I have to do this baseball themed grooms cake at a really really busy time this June and I have to get this planned and parts done well in advance. First I'm doing their wedding cake (not a simple one)and highly decorated shortbread cookies for 250 at the same time and have another 1,000 plus people to feed that week.

SOOOOOOOOOOO PLEASE, PLEASE, help me get my thoughts together.....

Both teams on a cake, red sock and cubs are the must have factors all the other elements are open. I'm thinking about making banners (I don't know what you call those flags) out of gum paste. Painting them (painting is very easy for me) with food coloring (I've never painted on gum paste can it be done?) which is something that could be done now and just placed on the cake. Then making baseballs out of white choc. to boarder the cake (I saw molds like this).

Any ideas??? I don't know baseball at all! I really have to make this simple and do all the components well in advance.

By Seashell on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 12:34 pm: Edit

You didn't mention how many this cake needs to feed. If your doing a tiered or stacked jobbie you can always do a round cake (sports ball pan)for the very top, and ice it to look like a baseball. I'm assuming your icing will be chocolate, since the majority of grooms' cakes are, but make little gum paste pennants to attach to the sides. You can also make GP uniforms and baseball bats to have on the sides. GP can be made up well in advance freeing you for other duties!!!!

Look up grooms' cakes on the web to try for inspiration.

By Seashell on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 12:35 pm: Edit

You didn't mention how many this cake needs to feed. If your doing a tiered or stacked jobbie you can always do a round cake (sports ball pan)for the very top, and ice it to look like a baseball. I'm assuming your icing will be chocolate, since the majority of grooms' cakes are, but make little gum paste pennants to attach to the sides. You can also make GP uniforms and baseball bats to have on the sides. GP can be made up well in advance freeing you for other duties!!!!

Look up grooms' cakes on the web to try for inspiration.

By W.DeBord on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 04:49 pm: Edit

The wedding is for 250, I haven't found out how many servings I want out of the grooms cake, yet. Since we are serving the brides cake for dessert, not many people will wait or have a slice of each. Probably a half sheet pan size with maybe 9" on top somehow.

I was thinking of pennants around 6" each with a nice wave to it (looking kind of draped over the cake). I've always bought my gum paste...it's pretty sensitive to moisture since that's how you "glue" it, if I made it myself would it work better then the purchased stuff? I'd be happy to use any other material that hardens...I just can't think of something I can use color and detail on Well Ahead Of Time??

The bride mentioned a baseball diamond which is fine, but I'm still stuck doing those 2 logos which will take the most effort. So that's why I was thinking about just focusing in on them instead of many features of the sport.

By Panini (Panini) on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 10:00 pm: Edit

easy money,
I would suggest rolled fondant.Petinice or similar,you can cut the diamond, buy plastic hats that they have at party store, mold over them and let them harden. The hats and the diamond can be colored before you roll them and let them dry out. Once dry we paint with powder or gel colors mixed with vodka or any clear alcohol. This expedites the drying. You already know how to paint, letting dry a little and going over parts for deeper colors. This can all be done now. You might get a little fading but you bring it back with MogenGlanz or some type of edible shellac. If shellac is not evailable than a mixture of corn syrup thinned w/ h2o will do the trick. Shine what you need and leave some things like the grass flat.
Jeff
ps I have many of these, let me know if you want to see them. We also pipe baseball bats up the sides.

By W.DeBord on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 - 08:10 am: Edit

Are you saying use rolled fondant to shape the hats? It would be easier than gum paste. I've never dried rolling fondant before....o.k. sounds good! So do hats have less work painting the logo on them then a pennant would?

Good excuse...I've always wanted to buy that shellac (for ala carte plating)...can you tell me again who carrries it? Was it albert uster?

O.k. now I'm thinking....I'll make my "golf cake" into a baseball diamond. I cover my cake with ganche and press ground choc. cake crumbs into the sides for dirt. Pipe green buttercream grass on top...I could use br. sugar for the part where they run from base to base and fondant for the plates....YEAH, see you guys always help me think!!!!

By Panini (Panini) on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 - 03:14 pm: Edit

I always use the hardened fondant because it is less pourus. I would roll and shape over the hats to make them hollow. It taked approx 1-3 days, I use the dried fondant for plaques and ribbons for all my b'day cakes. Write hb on them and they are ready to go. ps the cakes with shavings

By d. on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 - 04:10 pm: Edit

For astro turf I use fine cake crumbs colored green, glue onto cake or cake board with white or dark chocolate. And plain cake crumbs or ground nut meringue for sand. Brown sugar would attract too much moisture if cake had to sit in cooler or over whipped cream. Yeah, cut the plates out of white fondant.

By Panini (Panini) on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 - 05:52 pm: Edit

FYI
IMHO We always plate these pieces. Either with cardboard or plastic. We then put pillars and a plate in the cake and lay the work on that and border it. This gives the groom a chance to take it with him and really cuts down on cleaning expense when a guest should happen to get colored anything on their clothes or mouth, and helps with serviceability.just my 2 cents plus you can do it now and put it up.

By W.DeBord on Wednesday, May 16, 2001 - 07:49 am: Edit

Again Panini, I'm just not familar with using fondant in applications like this. I follow you though, throw it over the plastic hat as a form. I'll have to try this, it makes sense! I've always used chocolate or GP to make plaques....you just roll out your fondant and let it dry...does it hold going into the cooler later?

Then you draw on the front of the cap the team logo with royal?

Great point d. with the brown sugar! Thanks a ton! I will take your advise.

By Panini (Panini) on Wednesday, May 16, 2001 - 05:33 pm: Edit

oh yes, use it the same as you would GP. I would us GP if your comfortable with it. This is probably not a good time to start experimenting
when your so busy.I did take a look at a very small picture of that book, if I remember, you would probably be comfortable with fondant. There seems to be a lot of heavy flowers around the bottom. You might want to think about doing these ahead of time, I've done this before in sections for very large cakes. We mold them to dummies and let them dry. Just remember that you have to build out the cake to the edge of your cardbords. This may not be making sense. If your interested in doing this give me a shout, I'm usually in the retail shop in the mornings 214-363-1225
jeff

By Rubble (Rubble) on Wednesday, May 16, 2001 - 07:28 pm: Edit

Is this groom a Chicago baseballfan, or just a general basball nut? If Chicago, then you could choose either the Cubs or the Sox as the design theme - or even do both! (that is, if you could determine which side of the cake is the "north side" and which is the "south side"). The teams logos are not that complex in terms of color or design (Sox = white on black; Cubs = Blue w/ red on white), so I'd think it wouldn't be so difficult to do. Just a thought...

By W.DeBord on Thursday, May 17, 2001 - 07:41 am: Edit

The bride is a cub fan the groom is a red socks fan. She said something about dreaming they were in the world series together.....but I'm not going into that!

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID, is my mantra.....

Panini, the wedding cake stuff is on another thread so I'll respond to your sugestions over there...o.k.?