2D
Nosferatu
by Rachel Hosick @faeriefoundling · submitted Aug 17, 2010 · 2010 contest
1 / 35
Description
I chose this design because I think the artwork and design are simply charming. I like the impact of the silhouettes and the visual separation it causes suits the subject matter very well. I also thought, "Hey. I can make a simple 3 layer cake and put the design on the side!" HAH! Needless to say, I've dealt with a lot of frustration, and have learned there a lot of things that I would do differently if I ever were to make this cake again, which I probably won't. But it all adds up to general knowledge of cake decorating, right?
This is the first time I've stacked more than 3 layers of cake. It's also the first time I've covered a cake with fondant. I knew I needed interior support, and I knew I'd have some very small details to work with. I came up with the idea to make the cake into a Transylvanian tower, and gathered all my supplies, eager to tackle this and win! I think it ended up being more of a tie; I'm satisfied with the result, but this cake kicked my butt!
I chose to stack up 6" cakes. To have the design big enough to be workable, I knew it would end up wrapping around the cake quite a bit, but I felt that effect would actually accent the design. That and anything bigger would end up be a LOT of cake! I used 5 rounds, ending at about 11" tall. They alter between Chocolate and Cherry Chip pre-made mixes. The cherry chip doesn't taste all that great, so I thought chocolate would help it, and I used almond flavoring in my buttercream icing. I used 9 x 8" cookie sticks inside at different levels to keep it vertical. I made the roof out of rice krispie treats (because that's what the pros use!). It's light-weight, and formed easily, and would also keep a point better. It's hard to believe, but this is the first time I've ever made rice krispie treats! Odd, because I love them!
I made this cake over the span of probably a week - working a little bit each day. I decided to create the design section on a flat surface, then apply it to the cake, but this also meant it would dry out quickly, and I had to work fast. I used Wilton fondant for the blue and the roof, and I bought black Duff brand fondant. I figured Duff knew how to make good-tasting fondant, and it would be a good dark black. I was right, but the texture of the Duff fondant is so different from the Wilton, I struggled quite a bit. It is very soft and stretchy, and greasy. Oh, and I need to mention that this week, we've had 90 degree weather, and I live in a very poorly air conditioned mobile home. (aka an oven!) Until I got the fondant on the cake, I couldn't move it, which resulted in some serious melting and sagging. My cake was way too big to put in the fridge, so I ended up parking it directly in front of our portable air conditioner to harden it up. Unfortunately, I was too late to save it from sagging, as you can see.
I used royal icing to paint over a paper template to achieve the white on blue background design. It worked amazingly well, but the paper stuck to the fondant afterwards. My plan to make the figures out of very finely traced fondant didn't work well, so I ended up piping them onto wax paper and letting them dry. Unfortunately, I didn't allow for the curve of the cake, so they ended up sticking off of the cake a bit funny, but oh well! Being a procrastinator, I didn't feel like taking the time to redo them. The effect is not extreme. Once my cake was more solid, I piped on the smaller details of the design. I struggled with Nosferatu's fingers, since I hadn't planned on having them hanging freely in the air (I was just going to draw them directly onto the cake). After a couple of broken fingers, I got them on.
I rushed the roof. The idea is great, but the presentation is weak. (Don't tell anyone, but I didn't finish the details on the back side of it!) It also sagged a bit. I didn't think to put buttercream on the rice krispie treats under the fondant, so it didn't have a chance to set up, which definitely didn't help. I didn't feel terrible about it though, because it's not the focus of the piece. The pole is made out of 4 strands of spaghetti painted with gel food coloring. Overall, it turned out pretty much how I had envisioned it, except for the sagging and a slight tilt. (It's the leaning tower of Nosferatu!) Next summer, I'm definitely taking a trip to Northern Canada when it comes time to make my Threadcake!
I must admit, that after all this, I still love the design as much as I did when I began. I'll probably be getting the shirt. :)
Good luck everybody! There are some AMAZING cakes in this competition!
This is the first time I've stacked more than 3 layers of cake. It's also the first time I've covered a cake with fondant. I knew I needed interior support, and I knew I'd have some very small details to work with. I came up with the idea to make the cake into a Transylvanian tower, and gathered all my supplies, eager to tackle this and win! I think it ended up being more of a tie; I'm satisfied with the result, but this cake kicked my butt!
I chose to stack up 6" cakes. To have the design big enough to be workable, I knew it would end up wrapping around the cake quite a bit, but I felt that effect would actually accent the design. That and anything bigger would end up be a LOT of cake! I used 5 rounds, ending at about 11" tall. They alter between Chocolate and Cherry Chip pre-made mixes. The cherry chip doesn't taste all that great, so I thought chocolate would help it, and I used almond flavoring in my buttercream icing. I used 9 x 8" cookie sticks inside at different levels to keep it vertical. I made the roof out of rice krispie treats (because that's what the pros use!). It's light-weight, and formed easily, and would also keep a point better. It's hard to believe, but this is the first time I've ever made rice krispie treats! Odd, because I love them!
I made this cake over the span of probably a week - working a little bit each day. I decided to create the design section on a flat surface, then apply it to the cake, but this also meant it would dry out quickly, and I had to work fast. I used Wilton fondant for the blue and the roof, and I bought black Duff brand fondant. I figured Duff knew how to make good-tasting fondant, and it would be a good dark black. I was right, but the texture of the Duff fondant is so different from the Wilton, I struggled quite a bit. It is very soft and stretchy, and greasy. Oh, and I need to mention that this week, we've had 90 degree weather, and I live in a very poorly air conditioned mobile home. (aka an oven!) Until I got the fondant on the cake, I couldn't move it, which resulted in some serious melting and sagging. My cake was way too big to put in the fridge, so I ended up parking it directly in front of our portable air conditioner to harden it up. Unfortunately, I was too late to save it from sagging, as you can see.
I used royal icing to paint over a paper template to achieve the white on blue background design. It worked amazingly well, but the paper stuck to the fondant afterwards. My plan to make the figures out of very finely traced fondant didn't work well, so I ended up piping them onto wax paper and letting them dry. Unfortunately, I didn't allow for the curve of the cake, so they ended up sticking off of the cake a bit funny, but oh well! Being a procrastinator, I didn't feel like taking the time to redo them. The effect is not extreme. Once my cake was more solid, I piped on the smaller details of the design. I struggled with Nosferatu's fingers, since I hadn't planned on having them hanging freely in the air (I was just going to draw them directly onto the cake). After a couple of broken fingers, I got them on.
I rushed the roof. The idea is great, but the presentation is weak. (Don't tell anyone, but I didn't finish the details on the back side of it!) It also sagged a bit. I didn't think to put buttercream on the rice krispie treats under the fondant, so it didn't have a chance to set up, which definitely didn't help. I didn't feel terrible about it though, because it's not the focus of the piece. The pole is made out of 4 strands of spaghetti painted with gel food coloring. Overall, it turned out pretty much how I had envisioned it, except for the sagging and a slight tilt. (It's the leaning tower of Nosferatu!) Next summer, I'm definitely taking a trip to Northern Canada when it comes time to make my Threadcake!
I must admit, that after all this, I still love the design as much as I did when I began. I'll probably be getting the shirt. :)
Good luck everybody! There are some AMAZING cakes in this competition!
Baker’s site: rvhosick.carbonmade.com
