Hey Chezz sorry cant help you with the rasberry mud cake but for the white i always use the one from the womens weekly its a litttle book called chocolate cakes I have always had rave reviews about it If you cant find it let me know I ll be happy to pass it on.

Thanks Jo, will keep in mind if I can't find that book in amongst my mountain of cook books.

Kelli..... they are PERFECT!!! wow... beautiful!!! I wish I was brave to try and do some flowers....

Can't wait to see them on the cake!!!

Toni

Thanks Kelli, I was thinking the same about the raspberries. Will have a look at the recipe you gave. Your roses are fantastic, by the way, wish I could do them that well.
Cheryl

Thank you so much Cheryl and Toni. I cant wait to do this cake. These are pinch ball roses. You just roll a ball and pinch 1/2 then glue them together, trim the bottom when finished. one of the easiest roses to do.

Cheryl I use margarine or cooking margarine in my mud cake. I like the taste better.

kinda quiet in here now!!!

I love throwing frozen raspberries into any cake mix. comes out gooey and yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

It is quiet, and I'm not sure where everyone is...... are we all chatting on the 'other' forum now??????
I miss you all!!!

Toni xxx

Toni, I think the answer is yes. Although it's probably just a busy time for everyone at the moment!!! How are things in Italy??

I seem to be jumping from one forum to the other !!

I am in the middle of making my soccer ball cake! So far, so good... although couldn't have done it without the help. tips, and hints from RANIA on CC........ she has been such a sweetheart sending me lovely detailed emails. Look at her cakes... he has made a lot of debbie Brown cakes and they are perfect!!!

I just have to do the scarf, and then will try for the first time to make a little man... if there is no man on the cake... you will know I failed!!!!

We have had 3 days of RAIN... it's like being in Melbourne during winter a the moment.... all the freezing temperatures from the weekend have gone and today is about 18 degrees..... Although now rain is coming more heavily... I believe it will get cooler!! I HATE the rain!! So Tuscany will be looking a lot less attractive to everyone now you are all heading into summer!!!

OMG! i made this huge post last night... and then it dropped off into the ether!... then I thought that maybe everyone was using the other forum and went to go there... i hadn't bookmarked it!! aarrgghh!!! so I've just spent the last 30mins searching this thread to find the link... only to discover no one's hardly there either -- must all be super busy with cakes!! I know I have been... hanging out for the next 3 weeks to fly by so I can stop stressing!!

I made a 3D dorothy cake... which I thought looked pretty groovy... but hardly got a look in .... ((sniff sniff))... anyone able to look at it and give me some critique... i wish I could have got the fondant smoother... anyone got tips on that??? drives me nuts!

Chat soon
--Fi

Hey Guys I need HELP!! I am making a 40th bday cake for next saturday and am doing a bag that has the basketweave look. I REALly want to do it in fondant and not have to pipe it, but i can't seem to find any basketweave rollers around that aren't ridiculously priced (just called Exec Chef here in Brisbane and they had one for $292 ..what the??). Anyway im not too sure if i can find one soon, so am wondering if anyone has any ideas or techniques i could use to get this look with fondant if i dont have a roller?? ...or is that toooo hard??

hey ladies....
1002 posts!!!!!!!
congrats girls!!!

As for Dana's question, there is a tutorial for Martha stewarts contemporary basket weave on her somewhere, it doesnt look too bad, i'll find it for you...
http://www.cakecentral.com/article58-How-to-Make-a-Contemporary--Basketweave-Marthas-New-Basketweave.html

would that work for you?

Hi Gingerkitten,

Thanks for looking for that link! Unfortunately it won't work for the bag im looking at doing. I've attached a couple of photos - The theme of the party is Polynesian, so i'm wanting to do a Samoan bag. There are a few different kinds, the main look of them is the basketweave. The first picture however are bags that look like they aren't basketweave, but just printed (I guess i could do one of those bags and just paint without having to do the basketweave). Any suggestions anyone??

