hiya is anyone else making their own wedding cake. me and the h2b have decided to as we love cooking and looking to try and get a low budget for our wedding. is there any good websites/books/tips for making your own wedding cakes. xx
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
You tube is great for learning how to decorate your cake.
To be honest if you have never done this before I would say you would be better to decorate fake polystyrene bases (can be brought on ebay) and then serve up sheet cakes from the back with icing on the top. It means that you can do the cake in advance without being stressed if it doesn't turn out right the first go. Decorating fakes are also easier as they are perfectly shaped with no lumps and bumps. You can also take the icing on and off as many times as you wish to practice until you get it right were as on a real cake you get crumbs on it so have to through it away.
Cake polishers (like a trowel) are amazing and get your cake smooth and shiny like the pro's. You can also buy flower cutters to make roses etc and they are easier to make then you think they are. If you are starting out though I would say you would be best to keep the design simple as a simple design done well is far better than something complicated and done badly.
If you are doing any flowers etc with icing then you use gumpaste not icing. You can buy this ready made and coloured although it is expensive or you can go to a cake shop and buy the powder you just mix with water and then colour which works out so much cheaper.
I'm making my own fake cake and all in all for the sheet cakes and all the bits and bobs it has cost me £60.
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
Also don't forget to look up how to dowel a cake to make it secure for either stacks or tiers as you don't want it sinking or falling over.
CommentAuthormrswb2b
aw thats brill i will have a look for some to help practise. thank you. our colour theme is black and red so we wanted to go for them colours with a design on. so thats brill that u can get polystyrene bases as it wud cost a fortune to keep making cakes to practise. xx
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
Something that is rather easy to do if you are alright with a piping bag is to get some black piping icing and then you can get a roller that rolls a pattern onto the icing. Once you have indented the pattern and laid it over the cake you can then use this as a guide to put the black icing onto the cake to mark out the design. You could then put some red ribbon around each tier.
If you are going to colour the icing itself though please don't use the crap from the supermarkets or it will taste chemically and you won't get the colours rich enough. Go to the cake shops and get either the paste or the gels as they will give you the vibrant colours you want without the chemical taste.
You can also get other items from the cake shops and ebay that imprint a design onto the cake for you to then follow with a piping bag.
For an easy option you could just ice the cakes, put some coloured ribbon around each layer and then use either artificial flowers or gumpaste flowers and stick them on it.
Great idea Jo! I would say putting the icing 'blanket' on is the hardest part as it can crack and you can have a surplus on the corners etc so with a totally square and smooth fake cake cake it would be so much easier. Even if your icing is not perfect there is alot you can do to 'cover' it such as overlay the blanket icing with more icing cutouts in a design such as hearts. We did that with our engagement cake which my MIL2b iced and it was really dreadful (long story!) but by the time I overlaid it and had the ribbon and topper on it I was really pleased! I will upload a photo of it. I like You Tube for the tutorials too.
CommentAuthormrswb2b
that sounds good we may go for the roller that does the pattern, we have all of the piping things. not sure if we want flowers on may just have it simple and go for a design.x
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
Also another thing I thought of.... Make sure that you don't leave your icing out too long exposed to the air or it will start to crack. You can get around this with a little bit of water and need it back in. If you do accidentally put too much on and it goes sticky need some icing sugar back into it.
Make sure that you don't roll the icing too thing either or it will tear and it also helps to hide lumps and bumps.
Make sure your counters are really clean with no dust or crumbs as the slightest thing can ruin the icing.
If you paint your fake cakes with paint before hand it will make it easier to take the icing on and off for reuse.
Once you have done make sure that the icing goes back in an air tight bag so it doesn't go hard and set.
