Cake decorators, please come and input into DS1's request

[CobOnTheCorn]

He would like a solar system cake. I'm up for the challenge but I'm fairly new to cake decorating so would appreciate any feedback on my thoughts so far.

This is my current inspiration.

Not sure whether to bake choc or plain sponge (how much difference does it make?). I'll crumb coat it with buttercream then cover with dark blue fondant icing. I guess I'll make the planets from fondant too and stick them on.

I don't like the white piping on the cake in the link so I'm hoping it won't be missed.

So, whad'ya think?

What about making a spherical cake for the sun then making planets from fondant attached by wires?!

You might do better with this thread in the baking section.

How about 1 round cake for the sun and then 8 appropriately decorated cupcakes?

You need cake pops :)

i really don't like the piped edges, so your idea has the thumbs up from me already!

Chocolate or vanilla sponge will make no difference to the final cake if you go with the design in your link, just bake whichever he likes best!

That design would be very novice-friendly. If you're planning on colouring the icing yourself then you will definitely need the gel/paste colouring NOT liquid colouring because you will need to use a lot of colouring to make the blue dark enough.

You'll need to put something around the bottom to disguise where the icing joins the board (unless you're very, very good at trimming the excess off) but you could just use a silver/blue ribbon for that, instead of the white piping.

FWIW, the little silver balls you can buy at the supermarket make very effective 'stars' when pressed into dark blue icing.

Can I just say, as someone with a lot of cake making experience, that icing spherical cakes neatly is a blinking nightmare . If you're a novice at working with sugarpaste then I'd avoid that idea.

Def cake pops! One big round cake for the sun, all the planets as cake pops on sticks coming out of it. Awesome!

Oooh thanks for the replies. I had to go to bed early and woke up thinking about suspending some of the planets mainly because I'd prefer not to have such a big cake. So either wire or cake pops would work.

I've noted to buy ready coloured fondant or use paste not liquid and to but some silver balls to make 'stars'.

Oh and I've learned there is a baking section!

Hereis a photo of a cake with planets suspended on wires but I don't think it looks that good.

Doe you think it's the proportions make it look odd or is it just me being picky?

I think the proportions are probably astronomically correct but agree it does look weird.

I'd go with the square cake tbh - think it looks a lot nicer plus it will be loads easier

Um, to be astronomically pedantic, if the proportions were correct, pluto would be a speck of dust in another house half way down the street

I think a central sun a few symbolic cake pops orbiting it would look great.

How about a big round blue cake with silver balls.

Yellow.hemisphere of made out of cake and icing in the middle with piped sqiggles and sun flares around the side of it.

Planets much smaller than that picture made of fondant on wires all around.

Agree with Wem - you can't make it accurate unless you scatter bits of cake around the neighbourhood. So hope your DS isn't a literalist

Have a look at the Lakeland website, they have info about making ball shaped cakes called cake pops.

i made a solar system cake for DD2 recently, i'll stick a picture on my profile for you.

A few ideas on here cakecentral.com/gallery/view/search/?searches[]=Planets&fq=type%3A%22gallery%22&page=2

cakecentral.com/gallery/view/search/?searches[]=Planets&fq=type%3A%22gallery%22&page=3

here you go wonkylegs

Thanks - morning brain + phone = fail

Ooh, I like this one

Thanks katz did you make the planets from fondant only or small bits of cake covered in fondant?

This one is fab!

I prefer the border (is that what it's called?) on this one.

Do you realise the cake you linked earlier "on wires but I don't think it looks that good." is the same as " Ooh, I like this one" and the third link is the same too (maybe it's my computer)

I like it btw

Bugger! Can I blame the fact I'm still getting used to iPad?

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