Any amazing birthday cake makers around?- Need urgent advice!

[Neena28]

I have just hired a large teddy bear cake tin from my local cake place but the lady was amazingly unhelpful about how much cake mix it will require.

I really need to get it cooking asap but now got no idea what recipe i should use or how much. Also what temp and how long i cook it for.

I asked and she commented 'oh i use an amazing madeira cake recipe but it is a secret family one...always turns out perfectly though'

Any help would be majorly appreciated.

Thanks

[mablemurple]

Do you have another cake tin you use? You can fill it with water level with where your usual cake mix comes up to, and see how many of these will fill the teddy cake tin. Then multiply your usual recipe by that number.

[Neena28]

thank you both so much. my internet is now playing up and i keep replying then it deletes the replies.would measurements of the tin help?

[Neena28]

that is a much lower temp than i do fairy cakes normally? Is that a tip or was i just doing it wrong?

I never usually make cakes just millions of muffins and cupcakes. So although water idea was fab i am not sure which tin my normal recipe would fill. Thanks though for your instant response mable.

have been trying to find the tin online.

[Neena28]

think this is it measurements are the same.

teddy bear

[Neena28]

bump about to start cooking!

[misshardbroom]

I'm pretty sure the Wilton teddy bear is a 6 egg mix.

And tell her to bog off with her amazing madeira cake recipe, I always do the shaped cakes with a basic sponge (2 oz each of butter, sugar and SR flour to each egg, plus a splash of vanilla essence) and they work like a charm.

Top tip from my local cake shop was not to be frightened to make the cake a good 48 hours before you ice it, so long as it's well wrapped or in an airtight box it won't go stale and it's much easier to ice slightly older cake as it's firmer.

Someone on here a while back said that if you are going to use butter icing, try freezing the cake and icing it frozen as you get fewer crumbs in your butter icing.

If you're doing roll out fondant, did they give you instructions about how to do it?

[Neena28]

Hello

i just nipped back on for a minute and you just replied!

Cake is now made and still in tin. Looks and smells good so far!

Am doing fondant icing and no didn't get any tips from the charming bitch lady at the cake shop.

Cake is for tomorrow though and needs to be iced this evening at latest.

Thanks and major thanks to Profiterol thief for the recipe.

[misshardbroom]

OK, here's my best tips for icing it:

1. Unless you're super confident, don't split the cake. Put it on whatever board you're going to use.

1. mix some buttercream (twice as much icing sugar as butter, and a drop of vanilla essence) and spread it all over the cake with a palette knife or similar.

1. Use a bit of icing sugar or cornflour to dust your work surface and rolling pin. Don't use too much or you'll dilute the colour in your fondant (are you mixing your own colour or is it precoloured? I'm assuming the latter).

1. knead the icing to soften it up a bit, then roll out to a generous size. Lay it over the cake and press gently to stick it on. Smooth 'upwards' from the board rather than down and it'll be less likely to tear it.

1. Get your (washed and dried) teddy bear tin and sit it back over your iced cake and press down gently but firmly. Lift off and you should have all the indentations from the tin imprinted on your icing.

1. Depending on how you're doing it, you can now go over the indentations with piped icing, or cut out bits from contrasting coloured fondant and stick on using a bit of cooled boiled water.

hope this is helpful, I'll be on here on & off this evening so shout if you have any questions. Good luck!

[Neets73]

hi there,

I know this thread hasn't been posted to for a while and i wondered if TheProfiteroleThief or Misshardbroom are still on here ...?
I have just ordered the Large 3D Cuddly stand up teddy bear tin!
I wanted to do a chocolate cake ... and just wanted some advice!

1'm worried about the focus on a 'firm' cake and also, should i cut it up inside and layer with jam or buttercream? Or is there enough on the outside, or would it be dry!?

I'm not bad at making cakes, but do worry a lot! Just don't want any disasters for my daughters 2nd birthday cake :-)

Any advice appreciated !!!