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Original poster

Sugarcraft chat

632 replies

wem · 24/04/2012 19:34

I started a thread for cake people a while back but it got a bit lost in Chat so thought I'd try to tempt people into our lovely new baking topic.

Hopefully I'll see some of the posters from the chat thread, but for any new people popping in, introductions: I'm wem, I'm a recent cake obsessive and have been bothering mumsnetters about it a fair bit as I'm starting up cake decorating business. I don't have anywhere near the experience or knowledge of some of the posters in here, but I do have an excessive willingness to chat about cake :)

Let's try this again, eh?

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 14/09/2012 16:28

I would say if it was all sealed with icing (and short time between baking and icing) a week would be OK - 2 weeks not so sure..

Original poster
wem · 14/09/2012 16:41

Thanks stealth, that was kinda my instinct too. It also depends on whether my parents are happy to be courier too. It's going to be a big cake!

OP posts:
midori1999 · 14/09/2012 17:11

I think with sponge a week would be pushing it tbh. Could you persuade your sister to have chocolate or carrot cake as these would have a longer shelf life if you used the right recipe? Or fruit would be even better.

midori1999 · 14/09/2012 17:12

Or another option if the timescale made it impossible could be for you to make a dummy cake and then your sister to have cutting cakes from a local bakery?

bacon · 14/09/2012 17:56

A maderia has a long life - say 2 weeks, a sponge is more limited as its moist. I agree 1 week is max. A sponge tastes better after a couple of days.

Original poster
wem · 14/09/2012 19:29

Is it wrong to think that the reason madeira has a long life is that it's dry and horrid to begin with?

I find the bbc easy vanilla cake stays really moist, and that's even without using the syrup. Would the syrup prolong it do you think?

Interested in chocolate cake though - any recipes you would recommend for long-life?

OP posts:
blueberryboybait · 14/09/2012 20:09

I use all the BBC wedding cake recipes - the syrup is fantastic as it keeps it moist for longer - I wouldn't go over 10 days when iced. Also don't use any milk in your buttercream layer or it will go sour under the fondant.

nannycook · 14/09/2012 20:46

Not sure if anyone wants my input, i actually made a cake a week last wed, not to be eaten untill the following mon, they said it was beautiful, the reason i had to do this was i was moving house but i promised her a cake and ended up doing this in the middle of hell. It had jam and buttercream, then covered in fondant, i wouldnt normally make a cake that far ahead but i couldnt let her down.

midori1999 · 14/09/2012 22:28

Mich Turner gives her chocolate truffle torte a 10 day shelf life once covered. It's a really nice cake, rich, dense and moist. It can be a bit tricky to bake though, as it has very little flour in it really. It's worth it though!

Original poster
wem · 15/09/2012 09:03

That's interesting midori, I've just had a look as I've got her book out of the library at the moment. Definitely looks like it needs a trial run and tasting session to make sure I can bake it properly Wink

And all input very much welcome nannycook. Sounds like your cake lasted very well :)

OP posts:
VikingVagine · 15/09/2012 18:20

According to Lindy Smith (in The Cake Decorating Bible), her chocolate cake and Madeira cake recipes are good for up to two weeks.

Original poster
wem · 15/09/2012 19:28

Oh, I actually own that book Blush. Twas Lindy what started me on the road to cake madness. I have just got too used to consulting my cake gurus, useful lot that you are :)

Hmm, mum and dad will be leaving on the 3rd, and the party is on the 13th. That's probably going to be pushing it in terms of when I will actually have to bake the cake so that I have time to decorate it. Perhaps I'll just leave this one to a local baker.

OP posts:
nannycook · 15/09/2012 20:10

Wem, i have that book to, she's sooo flipping good that woman. i moving into my new house next thurs, cant wait to start cooking in my new kitchen, ooo all those cakes!!

midori1999 · 15/09/2012 20:12

It's disappointing though when you want to make a cake, isn't it? I had a similar dilemma a while ago where someone wanted me to make their Nan's 80th birthday cake but were travelling down a week before. They didn't want a fruit cake or carrot cake (Mich Turner's carrot cake is FAB and lasts a couple of weeks at least) so i just decided to leave it. I hope you're not too disappointed? How is your business going in general? Are you thinking of any wedding fairs or anything?

