i have only ever done 2 fondant cakes. one is posted here and the other was a wilton class cake last year. i have a lady who would like a fondant cake for her daughters 1st birthday. her invites have a blue and white stripe and she would like the fondant colored that way. the invite also has a red and white check or gingham. how do i do that? should i cover it in blue and add white stripes? or can i somehow get the fondant blue and white? same question for the gingham.
i am just starting out and this is a BIG order for me and i want it to look good but im considering turning it down because im not sure i can do it. she said that there might be 60 people but she wants a big big cake so at least enogh to serve 100.
can someone help with pricing? all my cake friends tell me $2 per serving but i guess it being fondant would add to the cost but how much? i always cringe when i have to tell someone the price. but this looking like a $250-$300 cake to me. do people really pay that?

thanks for any help

Given the transparent nature of those stripes, I'd probably paint a white fondant covered cake with stripes and then add cut out cherries.

If I "had my own way", I'd replicate the dress on the invite (carved full sheet cake 64-96 servings depending on how it's cut) and avoid the striped plate all together--unless I put individual cupcakes around it--those I'd ice in buttercream, add a cut out round of fondant, paint that with stripes, and garnish with 3-D fondant cherrie pairs. Or, perhaps the "smash" cake could be a small fondant covered round with painted stripes and fondant cherry cut outs....

I can't really speak to cost because it can be so region-dependant.

Looks like a fun cake opportunity. Please post pics if you decide to do it.
Rae

thanks for your reply. i cant do a sheet cake cuz she has stated that she wants a tall tiered cake. guess i should have said that. i have been working on ideas for the last hour. i made practice cherries and attached them to the side of a glass covered in fondant to see if they would even stick. so far so good and they are cute. so i guess i will do that. i cut out a circle of fondant and laid stripes across it to see how it looks and also did the same with a check pattern. looks okay but not great. of course im working with some left over fondant in light green and dark pink so looks weird anyway.
i am planning a 4"(smash cake), 6",8", 10" and 12" cake using pillars.
going to try to reach her tomorrow and go over my ideas with her.
on a cake this size (cost), would you ask for a deposit just like a wedding cake or not?
if anyone has an idea on how to do that stripes or gingham let me know please. otherwise, i will just lay the stripes and checks on top of a solid piece the way i practiced tonight. but i think i will give the edible markers a try too.

thanks!

Welll.......Lots of laid on stripes can get "clunky". Food markers would be slow and expensive--you'd go through a lot of them and it's hard to buy just single colors.

You could paint these on with, or without a stencil, using a brush (with a "square" set of bristles the width you want) or a sponge (cut to the width you want) and several color options: gel/paste color, luster dust, petal dust, or non-toxic ground-to-dust-pastel chalk mixed with lemon extract or clear spirits (vodka, gin).

If you're going to do 3D cherries--and they're heavy--you can dissolve some fondant or gumpaste in water and use it as your glue. To hold them in place until it dries, drive a toothpick up under the bottom of each cherry and leave it in place until it's time to set up and then pull the toothpicks out slowly. The hole will be invisible if the toothpick is driven in at a severe angle up under each fruit.

Definitely get a non-refundable deposit and require extra $ for changes made close to the party date.

Rae

Since it needs to be tiered, couldn't you do each tier a different color/pattern? Maybe make cherries or daisies or both the unifying item throughout? one blue with daisies, then one red gingham(airbrushed if you have it is easily done, the marker idea would work well for it too), then the blue stripe(all over white with a wide stripe bordered with two narrow stripes in the blue going around), then top it with a white tier covered in cherries...oh oh and the smash cake can be one cake that looks like a cherry sitting on top.

I would use petal dust to paint the stripes and gingham onto white fondant. For a suggestion, If she wants a tired cake I would do 3 rounds bottom in gingham check, middle in stripes and top with cherry's and a number 1 candle on the top. All can be painted on with petal or luster dust. I ordered some from winbeckler and recieved them in two days, one of those being a holiday. The other option is to tint fondant to the colors that you desire, for stripes you could roll long snake like stipes of blue and white and lay them next to each other alternating colors and roll to desired thinkness they will roll together then cut to fit cake. Painting is easier and works better. Another option for the cherrys is to cover the cake in white fondant and make cherry's either ball that you flatten on one side and stick to cake with BC stems or with round cutter of your choice with buttercream stems. Good luck

Okay, I haven't read everyone's responses yet but I wanted to tell you this before I forget.

The red/white checker could be the trim for the bottom of each tier! I'm assuming you are going to make a tiered cake right? You can either paint the red on the white fondant trim or you can lay red fondant strips on the white fondant! I would probably paint it because it's less work but also would look better especially if you put a ball border at the base of that because if you add fondant strips to it then your border (should you choose to do one) would stick out further on the strips than it would the actual white fondant trim piece! Does that make sense? It would just look uneven. If you don't plan on doing a ball border or whatever, then don't worry about it!

Man I'm long winded! Fooey!!!


Amy

great responses everyone! thanks!

About the stripes.....I read the other day about someone suggesting rolling out, and cutting stripes in the desired color. Then lay it on your background fondant and lightly rolling over it with the rolling pin. (lightly, because anything more and you get distortion)

That could cut some of the painting work for you, then just paint on darker where the lines cross, making it look darker where the stripes cross?

It's just a thought that might come in handy. HTH