CommentAuthormrswb2b
thats great advice thank you so much xx
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
Its OK just make sure you show us the end result ;0)
CommentAuthormrswb2b
i will. at the weekend we made sample cupcakes for the flavours. we made chocolate and orange, almond and cherry and banoffee. the winner so far is the chocolate and orange. weve got loads of flavours we want to try so ill post pics and keep updated. xx
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
Oooo sounds good. If you wanted to make things easier you can deorate the fake cake and if you want to cut it you can just do the bottom layer real. Makes it so much easier and stops you from stressing at the last minute as Sponge cakes really need to be done the day before to stay fresh. You can then bake the cakes in big sheets and then just roll a sheet of icing over the top for when it is cut to serve.
If you want to do the whole cake before hand I would get a fruit base (you can buy these plain ready to ice from cake shops) and decorate the fakes and the fruit up to a couple of months before the day. You can then serve up both fruit cake and the chocolate sheet cakes. Once you have done the first cut the cake goes out the back to be dished up so its not like anyone will know but it saves you all the stress.
CommentAuthormrswb2b
very good idea, thank you. we are doing the top layer of the cake fruit as its traditional to keep it then cut it at your babys christening. xx
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
It is but how long are you planning on waiting to have kids as you don't want it going mouldy which they can so easily do. It could be that your cake would be over a year or so old. Usually the best thing to do is remove the icing and freeze it. Icing goes yellow over time.
CommentAuthorAbi4tomboy
me and mu mam are making my wedding cakes im having a 3 or 5 tier wedding cake but with spounge instead of fruit cake and im also having 500 cupcakes with the big fancy icing on as we enjoy cooking my mams always done birthday cakes so were going to give it ago plus this way we have to make a pratice couple so i get to eat cake to hahaha
CommentAuthormrswb2b
hahah mmm the joys of making your own is you get to do all the tasting,lol. we were thinking about doin cupcakes to. xx
CommentAuthorXLittleMissMe!X
But that doesn't do our diets any good ;0)
CommentAuthorAbi4tomboy
i no but i need to make sure they taste good :p i get weight at 1 today so fingers crossed for me please ladies i want my 1/2lb for my 1st silver 7
CommentAuthorJilly17
Mrs W the overlay method is by far the easiest as the rollers / embossing sheets are great for the design element but the pattern can get easily distorted when you move the icing sheet to the cake as it stretches. It just depends on how much you want to practice and how confident you feel! I have uploaded a photo of my overlaid engagement cake in case I am not explaining it that well!
CommentAuthorSoon2beMrsHall
I am going to ask my MIL to do it. She dont know this yet but we will see
Cant wait to to marry Martyn
Wishes the wedding would come faster
XxX
CommentAuthorb2b
I love the idea of making my own cake, but too worried about getting it wrong! So will be probably buying ours from a posh supermarket and decorating it with ribbons or something...not sure yet. If you're good at make cakes I'd say go for it, I like the idea of the polystyrene (?) cake though
CommentAuthormrswb2b
ryhope17 - your cake looks stunning, thank you 4 showing me. that technique does sound and look alot easier so we may opt for that. i guess its just a case of practise, practise and see which one we choose,lol. abi4tombuy - how did the weigh in go?
CommentAuthorJilly17
Ah thanks mrs w. It was so incredibly easy to do and only took 2 different sized heart cutters to get the 3 different styles of hearts but could use stars or a simple flower too. Then you position them on and stick them with a tiny amount of egg white. We then used the same hearts on the cupcakes to tie it all in. I saw a fab black and white cake using the same technique with black circle 'frames' on a white cake and that way you could add your colour too without it being overwhelming.Let me know if you want to see a pic of that one and I will find it! I am looking forward to seeing what you decide on!
CommentAuthormrswb2b
ooh yeah that one wud be good as our colour scheme is black and red so wud be good to see how black looks in cake.. cant wait to start practising, every practise i do i will pop pics up and also what flavours we have tried. xx
CommentAuthorJilly17
I have posted the link on your wall...just scroll down..you cant miss it! I think it works because the black is not solid. I think you need an independent taste tester so next ime you are cake testing just let me know and I will be round! ha ha. Have you booked your venue yet?