I delivered a cake today which I loved making, it was completely over the top, which i loved! Grin I used the rainbow dust metallic paint though and although I'd practised I found it really hard to get a good, even finish. I wonder if it's better with an airbrush? Has anyone used it?

This is it anyway:

[IMG]i40.photobucket.com/albums/e201/midori1999/0D41F024-A030-4D52-AA02-644CC4A3412D-614-0000004AF5F2CCA0.jpg[/IMG]

midori1999 · 15/09/2012 20:14

I'm a bit Hmm about LS since her 'cake police' thing tbh.

Nannycook, how exciting moving into your new house and having a new kitchen! Moving is exhausting though.

midori1999 · 15/09/2012 20:15

Oh, and proper link to cake.... Blush

<a class="break-all" href="//[IMG]i40.photobucket.com/albums/e201/midori1999/0D41F024-A030-4D52-AA02-644CC4A3412D-614-0000004AF5F2CCA0.jpg[/IMG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">[IMG]i40.photobucket.com/albums/e201/midori1999/0D41F024-A030-4D52-AA02-644CC4A3412D-614-0000004AF5F2CCA0.jpg[/IMG]

midori1999 · 15/09/2012 20:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 15/09/2012 20:24

midori link

midori1999 · 15/09/2012 20:36

Thank you!!!! Goodness knows what I'm doing.... Blush Grin

Original poster
wem · 15/09/2012 20:54

What was Lindy Smith's cake police thing?

The business isn't going great guns just yet. I get the odd enquiry but they don't go anywhere. Although, the last one that seemed like it actually might I said I couldn't do. It came straight after doing the wedding cake followed by two birthday cakes for one party, and it was summer hols so I wasn't getting any free time during the day. I felt like I had spent every spare minute for weeks making cakes!

I'm actually quite enjoying making normal cakes for the soft play centre. They've used me for special occasions, that gateau I was asking about last week, and say they're going to up their order over the winter as that's their busy time. It's something I can do while the children are around as I can practically make those cakes in my sleep now!

I'm happy to have that ticking over for now and carry on doing cakes for friends and family and do the wedding fayres etc when I have a bit more time.

...And that's a wonderfully OTT cake midori Grin

OP posts:
VikingVagine · 16/09/2012 07:57

Ooh, I'm curious about the cake police thing now too!!! What on earth happened?

midori1999 · 16/09/2012 09:19

I think it was when her new website was set up and she'd put something on there about copyright and copying her designs for financial gain (eg. Making and selling them if you're a business) or making them and posting pictures anywhere without giving her credit, even of not for financial gain. She'd said her 'cake police' were constantly scouring the web for offenders. Basically, she wants to make money from her designs by selling them (fair enough!) but no one else is to sell those designs even if they've made the cake themselves.

Original poster
wem · 16/09/2012 12:17

Oops, I should probably take down the picture of my brush embroidery cake off my website then

But really, if you want to make money selling books telling people how to make your cakes, people are going to copy them!

OP posts:
VikingVagine · 16/09/2012 12:55

Well duh, of course people are going to copy them if there's a book explaining how... Sheesh. Hmm

bacon · 16/09/2012 16:02

I would think its very difficult to prove someone has truely copied your design look at plainish wedding cakes they are vertically all the same if you look at top designers. I am sure they copy each others and add the odd huge flower.

I tend to take bits off various designs off the net and books as not sure if they could prove that I copied they design. I will be copying Debbie Brown's alien cake for DS1 birthday but I wont be posting the cake on my own website (if I were running a cake business) will I so no worries there.

Wem - I love the glowing OTT cake I think all cakes should be OTT.