Friday
Dec112015
Missed Marks: Fondant To Fondant Edition
December 11, 2015 You may have noticed that whenever we post a missed mark with a fondant inspiration cake, like this:
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...and a buttercream wreck, like this:
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...we tend to get a lot of the same complaints.
"You can't compare fondant designs to buttercream!"
"The second cake would have looked FINE if it was done in fondant!"
"This blog isn't funny anymore!"
So, in the interest of fairness and maximum "I told you so" potential, today's missed marks are ALL fondant.
ENJOY.
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Thanks to Devon M., Jeannie S., Kat M., Amanda H., Summer R., & Ziggo for telling us so.
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Reader Comments (74)
Just because so many people commented on "Anchors Aweigh," I thought I'd clear it up. Aweigh is the correct spelling. You weigh anchor when you're going somewhere. Don't tell anyone I know anything about the Navy, though, this old soldier will never live it down. ;)
Whoever says this blog isn't funny anymore can bite me.
These kill me! I would be scared to eat that princess cake.
Oh, and as a Navy vet, I'll let the curious know, it actually is "Anchors aweigh" ... Not, away ;)
Fondant. It's terrifying. It's why I ONLY make cupcakes. Nobody asks you to do that crap on cupcakes!
Oh man lol. These are scary! Hilarious as always. :D
Odd fact, in naval terms, it is actually Anchors Aweigh, which means the anchor is free of the ocean floor. Also... can you melt fondant? I mean, really?
You can compare anything to anything. Some of the comparisons might not be particularly apt (if, for example, you compared a pooh-turkey cupcake to the Lincoln Memorial), but you could do it.
Should you do it?
If a customer comes in with a picture of a fondant-iced cake and says "I want this cake in pink and purple instead of green and orange" and the baker chooses to execute it in buttercream, the comparison is fair.
If the customer (who, presumably, is not a professional cake decorator) comes in with the picture and asks for it with buttercream, and the baker (who, presumably, is one) does not explain why buttercream will not produce the desired results, the comparison is fair.
If you are a professional baker and you sell -- for money -- anything that looks like the wrecks on this site, the ridicule is earned.* And that is why this blog is ALWAYS funny.
*The exception is when the baker skillfully executes exactly what the customer ordered (like the life-like baby cakes.) In those cases, the ridicule belongs to the customer.
The 4th birthday cake was actually ordered from an experienced cake person who claimed to know what they were doing. It was not a 'homemade' cake.
The second one is painful just to look at. The fringe part just looks like a skirt made of entrails.
C'mon, give it to 'em. That last one comes pretty close.
For those asking how the fondant got shiny, if you stick fondant in the fridge it will look go all drippy and shiny like that
So THAT's where Honey Boo Boo's dress and tiara went....
#4 Stage IV metastatic. . . strawberry?
@ Tachybaptus and @ Stridergirl -- The real reason the nice professional cakes do not bulge is the fact that they have internal supports. You can have cakes of any density as long as they are internally supported. You can use small wooden dowels or plastic soda straws and make sure you put round cardboards between the layers.
BTW, if you are going to transport it at all, it is better to use the dowels. You put some in the bottom layer up to the cardboard; then, in the next layer up, you sharpen your dowel like a pencil and shove it through both layers (you need to sharpen it to go through the cardboard), and so on. Of course you can always buy the plastic kits, but the dowels are cheaper, and the cake cutters at the venue know enough to look for the internal supports to avoid serving them to anyone.
I've managed to escape making more than 3 wedding cakes in my long life (one for class). One of them was a 4-tier number that I transported 150 miles in my car in 85 deg. F heat -- I pre-froze it and put it in a box that just fit the platter and it did fine with a couple of little touch-ups to the buttercream.
OK, I just got all serious on everybody...sorry :-( .
I'm just saying, did the pink princess cake have fruit by the foot as the ruffles in the Dalek? It almost looks like that because it's so shiny.
I realize this is a really old post, but needed to weigh in here. In reference to the 'bulgy' cakes -- a professional baker (who knows what they're doing) doesn't just stack cake on top of cake and hope it stays upright. Cakes need boards (cardboard or otherwise) and dowling in each tier, and a center support. The larger the cake, the more support it needs, but even a two tier cake needs support
I cringe when I see these cakes. Can you imagine the look on the client's face when they come to pick them up?!?
@CBushLite anyone who believes a cake of something IS the thing it's a cake of, is the only person who would not eat a slice of baby cake.
It's just cake! CAKE!!!
Gotta say, my favorite cake here of them all is the Pinkie Pie - Rainbow Dash cake... If you're curious why, look up a fan fic by the name of 'Cupcakes."
And no, it's not about those kind...
I make it clear to those I make cakes for (family & friends...I'm not a pro) that I don't "do" fondant. That being said, I do pretty darn good at making my buttercream version at least look like the inspiration cake! Still not sure how these bakers think it really looks good! That being said....love 'em so I have this site to laugh over!!
I too, am wondering if most of them are from "cake at home moms" Who think a couple Wilton's classes at AC Moore make them "cake artists" Its fine to make lovely home made cakes. But stick to your skill level. A well done simpler cake will still look much better than a catastrophe cake you made when your ego won out over reality.
I think the super hero cake is a pretty great job of recreating!
@ CBushlite "why would anyone want to eat a slice of baby!?!?11111
I would. It's just CAKE for godsake, same as you'd find in any other cake. And if you're not going to eat your corner slice of baby face, can I have it? 8-d
I think when a lot of these people make the cakes they don't realize you have to cut it when you plan to layer it others they are the size of the cake pan and they don't vary.
The reason why fondant cakes often have that 'sweat' look is because the cake has been put in the fridge after completion for some time, then brought out in a warm atmosphere and as the fondant starts to warm up, and the cake inside still remains cold, it develops the appearance of condensation, just like windows do when it's cold outside and warm inside! Big mistake! I used to do that and I learned pretty quickly! The way to prevent this, is to use high quality, professional use fondant. Ticino Carma Massa Tropic is the best I have found and the 'tropic' means it can be used during hot weather or outside. It costs more, but then as these cakes show...you get what you pay for folks!!