)
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[...] That’s what I did with my first two failed-attempts at fondant which you can read about here and [...]
[...] That’s what I did with my first two failed-attempts at fondant which you can read about here and [...]
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