I have a customer who wants a round cake that looks like a sushi roll. I have never eaten sushi, so I have no idea what it all looks like. I did a search in google and did see some images of several different kinds, so I do have an idea.
I noticed the sides of a sushi roll are usually dark, dark green (almost black). She is having an engagement party and I don't want her guests' teeth turning black. I am also concerned about the taste. She wants vanilla with raspberry filling and buttercream icing. In order to achieve such a dark color, I was taught to add cocoa first. That will not taste too good. Black teeth...yucky taste...can't have it.
So, For all you sushi eaters out there, is there another sushi roll I could do with a lighter exterior? If so, will you please give me the name of it and explain what it looks like from the exterior to the interior, and how I can accomplish this on a cake.
Thanks 
Ok, first try these pics
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=thumbnails&meta=search&type=full&search=sushi+roll
Then, also, you DON'T HAVE to start with chocolate. You can buy premade frosting to get those dark colors.
Also, some sushi is white on the outside (rice), so maybe that would help. Here is a pic of California Rolls
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/CaliforniaRoll.htm
Good luck!
Well I havent made a sushi cake (yet-October I have to make one), but I've rolled probably well over a thousand pieces of sushi and I gotta say there are plenty of ways of making sushi without 'staining your client's teeth LOL'
Maki sushi are sushi rolls, which generally consist of nori (seaweed) and sushi rice, and an assortment of veggies and/or raw or cooked fish/seafood, or any combo thereof. They can be rolled with seaweed on the outside, as you are thinking, or the inside out maki rolls, with the rice on the outside. A suggestion would be a Dynamite Roll. I have more ideas, well and I love eating sushi, making sushi, talking about sushi 
but I just noticed the time, so I shall come back to this later 
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I usually get Wilton's Black, just because it is most readily available in my area. If you are using it as an accent, it shouldn't stain your client's teeth 
.
http://www.aboutthecake.com/1218ca470.jpg
I saw this and thought it was way too adorable! Hope it helps!
http://www.aboutthecake.com/1218ca470.jpg
I saw this and thought it was way too adorable! Hope it helps!
OMG is the board covered in nori??? That ROCKS!!! 
And now I think I'll have to make sushi for dinner tonight 
My friend wants the whole cake to look like one giant sushi roll. Now this example is smaller than what I will do. It has to feed about 30 people. So I will do a 4-layer 10 inch round cake. So, it will be taller and wider.
The sides will be white instead of pink to represent rice. Then, she said the next part would be seaweed. Then the inside would be crab, avocado, and something else (pink) with orange fish eggs on top.
I'm not liking the smoothness of the inside part of the roll. Should there be more texture?
This is really difficult never having eaten sushi before. Pictures can only do so much.
You could do a google search for sushi rolls. That kind of looks like a peace sign to me. But I think I'm a dork like that!!!
Maybe coconut for the rice?
can you use Rice Crispies instead of piped wite icing ?v then use Black icing around the sides ? Because Nori (seaweed wrapper for Sushi) is black.
That might make it look a little more realistic ..
I like the coconut idea. I will ask my friend if she wouldn't mind that.
I agree with you about it looking like a peace sign. Maybe if I didn't do three equal parts it wouldn't look so much like a peace sign. I could make it look more like a swirl...like it is rolled up.
I have looked up sushi rolls, and don't think this cake looks anything like one. It has really got me puzzled.
OOOHHH I just thought of something.. how about a jelly roll type cake? use a chocolate cake and you could put BC as a layer then different colored cake pieces (white cake tinted with food coloring) so they look like pieces of fish or what have you. then roll the whole thing up, thinly ice the outside and use the white jimmies or rice krispies on the outside.. you could cut the ends off so you can see the inside better.
Did that make any sense?
Found this website on a google search. These are mini versions, but maybe you could make a larger version. http://www.davidtoc.com/cakes/index.cfm?cake_ID=66
Thanks for the website. I really appreciate you finding that for me. I checked it out...its very creative!!! The pictures really help out.
I would really like to stay away from putting candy and other food items (i.e. fruit roll ups, ) because of taste. Taste is the most important part. And, this cake is for adults (an engagement sushi themed party). I really hope I can meet the challenge using buttercream icing only. the following website has some really good pictures:
http://www.uwajimaya.com/deli/deli_sushi_platters.html
I think the california roll would be the easiest to model.
Thanks to you all for the great ideas. Keep them coming!
AliciaL_77 : I love your idea!!! I really wish my friend wasn't so specific about what she wants. If she let me do my own thing sticking to the sushi theme, I would love to use your idea.
She wants a 4-layer white cake with raspberry filling, iced in buttercream made to look like an extra large sushi roll. She even told me the different colors she wants...rice and seaweed around the outside, then avocado, imitation crab, and something pink??? on the inside with 3 orange dots on top. (I think they are fish eggs???)
So, she has really limited me. Now I have to figure out how to make this thing look like she wants. The practice cake I did looked too much like a peace sign. I think if I don't evenly divide the sections, I'll be okay.
I agee about not outlining the sections... as for the dot (fish eggs) I would do them smaller and more of them....but then again she only wants 3.. hmmmm.... how about a very thin wrapping of black MMF or fondant that can be taken off if they choose for the seaweed?
Also for the "crab" I would do a white section and outline it in red/pink so it looks like it more too.
Great now I want to do a sushi cake and I dont even Like sushi!
