Right - have just been asked by really lovely neighbour if I'll make a cake for her husband's birthday - she really admired the ones I'd made for dd and ds, so it's very flattering to be asked. They're also really kind and very DIY handy, which we're not, so it's nice to be able to return the favour.
However: the birthday is on Sunday, and we're heading down south tomorrow, so I have a very short time in which to do it. I can make the cake today - Madeira, probably? Although Nigella's jam cake is a bit of a never fail for me these days. But the problem is how long the icing would last. He's built a new extension to their house, and she'd like it to look like that, which is fine. I'd thought a buttercream or fudge icing would be quick and work well as "render" with fondant icing windowframes, roof tiles, etc. But if I ice it tonight, or, at the very latest, tomorrow, will it survive til Sunday? Or would I be better covering the whole thing in fondant? I'm a bit disinclined to do that, as I think fondant tastes horrible, but it might be the best move.
Any advice most welcome.