You guys were so helpful last time I thought I’d pick your brains again:

Business is picking up (finally) & somebody ordered a topsy turvy Alice in Wonderland themed cake. She also wanted a few of the characters on there.
Questions:

1) Should I tint whatever I use to make the figures before OR paint coloring on them?
2) Gumpaste, fondant or buttercream? What is easier for an amateur such as myself. Btw, I am not too bad at sculpting.
3) Would the Wilton “Topsy Turvy” pan be sufficient or should I actually use different heighted rounds?

Thanks again! I think I may very well become addicted to this place. Egads!

The problem with painting gumpaste after it has dried is that any cracks or imperfections will absorb the color differently, especially over large areas. So, for the smoothest and most uniform color, tint the gumpaste first, and then make the figurines.

Just out of curiosity, why not buy plastic figurines instead of going to the trouble to make them? You’ll end up spending enormous amounts of time on detailed decorations like that.

Christine S. - 14 September 2008 10:15 PM

The problem with painting gumpaste after it has dried is that any cracks or imperfections will absorb the color differently, especially over large areas. So, for the smoothest and most uniform color, tint the gumpaste first, and then make the figurines.

Just out of curiosity, why not buy plastic figurines instead of going to the trouble to make them? You’ll end up spending enormous amounts of time on detailed decorations like that.

Thanks for the gumpaste info.

I have decided I’ll pipe thick buttercream & freeze the shape.

I guess the only reason I considered making them is money and also, I live in a VERY small town and access to cake supplies is bare minimum. Do you have any website suggestions that offer a wide range of figurines?

Thanks for your help.

I did a google search for “plastic alice-in-wonderland” figurines, and here is a link I found: http://fancyflours.com/alice-in-wonderland-figures.html

You’ll have to figure out what your time is worth to know if you should make them yourself or just buy them ready-made.

Christine S. - 14 September 2008 11:28 PM

I did a google search for “plastic alice-in-wonderland” figurines, and here is a link I found: http://fancyflours.com/alice-in-wonderland-figures.html

You’ll have to figure out what your time is worth to know if you should make them yourself or just buy them ready-made.

Thanks for the link!

you could also do a buttercream transfer, where you pipe the image in 2-d and freeze it. the peel it off your parchment and stick it on the sides of the cake.

similarly your could pipe it out of chocolate, let it harden and add it to the cake

i don’t use fondant to cover cakes, but i do use it to make figures so that everything on the cake is edible. i buy it at michael’s when they have 50% off coupons and find that it isn’t too expensive that way. we really don’t need a lot for the figures we have made.

jen

Which figures are you thinking or is the customer requesting?

Gumpaste dries faster than fondant, so I typically use some precolored fondant (like Satin Ice) and add it to the gumpaste.  I always model extra just in case something breaks.  Use supports where you can (spaghetti or toothpicks even, be careful about warning your client if you use toothpicks.  It would not be unheard of for someone to grab a figure and bite into it!)  You can also use or make chocolate plastique (which I think is also called candy clay - it’s a mix of chocolate and corn syrup) - the advantage there is that it sets up quickly in the fridge, but also is susceptible to softening in heat.  If you make it yourself from white chocolate, use candy colors to tint.  The food color markers are helpful for adding tiny details like eyes, buttons, stripes….

Before you model it, think about where the figures will go and how deep your angles are on the cake so your proportions are ok; otherwise you risk a too small or too large figure on the cake.  For a first time, it helps to let the figures lean against the side of the cake for support

For supplies, I buy from Pfeil and Holing in NY (http://www.cakedeco.com) and from Albert Uster Imports (http://www.auiswiss.com); for specialized cutters, veiners and modeling things, I buy from Global Sugar Art, Avalon Deco, Squires Kitchen in the UK ...

Start way sooner than you think you need to

Quick question: is there a worth while book out there to help with making figurines out of fondant?  I have recently come across some amazing websites with awesome handmade figures (namely http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/category/pastry-images/celebration-cakes). I love the pregnant lady figures on the baby shower celebration cakes & if I lived anywhere close I’d get one for my sister’s shower but I live very far away.  Any advice is greatly appreciated!