Okay ladies, I have a sculptured cake order for a gondola cake... to serve 145 people!! Wedding cakes - no problem, gumpaste flowers - Love Em!! But NO idea about this!! I was thinking for the length - two 12x18s - short ends together so it will be 36 inches long... then 3 high, carved to get the shape. Then use the scraps for the lip around the boat. Has anyone ever done anything like this?? Or have any idea if I'm on the right track? I've looked at some real life photos of these boats, and the back looks like it comes up out of the water slightly. Can the cakes be carved underneath without breaking apart? Any help would be greatly appreciated. The cake is due on 6/5. I haven't given an answer yet. Also - pricing?? I thought about pricing the same as a wedding cake because of the labor involved... any ideas on what's too much or too little for this?

Thanks again!!
Tara

In the bakeries round here, sculpted cakes cost more per serving than wedding cakes do. I think it all depends though on how much work/detail goes into the cake. You do beautiful work so I know it will be an incredible cake!

My thoughts on the gondola cake is that it wouldn't be complete without a canal lined with buildings. Do you think your client would go for that? You could do the base and buildings in cake and the gondola (maybe even a gondolier) with gumpaste or fondant which you have sooo mastered. The gondola could still be really large and you could easily get the ends up out of the water.

Thanks, Lisa. I thought about buildings, but in cardboard - painted and then glued to the base. My only problem with doing it out of cake is the time restraint. I work fulltime and have my cake business on the side - lately though, it's been becoming a LOT busier than I could have expected. I have all but one weekend booked through September! Anyway, can't complain... I love doing this!

So, would you suggest using fondant for this? I thought it would be a good idea to sort of "seal" everything together. If I did just the boat, do my calculations sound correct?

As good as you are heavenlycakes, I can see your "on the side" business becoming a full time one!! I'd love to take gumpaste lessons from you... you flowers are just so great!! Best of luck on the gondola cake!!

Wow lisa... I marked that website as a favorite.. many many times I've needed animals and such for cakes.. they have a lot of nice patterns that could be used ..

You're welcome ntertayneme!


heavenlycakes...I googled for a gondola pattern but couldn't find one. I did find this though which I think would make an easy fondant gondola.

http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/cutpaste/feature/famf39kidcot/famf39kidcot7.html

Hey thanks again Lisa! I do have to make the entire cake in the shape of the boat... for that many people - it should be "interesting" how the final results are !! I'm hoping if I pitch your idea to the client about the buildings, it will cut down on the size and make it a bit more do-able. I've been thinking more about those - If I used a 6 inch pan and cut it vertical so it would be 6x3, I could stack them and cover with fondant and paint them like buildings, then thought about making a "dock" out of gumpaste and connect it from one building with royal, to the boat. Then if the boat is a little smaller, the building don't have to be so big. Then, to support them, use a masonite board or plywood covered with blue (water) and screw dowels from underneath. Then the buildings could be different heights and still have the support needed to keep them from tumbling. I can just make a hole in the centers of their boards and and slide them down onto the board and over the dowels. I was thinking maybe only three buildings and put the dock in front of the middle one.

Wow heavenly! That cake sounds like it will be beautiful. I can't wait to see pics if you get to make it!

Oh yes, I'm making it........ The count went down thankfully. Only at 112 now. So the boat won't be 3 feet long! LOL!!
I'm nervous but getting excited about making it now. I have to order my brick rollers tonight for the houses on the side of the cake. Then I'm going to one-stroke a few vines and flowers - Love that technique!!

While I have someone's attention, I have a couple of questions...
The building are being built so there is enough cake. There will be 3 - 6x3 in l and w, and they will vary in height, one will be stacked 12 inched high, one probably 10, and one probably 14. Now, I'm a bit worried about the heights and covering them with fondant. Only the fronts will be decorated. SO, (finally) my question is - should I stack them on their sides and put a board behind them, and then one at one end (the base of the building). I want to screw 2 dowels per building in my base and slide the houses down onto it. Does this sound like a good idea?
Also - I want to use Choc-pan for the boat. I've read that it's more pliable than fondant. I'm going to color it black - which is why I'm using it, but will it be easier to cover the boat with it and will it tear as easily as fodant does? Sorry this was such a huge post!!

What is choc-pan?

it's a brand of chocolate fondant.

Hi ladies! Well if you all haven't seen my nightmare yet, I finished the gondola and well, I guess it came out okay. I wish I could've gotten the choco-pan a little tighter around the sides of the boat, but for some reason it wouldn't sit tight. I ended up doing the buildings out of cake and put a lot of time into them so they would be as realistic as possible. The boat was a bit of a catastrophe when I was frosting it - both ends collapsed from the weight of the frosting and the cake was SO moist.... But, luckily I had kept the scraps and rebuilt both using cake board and supports so it held up nicely. AND the houses stayed standing right through the cutting of the cake! Very nerve racking knowing it was on a boat - very tricky delivery and set up and I was so afraid the houses would fall with the movement of the boat... but thankfully not! It was a beast to do, but very happy I stuck with it and got it how I had pictured it! Thanks for all the suggestions and help! Tara

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=allby&member_id=5529&cat=0&pos=1