CommentAuthormrswb2b
haha, no we havent got anything booked yet. we onli got engaged 4 weeks ago,lol on my birthday. we have a few places in mind so its just a case of booking them for a viewing. cant wait to start making them now after looking at them designs,lol x
CommentAuthorJilly17
me neither...we have not been able to find what we need and now we are talking about eloping! We have only been engaged 5 weeks but the in laws 2b drama has been more than enough for me already!
CommentAuthormrswb2b
aww no..have u got anything booked yet??? we were at a wedding fair the other day and was approached by the person who does dont tell the bride. i trust him fully to do the whole wedding planning, but its something i want both ov us do even if it means waiting an extra year to get married. x
CommentAuthormrscolbert2be
I am making my own cake too! same situation really we have a really tight budget cake baker dot co dot uk is really good 4 tips and videos xxx
CommentAuthorbluefish
I found a mag in Smiths called Wedding Cakes which talks you through diff cakes and how to make them step by step.
Expect if you've not done it before, it might be a good idea to practice a bit first so you get confident in your technique!
CommentAuthormrswb2b
thanks i will have a look out for the mag and i will also have a look on the website. thank u x
CommentAuthormooie27
im thinking of making my own cake but im not an experienced cake maker, probably bitten off more then i can chew but iv got 5 months to practise and a friend (who loves making cakes!) is going to help me....i really want to try stacking the cakes, has anyone done this before and is it really difficult??
CommentAuthorSharon Lawman 2b
I am going to have a go at making mine too, I have decided on one large one for the top layer then small box cakes instead of cupacakes round the bottom (there is a pic in my file) i think these are really different and if you have a look on u tube it tells you how to make the whole thing from start to finish x
CommentAuthormadison_uk
I'm making mine too but will be making it as easy as possible with my fave ingredient chocolate, i plan to make a 4 tier cake bottom being a triple layer chocolate torte, carrot cake, lemon cake and a vanilla sponge all easy to make then covering them in sugar paste icing and decorating with chocolate shells and beach items going for the beach theme, I'm quite good at making cakes and icing. practice makes perfect that and a h2b that loves cake lol
CommentAuthormadison_uk
to stack the cakes mooie27 i use a thin cake board under each layer and dowel rods to support the cake just cut them slightly above the height of the cake your stacking them on, and use a sturdy bottom cake board good luck, and choose cakes that are sturdy for the bottom tiers, found this out the hard way with my daughters 4tier castle cake
CommentAuthorsarahwasabride
sounds lovely madison xx
CommentAuthorsam73
my mum is meant to be making it, but she keeps going off the idea!
CommentAuthormrscolbert2be
i've been practicing, made my oh's 30th birthday cake a big football shirt with his name and 30 on came out pretty well considering lots of things were make shift ha! but can tell i need more practice so have told all my fam and friends im making there birthday cakes till i get good at it :) to be honest though with my friends they wouldnt care if it was totally wrecked as long as it tasted good! xx
CommentAuthorAbi4tomboy
there used to be dvd on how to do it all on the bay of e
CommentAuthorJosoap
Hi, my son is doing a catering course this September, so I have told him he can make my cake if he wishes! X
Been with Neil 5 and half years...
Been Engaged 12 Month
Hope to be Married soon.
Life is full of surprises
CommentAuthorAbi4tomboy
aww that will be nice a real personal touch my mum is doing both of our as we are having a 3 tier cake and cupcakes lol shes done birthday cakes every year and xmas cakes for the whole family had a look back through piccys to check she was up to standards lol she did pass
CommentAuthorMandy
I am going to make my own I cannot belive how expensive they are to buy I have emailed a few courses in my area to see if they are any spaces I have started to buy the kit to learn lots of sugar craft tecniques I am starting with a pumpkin cake for two of my grandchildren just awiting the little tool kit then I canstart xx
