3rd times a charm

This weekend I made a cake. It's a cake I've made before, based off of a cake that's been made a bajillion times.
It's an engagement cake that features an oversized ring in a box. And since I'm not in the mood for a 'big reveal' and because I want this cake photo to show up as my thumbnail and not the original. Crazy yes? Do I care, not too much.

Here it is in all it's pretty glory.

I'm not going to lie, it didn't start out this way.

OK, it sort of did. The more cakes I do, the better I get. Practice and all.

One of the things I tend to run into is not having enough fondant of a certain color. Since every color is a custom mix for a particular project, I hardly ever use the left over. But really, fondant drapes over a cake better when there's more of it than less. That wasn't exactly a problem this time.

The problem with this cake was the ring. (Now I show you my original)

This ring was done in the fall, so the colors were more fall inspired. (I'm sounding sooo smart right now, I'm fully aware of this. I blame Starbucks having no power. Yes, I will talk about it all day.)
The difference is, this one had a paperweight in the cake for the ring. I love the idea of the bride being able to keep the ring after the cake is long gone. We (meaning I recommended it and the Shower thrower MOH? got it done) had the ring engraved with the couples names. Awww.

For the cake this weekend, I mentioned I could make it out of fondant, instead of the paperweight.
That was the option selected. Confident in myself, I made the ring. Frankly I thought I was pretty damn clever. I used some older [read: hard as a rock] leftover fondant from the predator head cake a few months ago. I warmed it in the microwave to make it pliable and then, took the 'band' part and draped it over a 4 inch springform pan. The 'spring' part helped the pan stand up on its side without rolling around. Then, I baked it in the oven. I read this trick on a blog somewhere recently. But I can't remember the temperature they recommended. Or the time.
Based on what came out of the oven, I was very wrong on my guess of 350 degrees and 10 minutes. The fondant puffed up really thick and smelled like cotton candy. I decided the puffy band would work. I cut it to a perfect half circle, added the top part of the ring and painted it silver.
I was getting ready to go out Saturday night and 'propped' the ring on the cake, thinking it would just stand there, not pushed into the cake.
I was wrong.

It fell while I was in the shower. It did not survive the 4 foot fall to the hard wood floor.
For shame.
I rushed around and made another. I didn't turn the temp as high. I didn't leave it in as long. It did not puff up.
I left it on the springform pan to set overnight.
Fastforward to Sunday. MOH was 45 from showing up. I placed the ring in/on the cake. Curled up not feeling well [read: hungover] I glanced over that the cake.

Son of A!

I made a THIRD ring. Luckily, the top part survived as this ring did not topple off the cake/table, it just imploded upon itself into a tired little heap. A sad, tired little heap.
A pitiful, sad, tired little heap of overworked fondant.
I cranked the oven up high, left it in as long as I could, considering I had already gotten a text that the MOH was en route. Painted (And supported with some wire inside the ring), this one survived.
Thankfully. I was almost completely out of predator head.

The MOH (maid of honor, in case you're wondering) texted me and said that it made the trip. I breathed a sigh of relief.
And? I will never make another ring out of fondant. Not that I can't, just that this cake tapped me out.



And, since you stuck around, here are some cookies I made. Pink peacock feathers. Aren't they presh?