HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
When family and friends know that you bake, a request for a special, homemade cake is inevitable. It can be for a child's birthday cake, where little fingers always find their way into the frosting, so a decorating mistake is no biggie.
Or, there's the occasional call for a bridal shower cake, where the cocktail consumption at these gal gatherings makes everything, including icing imperfections, look pretty! But when we are beckoned to make a wedding cake, the pressure is on!
My brother got married in Kauai on a very popular date. He asked me to be his Best Man, sing at the ceremony, and bake the wedding cake. Best Man duties, I could do, save for attending the bachelor party. Singing at the ceremony, not a problem. Sure, I'd crack up and cry, but that would be seen as "endearing." Baking the cake in a rental house, with the tropical weather, and assembling it the day of... big challenge!
How could I say no to my baby brother? Actually, I tried to get out of it. But the fact there are only handful of bakeries that make wedding cakes on Kauai, who were all booked on their big day, made me cave in. As with most weddings, a big discussion took place about the cake. My brother and his betrothed wanted multiple square tiers, cymbidium orchids, celadon ribbon, and white fondant.
With only forty people attending the wedding, we decided on a 16-inch "dummy cake" for the bottom tier, and real cake for the 12-inch and 8-inch tiers. The cake would be made with my favorite recipe, Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake, and I'd use canned chocolate frosting as the filling between layers, my bro's choice. All seemed manageable, except for the fondant in that unpredictable climate.
The morning of the wedding, I took a deep breath, and removed the cake from the fridge. We both broke a sweat immediately! I pulled out my blow dryer, frantically airing out the fondant, by blowing it with cool air. After two hours, I had restored the fondant to its gorgeous matte finish.
I finished styling the cake by wrapping each tier with celadon ribbon. One trick I use is to back ribbon with clear mailing tape, in case the cake gets moist again. The tape prevents potential watermarks on the ribbon.
We arrived safely to the reception site, where I assembled the cake, topping it off with green cymbidium orchids and a crystal studded "B". I didn't tell my brother about the morning drama, I simply stood up for him, as his Best Man and baker.
Adapted by Jeanne Benedict from The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
- 1 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin, (1/4
- 1/4 Cup cold water
- 1/2 Cup corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
- 1 - 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 (2 lb. ) bag confectioners sugar - reserve 1
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a microwave safe measuring glass.
- Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Microwave on high, in 5-second increments, until gelatin is dissolved.
- Add in corn syrup and vegetable oil and stir to incorporate. Stir in shortening and return to the microwave.
- Heat on high, in 5-second increments, until melted. Stir in almond extract. Place sugar in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
- Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a lightly greased wooden spoon until blended. Mix lightly with greased hands and knead until most of the sugar is incorporated.
- Turn out fondant onto a smooth, lightly greased even surface, and knead until smooth and satiny. If the fondant seems dry, knead in several drops of water.
- If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The fondant will resemble a smooth, well-shaped stone.
- Use fondant immediately or wrap in plastic and store in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. Makes about 2 lbs.
Fondant can be tricky to work with, but use these tips to make the process much easier.
- I roll out large sheets of fondant on an even work surface that has been coated with a nonstick cooking spray.
- I use a 30-inch long, plastic pipe coated with spray as my "rolling pin."
- To apply the fondant to the cake, I roll up the sheet on to the pipe, and center it over my lightly frosted cake.
- Frosting helps the fondant adhere. I unroll the fondant on to thecake, smooth it out with lightly greased hands, and trim off theexcess. It's a process that takes some practice.
Fondant Refrigeration:
My main issue with fondant is how it reacts after being refrigerated.The moment you take a fondant-covered cake out of the refrigerator, itbegins to sweat.
It will "air out", after 6 to 8 hours, butenvironmental conditions such as humidity or heat factor in greatly.Many don't refrigerate cakes, but I feel like it keeps the cake freshand postpones the filling from melting in hot weather.
All thingsconsidered, I decided to refrigerate my brother's wedding cake.
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