This is the cake i made for my daughters bday….its next week but i froze the cake. i know im not supposed to freeze fondant but the last time i did it came out perfect so i figured why not. I had some issues with this cake..1)the cake is the tomboy cake w buttercream underneath marshmallow fondant.cake issue…..when i went to check it in thr oven i stuck the.cake tester in and part of the top caved in! luckily i just turned it over. why did it do this? 2) i made the land o lakes frosting which came out perfect when i made it (and frosted cake w it)but i took the leftover and put it in fridge cause i wanted to wait a day before i decorated. when i took it out to pipe it looked grainey and kept clogging the tip. why????  and it was too soft to pipe whereas last night it was fine!!! that and i think my idea if cake was a bit out of my league it is not like i pictured it n….so any tips on how to do something like this and have it actually look good would be great.  btw the white in the pic is confect. sugar that i didnt get all the way off.grrrrr

Well, Sweetness, sorry to hear all of your cake components were conspiring to ruin your day, the nasty little beggars.

Nonetheless, I think your cake is really cute. George is very animated looking, very full-of-life, as it were.  And I love the nanners at the bottom and the green vine.

After your grueling experience, I, too, would hate Curious George.  Perhaps you can trick the Man in the Yellow Hat to “look over there” and then strangle the freaking monkey.  Maybe you can even suffocate him with the yellow hat.

Bet your daughter loves the cake!

—ak

Yes, I think the cake is pretty cool looking too.  which land of lakes frosting?  did you whip it again after bringing to room temp?

CuteNess!

I think it looks great and that your daughter will be super-thrilled!  I’m impressed that as a busy mother of two you managed to make the cake early and freeze it- now you’ll be able to relax and enjoy her birthday with one less thing to do.  The cake sounds delicious.

re: the cake sinking when tested, I’m guessing that’s a function of the cake not being done yet- either that or you took out some of your frustration and skewered it with gusto  

re: the frosting curdling and being soft after storage, I agree with the suggestion that it may have needed to be brought up to room temp (70F) and then re-beaten before using.  If you made the version with half and half it may have needed to have its emulsion restored.  If you made the other version, with just powdered sugar and butter, then I’m stumped.

I think it is super cute, SN!  My son would love that cake!!  I can’t speak to any of the frosting issues, aside from allowing to warm to room temperature and rebeating (as others have said).  The Miette does dip a little, Rose even mentions that in RHC—it’s a denser style cake, but I don’t recall having it dip significantly when testing it.  I do hope it tastes good…one of my favourite cakes in the book.  Regardless, you will probably enjoy taking the knife to your cake at serving time :D

Tanks. I didn’t re beat the frosting….I don’t know why I didn’t even think about it!  Well wasn’t one that I probably will make again, not sugary enough for me. As far as the cake, it did come out very dense, the outside was more ‘hard’ but the inside was soft .....I only got to taste a little chunk that came off tasted good but can’t really tell until I get the real piece.  I did notice it still cracked when I flipped it, apparently I can’t ever make a cake that I can flip without chunks coming off.  Arggggggh!  Anyone have any tips on doing things like the monkey face in fondant? I really was grasping at straws here, had NO idea what I was doing….still don’t!

Hi SweetNess14445,

  Like the others, I also like this cake. Your artistic skills definitely exceed mine. I look at things like this and your Elmo cake and have no idea how you do it. I’m sorry it was such a frustrating experience for you, though.

SweetNess14445 - 18 February 2013 04:21 PM

As far as the cake, it did come out very dense, the outside was more ‘hard’ but the inside was soft .....

  If I understand you correctly, the outside of the cake was baked more than the center, yes? I can’t tell what size cake this was, but did you use the cake strips around the outside of the pan? I’ve read that even for smaller cakes using the strips will help prevent this. Also, what type of pan did you bake this in (i.e. dark, stainless steel, etc.)? As you probably already know, using an aluminum pan with a dull finish will help prevent this, too.

SweetNess14445 - 18 February 2013 04:21 PM

I did notice it still cracked when I flipped it, apparently I can’t ever make a cake that I can flip without chunks coming off.  Arggggggh!

  Did it crack when right as you flipped it out of the pan, or after a few minutes from being out of the pan? Also, did you reinvert on to another cooling rack so it was bottom down and not resting on its crown after unmolding it? I’m guessing you follow all of Rose’s tips for baking, but I’m curious how let the cake cool in the pan after pulling it from the oven? If it was too warm and still soft that could be a reason for it cracking. Also, if you’re not using parchment paper to line the bottom of your pans, as well as greasing and flouring them before filling them with batter will help ensure the cake is released smoothly from the pan.

  I can’t help with the fondant issues, but I hope someone else can offer you some advice there. Anyway, I still think it looks great overall and I’m sure your daughter will love it.

- MP

Thanks mp. It actually cracked when I flipped it after I took it out. It came out fine, I used parchment..maybe I did it too soon you are right. I am way too impatient lol

Your cake is so adorable! Happy Birthday to you daughter. I bet she will love it.