AIBU to think I could make a cake this - never done decorating before

[Birthdaycakehelp]

So it’s my DDs first birthday in a few weeks and I want to make her a special cake - yes I know she won’t have a bloody clue what it is or what her birthday is but we’ll have a few people round for cake and party food bits (nothing fancy) and I’d like the cake to look special.

She has a lot of octopus toys and things that she likes to play with and I’ve got it in my head to make her an octopus cake. I’m a decent baker and I can make a nice cake but I’ve never done any kind of cake decorating at all. AIBU to think I could make something like the picture below. Looking at the steps it seems like it should be doable but am I kidding myself. I’m worried it’s going to look like one of those cliched expectations vs reality cake posts!

Give it to me straight. AIBU? Can I do this?

When my twins turned one a made a huge cake and decorated it with little fondant models - I’m not artistic and I definitely wouldn’t do it again, but it’s not too hard really.

I agree with others, do all the modelling in fondant that can be lifted off rather than trying to make the octopus out of cake.

There’s a million and one videos on YouTube that can offer tips as well. Why don’t you test out your skills on some cupcakes first? My main bugbear was how tedious it was!

I made this one a while ago, I’m a decent baker but not great at decorating and I think it came out ok. The instructions were really easy to follow and I know it’s not the same style but you could do more octopi and less mermaid tails/fish. If you go for this, shop around for the bits, hobby craft was £££

www.hobbycraft.co.uk/ideas/baking/how-to-create-a-mermaid-cake

I think the frilly bits would be fine, but then I like piping. It would be getting the body smooth that would give me nightmares!

I can't tell from the picture, is the blue buttercream?

I'd also use some strategically placed cocktail sticks to keep the tentacles in place.

It doesn't matter what it looks like. It was made with love and that's what counts.

I'm a practical person and my first question is How do you cut that cake??? Is it for eating or just for show??

I think you can find some much simple and practical designs online. It looks like a recipe for disaster to me.

For the octopus head, I'd use a chocolate egg covered in fondant. Much lighter in weight than rice crispy cake. You can trim the chocolate egg with a hot knife so it doesn't break.

You can always send it into Extra slice next year.

Oh and I wouldn't ice the board for this. I'd either buy a blue one, or I'd cover it in crushed biscuit (half digestive, half malted milk is what I've done before) to look like sand.

Much easier option

OP.
Make the cake and layer with fondant icing. Roll fat sausages of wiggly fondant for the tentacles and stick them on first. For the octopus head roll and cover a muffin or chunk of spare cake with fondant icing before you put it on the cake then place the octopus head in the middle of the pre stuck tentacles. If you do it in stages like that it should be very manageable.

What about doing it this way - so the cake itself is the octopus head and the tentacles just lie on the board? It removes a lot of the challenges presented by gravity...

I do amateur cake decorating and have done quite a lot of kids cakes. You can definitely do this..however...the thing is you will need the right equipment to make it look good. As someone mentioned above, smoother absolutely essential, palette knife for the buttercream beneath to get it smooth...good non stick work surface or mat,a d a good rolling pin (please dont use a wooden one, plastic fondant one if you can!) etc. It is going to get pricey but if you are willing to invest in stuff now it will last for future cakes.
Rick krispies sound easy, but top tip, moulding it can get incredibly sticky...have plenty of margarine to hand to put on your hands to stop it sticking to your hands
Good luck! I'm sure you'll love the memory of it.
Also if octopus head goes wrong, just roll a smaller ball out of fondant, flatten it a bit with your palm and make a 2D version

With lots of blind optimism and naivety I’m sticking with it I think. How much fondant will I need - it looks like the pre coloured renshaw packs that were recommended come in 250g. How far does that go?

Have you ever done a two their cake before? The whole thing is very ambitious. It won't look anything like that and will take at least double the time. Personally I'd start to look at designs such as these ones. They are doable. There's no need for the underneath scaffolding. The one you've picked is of a professional level. Have a practice, you might be naturally skilled.

@LilMidge01 I was thinking of covering the cake in blue rolled out fondant as it seems less messy and no need for smoothing etc. I can imagine buttercream ending up everywhere! Is that doable or will it just make the whole thing too heavy?

I'm always in awe of anyone who can bake / decorate like this. I wouldn't be able to do it.

I've been raving about the Mr Kipling's Lemon Drizzle mix cake I made to everyone

I reckon you will be fine. It’s a nice simple design. Some pointers I would go for:

1. Don’t make the head solid fondant - it will be heavy and sink through the cake. Either make the shape out of rice crispie cake and cover it in fondant, or buy a suitably sized polystyrene ball from hobbycraft and cover that in fondant. Obviously the latter won’t be edible, but tbh neither will a whole ball of fondant so you don’t lose anything except deadweight!

1. Leave yourself at least twice as much time as you think you will need. These things always take so much longer than you imagine they will.

1. It’s fine to cover the cake in rolled fondant, but are you sure you want to? Fondant is much less delicious than buttercream, and unless you get the buttercream layer under the fondant perfectly smooth the fondant will look messy and lumpy. It’s very hard to get a perfect finish with fondant, buttercream is so much more forgiving.

I have very little artistic ability but I make birthday cakes for my kids and they love them.

It won’t look perfect, but it will taste a lot better than if you bought it from a shop, and be a lot more individual. Beware though, the demands for the cake design get more specific and tricky as they grow up!

For the suckers id invest in a circle cutter. Something like this as you will want to use it again.
www.amazon.co.uk/KINGSO-Biscuit-Cookies-Sugarcraft-Decorating/dp/B00X5KAZAM?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
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Good luck!

Are you at all artistic op? If you are then you have some hope of getting something vaguely resembling that cake. If not....

I'm a pretty good baker and can do the basics of cake decorating, but I always got my non baking, but artistic husband to do the fancy bits. Made some decent looking cakes in our prime.

@MishMashMummy it’s more I was thinking fondant on top would be easier and look neater, and I wouldn’t get it smeared everywhere while I was faffing with the octopus legs - am I being hopelessly naive about the ease of working with fondant icing?

I think you can do something like this. Maybe simplify it a bit. Take lots of pics. It'll be an excellent memory!

Place marking for the photos 🐙 🍰

Good luck with it 💪🏻

I certainly don’t think it’s overly ambitious! Go for it op I’m sure it will be great!

If it helps, I decided to make my oldests first birthday cake....I was so proud, eventually, I ended up running a cake business and when I look back at that first cake it is nothin short of horrific 🤣 but it doesn’t matter x

Easier to buy from a professional though

Make it on a cold day and keep your hands cold too. I made a Fairy Dream castle years ago, the skill was in the cutting. Roll out icing makes life much easier these days!

@Mykittensmittens

I decorate cakes (for home, not as a business, too stressful!) - my total amateur tips would be:

Buy a smoother for the top of the cake. Really cheap and if you get the foundation right the rest looks more professional.

Skip those rings on the tentacles and buy a food colouring pen and draw them on instead. Ditto the black pupils and smile.

Skip the frilly edge round the top of the cake. Skip the clam.

Buy a cutter for the number - or alphabet cutters for any names. Read the instructions on using them well (you have to dust them with icing sugar or they don’t release). They do funky fonts and look professional.

Ice the board before putting the cake on (again use a smoother!) looks more pro.

Mix a little moulding powder with the fondant if you want the 3d tentacles to hold their shape. It’s the stuff sugarcrafters use when making fondant 3d work and it helps it to set and not ‘flop’. I’ll remember the name of it in a min!

A clean ruler makes a good smoother and spreader.