My baker's got covid, what do I need to make a cake please?!

[CovidCakeConundrum]

My baker's called saying she has covid and so obviously can't make any cakes! Party is this weekend. Had ordered a 3 tier jungle themed fondant cake. Can't find anyone locally who has time to make one. Am I mad to try and make it myself?

What do I need? Any particular type of sponge or can it be any? Do I need dowels? Argghhh!

Am trying to order bits online now, any suggestions would be great.
So far looking for a fondant rolling pin, an angled palette knife and some shape cutters. I'm really lost

Honestly, unless you need it to feed loads of people I would scale back from three tiers to one tier and concentrate on getting that made well and decorated nicely. Especially if you don't make cake often. Making and decorating three cakes and dealing with towels etc is going to get stressful if you don't do it much...

The BBC had a link recently to decorating a simple Xmas cake which had explanation on how to shape the animals and put on the icing over the cake. Yes the animals are different but the principals of colouring the icing, and tools the use for detailing can be used to make other animals!

This was the link: www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/kids_christmas_decorations they do it all with tools you probably already have (rolling pin and knife) so no need to buy loads of specialist tools you will never use again.

Honestly - let this go and get yourself to the grocery store (or Costco if you’re a member) and but enough cake for your guests.

It’s just one of those things.

You could just use buttercream icing and die it green put on a basic sponge and buy little jungle themed toys/ decorations to stick on instead of trying to make out of icing.

Yes, buy one off the shelf, honestly.

I've been baking for years and I make cakes that taste good but I cannot decorate or make them look like anything other than a cake for the life of me - take the pressure off yourself and buy. Plenty of delivery services online as well that can probably do something nice looking at short notice.

I would agree - honestly, I'm a pretty good baker, and I'd baulk at a 3 tier jungle cake!

I would either scale right back and do a normal one tier, or go to the supermarket and buy a couple of nice ones.

How many do you need it to feed?

...or order one of these !

www.sponge.co.uk/cakes/whole-cakes

I'm happy to scale back to 2 tiers and then a figure on top of that but I'd really like to have something fun and special after such a crappy year. Not really many guests to feed tbh, just immediate family.

Am thinking make sponge, cover in buttercream, cover in fondant, cut shapes and stick on top of that. I did used to do a bit of ceramics so can handle clay, that's similarish...

I've done a few two tier cakes and find a mud cake mix gives a good base for decorating. It's a bit denser than sponge so seems to hang together better?
I'm far from professional though!

I'd use dowels and cake boards for each tier, easier to assemble. I think wooden dowels because you can sharpen the point (pencil sharpener) to go through the obviously smaller cake board of the second tier. :)

Ok.

Then you’re going to need a sponge cake that can stand up to fondant etc and being mucked around with:

shewhobakes.co.uk/classic-birthday-cake-recipe/

Oh, and I'd buy ready rolled icing you just peel off and drape over..if it's round start at the top smoothing down half a cm at a time and it's pliable enough not to crease. I'm not professional either... nowhere near. :)

right - then this might help - omit the lemon if you want plain cakes and add a dash of vanilla instead.

www.biscuiteers.com/blog/learn-to-ice/how-to-tiered-birthday-cake

Why don't you buy a stunt cake - Maybe fruit or madira for the bottom layer which will withstand a cake on top then have a lighter sponge of child's choice on top and concentrate on the decorating as that sounds like your stength. You could then strip the icing off it and use it for a Christmas cake if there is any left over. Or something like this looks impressive.

If you're doing two tiers then Madeira cake for the bottom layer will give you a sturdier construction.
You could do basic green fondant icing all over and use cookie cutters to add large leaves and flowers. You might be able to get ready made fondant animals, otherwise I would cheat and do a mix of grey/black and green base icing, slap a load of cut out leaves on it and put eyes (you can buy them) made if icing peering out.

Some supermarkets do plain iced cakes that you could stack and add figures onto. Most supermarkets sell fondant, cake boards etc.

