Have you ever caught the show Cake Boss or one of those other fancy cake decorating show? I think they are awesome - more a feat of engineering, sometimes, than baking. So I have been waiting for the right birthday to come around where I could try my hand at fondant. I had also just discovered these miniature cake pans in my cupboard which also inspired a cake obsession.
I wasn't ready to dive into the fondant decorating aisle at Michaels quite yet ($$$!!!!) so this was a DIY project. I scoured the web for fondant recipes, first being horrified by their complexity, then discovering an equally difficult marshmallow one, then finally finding something simple. Its not like I'm making a wedding cake so perfection wasn't really my goal.
Early stages of the frosting, which had to be kneaded by hand. I was wondering what I got myself into:
But, I had no choice, because the cakes were already made! The idea of these little shortcake style cakes is to put filling in the little cup area of two of them and then merge them together for a tall little cake! So cute!
After WAYYYYY more sugar than the recipe called for, the fondant started to take shape!
here it is all rolled out, ready to top the cake! I used a juice bottle for a roller. I got my ideas for decorating the cake by going to Michaels, reading the book they sell there about fondant, and then putting it back and walking out of the store. After all, this is a really tiny cake!
And here is the final product! I tore the frosting a little when we put it on top, who cares! It was a delicious cake and Bill was more touched by getting a cake than it being perfect. And yeah, I know the decorations aren't pristine, but hey - I was using a plastic knife and a chopstick.
Bill requested a strawberry-ish filling (the homemade whipped cream didn't happen - no time - but cool whip was a substitute, in a pinch) and underneath the fondant is another layer of yummy fudgy frosting, which helps the fondant stick to the cake and lay down more smoothly. (Some people complain fondant has a bad taste - like the wedding cake type - so I pilied on the fudgy frosting for good measure).
Happy Birthday Bill! This was so fun to make! Maybe I'll find some cheaper supplies on ebay!
2 comments:
How messy, but how fun! Never tried what you tried, though. Haven't baked in so long, but the chocolate cakes looked SOOOOO good. Maybe I'll try something soon, especially since I'm finally doing more cooking - at least 2-3 times a week. More complete meals than just 'search and seize'. And my husband actually likes it...like he wouldn't like having more balanced meals. :) Good job, Christy.
I envy your skill with fondant and I'm super impressed that you made it from scratch! Lucky Bill. :)
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