Cake I

Cake I was my first attempt at making Red Velvet Cake (surprisingly simple) and fondant (simple in construction, difficult in application).

The decorations are plain, almost to the point of austerity. This was, for the most part, intentional; you don't want to venture too far out on your first attempt, right?

Recipes Used:

Red Velvet & Buttercream Frosting Recipes

Fondant Recipe


Strong Points: simplicity, fondant and cake mix both turned out well for first tries. Made an excess of fondant, which will work well for the next cake.

Weak points: using fondant proved more difficult than making it; I wasn't sure how to mold it or flip it onto the cake. It came out a little lumpy and uneven, as it was too pliable because of the Crisco. The cream cheese frosting underneath the fondant contained a ridiculous amount of transfat. I ran out of red food coloring, so the inside/outside color schemes don't match.

Next Time: Use cornstarch instead of Crisco when rolling out the fondant to keep it more manageable. Chill baked cake, and then buttercream frosted cake before applying fondant. Add flavoring (Almond? Lemon? Mint?) to fondant to make it more palatable to marshmallow-haters like myself. Use rolling pin to apply fondant. Know how to make 3-D bows instead of crappy improvised bow. When making 3-D shapes in fondant, allow these to cool.