Cake Questions

[Guest - Cake Decorator]

Hi Girls, just like to introduce myself as a professional cake decorator. I'm offering my services free of charge for any questions or queries you may have in regards to your cake. I'm not looking for work as such (I'm busy enough as it is), just offering a helping hand. My friend is getting married and is a frequent member on this site. She suggested I offer some help to you girls on this site who may need a bit of a guiding hand.

If your after some helpful hints, ways to cut back or any help whatsoever, please just ask and I will help as much as I can. I know it's hard to trust anyone who is after your money and I can't stand other decorators who take advantage of brides just because it's a "wedding". I'll try to check this site every week and answer any questions, if any.

Good luck with all of your plans and I hope I can offer some assistance.

[meegsey]

I haven't go any questions at the moment though I just wanted to say thank you for offering advice and such

[abbadoo]

Oh cool - I would like to know what icing I can have in hot weather (Qld in March) and I don't want the traditional ready to roll icing. Thnx

[babylee]

Thanks for the offer!

I wanted to know whether we need to freeze the top layer of our cake or simply keep it in a cool dark place? It is fruit with the 2 layers of icing. We plan to eat it on our 1st anniversary.

[Guest - Cake Decorator]

Oh cool - I would like to know what icing I can have in hot weather (Qld in March) and I don't want the traditional ready to roll icing. Thnx

If your not keen on the ready to roll icing, but like the same finish, I would recommend having your cake iced with Royal Icing. Royal Icing is very sweet, can be either completely smooth or slightly textured. An experienced cake decorator will know how to Royal Ice a wedding cake.

Other forms of icing are your chocolate (dark and white) ready to roll, buttercream, chocolate wrap and chocolate ganache, traditional ready to roll and your Royal Icing.

If your wedding cake is decorated with Royal Icing or ready to roll, your cake doesn't neccessarily have to be refrigerated. Your cake will have to be kept away from any heat source and out of direct sunlight, in a cool room. A cake covered in Buttercream, chocolate wrap or chocolate ganache will have to be refrigerated in Queensland weather.

Check with your cake decorator with what option is best for you and the capabilities of your reception venue, as some sugar flowers can't be refrigerated (they start to sweat and then collapse).

You can ask to sample icings as well as cake flavours. Any good cake decorator would be happy to let you try them. It's best to try everything and make sure that you are happy with every option. It's a very important cake and it has to be just the way you want it! It's the first cake you and your fiance will eat together, so make sure it's something that you both like.

I hope this helps and that I answered some of your questions

[Guest - Cake Decorator]

Thanks for the offer!

I wanted to know whether we need to freeze the top layer of our cake or simply keep it in a cool dark place? It is fruit with the 2 layers of icing. We plan to eat it on our 1st anniversary.

I always recommend freezing your fruit cake if your planning to keep it for the one year anniversary. It's just the safer option. Fruit cake does keep very well but it depends on the quality of the fruit and how much liquor has been used. Generally speaking a fruit cake can last a year without being frozen but freezing it also helps keep it away from moths, rats/mice and any other nasties.

When freezing your cake, wrap it up with glad wrap and in an airtight container, then in the freezer. I wrapped my wedding cake with glad wrap, then alfoil and then straight into the freezer. That's o.k too just don't let your husband put anything on top of the cake like mine did and smashed all my roses Putting it in a container does help protect it.

When defrosting your cake, put it in the fridge for a week and allow it to defrost slowly. Two days before you plan to cut it, take it out of the fridge and store in a cool dark place in your kitchen (like your pantry) and allow it to come to room temperature. Then it's ready to cut and eat!

Hope this helps

[Dropbear]

Cake Decorator: I just wanted to say a big thank you for taking the time to answer questions. It's really great to have vendors like you, and several others who are already here, to give professional opinions about things like this. I haven't got any about my cake yet, but I'm sure I will closer to the time.

[babylee]

Thanks for the offer!

I wanted to know whether we need to freeze the top layer of our cake or simply keep it in a cool dark place? It is fruit with the 2 layers of icing. We plan to eat it on our 1st anniversary.

I always recommend freezing your fruit cake if your planning to keep it for the one year anniversary. It's just the safer option. Fruit cake does keep very well but it depends on the quality of the fruit and how much liquor has been used. Generally speaking a fruit cake can last a year without being frozen but freezing it also helps keep it away from moths, rats/mice and any other nasties.

When freezing your cake, wrap it up with glad wrap and in an airtight container, then in the freezer. I wrapped my wedding cake with glad wrap, then alfoil and then straight into the freezer. That's o.k too just don't let your husband put anything on top of the cake like mine did and smashed all my roses Putting it in a container does help protect it.

When defrosting your cake, put it in the fridge for a week and allow it to defrost slowly. Two days before you plan to cut it, take it out of the fridge and store in a cool dark place in your kitchen (like your pantry) and allow it to come to room temperature. Then it's ready to cut and eat!

Hope this helps

Thanks!!!!

[Guest]

Hi there,

Its great that you are offering your services as it really helps when you dont know where to start.

My FH and I are mad Mud / Chocolate Cake people and would like our wedding cake to be just that but we have been told that we can't have the heavy icing used on the fruit cakes.

What other icing can be used to give the same effect. Sorry for not using the correct wording for the icing but I am only new at this.

Thanks

[Guest - Cake Decorator]

Hi there,

Its great that you are offering your services as it really helps when you dont know where to start.

My FH and I are mad Mud / Chocolate Cake people and would like our wedding cake to be just that but we have been told that we can't have the heavy icing used on the fruit cakes.

What other icing can be used to give the same effect. Sorry for not using the correct wording for the icing but I am only new at this.

Thanks

Hi Guest,

I cover all of my chocolate mud cakes and even my lighter styled cakes with the heavy icing used on Wedding Cakes. This icing is commonly called "plastic icing", or ready to roll but know to us cake decorators as fondant icing.

If your cake decorator isn't confident in using this form of icing to cover your chocolate cake, go with their recommendation. After all it is them making your cake not me. It can be done though and be done successfully if you know what your doing.

I've covered a banana cake, plain chocolate cake, lemon cake, orange and poppyseed cake, all mud cakes and fruit cakes with the ready to roll and have had no problems or sagging. I don't like to recommend placing a lighter cake on the bottom of mudcakes if stacking your cakes on top of each other. This is just a safety precaution as I just don't like to risk it collapsing. I will however make a lighter cake as the top tiers and fruit or mud cake as the bottom tiers.

If your cake decorator for one reason or another chooses or doesn't like to use the ready to roll icing, but you like the same finished effect, I would suggest using Royal Icing. Although if you do have your heart set upon having the traditional icing on your cake, ask another cake decorator in your area for their opinion or ask your cake decorator why she/he can't use it. You may find that they just aren't confident or that they haven't done it before. If you haven't paid a deposit on your cake already, there isn't any reason why you can't change your mind and choose another cake decorator who is comfortable using your choice of icing.

You have to feel comfortable with the people who you choose to help organise your wedding, including all the services you book. If you aren't getting what you want from that one provider, you can look around. It's your big day and you have to be 110% happy that everything will work out perfectly.

If you are having a family member make and decorate your wedding cake, I can suggest that you call a cake decorator in your area for some advise on how to decorate a cake with the ready to roll. Or perhaps you could find someone who takes classes to teach them how to cover a cake with ready to roll.

I really hope I have helped a little. It can be done. The hard part is finding someone capable and willing to do it for you. Good Luck!