Creating a 3D cake begins with baking the dessert in a specially shaped pan. Once the cake has been baked and cooled, you need to decorate it. There are two ways to cover the cake: butter cream icing and fondant. Use personal skill, preferences, and complexity of the 3D cake shape to decide which method is best for you. Fondant is best for cakes with simpler shapes in fewer colors because it is often more expensive than butter cream icing. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
Decorate with Butter Cream Icing
1. Line a serving platter with wax paper and place the baked and cooled cake on top. This will catch any icing that drips from the cake. When you are finished, remove the wax paper, leaving the serving platter clean.
2. Use a spatula to cover the sides and background of the design with icing. Fill each of the pastry bags with a different color of icing.
3. Fit a writing tip to the pastry bag with the outline color icing. Use this to outline the main shapes in the cake design.
4. Use ridged or star tips on the remaining pastry bags. Fill in the smallest detail areas as desired with stripes, stars, or solid coloring.
5. Complete the main decorating of the cake by finishing the larger detail areas with stars, lines, or zig zags.
6. Attach a writing tip to one of the pastry bags. Use any color desired to write a message such as "Happy Birthday" or "Congratulations" on the cake.
7. Outline the bottom edge of the cake with a line of stars, shells, or a long stripe if desired. Remove the wax paper and serve.
Decorate With Fondant
8. Use a spatula to spread a thin layer of a neutral color of butter cream icing over the entire surface. This icing layer will help the fondant adhere to the cake.
9. Roll out the base layer of fondant onto a counter. Lay the 3D cake pan face down on top. Cut the fondant to the same shape as the cake pan. Add 3 inches on all sides of the cake pan to allow the fondant to completely cover the sides.
10. Place the cut fondant on top of the cake and gently tug at the bottom edge to smooth out any creases. Ensure that the fondant covers the cake on all sides. Trim any excess fondant with the knife.
11. Press small amounts of an accent color into the details in the cake pan. This will mold the fondant into the detail shapes. Gently remove the molded shapes from the pan. See Resource for cake decorating techniques and tips.
12. With the pastry brush, spread a small amount of water to the back of each of the detail shapes. This will let the details stick to the fondant base. You can also spread a small layer of icing onto the back of the shapes. Attach the details to the appropriate places on the cake. Finish decorating with butter cream icing in a pastry bag to write a message or make additional accents.
Tags: butter cream, butter cream icing, cream icing, pastry bags, This will