Wilton Course 3, Class 2

Wilton Course 3, Class 2

First up was learning how to make fondant roses.  These turned out just lovely, especially with my ivory colored fondant.  Hopefully I can find a reason to make a bunch of fondant roses ... perhaps for my final cake.  It was difficult to work with such a thin layer of fondant without tearing it.  My ball tool is a little disappointing because you could feel a line where the plastic was joined together. 

Next was rolling out the fondant to cover our cake.  It was evident that I hadn't properly kneaded my fondant before rolling it out.  There were little holes and cracks throughout.  What was neat was rolling it out on to the Cake Dividing Wheel that came in our student kit.  The wheel was really a plastic? vinyl? circular mat that had measurements marked on it.  My cake was 3" high and 8" across.  Once my fondant was rolled out to the 16" mark, my teacher and I lifted the mat (which the fondant stuck to) and placed it on to the cake.  Once properly centered, the mat was peeled off.  I was instructed to set the corners first before attending the rest of the cake.  She showed me how to gently press the fondant on the sides of the corner and avoid creating pleats.  No beginner's luck here; my cake had a couple of visible creases.  I popped some air bubbles with a sewing pin.  To hide some of the cornstarch and holes, she told me to spritz the top of the cake with water and run over it with her little wooden roller.  That really helped!  It smoothed out the top more and dissolved the white cornstarch specks.  The fondant smoother tools didn't help because they kept sticking to the fondant.  Again, if the fondant was properly kneaded, this would not have been an issue.

Once I was satisfied with the fondant, I took out my square cake topper that I had made earlier in the week.  I brushed on some piping gel on the top of the cake and gently placed the square on top.

Afterward, I piped some shell borders around the top and bottom of the cake to hide the seams.  My teacher reviewed how to make shells with me (since I never took Course 1), and I practiced before even touching the cake again.  She suggested starting with the back of the cake first.  Good call!  That way I could get the hang of it in the section that would be seen least.

I'm ok with how the cake turned out.  Not thrilled but not disappointed.  The sides seem to slope and bow out.  There was a line on the sides where the filling was separating the two layers.  I'm guessing the weight of the cake and fondant made the filling spew out the side, pushing the fondant away.  I really think I need a firmer cake for this (this was a Duncan Hines box cake).  Yesterday I baked a butter cake so I can practice all this again tonight.  I'd like to achieve those crisp, sharp, straight lines that the professional cakes have, but I need to identify what the problems are that need to be addressed.  I think I prefer buttercream to cover a simple, monocolor cake.  Hopefully this butter cake will taste good, or else my cakes will be more enjoyable to the eye than the tongue.