OK. I am making my first fruit cake as I type. 1.5 hour into the cooking I realised the sultanas o the top is slightly burnt, so i have put a piece of baking paper on top............

regarding my questions about covering this fruit cake - giving htis cake to my son's day care next tuesday so i can't stuff this up!!!!!!! (fingers cross)

So that it's easier to see which are my questions, I'll use capitals; sorry not shouting

This is what I am going to do (assuming you do the same with this cake as other cakes?)

When it comes out of the oven, my recipe sayd to cover it while HOT with clean towels and leave overnight.

TOnight, I'll cover board with a layer of fondant.

Tomorrow, I'll take it out of pan trim the top 'flat' and turn it upside down.
Brush all over cake with 'cooked and cool' apricot jam.

The, carefully put the cake (down side up so it's flat) carefully on the covered cake board.

IS THERE ANY TRICK TO TRANSFER A 12 INCH CAKE INTO BOARD? IT'S BIG SO WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS?

Once the cake is posittioned on the covered board, i'll cover the usual way with fondant.

The rest I know how to do.............

I have read on forum that someone was covering with marzipan and fondant and there was some stain happening. Now, is this going to happen with covering fruit cake with fondant?

So, how is it so far? is there anything I miss or is there anything I should know which may help me?


I appreciated you quick advice!

thanks

violet

I saw somewhere that fruit cakes used to be iced with Royal and then covered with marzipan. I think the royal stays softer since it is covered up. I am sure this would help from any bleeding. I usually transfer by placing a board on top of the cake, I put one hand under the board the cake is one and the other hand on top of the board that is on top of the cake and invert quickly. I then take a spatula and slide it off onto your fondant board.

Violet, just make sure you use the apricol glaze sparingly, don't let it drip if you have put too much on wipe it off with a paper towel. The glaze on the cake just needs to be sticky to allow the icing to adhere.
Don't forget to show us a photo.
Lyn

Yikes....

1. after you take your cake out of the oven and it's cool you fill any dips, nooks and crannies with marzipan. Then you glaze with sieved, warmed and cooled apricot jam...then you cover with marzipan.

2. to get nice crisps corners you make a roll of marzipan as long as the 4 sides of your cake combined, then you cut out your top..and bottom IF you like......or..you can have placed your cake on the same sized board to make it handy to handle and move about.

3. after you cover it with the Marzipan you let that dry for a day or so....THEN you can cover it with FONDANT or Royal icing that you add a bit of GLYCERINE to it. So the ROYAL will have a NICE crisp crust, but will NOT break your teeth when you slice and eat it.


Fruit cakes are cakes that you don't really make from one day to the next. Fruit cakes are cakes that were made to stay hardy, soaked with Brandy or other liquors to keep them from molding while the layers of royal icing decorations would dry.

And I guess you know all this since you're from "DOWN UNDER" ?? lol

Basically I would not bother with the covering of the towel just let it cool. Have you put alcohol in the soaking fruit beforehand.....Alcohol will stop the cake moulding and preserve it.....when the cake has been taken from the oven and cooled, skewer it in places and dribble alcohol eg brandy around the cake.......if you need to cover it now firstly level the cake with a bread knife place the cake on grese proof paper/ right side up (flat side) brush all over with sieved apricot jam( easy if you heat it first) then fill any holes with balls of marzipan/ finally roll out marzipan the same way you roll out fondant and cover make it as good as possible as this will help when covering with fondant..........treat it like it is the fondant trim off properly on base etc......ideally leave to dry out for 2 days this is what stops the fruit from oozing through/ when you are ready to cover with fondant with a pastry brush and cooled boiled water brush all over cake the marzipan then becomes stick making the fondant adhere.........cover with fondant make it all beautiful trim etc...leave to dry out 2 days then place a sheet of parchment on top and a flat board and flip over/ put a thin layer of royal display platter board. It should be perfect if levelled it will not crack.. icing on the base this will act like glue and flip back over onto a platter/ pipe shells..Afruit cake shoul always have parchment on top and cooked slowly. My tins are wrapped in newspaper and placed on newspaper and cooked at 140 for upt to 4 hours. Good luck. Did you soak your fruit I do for 5 days ..Always have fruit soaking sometimes for months......

