Hi!

I'm really hoping someone can help me. I'm going to be making my boyfriend a Hobbit themed cake for his birthday. Something sort of like this, but on a slightly larger scale.

I have only decorated one cake previously, it was a joint effort with my mum and took us a full weekend! I'm a bit worried this time around because his birthday is on a Friday, and as I work full time I am conscious that making the cake and all of the decorations the night before doesn't leave me much time to fix anything that may go wrong!

So, I was thinking about making my Gandalf, Bilbo and flowers the weekend before. I am going to use Regalice ready to roll icing. Would this be an issue? I'm not too worried about them being edible, I just don't want them to fall apart before his birthday! I will be adding some food colouring to the icing, too, if that makes any difference. Also, if I do make them the weekend before - how should I store them?

Apologies if this question has already been answered in another thread - I have searched myself and googled it and answers seem to vary! 

Thanks very much :)

Hi calp01

Regalice fondant has an average shelf life of between 8 and 9 months - check the expiry date on the pack, This gives you plently of time to plan ahead! The flowers and figures can be made weeks in advance. When they have firmed up ( dried out) store them in single layers only, in a card board box lined and covered with tissue paper.

A Professional cake decorator I met on a PME cake decorating course, said that plastic containers were not suitable for storage of finished pieces.

You said that you have made one cake before. CC offers lots of great tutorials and support. I am a hobby cake decorator and got great inspiration from cakes on CC and found some very good videos to watch on U-Tube.

Enjoy making the HOBBIT cake, have fun and happy baking!!!

Hope this helps!

Maragret393