Yes, I’ve finally got round to making my first cake out of my ‘How to Cake it’ recipe book by Yolanda Gampp!
It’s been a weird few weeks since Christmas, illness, panto rehearsals, lots of things happening, but….here it is at last 😊
It’s an apple! Well, not really, it’s vanilla cake, Italian meringue buttercream, and fondant.
I had some serious problems with this seemingly innocuous cake. First, the shape….. I didn’t have a ball pan, so my first attempt was not good. Having ordered and received one, a few days ago I tried again…..better!
Next…… Italian meringue buttercream. I’ve never made it before, and I’d read that it could be a bit tricky. Well mine turned into a buttery soupy mess! I know what I did wrong (didn’t let the meringue cool enough before adding the butter) and luckily, after panic searching the net for tips, I managed to save it, but patience on my part would definitely have helped!
See how to make Italian meringue buttercream here:
Lastly, the fondant. I used Renshaws, (coloured with Wilton’s green gel colour) and when I roll it properly, it’s a great product, but why, why, why don’t I ever learn? Mum’s teapot cake, father in law’s bowling ball cake, both times the fondant tore near the bottom as I was smoothing it! Again, it’s probably because I’m naturally frugal, (did someone say stingy? Moi?) but it needed to be thicker. I managed to patch it up using the gunge method, but….lesson learned for next time 😔
Learn more about ‘gunge’ here:
So, several lessons learned here, patience, knowing when thinner fondant just won’t do the job (save that for sugar flowers!) and having the right tools!
Until next time
Stay safe and healthy
Debbie ❤
Baking for Therapy 