!! Cake decorators: Please Help Me! UPDATE: PIC OF CAKE ON POST #16

[mefordis]

Experienced cake decorators! Please help!

I am making this cake for my daughter's 8th birthday:

http://aspoonfulofsugah.blogspot.com/2010/05/ponyo-on-cliff-by-sea.html

I have the house and little Ponyos sculpted. I am doing the road out of fondant and I have the car and Ponyo on the Fish toppers.

Now I need to decide: should I buy two cakes from the store (about $35 total) because I will be sure they will taste good, OR do I make my own cake? If so, does anyone have a good recipe? I need to make chocolate for the cliff and vanilla for the bottom.

Also, just regular buttercream for the icing, since I'll be coloring it so it won't have to be pure white.

ALSO, my daughter wants chocolate mousse between the layers. Ideas for that? Packaged mousse or make my own?

This cake would have cost me $225 to have made at the local bakery, so I am proud of myself that I have decided to take this on. Daughter is helping!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!!! I will post the picture of the finished product, I promise!

 

[Iri920]

Such a cute cake, my kids love Ponyo too. I personally would just make my own cake. Search for a WASC (White Almond Sour Cream) recipe, it's a doctored box cake recipe that taste good and it's good for carving and stacking. Just a tip if you're going to be carving the mountain freeze the layers first and it'll make it much easier to carve.

Sorry I can't help you about the mouse since out of all the cakes I've decorated nobody has asked for a mouse filling yet.

 

[mefordis]

God bless you! Thank you so much for the quick response and the great tips!!!

My friend made a cake recently and the cake was horrible it was thick and dense and gummy. I am worried that mine will be like that.

Anyone else who cares to weigh in, I would love to read your recommendations!

 

[lizabu]

I was going to suggest the same recipe. Its really good and its easy too http://cakecentral.com/recipes/the-original-wasc-cake-recipe/
For mousse the easiest way to do it is heat some heavy cream in a double boiler until just warm them add some chocolate and stir until melted. You will have something like hot cocoa or chocolate milk. Let cool completely in the fridge you want it nice and cold. Whip just like whipped cream. Ta Da! mousse. Just don't add too much chocolate or you will end up with ganache. Still delicious but difficult to whip.

 

[mefordis]

I was going to suggest the same recipe. Its really good and its easy too http://cakecentral.com/recipes/the-original-wasc-cake-recipe/
For mousse the easiest way to do it is heat some heavy cream in a double boiler until just warm them add some chocolate and stir until melted. You will have something like hot cocoa or chocolate milk. Let cool completely in the fridge you want it nice and cold. Whip just like whipped cream. Ta Da! mousse. Just don't add too much chocolate or you will end up with ganache. Still delicious but difficult to whip.

Thank you!! With the mousse I am afraid to do it without a recipe. You sound very experienced, unlike me!!! Maybe i should look up a mousse recipe - from Ina Garten or someone?

 

[Bren's Mom]

Be careful with any fillings! If it's warm you could end up with the cliff sliding right off the floor. Be sure to reinforce any stacking that you do.

 

[lizabu]

Be careful with any fillings! If it's warm you could end up with the cliff sliding right off the floor. Be sure to reinforce any stacking that you do.

This is true. Always dam each layer with buttercream and put the filling in the middle. Most fillings and mousse can ooze out causing the cake to shift. Usin a bteercream dam gives the cake some support

 

[mefordis]

Be careful with any fillings! If it's warm you could end up with the cliff sliding right off the floor. Be sure to reinforce any stacking that you do.

Any ideas on what to use for supports? I really don't want to go back to the craft store! Would a clothespin work (round kind)?

 

[Sparkleshine]

Straws make excellent supports.

I would follow a boxed cake mix but add 1 small box of pudding in a complimentary flavor.

Also here is a foolproof mousse filling. It sets up nice and isn't runny however you do need to refridgerate it! I've even used it in tiered wedding cakes!

COSTCO Mousse recipe
Ingredients
•1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of milk
1 large package of Instant jello vanilla pudding
Mix well on mixer for vanilla mousse filling
Instructions
Mix well on mixer for vanilla mousse filling

Make sure milk and heavy cream are very cold (I sometimes add the milk and cream to the bowl and refridgerate the whole thing bowl and all) it takes a few minutes to whip up just watch for the consistency you want and don't overbeat it as it can 'break'.

 

[manning]

Duncan Hines....I kid you not this is what Wilton uses.

 

[mefordis]

Okay, I caved and bought the two cakes! I"m refrigerating them so the top layer will cut easier. I am going to stack them to make the cliff.

Important question: will this buttercream recipe hold up piped for the grass, or do I need to substitute some of the butter for shortening?

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Classic American Buttercream frosting. This recipe uses powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and milk. This is a great recipe for decorating and piping on cupcakes and cake.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal texture should be like ice cream.
3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions
Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

 

[lizabu]

I prefer the taste of buttercream made with butter vs shortening. Your recipe will work fine

 

[mefordis]

Wow, ladies, thank you so much for the support! I cannot wait to show you the results. I hope it's not a failure. Whatever it is, I will post a pic!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I was going to suggest the same recipe. Its really good and its easy too http://cakecentral.com/recipes/the-original-wasc-cake-recipe/
For mousse the easiest way to do it is heat some heavy cream in a double boiler until just warm them add some chocolate and stir until melted. You will have something like hot cocoa or chocolate milk. Let cool completely in the fridge you want it nice and cold. Whip just like whipped cream. Ta Da! mousse. Just don't add too much chocolate or you will end up with ganache. Still delicious but difficult to whip.

Oh boy, I am so doing that over Christmas.

What kind of chocolate do you add?

That explains why sometimes I order "mousse" and it is like the "silk pie" texture which I do not like.

 

[lizabu]

Oh boy, I am so doing that over Christmas.

What kind of chocolate do you add?

That explains why sometimes I order "mousse" and it is like the "silk pie" texture which I do not like.

You can use any kind of chocolate you like. I find the better the beginning product the better the finished product. I like a nice dark valrhona chocolate if I can find it or you can use a large bar of ghirardelli or other chocolate you like. Just heat the cream until it's like a warm bath and add the chocolate chopped fine and stir until it's melted and smooth. Chill until very cold and whip just like whipped cream. Less chocolate and you get a lighter fluffier mousse. More chocolate and you get a denser mousse.

 

[mefordis]

Thank you for all of your input! I am happy with how it turned out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94207699@N00/6453687549/in/photostream/

 

[Disneyluvr]

WOW,that came out great!! You did an amazing job,congrats

Where did you get the Ponyo character?

 

[SandrA9810]

That looks awesome. Be glad you didn't pay some one else. Even if you're not a great baker, you've got the skills for decorater.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Wow! Awesome job!

 

[mefordis]

Thank you everyone! I got a quote for $250 to make the cake. I ended up paying less than $100 total for the supplies and two figures: the car and Ponyo on the fish. I got the characters online, they came from Japan as a bath toy set with a couple of other things.