Oops just realised that i shouldn't attach the photos since they're not mine, so here are the links instead!

http://www.janetshandicrafts.ws/images/bags_and_baskets/B006.JPG

http://www.janetshandicrafts.ws/images/bags_and_baskets/B004A.JPG

Hey Dana

Look at everything around through a 'cake decorators' eye.
Go to the $2 shop and look for ANYTHING flat or that can be cut flat that might be able to be used as an embossing mat. The design on the bags looks like it might be able to be replicated from one of those 'cheapish' plastic woven placemats.

I once used the perspex sheeting that is used to cover the fluoro lights and it made a fantastic 'lattice' look

Just use a small piece of fondant and start experimenting.

When you find the answer "share" your TRADE SECRET

I haven't heard of a basketweave roller Pam gave good advice
Or, you could cut out little strips of fondant & weave them yourself !

Hi Dana

What I would do is make strips of fondant and press them with dried corn husks - let them dry out then iron them flat... use your roller over them on the fondant and it will give you the grass effect... then i would lay the strips on line actual weaving... might be tricky but the effect would be amazing!

good luck!

Dana,

I have a basket embosser. it is small and I bought it from the internet from England..... although that won't be nough time for it to arrive to you. It was cheap!!!!
I think Pam's idea is the best... look even in a toy shop for a child's basket... may be in plastic and perfect for you!!! And remember, everyone looking at your cake will think it is fab... you will be the strongest critic!!

Feefs.... I looked at Dorothy... without even knowing it was yours! i think she looks gorgeous!

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I will experiment a little tomorrow and see what looks effective, with the least amount of time!! (hehe, thats what i always tell myself AFTER i normally spend forever decorating a cake....NEVER happens!!).....Umm just one more question...What do you think would be the best way to achieve the different shades on the bag?? painting? dusting?...I have no airbrush thingy!

dust would be the quickest.

Dana, with regard to that basket weave look would that hard plastic packing tape work. You know that stuff that can be used to open car doors. Wash it well, weave it using a dab of food safe glue or something to stick it together at each underweave. THen stick the mat you have created down onto a hard piece of plastic to form a backing to stop the oozing between the joints and makes it easier to contol.

Feefs Dorothy is beautiful. Very well done.

Rickash your boquet is amazing. I wish I could make those roses.

Dana, using your chalks wet & dry should give you different shades

Hi, I asked this question on the other forum, can anyone tell me if when you use a ganache coating, how smooth does the finish need to be if you are going to cover it in fondant? I made a mudcake this afternoon, with a ganache coat but I am not covering it with anything, it is just a dessert. The finish was fairly smooth, but I was not sure if it had to be perfectly smooth. I assume that if your fondant wasn't too thin, failry smooth would be OK. Am I wrong in assuming this, and what tricks to you use to make it really smooth.
Thanks for any help
Cheryl

Hi, I asked this question on the other forum, can anyone tell me if when you use a ganache coating, how smooth does the finish need to be if you are going to cover it in fondant? I made a mudcake this afternoon, with a ganache coat but I am not covering it with anything, it is just a dessert. The finish was fairly smooth, but I was not sure if it had to be perfectly smooth. I assume that if your fondant wasn't too thin, failry smooth would be OK. Am I wrong in assuming this, and what tricks to you use to make it really smooth.
Thanks for any help
Cheryl

Hi Cheryl, When I did my first couple of wedding cakes, my ganache coating under the fondant wasn't particularly smooth and when the fondant went on you couldn't even tell...The cake was still really smooth. However, since watching the Planet Cake video, I have been trying to get my ganache as smooth as theirs, and I must say it not only looks really nice before the fondant goes on, but yeah you don't have to worry about bumps. I read on the PC forum that they ganache their cakes and then put them in the freezer for about 20mins, then they get a hot knife and cut and smooth it so the ganached cake looks really smooth with crisp edges.

Hey, I loved watching those planet cake videos! thanks!!

Do you all use icing sugar to stop the fondant sticking to the bench or what else do you recommend? I have trouble with the icing sugar making coloured fondant need a good clean afterwards.

I use icing sugar..... I know when using gumpaste they recommend cornflour though. I use a pastry brush to beush off any annoying icing sugar... or rub your hand over quickly before putting it on the cake. Also try to not put too much icing sugar under the fondant... just a thin coating on table... I then rub it on table.... and then put my fondant on top.