How Can I Make Emerald City?
Decorating By projectqueen Updated 27 Apr 2007 , 12:48am by projectqueen
Doing a Wizard of Oz cake (stacked 10" and 7" round) and was thinking about having some green things standing up on the 7" round behind some ruby slippers which would symbolize Emerald City.
Any ideas on an easy way to make something green standing up at varying heights to look like Emerald City?
I thought of pretzel rods covered in green chocolate wafers but I'm not sure how to dip them and let them dry so they will stay perfectly round and not flat on one side from laying them down. Breadsticks? Same problem.
Any suggestions from the great thinking minds on CC? 
Thanks.
I love the ideas of the molds and cookie cutters, but I think Emerald City is more rounded than flat. More 3D I think.
Here are 2 photos I saw online:
Could you use graham crackers, or maybe Rice Krispy Treats, dipped in candy melts?
The Rice Krispy treats sound interesting...how do you work with those? Would they be easy to roll into thin rods like pretzel rods or do they harden too fast? I have never tried to use them to mold anything.
Do you use the recipe from the Rice Krispy box or alter it in some way?
Thanks.
Here is mine. I made cooked sugar syrup, colored it green, I molded pieces or strips of aluminum foil wrapped around large tongue depressors from a hobby store. Carefully removed the sticks from the foil, sprayed it with Pam spray and poured the sugar into each one, about 1/4" thick. They set up quickly. Unmold each piece as it hardens. Then I molded a large piece of foil, also sprayed with pan, inside a large saucepan that I could lay on it's side. Lined the sugar pieces up face side down and then poured just a narrow line of syrup between each piece and let that set up so the city was slightly rounded and in one solid piece.
1/2 cup clear Karo corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 Teaspoon water
pour into a large Pyrex cup or a glass bowl
Microwave on 50% power until it is at hard ball stage or 310 degrees
Takes about 4-6 minutes, but test it by dropping a bit of syrup into ice water because your micro. might be hotter or have more power than mine. I used a 2 cup measuring cup because it has a lip for pouring. Add color as soon as you remove from over, stir and pour. Once you have the building pieces made you have remelt the sugar remaining in cup to use as glue for the sections.
My absolute favorite Emerald City rendition was done by CC member 'mykidsarekillingme'. Go to the photo galleries and do a search for Wizard of Oz and you will see her fabulous cake. She used varying sizes of paper towel holders covered in green fondant. She also did a tiered cake. It is so pretty.
My absolute favorite Emerald City rendition was done by CC member 'mykidsarekillingme'. Go to the photo galleries and do a search for Wizard of Oz and you will see her fabulous cake. She used varying sizes of paper towel holders covered in green fondant. She also did a tiered cake. It is so pretty.
True, you could probably get a real neat look just using fondant and a bright green metallic disco dust....
Holy cow, Shirley! How did you ever figure out how to do that? 
Your poppies are gorgeous! Even prettier in the close-up picture!
Another idea if you didn't want to use the first one I suggested is using the Pirouline (Sp.?) cookies dipped in green candy melts. In order to make sure they don't flatten on one side you can just stand them up in order for them to dry.
If you use breadsticks like you stated you can use a wooden kabob skewer insterted in it and once dipped you can place the skewer (free end) into a styrofoam block (so they would be hanging upside down). The pretzels would probably crumble if you tried to use the same technique.
Holy cow, Shirley! How did you ever figure out how to do that?
Your poppies are gorgeous! Even prettier in the close-up picture!
Thank you, love doing Poppies, easy and fast. Well, someone had done the sugar beer bottles on another forum and I got to thinking it would work for Emerald City, I just Mickey Moused the molds from foil and the tongue depressors. I always say decorators are the mother of invention. We come up with the strangest things to accomplish what we have in mind to do for a cake.
Why couldn't you dip your pretzel rods in green, then wrap the undipped end in plastic wrap and wrap with heavy duty floral wire for support and stick it into a piece of floral foam to dry. Then you can just unwrap the wire and plastic wrap when dry and then put into your cake. Do pretzel rods and the slim breadsticks to get varying sizes and widths.
I think your idea of the covered pretzels is the best idea on here and to keep them from being flat on one side why don't you dip them and then stick the undipped end into styrfoam or some kind of dough so they will stand up straight. whatever you end up doing let us all know and post a picture in this forrum!!
They have VERY cool colors of pixie/mystical dust here http://www.europeancakegallery.us/pixiedust.html that would look way cool on an emerald city... I bought some clear and gold and silver from them and it looks just like real glitter!
If you make the city square and then you can use your pretzel sticks in front in various heights,.... you can cover them by taking the tip off your bag and sticking the bag on the pretzel stick. ( the pretzels would already be on the cade) then just pull up on the bag while squeezing at the same time and when you get to the end and pull up you'll also have a point. If I confused you I'm sorry.
Great ideas is right!!!
One other question.... 
Um, how would I actually dip a pretzel rod into melted chocolate? The pretzels are so long and the pot is so short 
Would I just pour chocolate over the pretzel?
Could someone who has made chocolate covered pretzels please help?
Kitagrl, I LOVE those pixie dusts! I have never seen them before and they have Emerald Green!!! Was it expensive to ship them?
I make chocolate covered pretzels every year at christmas time. What I do is this...I have one of those extra tall coffee cups, the ceramic ones. I fill it up as much as I can with chocolate dip it it in an twirl. Lift it up let the extra drip off then lay it flat. But since you dont want the flat side you can do what I said wrap the pretzel first then use the wire to twirl then let some of the extra drip off then stick it in the foam. If your worried about the chocolate getting cold use one of those candle warmers, just set your coffee mug right on top of it. Just make sure you stir your chocolate to keep the temp even.
For all of you who helped me with suggestions on how to make this cake, I thought I would share the finished product. I ended up using the pretzel rods and it worked out just fine. Here it is:
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