Amy and I have learned that it makes for a less stressful decorating experience when some of the prep work is done before decorating night. Especially now that we have four kids to tend to and it's pretty much impossible for us to get started until about 8. So earlier in the week I baked the cake and stuck it in the freezer. The next night I made the marshmallow fondant. I followed my go-to marshmallow fondant recipe just like I'd done in the past, covered it in Crisco, wrapped it tightly in saran-wrap and in a ziploc bag, and stuck it in the fridge. Easy peasy. All that was left for decorating night was carving the cake, making the buttercream, and working our magic with the fondant.
Since the fondant had to be colored and rolled and we needed quite a bit of blue, I got right to work. It was then that I realized the first mistake had been made. The fondant was still in the fridge, hard as a rock. I should have put it on the counter earlier in the afternoon, but just forgot. Okay, no problem, just stick it in the microwave for a few second to soften it up. That seemed to work okay and the blue worked in well, but the fondant had a weird consistency. It wasn't stretchy at all. I figured it just needed more kneading. It was a big batch of fondant I was working with.
While I was working the fondant, Sean and Amy were doing the carving. Since Sean had drawn the design himself and used the copier to blow it up, I wanted him to handle the carving.
I was so happy with his drawing! The body carved out very well!!
We even had enough left from the edges to make a flower for Kate's little cake.
After working on the fondant for longer than I knew was right, I decided to turn to my trusty resource - the computer - for some clues as to what to do. I learned if it's dry and cracking, add water; if it's not stretchy, add more Crisco; if it's too slimy, add more confectioner's sugar.
Since we thought the fondant was too dry, we started by adding a little water. My hands 'kneaded' a rest, so Amy took over.
Amy made a batch of buttercream while I working on the fondant, so while she kneaded, I put the crumb layer on the bird.
Throughout all this, our concern with the fondant continued. When the water didn't seem to fix the problem and made it too wet, we added more powdered sugar. When it wasn't stretching very well, we added more Crisco. And kneaded. And kneaded. And kneaded. We even talked Sean into kneading for a while. I was thinking maybe my hands weren't strong enough to really knead the crap out of that big ball.
When Sean's kneading didn't help, he decided to do a little fondant research of his own. And what did he learn? That several things I did could have caused the problem -- refrigerating, microwaving, too much water, too much crisco, etc., etc., etc. And what else? That MMF can always be brought back to life. At about 11 o'clock I called b*s on that one and the entire ball of fondant was dumped in the trash.
Before calling it a night, I finished up putting the crumb layer on Kate's cake. We cleaned up the kitchen and discussed our plan for Saturday morning. We were out of powdered sugar, so regardless of how we decided to to frost the cake, a trip to the grocery would have to be first thing Saturday morning. Since this was a one-layer cake, Amy and I both agreed that ditching the fondant idea and covering the entire cake in buttercream would look okay and would be easier. I just wasn't convinced that I'd be happy with it, since I had my heart set on fondant. So, I reluctantly decided to give the fondant another shot. I knew it would be a lot to do w/ the kids and all, but as long as I got an early start, it could be done.
And as to give myself some sense of accomplishment before calling it a night, Amy helped me hang up the birthday banner I had made for Kate.
Saturday morning the kids woke up ready to go! Ryley and Jackson did take a break from playing to chomp on some ice and watch a show.
Of course the birthday girl had lots of smiles to share!
And while I don't have any pictures of the process of getting to final product (we were too busy corralling kids and keeping their fingers out of the cake), the finished product was exactly what I had in mind! Round 2 of fondant making turned out just like it should have. Easy peasy! No extra kneading required! This is definitely one of my favorite cakes that Amy and I have decorated! Our little birdie looks so original and perfect! Kate's special cake was really cute, too! And once again, Mrs. Crocker and Mrs. Hines learned a lesson or two about cake decorating! :-)