Violet,
Are you in Perth or Melbourne? I noticed your avatar. Is that your son with the Wiggles that has Sam Moran as the yellow Wiggle.

I'm sorry I was not much help with your fruit cake and I hope all goes well. Look forward to seeing pictures.

Barbara

HI Barbara,

Actually I am in sydney. This photo was taken at breakfast show 'Sunrise' in Sept? this year when the wiggles lauched the Racing to the rainbow DVD and celebrated their 15th birthday! We were allowed upstairs to watch them (they were in the studio dowunstairs). When finished, we happned to go past the green room where they were. I quickly asked Anthony (he knew me by my first name! (oh, that's because I belong to the wiggles message board and he visits regularly and answers questions there) if they'd mind having a photo taken with THomas. He checked with the others (and they said 'yes'!). just then, their publicist came and asked us to leave. But by now, anthony had already said yes and we went ahead and took this photo

Thomas has had individual photos taken with each of the wiggle, including Greg! We'll be going to the concert in 11 days time - can't wait.......but it wont be the same without Greg We have been to concerts without him so I guess, it wont be new seeing Sam. Sam has a great voice so it's just a matter of getting use to him.

Happy wiggling!

Violet

Violet, make sure you fill the holes first (I use fondant) before the apricot glaze but use the glaze or water to help the icing adhere to the holes. If you don't fill the holes the cake will look pitted and lumpy.
Lyn

ok lyn. thanks. i will.

What I do after taking cake out of oven is to wrap it in a towel in the cake tin. The next day take it out and wrap in white butcher paper till you are ready to cover the cake. When covering I cut the bottom off to make level fill the holes or soft fruit with fondant the in the microwave place apricot jam sparlying just enough so the fondant adheres to the cake. Seeing as though you have already covered your board I would use that board and place it on the bottom of the cake that you want to use as the bottom (the cut off part), place another board on the top of the cake and then turn it over, easy. The trick you need to learn is to cover the cake without having to trim your icing or triming it without marking or cutting the icing you already have on the board. I used to use marzipan but you really don't need it. You can if you want, do 2 coverings with fondant or just do one but make sure you roll it out a bit thicker. I think you would find that any alcohol would burn off in the cooking process. It preserves the fruit, you don't need to put alcohol on after the cooking process and infact I don't on small or shapes cakes. You can make your own marzipan which is less expensive but you really don't need it and a lot of people don't like it. I am sorry I am late with this little bit of advice for what its worth but have been busy decorating cakes for Meals on Wheels 16 of them.

Sorry I have been so busy I don't even know what day it is.

HI "Boring'.

thanks so much! no, you reply is not too late at all! just about to head off to bed here. The cake is still quite hot and is covered with baking paper and also clean teac towels.

wow, i am not sure if i can do that 'trick' yet (only covered 5 cakes in last 5 years, yes, one per year for my son's b'day) due to lack of practise! but i will try to be careful though.

i covered the board with fondant about 45 min ago. gee, a 12 inch board takes nearly 1 kg of fondant!!!!!!!!!! looks like i'll need to buy more tomrrow. this cake is already costing me a lot (provided it's not to burnt to salvage or will cost more to mae another one.........) of money. it'd better not burnt too badly! will find out in morning when cool enough to take out of cake tin and trim.

thansk again.

violet

Violet, you had better let us know how you get on. When I make the cake, I put it in a tin that is lined with baking paper, then do a collar of newspaper tied with string around the tin, put it in the oven and cover it with brown paper. I have a fan forced oven and cook the cake on 160 with the fan on. Good Luck.

DISASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have just cut the cake. BURNT all sides! i took the top off, bottom the middle is probably ok but I just can't bare filling in holes on both sides ( i didn't even cut off the sides which are also burnt

There's no way i can present this cake. So, plan B, will have to make another cake - oh no, no more fruit cake.

THis fruit cake has brought me nothing but stress

So, plan B I am going to make 20 inch (31cm) chocolate or buttercream since these are the only 2 ckes i have made. today is thurs and I have changed my mind about taking a cake to day care on tues, but will take morning on friday (xmas party that evening) instead. The kids can still see the cake for at least a few hours before cutting.

You know, i have NEVER cover the bottom of a cake when i decorate in
the past (the layer directly on top of the covered board). It only occur to me now, am I suppose to cover the bottom? would it keep the cake more moist for longer?

if i make one of these cakes and need to hae it ready my next friday morning, when is the earliest I can make that cake? is it ok to start today (would it be too stale by friday)?

I'm going to post this ON CC so that those who helped can at least know it didn't work...........gee, have i learnt someething about making fruit cake - that is NEVER MAKE A FRUIT CAKE AGAIN . LOL

sorry to ask so many questions. IF you can help, i'd appreciated it.


violet
Thanks.

I'm so sad for you Violet, what a pity. I'm sure the kids will love buttercake.

Hey Boring, are you a member of the Cake Dec Guild? I've just finished doing 10 cakes for Meals of Wheels myself. My good deed for the year LOL.

Lyn

thanks everyone! I have the answers i need now. I can't thank you enough!

wow, Lyn and "boring' you are amazing making that many cakes! i am sure meals on wheels appreciates what you do for them. Cheers to the both of you!

Merry christmas to all of you and happy new year too!

violet

Hi Violet

You don't need to cover the bottom of the cake, just put a bit of baking paper under it or greaseproof to stop it bleeding into the icing on the board but seeing as though you are doing butter cake there is no need. You want the cake for Friday, I would be making and decoarting it Thrusday. You really can't do these sort of cakes in advance unless you freeze it. Don't give up on Fruit cakes, just keep trying but make ahead of time like about 6 weeks, then if you have trouble you just try again. You could have probably salvaged the cake, I would have.

Sparklepop

Sure am Sparklepop but some of mine are for Vinnies as well, its my good deed as well, 20 more to go. I have a feeling I know you.

Thanks Boring and Lyn!

Actually after i posted here about the cake being total disaster, i cut all the burnt bits away, a lot of hte middle part was still ok, so Dh is taking that to work tomorrow. I can't use this for the day care becuase it would mean filling too many holes (alll sides of cake) and the already covered cake board is round and the cake is not square!

I will make another cake next week.

Thnaks for all your tips, help, support etc!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. You all are my lifelsavers. LOL

night!

violet

At least someone got to eat some of your cake and you didn't have to toss the whole lot. Have another go it can only get easier.



Boring,

I was at Challenge this year (got a HC for my cake) and 2 years ago and Seminar last year (it was great) maybe we met up there

Hey Violet, sorry to hear the fruitcake didn't work out. Don't worry though in my experience, kids don't tend to like fruitcake, I bet they love the other cake you do much more!

It really is all about practice practice practice! At least you've learnt what not to do.

Make sure you post a picture once you complete the cake next week, so we can all ohh and ahh!

Nicole

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&pos=-90406

Hi everyone,

After burning my fruitcake, I ended up making a chocolate cake. I presented the cake to my son's day care last night (more explanation on the cake page) and boy were the staff 'surprised'! The director was very very reluctant to cut the cake but I said if she didn't, the cake would be too stale to eat on monday next week. She immediately took her disposable camera out and took a photo of the cake with me. Well, she did cut the cake in the end.

I had many very positive complimentary remarks from parents

Just thought I'd share this with you since you have all helped me so much! Thanks again!

violet

Glad everything worked out Violet! The cake looks great. Seems that fruitcake was not meant to be! Looks like it turned out for the best anyway!