Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Cake advice - baking and icing

14 replies

PartyWhere · 07/03/2023 08:09

DD is having friends over after school on Friday (midday) and I don't think I'll have time to bake and decorate her cakes in the morning.

If I bake the cakes on Thursday afternoon should I wait until Friday morning for the icing? I have a block of roll out icing if that makes a difference.

I'm planning to roll it and cut it to the size of the cupcakes. I have a cake decorating spray, never used before. Can I make a cardboard template and then just spray it on the icing?

What about sprinkles? How do I get those to stick on roll out icing?

OP posts:
JamBiscuitBun · 07/03/2023 08:23

Make the cakes in the afternoon and ice them later on the same day when they're cool. I'd just make ordinary homemade icing with icing sugar & water and put sprinkles on whist it's still wet.

AlisonDonut · 07/03/2023 08:24

I'd make the buns and let them decorate.

Original poster
PartyWhere · 07/03/2023 08:28

I'd just make ordinary homemade icing with icing sugar & water
As stupid as it sounds, I can't do that. I can't buy fine icing sugar where I live, it's coarser than UK sugar and it tastes gritty. I can only buy blocks of icing which you roll out. I don't want to let them decorate, there's too many of them (and we did that last year ) and we have other activities planned.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Baking General food
ninetieseyebrows · 07/03/2023 08:28

Yes on a wire rack until ready to fill and ice, btw you need to put some buttercream under the fondant so it holds in place, then a little bit on water brushed on the outside will allow the sprinkles to stick

Garman · 07/03/2023 08:31

Yes it's fine to do them the day before, things don't have to be baked immediately before eating, you're often eating day old baked goods when buying them in bakeries/cafes and they're fine. Just store them correctly so they don't sweat.

HiccupHorrendousHaddock · 07/03/2023 08:34

Yes, ice the cakes as soon as they are cool. Uncovered, they would go stale, iced keeps them fresh longer.

A thin skim of buttercream first so the fondant sticks to the cake.

Roll out the icing to an even thickness in a circle to cover the entire thing, including the sides. Use your rolling pin to lift up, drape it across the cake. Then start smoothing it from the centre outwards to get rid of any air bubbles or bumps. Don’t stretch it, it will tear if it gets too thin.

gogohmm · 07/03/2023 08:37

Use jam to affix the fondant if no icing sugar available. For future reference you can make icing sugar by grinding regular sugar

Original poster
PartyWhere · 07/03/2023 08:46

For future reference you can make icing sugar by grinding regular sugar
been there, done that. Absolutely not worth the effort 😂

Does the spray on stuff hold its colour overnight then? I've had a bad experience with smarties in the past...
Or I should ice today and decorate tomorrow morning?

I usually use jam to stick the icing to the cake, although I still have some caramel left from the cakes DC took to school today. They'll be cupcakes, not one large cake.

OP posts:
Original poster
PartyWhere · 07/03/2023 08:47

It's "gold glitter spray"

OP posts:
UniversalTruth · 07/03/2023 08:51

Goodness me you're putting a lot of energy into this. Fine if you want to but also fine if you don't!

Tip I saw on here once - put a chocolate button on top of the cupcakes as soon as they come out of the oven - it melts a bit to stick on and then you don't have to ice them. Works best with large buttons but any will do.

WeegieWan · 07/03/2023 08:53

I would do the basic icing the day before and the fancy stuff (glitter spray etc) on the day. And yes a cardboard stencil will do just fine. You could do a test run on a bit of spare icing the day before to check it does what you want though.

CatOnTheChair · 07/03/2023 08:59

I'd make the cake and get them iced on Thursday. Decorate on Friday.

If you ever need chocolate icing, this recipie has a reasonable icing sugar free one (we lived somewhere with similar icing sugar)

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sticky-chocolate-drop-cakes

WeegieWan · 07/03/2023 09:01

Couple of other things - caramel will probably be too sweet with the icing, jam will be better and lay the template directly on the icing to get sharper outlines and lift it straight up when removing it, not at an angle. It might be easier to spray first as it will be flat and then gently lift the icing on to the cupcakes with a spatula/dinner knife. Do you have an alternative if spray doesn't work?

Original poster
PartyWhere · 07/03/2023 09:17

Do you have an alternative if spray doesn't work?
plain 😂
or random sprinkles from the store cupboard!
Thanks for the tips. Although if I have to spray it flat I'll have to wait to ice it...

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page