Cake Decorating 101: Icing A Cake - HELP!!!!

[MrsMiggins]

I am going to attempt a cake for DD's first birthday in (OMG! :eek: ) less than 2 weeks time.

I have decided to go with a tropical fish theme & have drawn up a fish pattern to use so I can cut out my cake in the right shape.

My only concern is that it is then going to be difficult to ice the sides - something which needs to be done, or the cake won't look right.

I know cakes can be iced after being cut into shape, my question is, how do you ice the sides so that they look all smooth & nice, without crumbs all through the icing?? :confused: I remember I decorated a cake like this when I was at school, but from memory it wasn't an especially complex design & I can't quite remember exactly how I went about it in any case.

I was thinking about making up some icing (similar to royal icing) and smoothing that around the sides first to give a smoother, more solid base to put the proper icing on. Would that work??

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! :yes:

[cheezelkat]

Freeze the cake first, then let it defrost about 30 minutes before icing. The freezing stops crumbs going everywhere. It's also recommended to do a crumb coat first. To do that, just cover the cake with a very thin cover of butter cream and let it set about 15 minutes before doing the main icing. Hope that helps!

[MrsMiggins]

Hmmm....... good idea!!!

Only thing is, the cake is going to be too big to fit in my freezer. :(

It's not that huge (I'm not getting carried away or anything!! ;) ) but my freezer is quite small & chocka-block full right now.

Do you think the softer icing would be OK to use for the crumb coat? I was thinking the royal icing might be more stable.

ETA: Ooh.. just a thought, if you do freeze a cake prior to icing it, is there any chance it could affect the icing once it defrosts fully? We live in a fairly warm, humid climate.

[cheezelkat]

OK - make the cake a day or two ahead before you plan to ice it! You should never decorate a super fresh cake without expecting the crumb problem ;)

Soft icing is best. Royal icing will set rock hard! If you use "pure" icing sugar, as oppossed to "icing sugar mixture" (more common) in the butter cream, it will set a little harder. Icing mixture has cornflour added wheat starch to make it softer.

[Moorish]

Hi Fi!!!

Um *cough*, resident cake maker here!

Hayley just sent me your link.
Will you be on msn anytime today?
There's a much easier way to do it and I have a few suggestions!

I've got to pop out and get Chelsea from Grasshoppers (pre-kinder) then run into town quickly. But if you're going to be on send me an email or an msn and I'll give you some idea. Otherwise, I'll write an email to you a little later, ok hon?

xoxo

[MrsMiggins]

I was planning on making it the night before, but maybe I should go for two nights before..... that might be a better idea anyway, you know. Then if I have any unforseen disasters, I've still got another day up my sleeve!!

I was actually going to be a bit lazy & buy the Sarah Lee stuff in the can (I am going to be a bit short on time!) but I hadn't fully decided on it, as I am going to have to colour it & wasn't altogether sure how it'd turn out. Plus, I've never used it before & wasn't sure if it was any good (it'd wanna be! It's pretty pricey!!)

Perhaps I'll just make the icing. I definitely plan on using pure icing sugar if I do decide to make it. :thumbsup:

[MrsMiggins]

Messaging you now Anna! :thumbsup: