Basics of birthday cakes???

So when I was a kid we always got to pick our b'day cake out of the womans weekly book and they always looked fantastic!!! And I really really want to keep the tradition going with my DS cos it was just so much fun :) So Ive bought the new AWW kids cake book and looked around online....but I have a few questions still....

Do you freeze the cake before decorating??
When its time to decorate do you let it thaw first or just go for it??
Once its got all the pretty stuff on it, how should I store it and how long should it stay good???

Im thinking just plain buttercake with butter cream icing (pretty sure thats what its called lol) but whats best to use for all the cut out pretty bits???

Good on you ;)

You can make the cake well in advance (with most recipes) and freeze then thaw before decorating if you really want, but I don't think they ever taste as good, personally. I don't freeze them - depending on what type of cake you bake will just depend on how long in advance you can make it. Buttercream does have a tendency to sweat and the colours can bleed if you store it in the fridge (as it warms back up again) - I usually just decorate the day before and then store in a box in a cool place.

For decoration bits, I usually make marshmallow fondant but it depends how confident you are - it's a messy process, but one that I think is worth it - it tastes so much better than normal fondant. It's pretty easy, tho, just time consuming. Then you just roll it out and cut it as needed.

Awesome thanks.....off to find info and pics of marshmallow fondant lol :)

Oooh ok the marshmallow fondant looks pretty cool :) but another questin....where do get the gum stuff so it sets hard??? Just any decorating shop online??
lol Im starting to wonder if Im in over my head already!!!

I haven't actually used gum paste before to be honest, but I know I've seen it online before and in cake shops. There are always lots of youtube tutorials to look at which can be really handy, cause then you actually get to see how it's done rather than just read instructions.

I tend to just do whole cakes in marshmallow fondant (MF) these days....I used to use buttercream and do piping etc, but now I just can't be bothered :D Here's my cakes - not overly masterful, none of them done with special tins or cookie cutter shapes, all freehand, so not perfect. But if you're going to go with MF and you want to cut straight lines, I'd recommend a pizza cutter - works wonders (that's how I got the strips on the popcorn cake ;) )

My cakes on FB

Just remember - keep it simple, cause simple cakes can still look good! And it's only a cake ;)

Oh wow your cakes are awesome!!! Thanks for sharing :) my DS saw the Buzz and fire truck ones and went totally nuts!!! lol

Ah thanks :) The firetruck was just in Jan gone, we had two parties in one day - that one for my son's first birthday (he got a Little Tikes Fire engine cozy coupe for his birthday and we got photos taken at the local fire station of him and the truck/jacket/hose etc, so the party was themed around that) in the morning, then at night my daughter had a movie party for her 9th with a projector and lots of junk food :D Never again will I do two in one day - just the cakes alone gave me a headache!!

But they're only little once..that's what I keep telling myself everytime I am up till 2am decorating cakes, anyway :D

"Planet Cake" is great for ideas on cakes :)

I think its best to ice a cake the day after its baked, as it tends to be less 'crumby'. Am I right in saying this?

:

---

I think its best to ice a cake the day after its baked, as it tends to be less 'crumby'. Am I right in saying this?

---

Yes and no, really depends on the texture of the cake, if you can be bothered doing a crumb coat, if you want to bother with something under the fondant, etc.

I've frozen cakes plenty of times and never had an issue, moist cakes thaw out better though. If you're worried about dryness fill it with something moist.

Personally at this time of year if you're using butter cream I would keep it in the fridge, I've never had issues with that either.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and suggestions guys,,,,ahhh I dont know why Im getting so worried about this.....its just a cake, right?!?! ugh