Sugarcraft & cake decorating fancies!

[Snuppeline]

I hope to start a thread where amateurs and professional cake decorators/sugarcraft artists can share tips, inspiration and disaster stories (I've got a few of those...) about their cake projects. After several years of denial I have finally come to terms with my love of all things sugar and cake. I've started this thread hoping to attract like minded mumsnetters to swap tricks and inspiration with - please join me

oh, I looked into doing a course,but for various reasons I was unable to!

I am a relative starter really..and have an idea in my head of what I want my cakes to look like, but it never does! Ever!

I have recently bought a few different Cake Decorating and Sugar Craft books, so I am trying to learn from those.

Hi Facepalm, I'm a beginner too! I've just bought a book called "The international school of sugarcraft: beginners" which I've found pretty good so far. I've used marzepan quite a bit in the past but am really new to sugarpaste and colour paste's. What books do you have?

I have:
"The Home Guide to Cake Decorating" by Jane Price
"Beginners guide to Cake Decorating"
"50 easy party cakes" by Debbie Brown
"Part cakes for children" and "Perfect party cakes made easy" By Carol Deacon
"Pretty Party Cakes" by Peggy Porschen
"Party Animal Cakes" by Lindy Smith.

I got them all for christmas! Im slowly building up cake decorating supplies too.

For my dd 1st birthday in June, im doing a Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake. A Round sponge with red sugarpaste for the head, then about 20 or so cupcakes with green buttercream icing for the body...I really want to always make birthday cakes for the children, so far i have done a Rubber Duck cake for ds 1st, and a iTNG for his second.

A rugby cake for dh 30th, and 2 Halloween cakes, one a chocolate cake, with a spider web and spider iced onto the top, and a 3 sponge cake, with orange sugarpaste icing, the icing went a bit bad on that, as cake was so high, trying to get to smooth over the cake was a nightmare! i had to do it in patches, which ended up working out, as i then made icing "sutures" over where the icing joined, so it kind of suited a Halloween cake.

I need to get a lot better at covering cakes with sugarpaste tbh! Im hoping as i get more and more of the right tools it will be easier.

I need some cake help please! I am decorating a cake for next Friday. I have the fruit cake wrapped away in a tin and have bought my marzipan and rolled icing.

I've read that I ought to do the marzipan now, stuck on with some heated sieved apricot jam, and leave it out with just a teatowel over to dry out for a few days. Is this right?

Then brush cooled boiled water over marzipan to stick icing on?

I would like to cut out some shapes with the remainder to colour and stick on. Should I do that straight away, or when the iced cake is hard? Again do they stick with the water or something else?

The bit I'm confused about is when it's decorated, someone said to me you can't put it in cake tin because it softens up, the white icing doesn't stay hard.

What do you do with yours? Leave it out for a few days covered with tea towel to harden and then put in a cardboard cake box so it has air?

Facepalm, I love the idea of your Hungry Caterpillar Cake! Very fun and colourful.
I thought this would be so simple!! I just don't want to end up with a soggy mess. Many thanks.

I am baking a waybuloo cake for my grandson. In the past when I've made figures in ready to roll icing I find they don't keep their shape and slip a little. Does anyone know the answer to this problem. Should I use a different type of icing for figures?