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Original poster

Cake decorating advice please

41 replies

melpomene · 01/04/2008 15:42

I'm planning on making a Barbie cake for dd1's birthday. It's a fairy-themed party so I want to make the cake look like a fairy. I've got the basic idea of how to make and ice the cake, but I'm not sure how to decorate the skirt. Is it possible to use sprinkles or silver balls on the skirt if you stick them onto the icing with apricot jam, or do they tend to fall off because it's too vertical iyswim?

I haven't got any experience of piping/icing bags so I'm a bit wary of going that route.

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 01/04/2008 15:54

see my profile for a princess cake - sprinkles (well gold dust in this case) and balls (pushed in to flowers) both held OK with a bit of help (sugar glue)

Original poster
melpomene · 01/04/2008 17:37

That looks great, squiggle. I like the Bo Peep one too. I hadn't heard of sugar glue. I'm visiting a cake decorating shop tomorrow so I'll see what they have.

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 02/04/2008 10:22

sugar glue (easy way) = scraps of moulding icing mushed with a litle bit of water (hot is easiest) although you can buy it as well.

seeker · 02/04/2008 10:28

You can buy fabulous edible glitter you can brush on. There's a cake on my profile where I think you can see. I use TONNES of edible glitter!

MrsBadger · 02/04/2008 10:28

sugar flowers stay on better because they have a big flat back and aren;t too heavy

the lustre powder stuff sticks well too

maisemor · 02/04/2008 10:34

My daughter loved the one I made for her. It is on my profile. We used marshmallows and plastic flowers.

[crosses fingers that it is still on my profile as I am at work]

maisemor · 02/04/2008 10:34

My daughter loved the one I made for her. It is on my profile. We used marshmallows and plastic flowers.

[crosses fingers that it is still on my profile as I am at work]

Whooosh · 02/04/2008 12:01

Well my daughter has requested a "princess castle cake"-that'll be easy to rutle up then....I don't think....

seeker · 02/04/2008 12:04

Where do you live, whoosh? I do a pretty cool Princess castle cake (although I say it myself) and I'm always looking for opportunities to do it again......

stealthsquiggle · 02/04/2008 12:05

Whooosh - get thee to the library - cake books are full of princess castles - a "proper knights castle" (as demanded by DS) was much harder to find. I don't think it is on my profile any more but it turned out pretty well considering DD was 4 weeks old at the time!

flatmouse · 02/04/2008 12:09

In one of my books of ideas, i have ballet dancer/princess which has raised skirt - quite effective and easy to do...
i did for ballet dancer - let me see if i can upload a pic to my profile....

bozza · 02/04/2008 12:11

I think apricot jam would be a bit splodgy. I made very thin icing - I suppose sugar water to stick them on when I did DD's cake. I am at work so can't post a picture but it was basically a princess cake with a cake made in a pudding basin and a doll stuck in the top. I covered it with pink fondant icing which I draped like a skirt. Also made a bodice for the doll. Then I got a pack of various pink/white decorating bits from Asda (it is a container with four sections). I put little white round flowers around the join between the bodice and the skirt, then pink flat flowers around the middle of the skirt and across the top of the bodice - these were the most vertical but very lightweight. Then I put pink "silver" balls all round the hem, which took ages, especially getting into the folds etc. Was quite effective.

DD also wants a fairy party. What entertainment ideas have you got?

bozza · 02/04/2008 12:12

Does anyone have a fairy idea other than the doll stuck in the cake skirt one? Sorry for hijacking mel,

flatmouse · 02/04/2008 12:16

looking at the pic i did a fairy not a ballet dancer
not brilliant but could be made better (eg if i had covered cake in sugarpaste icing not butter icing etc). see profile

bozza · 02/04/2008 12:19

You think that looks easy? I am not sure you are at my level of artistry/decorating.

stealthsquiggle · 02/04/2008 12:20

bozza one of my books has a cool fairy toadstool (complete with neat way of making small fairies). I think MaureenMLove might have made it for her DD at some stage.

Whooosh · 02/04/2008 12:21

Blimey Stealth!
I think I have the basic idea covered,it's just the industrial quantities of buttercream I am concerned about making-need to do it all in one batch too so it all goes the same pink colour......

gemmiegoatlegs · 02/04/2008 12:24

ooh, i love looking at all your cakes. it's months till the dcs birthdays and i'm ready to get my cake books out already. Last year we had a train for ds(4) and a pingu igloo for dd(2). i am looking forward to doing something a bit more girly this year!

stealthsquiggle · 02/04/2008 12:25

What's the "blimey" for, whoosh?

On industrial quantities of the same colour - um - if push came to show the towers could be a different shade of pink to the walls, maybe? I can't help much as I generally only use buttercream as 'underlay' (to bodge cake into right shape!) and then decorate with moulding icing.

JoshandJamie · 02/04/2008 12:28

If you're on facebook why not join a group called mumswhobake. I'm a member and I'm sure if you asked for help someone would be able to not only tell you but show you pictures of their fine creations. Mine are less fine.

flatmouse · 02/04/2008 12:28

bozza, if the "easy" comment refers to me... seriously it was pretty easy.
I copied from book
basic fairy shape cut out on paper and cut round on icing
layered dress on top, get it to stay up whilst it dries by sticking cotton buds in All the rest done by barbie icing pens

bozza · 02/04/2008 12:33

Sorry I feel rather like I have hijacked this thread. The fairy toadstool sounds very interesting because I did princess last time so a bit more different.

stealthsquiggle · 02/04/2008 12:42

bozza picture of toadstoolhere. The site annoys me slightly as she claims to design them and 80% of them are straight out of a book which I have - and I think my princess cake is better . If you are interested I will check later which book it is from.

seeker · 02/04/2008 13:06

Have a look at the ballerina cake on my profile - I've made that one as a fairy - just add wings!

Debbie Brown has some brilliant and really easy to do ideas (the toadstool cake is one of hers) If you just follow her instructions to the letter, they ALWAYS work!

Whooosh · 02/04/2008 13:41

Stealth-the blimey was for dd being 4 wks-I mis read as 4 days.

I don't like moulding icing or sugar paste etc so selfishly it will be buttercreammmmmmm