What could I use to make this?

[Thistledew]

DP and I are entering a Jubilee themed cake competition. He bakes fabulous cakes but I have the creativity for the decoration.

I want to try to decorate the cake to look like a crown. I was thinking of a simplified version a bit like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/images/jewels/edwards_crown.jpg&imgrefurl=www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/crown_jewels.htm&h=389&w=300&sz=61&tbnid=izGM4rLCz8t72M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=69&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcrown%2Bjewels%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=crown+jewels&usg=__ROLsZ_ug7qZZmLL1mfFigm38UO4=&docid=iB72RUqqhLqxSM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6aXHT_3SN4ix8gOckOWNDg&sqi=2&ved=0CHoQ9QEwBQ&dur=47" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this so the cake is the velvet and the metal work is added on, and made out of ... something ... gilded with edible gold?

Do you think that rolled out marzipan would have enough strength to support itself?

Any other suggestions?

If you rolled out fondant quite thin and used cutters to make the shape of the crown (do it in quarters perhaps) then you can drape the fondant over something to make it the right shape (biscuit tin?) and it will dry hard enough to support itself.

Hope that makes sense?

Or, you could pipe onto netting (like it you were making butterflies) and then drape over something so it's curved, then leave to dry. Would be very delicate and fragile though. Might work for small bits.

Thanks Jareth - I am something of a novice when it comes to decoration and haven't made fondant icing before, is it easy enough to do if you follow a recipe carefully?

Would you rule out the marzipan idea?

I don't make fondant, always buy it :)

Don't know about marzipan, I hate the stuff :)

Fondant is a good idea, if made into the shape and left to air dry, it goes very hard.

You would need something like flower/gum paste or pastillage, which both set very, very hard to make something like that. Probably a wire frame too. You can use one of the gold lustre dusts mixed with either rejuvenator spirit or vodka to paint it gold.

Fondant or modelling paste won't set hard enough IMO.

When is it for? It will take a long long time to make I think

It's for Sunday.

The band shouldn't be an issue as that can stick to the cake. The cross-over strips I think I can make a bit easier by having them lay on the cake in the centre but I would like then to come away from the cake at the edges/corners at the point where they bend IYSWIM. I think I will either just have the ball in the centre and forego the cross, or get a plastic cross.

Come on, lovely MNers. You are supposed to be the fount of all wisdom and will stop me completely wasting my time with this.

Does anyone think it is worth trying marzipan or would I be wasting my time?

Marzipan will be too soft. See above.

I'm more of a home made cake person than professional but I'd go for shiny gold card cut to shape with piped iced surrounds to edible gem stones (boiled sweets/ midget gems/ silver balls etc)

I think ANTagony has it.

Beutiful cake, icing where you can, but cardboard for the actual crown bit (you can always cover it in piped icing to cheat )

Could you make biscuits or brandy snaps to shape?

What about spun sugar? Or brandy snaps?

Disclaimer: I would have no idea how to make either of these

I think you can use scissors to cut brandy snaps while they're warm then mould them and leave to set.

I tried using the fondant icing (ready-made bought stuff) and left it for nearly 24 hours to set, but unfortunately it didn't set hard at all. I just laid it over the cake in the end, and it looked ok.