Oh well, Que Sera, Sera...
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Anyway construction-wise, the cake was one the basic side. I stacked a white fondant covered 8" cake on top of a 10" navy cake, and topped it all with a 6" Styrofoam half ball. The base of the white tier looks a little wonky because the crumb coated tier wasn't tall enough so I had to sit it on top of a 1" thick round of Styrofoam. My Styrofoam cutting skills aren't that great so the round came out a little gagged and uneven. And despite what many people think, fondant isn't going to cover flaws in the underlying cake.
The next step was to attach the stripes to the white tier. I used my ACE Food Safe Extruder to make the thin, flat strips. That extruder is a life saver. It was expensive and difficult to get, but a reliable extruder is a must have for a serious cake decorator.
Here is the fondant covered Styrofoam half ball going into place.
Next I applied some red fondant ropes to represent the stitching on the ball. I took the lazy way out and just cut little "Vs" in the rope to represent the "stitching". Up close it looks okay, but from a distance you can't see the V cuts. I should have taken the time and placed thinner ropes in a V pattern across the main rope. Oh well, live and learn. Note: I don't like to tint my own red or black fondant, so I keep a container of Fondarific Red and Black on hand. It lasts a long time and stays really, really soft so it is great to use for embellishments. The Dream line of fondants also work well for embellishment. I typically use Mona Lisa Fondant to cover my cakes because it can withstand very high humidity. I store my finished cakes in the refrigerator and the air in South Louisiana is crazy humid so I need a fondant that can take the humidity without getting soft and gummy. Mona Lisa works great for me.
Next I placed some Sixlet chocolate candies around the border of each tier. The candies were somewhat large, so they hid most of the "problems" with the base of the white tier. Gotta love those hacks to hiding cake decorating boo-boos. In the past I use sugar Pearls around the base of cakes, but people complained that they were too hard and you could accidentally break a tooth if you bit into one. So now I use the chocolate Sixlets. They work just as well as decorations, and the are soft and easy to chew.
Next I made the baseballs to go around the bottom tier. Again I used the lazy "V" cut method which I regret now.
The final component of this cake was the name plaque. I just used a plaque cookie cutter and then wrote the name, freehand, using thin rope extruded from my ACE. I should have made the "L" larger and can you see the slight slant to the name. Sigh, I even do that slanting thing when I'm writing with pen and paper.
So in retrospect not too bad of a cake, but as always it could have been better. I learn a little more every time I make a cake.
I also want to thank the kind relative who gave me their spare refrigerator. On those overwhelming cake making weekends it sure comes in handy. Two 3-tier cakes, two smash cakes, and half a watermelon easily fit in my new pride and joy. The third cake I made had already been picked up by the time I took this picture.
Happy Decorating,
Carol
Supply List:
Mona Lisa Fondant
ACE Food Safe Extruder
Tylose powder
14" Cake Drum
Alligator Impression Mat (used on the fondant covering the cake drums)
Royal Blue and Black Wilton Food Color Gel (royal blue with a touch of black makes navy)
6" Styrofoam half ball
Styrofoam Cutter
Sixlet Chocolate Candies
Plaque Cookie Cutters
Fondarific Red Fondant
Fondarific Black fondant
Dream Fondant
