Hi ladies and gentlemen. 
I have a question for you guys, about a wedding cake. This is my first ever wedding cake. I've most just done birthday cakes. The person I am making this for is a co-worker of my mom's. Plus the cake has a 2 hour car ride. 
This is a ruffle cake (THEY'RE TAKING OVER!) and I know some ruffle cakes are made out of fondant, but she (the recipient) has requested NO fondant. Here is a pic of the cake:
http://media.colincowieweddings.com/mediafiles/gradient-frill-cake-mac_slidedetail.jpg
I haven't done a ruffle cake before, crossing my fingers it's easy. I'm making a test cake this weekend, for practice (yay excuse to eat cake!). I'm wondering if you guys can give me tips on do the ruffles. They're not majorly ruffly lol. Thank the lord she doesn't want the flowers on the top layer, that'll make it a bit easier.
About transport, she is sending someone to pick up the cake and take it on the car trip. I know about a cardboard cake board under the upper, and wooden dowels in the lower layer to support the upper layer, and then poking a wooden dowel through both layers. I was wondering if you could give me any other tips. Um, I usually do 1/2 c. crisco, 1/2 c. butter for better flavor but I was thinking, since it's summer, that I should make it more crisco, to butter ratio, and just add artificial butter flavor. Crossing my fingers it will be a cooler day, but with my luck, it'll be a record breaking heat wave lol. Sorry this is so long. All tips are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you! 
For best taste, you can't beat all-butter for BC, even if it means the cake has to be kept under refrigeration.
Would a large, heavy, ice chest be appropriate here?
For best taste, you can't beat all-butter for BC, even if it means the cake has to be kept under refrigeration.
Would a large, heavy, ice chest be appropriate here?
The more butter the better, but it's always more shiny and harder to work with because of the melting. Would it work to use more butter, for the crumb coating and then use less butter BC for the top and ruffles?
A summer wedding cake with a 2 hour car ride is not the time to chance an all butter icing. Let shortening be your friend. Even if it is the crumb coat. As I have been reading lately, butter starts to melt at 85 degrees. So even as a crumb coat it could still melt and make everything slide. I would make sure to tell them they need to pick up and keep the cake on a flat surface (not a seat) with the air conditioning blasting into the cake area. And not sitting in the sun either. And no stopping for lunch, etc along the way so the cake is sitting in a hot car. Tell the driver to pretend the cake is their new baby or something like that. And make sure they sign something that says you are not responsible for anything that happens after the cake leaves your safe hands.
Just as an aside, you CANNOT DO THAT CAKE IN BUTTERCREAM. It won't look the same at all. Here's what buttercream ruffles look like: http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-do-ruffles-with-buttercream.html
This is how to do them with fondant: http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/11/ruffle-wedding-cake-tutorial.html
There is NO WAY that you'll get the look of the first cake with buttercream, those ruffles are rolled so thin the fondant tears at the top edge.
I wouldn't have a problem transporting a buttercream ruffle cake two hours as long as the car is air conditioned, the cake is boxed up, and it was in the fridge overnight beforehand. But make sure that your friend knows that the cake that you're making will not look like that picture. If she wants the cake in that picture, she needs to let you use fondant/gumpaste to make really thin ruffles.
Tell her that it's like saying you want a steak dinner, but you don't eat beef. You might get a good meal in the end, but it won't be a steak.
I agree that a b'cream ruffled cake will not give the same look. Leave it up to the bride to decide which she wants.
As for someone else transporting the cake.....OH BOY!!! are you looking for a HUGE problem. They will NOT know how to drive w/a tiered cake for sure! Even well boxed cannot promise it will arrive w/o having fallen over. If the driver makes a fast turn or sudden stop it could be all over 
Even experienced cake designers have had trouble delivering their own cakes....how od you expect someone who has never even riden w/a cake know how to drive with one? I would make the bride sign some kind of wavier(sp?) that you are not responsible for damage once it leaves your hands for sure!!
Well, since the bride doesn't want fondant... what if you suggest a dummy cake with fondant to get the desired look and then have kitchen cakes with only buttercream. Best of both worlds
I agree you would be better off making a dummy cake and using sheet cakes. As for the frosting I would not use all butter. If you can get hi ratio shortening it is more stable especially if the cake will be traveling for two hours. The recipe I use has 1/2 cup salted butter and 1 1/2 cup hi ratio shortening. The only problem I had was my brothers wedding two years ago it was 105 degrees and my mom left the cake in the car with the air conditioner off for about ten minutes. When I arrived (up all night making the cake had to get ready for the wedding) the frosting started getting bubbles under the frosting. I was able to smooth them out with a napkin. There is a wonderful ruffle tip that I found last month tip 070. It won't look like the cake pictured but it does make beautiful ruffle quick.
How about crumb coat with ganache then use choco clay/modeling chocolate... Its very humid here the Philippines and i havent had a problem with my cakes, btw, i use ganache under my fondant
I wouldn't use only chocolate clay, maybe a combination of chocolate clay and fondant would work. It depends on how hot it is, but chocolate clay just sags and melts with too much heat, so that could've dangerous!
How about crumb coat with ganache then use choco clay/modeling chocolate... Its very humid here the Philippines and i havent had a problem with my cakes, btw, i use ganache under my fondant
I wouldn't use only chocolate clay, maybe a combination of chocolate clay and fondant would work. It depends on how hot it is, but chocolate clay just sags and melts with too much heat, so that could've dangerous!
Oohh... Thats good to know costumeczar.... I just figured if the bride doesnt like fondant, choc clay is a good alternative its a good idea to combi choc clay and fondant
How about crumb coat with ganache then use choco clay/modeling chocolate... Its very humid here the Philippines and i havent had a problem with my cakes, btw, i use ganache under my fondant
I wouldn't use only chocolate clay, maybe a combination of chocolate clay and fondant would work. It depends on how hot it is, but chocolate clay just sags and melts with too much heat, so that could've dangerous!
Oohh... Thats good to know costumeczar.... I just figured if the bride doesnt like fondant, choc clay is a good alternative
its a good idea to combi choc clay and fondant
I've done the combination for years, and now there are a bunch of fondants that are being sold that are a candy clay based recipe. It makes the fondant more stretchy and easier to mold together. And it tastes better, usually!
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2285433/ruffle-cake
there's a ruffle cake that I did with the 040 ruffle tip and BC made with 1 cup crisco, 1/2 cup butter - piped beautifully, crusted beautifully, and probably would have travelled very easily if refrigerated overnight and boxed up. It is possible to get BC ruffles a little more defined than some of the other examples given. . .
On the no fondant front. Those ruffles kind of peel off when you cut it. I've made that design and when you cut the cake, that fondant layer just kind of sheds so people don't have to eat it. Also you roll those strips really thin so it's not even a ton a fondant. If you are worried about transportation you may want to check out SPS (The single plate system). I would worry less about this or one of the other options like Cake Stackers, if the customer is going to drive the cake to the venue.
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