How long does it take any one of you fine fine decorators out there to do a cake fully decorated in fondant? I see so many beautiful and creative cakes like the Father's Day golf bag.....how long did THAT take??? I am just beginning to work with fondant and want to know. I have two small children and barely have enough time to finish laundry and fill the dishwasher!!!


Amy

That is a VERY GOOD question!!! The answer depends on how precise you want everything, or in other words...are you a perfectionist??? LOL! And how quickly you can assemble and ice the layer, or layers. I think I'm at the slower end of the range, bet you'll get others who can do this much faster!

Since the golf bag cake was made by one of those "drop in" members, I don't guess we will be getting any information from them!

I am way down on the slow end, whether it is BC fondant, etc., I have to work in stages, so I would guess at least 6 to 8 hours altogether for me to decorate a full size cake.

Heaven help me if I had children, I don't think I'd ever get to bake and decorate a cake. I admire each and every one of you who do manage to produce great cakes, and they are all great!
Janice

i want to do one in fondant. but i dont know if my son or hubbie can leave me alone long enough

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I have to do my BC cakes in stages! I tell you it's a drag to have to do that. I get tired of decorating really quick. I much prefer to be left alone in peace and quiet and work straight through! Maybe I'll start with a small fondant project like a six inch cake and drapes or swags! I still can't perfect the draps or swags darnit!!!


Amy

You can do a fondant cake in stages too. Stack your layer and ice with buttercream then come back later and do the fondant. It really doesn't take long once you do it a couple times. Smaller cakes are easier to start with. I love fondant cakes!! I think something like the golf bag takes longer, not because it is fondant but because it is sculpted and then all the details like stitching etc.. Definatly a practice thing. I am not good at sculpting cakes. I think sometimes we are better at some things than others. Some people have a gift for sculpting.

I am doing my 3rd fondant cake in August. It's a wedding cake. I have only done 2 others & they were in the Wilton classes. I'll be asking a lot of questions about fondant too! I work w/ it all the time but haven't covered a cake since Dec...... So I better get practicing!

When I do a wedding cake order I always do everything in stages. I can't stand up very long because of nerve problems in my back & feet. I bake one day, ice the next day, decorate the next day & deliver the next~ That's how I make it!!

A couple of weeks ago I chequed the time, while covering a 3 tier wedding cake and just for covering with fondant and placing the cakes on the boards, it took me 1 hour. You really can do the whole decoration in stages, for example the decoration some days in advance. I prefer do start decorating when my son is gone to bed, so I can use the still of the night . For a "normal" wedding cake I´m planning with 8 hours, but if it´s a new design or something scultured I plan more. Also I recogize that on the one day it seems as the decoration is magical easy going and the next time it´s like having little devils sitting beside the cake and you thinking your doing your job for the first time. So 8 - 10 hours for doing all the decortion is a good time.

It takes me forever ...LOL! But then again I am sure as someone said that others are able to blaze right thru it. I am not very experienced with fondant but have worked with it a bit. I also bake one day and do the crumb coat.....then finish the next day. Even with other cakes that are not fondant if it is detailed I am so slowwwwwwwww. About a full days work for me

Little devils!! That's a great way to describe it!! That's what I figured...about 8-10 hours total time. I'd really like to try a whimsical cake! I love those and will probably have to set aside an entire weekend to get the thing done.


Amy

As the others have said--alot depends on the complexity of the design. I do only fondant cakes and some are quick and others are very labor intensive. The beauty of fondant is that if you are modeling items or making bows and such you can make them in advance.

Doing detailed designs takes me forever! I worked on may last wedding cake for an entire week. That includes baking, freezing, thawing, making fondant, making flowers , ect. Then it took a day and all night to put it together!

No wonder fondant cakes can cost an arm and a leg. I have seen some beautiful ones on here and WOW!!! I can't ever imagine being so creative. I consider myself creative in other areas of my day to day life but with cakes, I can only replicate what I see and not pull it out of my imagination.


Amy

The Stars & Stripes cake in my gallery took about 3 hours start to finish. But, there were two of us working on it. My daughter and I did it together, so I would estimate if I did it on my own, it probably would have taken at least 4 or 5 hours.