4th birthday cake - icing question

[Now we're 3]

DS is just about to turn 4 (yikes - please slow down little man ). He is having a batman party and I have to make a batman cake. I'm going with a traditional buttercake and have purchased royal icing or fondant in the 'batman colours' to decorate however unsure on what I should use to 'ice' the cake before I put the fondant on. I had intended initially to do a ganache however not sure if this will really work with the buttercake and if it was more suited to a chocolate cake. (Assuming here my understanding of how to make a ganache is correct - chocolate and cream? Would I be better off making a butter cream and using this instead.

The cake will be rectangular so to get the height I will need for my design - batman skyline round the side - I think I will need to make two cakes and then layer the buttercream in between the two cakes and on the sides?

Will this work? Is butter icing the way to go?

DH has slightly freaked me out by saying how much work I'm setting myself up for when I showed him the list of things I want to do food wise but I think I can manage. Party is on Sunday afternoon so was planning to maybe make the cake Friday night, glad wrap when cool and store in fridge. If I do that can I make the butter icing (if thats the way I go) on Saturday day put on cake and then put the fondant on Saturday night. At that stage then I'd only leave the cake out over night into Sunday?

Also any tips for rolling out and being able to land smoothly on the cake?

TIA

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

You could use a thin layer of butter cream or even warm jam.
It's basically to hold the fondant on, not to actually full ice the cake.

[Babyluv]

I'd use buttercream

[LimeSlice]

Yep, use buttercream. If you do a quick search on YouTube, you will find a few tutes for crumb-coating cakes, will show you how you want to do it, and how much you will need.

Good luck!

[LimeSlice]

Also any tips for rolling out and being able to land smoothly on the cake?

You can use vegetable shortening (Copha) or icing sugar (sparingly) to help make it easier to roll, but your best bet is a pastry sheet if you have one, or baking paper. To get it on the cake, you will need to roll it over the rolling pin, lay it on and unroll it. Again, YouTube is your friend for this.

Your buttrcream can also be made in advance, if it makes it easier.

[Rouge]

Ganache is the only thing I use under fondant you can make an awesome white chocolate ganache. I personally find buttercream too unstable and only use it if i absolutely must. Ratio is 3:1 or 4:1 depending on humidity. Being chocolate:cream ration. I normally make the ganache 24 hours before I need to use it. It will stabilise and become thick and spreadable. Then after covering the cake allow to sit overnight to form a crust. Then cover with fondant. This technique is used by nearly every cake decorator I know of.

[black_rose]

I do the same as rouge it's much easier to get a nice finish with ganache and it cuts through the sweetness of the fondant. It tastes fine on a butter cake. I use a silicone rolling pin as wooden ones leave a pattern in the fondant and you can use cornflour on your surface to stop it sticking. You tube is a great place to get ideas on how to work with fondant but you work from the top down smoothing your way down the sides. To help smooth it out once its on the cake use a scrap piece of fondant to rub out any bumps.

[Rouge]

Oh and that ratio is only for white chocolate. Milk/dark is 2:1 or 3:1 depending on humidity.

[Now we're 3]

Thanks ladies awesome advice. I think I've got it in my head what to do the trick now turning my mind into reality!

Regarding the ganache cutting through sweetness of fondant (not that kids will really care - half will probably only eat the icing anyway) would a white chocolate not be very sweet in its own right and not have that effect?

Will source a silicon rolling pin today as its only a wooden one that I have and will get You Tubing!

Thanks again - wish me luck!

[Rouge]

Ganache be it white or not is less sweet than any butter icing. And that's why it cuts through the sweetness of the fondant. I hate fondant alone. And it was one of the reasons I refused to touch fondant for so long when it comes to decorating. But I love ganache with fondant. I also prefer a meringue buttercream over basic buttercream for the same reason. It's not as sweet and has zero graininess. I'm a textural weirdo lol.

Also try not to dust the top of the ganache (only the underside) or this can result in dry cracked or rippled fondant.

[Liviam]

Sprinkle cornflour on your bench as you can then use a just damp cloth to wipe it off and you can't even see it.

I have just made a batman cake for my 4 year too. Turned out great (even if I say so myself )

Best of luck.