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

@Madeahashofit No problem, the more the merrier, please join me on a journey of cake disaster

I'm have nothing much to add but want to join this thread so I get to see the end result.

Maybe do lots of snakes? They must be fairly easy to shape.

Good luck OP

You could do ganache if you wanted something easier. 2:1 ratio plain chocolate to double cream. Heat the cream till nearly boiling then add the chocolate. Add some milk if it looks like it's splitting (you should keep in the fridge if it's had unboiled milk but I don't if it's just for me, I boil then cool if I'm making for others).

Good luck with it! Please post photos of the finished result. I'm happy to answer any other questions if you need it. I'm a very enthusiastic amateur.

I would head to markses and buy one. This is not the sort of cake you should bake if you've never baked before.

Thanks @CovidCakeConundrum I’ll post end results if you will This is what we’re aiming for - looks simple, no?!

@popgoeshertail thanks

Pinterest and You TUbe but fundamentally as a beginner I would just go and buy a plain white iced cake from one of the supermarkets or M&S if you are feeling posh and dig out jungle animals from the toy box and get them in the dishwasher. Bit of green and brown icing cut like trunks and leaves and hide animals in them.

Just buy a sponge confetti cake from Waitrose or M&S and add some edible animal cake toppers, I’ve seen them on Amazon.

Another call for buying a plain white iced cake, some green food dye and sugar animals/cake topper from amazon.

Then get a great cake stand, a pile of cupcakes (you can get cake toppers for these too), and just have a mountain of those.

The stress levels aren't worth it.

It was just a round chocolate cake covered in ganache then with lots of tree trunks stuck on. Only had to mould the easy bits of animals like the elephant trunk, snake, butterfly and eyes. The tree tops are just circles but pressed on to the cake. The giraffes are just what you can see, double sided with a cocktail stick in the middle. My 1yo was very appreciative!

A 3 tier cake for a 1 year old to only feed immediate family?!

Christ, I could not be arsed. I vote for the doughnut cake

Can you buy figurines / toys that your son will like after and stuck them all over plain cake

I feel like you ladies may be lacking confidence in me? No more talk of shop bought cake... I am determined and will succeed!

Although am getting a bit worried now- fallen at the first hurdle and messed up my order, no green icing so now it will be a circus themed cake disaster

Promise to post results if i can work out how to post pictures. Might attempt a fondant lion face this afternoon if DS naps well.

Keep everything well dusted with icing sugar to stop it going sticky. Once the cake is finished you can dab at it with white alcohol like gin or vodka and that removes the sugar residue. This evaporates before consuming so no need to worry about harming your baby. Can use water but it sometimes makes the icing go a bit soft and sticky.

You could make tree trunks (around the side of the cake) out of matchmakers!

Trying to post photos from the app but doesn't seem to be working.
Lemon sponge baked, covered in curd and buttercream, chilling in fridge.
Other cakes currently cooling.

Anyone know how long to chill a cake for before attempting fondant? And does it matter if the buttercream isn't super smooth?
@LaLaLandIsNoFun thanks for the recipe, that's what i've used

Excited to see the results!

@CovidCakeConundrum did you manage with the fondant? We have just made our chocolate cakes - attempting the decorating after lunch. DD has decided she would like to decorate it herself - and has made a template. Although she is not impressed that we don't have purple ready made fondant

How did it go @Madeahashofit and @CovidCakeConundrum ???

@popgoeshertail DD banned me from the decorating side as she knew how she wanted it, and despite a few mishaps with fool colouring, I don’t think she’s done too bad a job I really wanted to do a 3D character but she was having none of it

We had a slice for supper during our weekly lockdown movie night, even though it’s not her birthday till tomorrow, and it was delicious!

@Madeahashofit she obviously had a strong vision! Love the Santa's hats!!!

I always follow the cupcake jemma youtube video for a recipe for madeira cake for my kids birthdays. It tastes yummy and is a very sturdy cake for layering and can stand the weight of the fondant. There are also other videos by her which will show you how to level the cakes, crumb coat, make buttercream and use fondant.

I have made the last two years cakes for my ds and bought fondant toppers to decorate. It is a lot of effort, as he gets older and wants more elaborate cakes I will buy them and save myself the stress.

@popgoeshertail

It came out quite well I think! Tastes lush too, bottom is lemon, middle is biscoff and top is coconut

Thank you so much for all the help and suggestions ladies!

Caterpillers live in the jungle ...

That's fantastic. Well done.