Cake decorators please impart your wisdom!

[NeverGotMyPuppy]

I am making a cake for a child's birthday in mid-September. The design is quite intricate and involves lots of bits.

It is all based on sugar paste which I have done before and am OK at making figures as long as I can practice.

I have many questions

1. I need the cake board to have an undulating surface - what could I put underneath the icing to mold it?

1. How far in advance could I start making figurines and sugar paste decorations?

1. How best to keep them?

1. Part of it is going to be suspended - any tips on that bit as I've never tried it before!

1. I think I need to feed about 40 people. How many loaf tins do you reckon?

ANY other tips hugely hugely appreciated. Thank you!

Hopeful bump?

I can only help with the undulating surface, I recommend Rice Krispie treats, really easy to make and mould, and sets firm. We made a dinosaur head out of them last year and covered it with fondant icing - worked a treat.

You might want to post on one of the food/baking boards as well for more traffic.

Genius, thank you.

I didnt realise there was such a board - will trot off there now! Thank you!

I started making figures/items at least a month before, then kept them in tupperware but I didn't seal the lids as I understand completely airtight is not great. (I would double check as I get mixed up between fondant, sugar paste and so on as I think they can be subtly different - if you are buying check on manufacturer website if they have a faq, and if making from scratch from a recipe then usually the author will give tips on how to keep it best)
Rice krispies sounds good - another alternative is to mash up cake with buttercream and then mould the shape.
Can't really help on the rest.

Hi!

For the surface Rice Krispie cake or cake pop mix (cake and buttercream mixed together) then set in the fridge before applying the fondant.

Make the figures at least a few days in advance so they have time to set properly, use sugarpaste if it's something more intricate you're trying to make. Make sure they're well supported when you store them so nothing gets bumped, those makeup wedge/triangles are really useful

Check the Wilton cake serving guide for cake size serving ideas using the party squares not wedding. They will still be good sized portions.

What part of the cake are you planning on suspending?

I agree with Hannah, need more info on design and suspended part

Thanks so much!

So this is where you call me mental...

The train is based on the train in Dumbo. I'd like Dumbo flying behind .

The idea is he will have a candle wrapped in his trunk and I will do 'ribbons'of icing the same colour as the candle to disguise the support.

Depending on how heavy dumbo will be I think wire support depending on placement too or a wooden dowel but then that's just straight up.

I would imagine you'd need to make dumbo out of something lighter than all sugarpaste (maybe Rice Krispies again for the body) or it will be too heavy to be supported by the trunk/other small part and will end up impaling him. Unless there's a way you could use a piece of cake card under his bum and support that with a wooden or plastic dowel? Although it may look like he's pooping ribbons? Could he maybe just be on top of the train?

Yeah he will go on top of the cake if I lose my mind over it!

I'm going to have to play around but I'm wondering if putting the wire up through a back foot then through his body might mean better support. His trunk would then hold the candle and I could drape ribbon to look like he had got it tangled up in it. That was his body could be positing upwards rather than downwards.

I would rather just do wire than dowleeing to keep it bendable. I'm assuming I need quite thick wire?

Also - securing wore to board. Glue gun? I'll then put the rice krispie mixture over it.

Thanks so much for your advice - I'm very nervous!