Here is a quilt this may help with a layout
http://growabrain.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/sushi_art_1.jpg
AliciaL_77 : I love your idea!!! I really wish my friend wasn't so specific about what she wants. If she let me do my own thing sticking to the sushi theme, I would love to use your idea.
She wants a 4-layer white cake with raspberry filling, iced in buttercream made to look like an extra large sushi roll. She even told me the different colors she wants...rice and seaweed around the outside, then avocado, imitation crab, and something pink??? on the inside with 3 orange dots on top. (I think they are fish eggs???)
So, she has really limited me. Now I have to figure out how to make this thing look like she wants. The practice cake I did looked too much like a peace sign. I think if I don't evenly divide the sections, I'll be okay.
Ive never made a jelly roll before so I don't know if this is possible lol- but the rule behind brainstorming is no idea is a stupid one 
LOL so they say - so why not make all 4 layers the cake she wants with raspberry filling (not sure how large she wants them, 8 inches, 9 inches? ) so you're making 4 gigantic jelly rolls that would basically in circumference fit inside the round cake pan. You can cut each jelly roll in half (lengthwise and fill with raspberry and then put back together.
Where's Doug to sketch this out? I'm gonna sketch this out and show ya what I mean-When is the cake due? May I suggest either borrowing some sushi rice from someone and a sheet of seaweed and chop up a couple things, and give it a try rolling the actual sushi, and then you can cut crosswise so you know what the cross section looks like on top- it's more of a spiral look than a white ring with 3 chunks centred perfectly inside.
Ok BRB, gonna sketch this LOL
Ok forget sketching-
suffice to say there are enough sites out there that show you how to make jelly rolls, which you possibly already know, being a pro lol, and also plenty of sites showing how to roll sushi (like this one - http://www.stashtea.com/swinstru.htm)
so instead of spreading jelly onto the cake, you're spreading some kind of BC and then as per sushi rolling instructions, laying lengthwise your 'ingredients' down near the edge, and then rolling up like a sleeping bag (lol) (or jelly roll or sushi roll) ( picture here shows more clearly, albeit a small one, the spiral effect- which is actually what jelly rolls look like also depending on how fat you stuff your 'sushi roll' http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/CaliforniaRoll.htm )
So...as you see this chef doing http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/cs/allabout/package/0,14343,1030874,00.html you cut your cake- I'm guessing you'd have to double the recipe- so you get your 8 half layers - cause each 2 slices you make like in that pic, are going to go on top of each other with the raspberry filling she wants.
Now all we have to do is brainstorm what your crab meat and avocado and cucumber will be made out of
PS- as I said somewhere else I'm totally not a pro baker, but I'm a pro sushi roller- so as for the baking stuff, I could very well be just talking out of my ass
I have nothing when it comes to this thread. I made a sushi cake myself, but I used marshmallows and fruit roll-ups to make small pieces of sushi...so yeah. I really can't help. Can't think of anything.
Actually, oceanspitfire was supposed to make sushi for my wedding...until my hubby and I kind of eloped instead....she knows everything when it comes to sushi! 
Good luck!
What about a sushi platter rather than one roll, it will be a lot easier! Here's the one I did...
Diane
BTW Feverfixer, I LOVED your cake! Saw it originally in the Father's Day contest page....so awesome!
I like the idea of the platter myself...but the woman she's doing this cake for is very specific in what she wants. A whole cake to look like a sushi roll.
I am very very happy that my customers (from home, that is) have been very easy to deal with and allow me to make suggestions! (I've had some at work that were just the opposite though!)
Wow...thanks for all the suggestions. I like the black fondant idea...Alicia L. That would really work.
Oceanspitfire...you are full of ideas...thanks for all the research you have done on this. When I am finally finished with this cake, I am going to be a sushi queen and never have eaten it.
I love your cake diane. That is so creative. I'm not good at creating objects with fondant though.
I've just gotten into this cake decorating hobby in the past 6 months. Don't you just love when you are a newbie and friends decide they want you to make a cake for them, then they give you all these stipulations. You don't know how bad I just want to tell her to go to a professional...but she is a friend and I want to be nice.
AliciaL_77 : I love your idea!!! I really wish my friend wasn't so specific about what she wants. If she let me do my own thing sticking to the sushi theme, I would love to use your idea.
She wants a 4-layer white cake with raspberry filling, iced in buttercream made to look like an extra large sushi roll. She even told me the different colors she wants...rice and seaweed around the outside, then avocado, imitation crab, and something pink??? on the inside with 3 orange dots on top. (I think they are fish eggs???)
So, she has really limited me. Now I have to figure out how to make this thing look like she wants. The practice cake I did looked too much like a peace sign. I think if I don't evenly divide the sections, I'll be okay.
doug is here (without! a sketch...hey..I don't read everything and i HATE sushi!!!)
overthinking this folks!!!
she wants it to LOOK like, not be MADE like a sushi roll
after all it supposed to be a 4 tier raspberry filled cake
so it's just the outside that has to be sushi-looking.
call in the fondant pieces, the air brush and all those other little toys we use.
sides airburshed the icky seeweed green. could texture them too.
top is just a bunch of detail work done w/fondant and maybe even real rice for the rice (if so, after cook, sweeten it!)
just make pieces of flat fondant to look like the various colored parts of sushi roll and place on top of cake w/ fondant rice or real rice.
be sure top edge is as crisp as possible since sushi is cut to size w/ a knife.
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