cake decorating advice sought!

[wotnopulling]

I have decided to make individual 5cm square cakes for dd2's first birthday and am planning to marzipan and then fondant ice (coloured) with a decoration - maybe stamped flower or number one etc.

BUT In the past i've always got fondant icing stuck to worksurface and rolling pin. I just watched this video

" on you tube uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IsrgS9eB1bE&feature=related"

which is useful but what is cornstarch? and what does she do about flour or cornstarch or whatever sticking to icing and making it dusty and white?!

What's that stuff she's using instead of marzipan? butter icing? could i do that?!

Also can i use cookie or playdo cutters for icing? i've been ill and am now out of time to mailorder or go to specialist shop for daisy cutters...

Please help!

[cmotdibbler]

Cornstarch is cornflour. You just brush it off afterwards.

Yes, butter icing. You could use it, its just generally harder to get nice and smooth.

Any cutter would do.

[midnightexpress]

Why don't you use something gloopier that you can pour over the top rather than rolling? You could use royal icing (you can buy royal icing sugar, so you don't need to 'make' it yourself) with a bit of glycerine added to stop it going rock hard - it would set enough for you to decorate with whatever. I did some lovely square cakes for a friend's party - made one big square sponge,, apricot jam and marzipan on the top, then cut it all into smaller squares, and used icing as above in different colours (pinks and purples and lilacs and whites) and then decorated with flowers and sprinkles and so forth).

[wotnopulling]

aha! thank you so much. i suspected the cornstarch was cornflower but my brain really isn't working so i thought i should check.
i'll stick to marzipan as i want them smooth and hurrah on the cutter front. looking at online sites and trying to work out what a tappit is was doing my head in!

now all i've got to do is get on with it...

[wotnopulling]

midnightexpress - did you have a crumb issue when you cut the main cake up? i do intend to use royal icing - i'm getting my american terms and my mothertonge in a muddle. i haven't ruled out buying it ready dyed if sainsburys has it...
in the video the decorator put her icing in a microwave for ten seconds to soften it - but i don't have one so hoping room temp or being handled by an amateur will heat things up enough - and then dyed a small amount before kneeding into the whole - do you think that's a good way to do it?

last time i intended to do lots of different colours of icing i stuck to two cos it was such hard work getting the colour even (i have made two cakes in the past, one for dd1's first birthday and one for her second!)

[PandaG]

I use buttercream under fondant icing on a sponge, and marzipan under fondant on fruit cakes. I use icing sugar rather than cornflower, I find it brshes off more easily. ou can paint a design on the top of the square with sugar glue (icing sugar mixed with water) say a number 1, then sprinkle sugar strands on the top to stick to the glue and make the design. You can paint direct on to the fondan with food colouring (pastes are better than liquid) if you can draw a bit this is a very quick option.

yes I use playdough cutters for fondant, having made sure they are clean

[wotnopulling]

ok, will try icing sugar, thanks. great idea for sugar glue. dd2's second cake i painted maisey with icing and filled in outline with runnier icing. worked qite well.
just found these
images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.foodchain.org.uk/Cakes%25201.jpg&imgrefurl=www.f oodchain.org.uk/news/sweet_charity_cakes_by_creativ.html&h=336&w=400&sz=78&hl=en&start=8&sig2=Rsg7ZU 7Ak57egebTtK660Q&um=1&usg=_WZxEt-Fd3vTNCcDiPX7LpcEL2ro=&tbnid=N5yrhqu2CZ8MM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=124&ei= Ow60SIu_DJi-0gTe1pGDBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkonditor%2Band%2Bcook%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

would love to do similar but that's different fondant ice, neeeds square papercases and demands high level of artistry!