Regal Icing/Royal Icing/Fondant - Help needed!!

Hi and welcome.  I am presuming that Renshaw Regal Icing is a type of fondant.  If so then buy some Tylose powder and knead some into the fondant to stiffen it.  Then make your figures.  Once made they will last for years so they don't need to be a last minute stressor.

The fondant is fine to cover the sponge with.  You will probably want to apply a layer of buttercream or ganache to the sponge first so that the whole thing looks smooth.

Best advice I can give you is to google and to watch demos on youtube.

Goodluck and have fun.

Hi,

Just one thing to add, is that I know that for my children getting to eat the figures from their cakes is the best bit (I know some folks will be gagging at the thought, but they get a little bit each dinner till it's gone, not all at once!) so if you think he might want to do that, then don't add the tylose powder as that makes it taste bad.

I find using the Renshaw alone for figures is fine, if you give them plenty of support while they dry.  You can make them pretty far in advance - leave at least a couple of days for them to dry and harden.  Cokctail sticks can be used as internal support, or floristry wires (these can be bought from Hobbycraft, or online).

As Cazza said, Youtube is a great resource for learning the basics.

Hope you have fun!
 

There is absolutely no need to put your fondant figures in the fridge.  This will cause them to sweat and soften and you will end up with other problems.  Let them air dry on the bench or in a container. If your fondant is cracking then it is probably a bit dry to start with and you could try kneading a small amount of shortening into it.

Imchugh is right about the tylose giving the fondant a funny taste.  I made a 'Maisie Parrish" cake with teddies and presents on the top and took it to a first birthday party.  The kids dive bombed them but then chucked them back after the first bite.
 

Check out  Wilton's website, they have instructions and how to in almost everything. Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmchugh06 

Hi all

 

I am all very new to cake decorating and for my sons 3rd birthday I wanted to make his cake and make the figures to go on the cake (Darth Maul, Darth Vader and Yoda).

 

However, I'm been trying to research about what icing to use and I'm getting so confused!  I currently have Renshaw Regal Icing to make the figures with - can I use this to make the figures with and if so how long in advance can I make them?

 

Also, I will be looking to ice the cake, would the regal icing be okay to roll out and put over the sponge?

 

Hello, The Dr Oetker  Regal ice ice is plain fondant (in the UK the traditional name is sugarpaste), great for rolling out and covering cakes. (supermarket own brands are fine too) Try a buttercream layer under it to make a  smooth base for it. If you need black fondant it may be worth buying a small (?200g) pack of pre coloured from Tesco/Sainsbury for about £2, as you need a LOT of food colouring to get a dark colour, by which time you've altered the consistency of the fondant!!!!Paste food colouring is good, 'sugarflair' have a great range for about £3 a pot.

 For the small figurines, try and incorporate cocktail sticks within the fondant OR buy some flowerpaste (about £3-4 for a pack of 200g) and then knead it to a 50/50 mix with your fondant, to give it a bit of strength, and it may still be edible rather than rock hard!!!  This will be my plan when I do the figures for hubby's 40th cake later this year. The other option is modelling chocolate...a mix of melted chocolate and golden syrup...but I've never tried it, but I may try it for a Dr Who weeping angel later this year   

If you look top right on this screen, use the search function to search for 'star wars', then look doan the left of your results and click on images for inspiration.  Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmchugh06 

I have done a trial darth vader with the Renshaw icing and have found that there are a few cracks appearing on his cape - I did however put it in the fridge (as I thought this was the right thing to do?)...... How do I stop it from cracking when it's drying and how best is it to store the figures, do I just pop them in to a container to dry naturally?.....

 

 

Massaging/covering Trex into fondant helps keeps it moist.  What our American cousins call Shortening; available in the butter/marg aisle.