Is your local library open? In the cooking section they will probably have a cake decorating book. These come with step by step guides on how to shape the cake and any decorations. I got one out the library last year for my sons jungle cake and it was a breeze to follow. I'm not professional but do enjoy doing it and have do e quite a few now. Will try and find picture.

If you haven't made one before just don't, it will be a disaster. Get a couple of ready decorated birthday cakes from Waitrose, Tesco or wherever and that will have to do.
You will die during the process of the cake making and your life will be ruined.
Trust me.

Also see if anyone has a Noah's ark that you can borrow figures from.

I am pretty much in the same position @CovidCakeConundrum so will join in your thread, if thats ok!

I have (so far...) ready rolled fondant icing, a pack of coloured icing for the figures (DD has requested Among Us), an icing smoother and a cake turntable. Other than that I have no idea what I'm doing My last attempt at a cake was a fairy castle, where the turrets looked positively indecent and had to make an emergency trip to Tesco for a standard cake

My question - the tubs of buttercream/frosting that Betty Crocker etc do - is that what I need to put on the cake prior to the fondant? And is that the same that goes in the middle of a 2 tier cake? DD is requesting chocolate so am I right in thinking chocolate cake mix, chocolate icing in middle and around the outside, then the fondant?

Apologies for hi-jacking your thread OP - I am just looking for all the help i can get

This is totally doable but you'll need uninterrupted time to do it properly. Cakes need to be levelled and buttercreamed - don't put too much in between the layers. Then your crumb coat over the whole thing should be quite firm buttercream. Use real butter. Put it in the fridge for at least half an hour to chill before you do the fondant.

With the fondant, I put it in the microwave for 5 seconds at the time until it's warmed, then knead until it's soft and pliable. Roll out using a little icing sugar or cornflour - needs to be thicker than you think - about 1 cm or so. Support it and lift over the cake then smooth the top down well. Then lift the side parts and smooth from the top down. You want to avoid stretching it too much. Any bumps can be smoothed out with a smoothing tool. Once iced, you can leave your cake out of the fridge in a cool room. If you put it in the fridge, it may get condensation - let it come to temperature and don't touch.

As for fondant figures, sugarpaste sets firmer than fondant but essentially same stuff. You can get tylose powder which can be added to fondant to make it set firmer.

I'd go with renshaw fondant - it's perfectly fine for this sort of thing and then get a icing set from hobbycraft or similar- usually come with a few modelling tools, a smoother and a rolling pin. You might want a large pallette knife or scraper if you don't have one for the buttercream.

@Madeahashofit

I am pretty much in the same position *@CovidCakeConundrum* so will join in your thread, if thats ok!

I have (so far...) ready rolled fondant icing, a pack of coloured icing for the figures (DD has requested Among Us), an icing smoother and a cake turntable. Other than that I have no idea what I'm doing My last attempt at a cake was a fairy castle, where the turrets looked positively indecent and had to make an emergency trip to Tesco for a standard cake

My question - the tubs of buttercream/frosting that Betty Crocker etc do - is that what I need to put on the cake prior to the fondant? And is that the same that goes in the middle of a 2 tier cake? DD is requesting chocolate so am I right in thinking chocolate cake mix, chocolate icing in middle and around the outside, then the fondant?

Apologies for hi-jacking your thread OP - I am just looking for all the help i can get

You can use the Betty Crocker stuff but it's quite soft in my experience. You're better using a proper buttercream recipe for a crumb coat round the outside.

Just buy one - please don't do this to yourself. There's enough stress at the moment, and you can probably find one that fits your theme in one of the local supermarkets.

Honestly, don't stress about it :).

Stack a load of donuts like the photo and cover in jungle creatures.... it will be a pride rock of sorts!

Wow, thanks for all the help!

I'm set on attempting one now. DS is only turning 1 so will hopefully forgive any disasters

@popgoeshertail that is very useful thank you. I might cheat with the buttercream though as I don't have an electric whisk and I'm sure my arms will be too knackered from the sponge.

Maderia on the bottom it is!

@DaffodilsAndDandelions that is a very cool cake, I love all the eyes peeping through.