It is my brother's 40th birthday today. In honour of the occasion, my mother made him a fruit cake, which she asked me to ice.
As not everyone has iced a fruit cake using fondant, I thought that I would show some step by step pictures which, although they may sometimes lead to a scary looking cake at times, contribute to the final smooth result.
Step one - turn your fruit cake upside down so that the bottom becomes the top (it's flatter), then fill any gaps between the serving plate/cake board and the edges of the cake with almond icing:
Step two - plug any holes or uneven parts of the fruit cake with almond icing, smoothing the icing off with your fingers to make the surface of the cake as level as possible:
Brush the surface of the cake with warmed, sieved apricot jam:
Roll out enough almond icing to cover the cake, and smooth over the top of the cake (I didn't have quite enough so my layer is very thin):
Brush the almond icing layer with more warm, sieved jam:
Roll out ready to roll fondant icing to cover the cake and place over the top of the cake and smooth down with your hands, icing smoothers and a palette knife:
There are numerous Youtube videos that demonstrate how to roll out and cover your cake with fondant icing. The key trick is not to roll the icing too thin or it will tear and crack when you put it on the cake - about 3-4mm thick is a good thickness to work with. Also, make sure you have rolled out the fondant so that there is around 2 inches extra around the diameter of the cake - this will help you to smooth it down without pleating or cracking.
I added an edible icing cake topper to decorate the cake:
Unfortunately, try as I might, I could not get the edible image off its backing paper without damaging it, so I simply cut around it and placed it on the cake on its backing paper as a permanent, removable memento for my brother.
On this day in history, Coco Chanel died in 1971 at the age of 87 - here's to the memory of Mademoiselle.
Rolled fondant is definitely tricky since it always have to be done in a cool environment. I'm too cold to accomplish this task here lol. This cake looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteGreta covering tutorial and hello to the pup on the icing!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a nerve wracking moment lifting the sheet of rolled out fondant on top of the cake. I think I sometimes forget to breathe! :P
ReplyDeleteWhat a great cake - and tutorial. I'll definitely know where to turn if I'm faced with fondant icing! Happy birthday to your brother too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun cake for your brother's birthday! I have never worked with fondant before so it was nice to see how you go about putting it on the cake like that. Very special with his photo with his doggie!
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