Anyone have any tips on how to ice a cake please?

[Radley]

I am wanting to make a cake for dd2's party next week and she is insisting she has a care bears cake.

So I have bought \link{http://i21.ebayimg.com/02/i/03/9a/b1/b1_1_b.JPG\This} tin, it should come out like \link{http://i14.ebayimg.com/01/i/03/9b/0c/22_1_b.JPG\this}

What I want to know is, how do I ice the bloomin think, I have some ready to roll icing, but have never done it before.

This is going to be sooooooooo much fun (not)

[Yorkiegirl]

I think you might be better off doing more of a coloured butter cream for the body... I'm no expert tho so someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

[tortoiseshell]

Ready to roll icing is REALLY difficult to use I've found - is it the coloured stuff you've got? I agree with YG - make some butter cream icing, colour it to the right colour, then use the ready to roll stuff for the details - you can cut shapes out quite easily. Use water to stick it on. Oh, I would cover the whole cake with marzipan too, to give you a flat surface to work on. Stick the marzipan on with jam.

It is good fun, honest!

[Radley]

What i've bought is individual tubes of coloured icing and if I remember correctly, they all have different spouts on for different effects.

[tortoiseshell]

PS - another reason for using butter cream is that the ready to roll icing is REALLY sickly, and tastes pretty disgusting in big quantities, whereas the butter cream is more acceptable!

[Radley]

In the cake tin there is a leaflet that is really good and tells you how to get the effect.

It says the full cake should be iced first to give it a smooth effect and all the details outlined with a tootpick, or something similar.

Should I used marzipan first and then icing?

[tortoiseshell]

I would, the icing goes on much better.

[Radley]

Ok thank you, i'll give it a whirl and then try and put a picture on here.

[kiwibella]

I have enjoyed reading your suggestions for icing cakes... thanks :) If anyone has any tips for making a perfect butter cream, please post :)

I am planning on making dd's 10th birthday cake on Friday (for Saturday) but need some inspiration. Are there any recommended links? I have tried google but seem to be getting lots of options to order / buy ready made... which is what I usually do ;)

[LIZS]

You could put a thin layer of butter icing all over and use coloured for the main parts. Let it start to set then add the ready to roll details like the tummy and stars. Trace the shapes of the details onto greaseproof paper so you have a template to cut the layers of coloured icing from. I found the easiest(and least messy) way to colour ready to roll icing was to take off a blob of white, put in a plastic bag, add a few drops of colouring and knead in the bag until it is evenly coloured. Then roll out and trim to shape. Stick these on with either a little butter icing or warmed apricot jam.