#cake prep

                             For my second attempt at fondant covered cake,

                                            I decided to be a little more bold.

Even if the pre-made fondant had worked out, I think I still would've tried a home recipe since store-bought is quite costly and colors are limited (at least at the stores in my area).

Since I did not like my results from the store-bought fondant, I thought it would just be a good idea to try and make my own.

With that being said...

My friend's birthday is in March, so this "springtime" birthday cake was a great idea for her 19th birthday last year.

Also, if anyone has tips on decorative writing with icing, please let me know.

 Maybe its just my unsteady hand? Anywhoo...

First off, what I learned from my first cake is that the type of cake mix you use is actually very important.

A. You can make your own cake mix (must be a firm, dense cake. i.e: pound cake) 

B. You can use Boxed Cake Mix. (Like I used here) However, you must be extra careful about how you prepare the cake, or just what type of mix you're buying.

I found that the Betty Crocker cake mix works the best for me.

Side Note: Most of the time the box directions will give you egg options. 2 eggs makes fudge-like cake while 3 eggs makes for a lighter, fluffier cake. I always go with just 2 eggs when recipe permits. 

Second, When prepping a cake for fondant, there are multiple steps to follow:

Let cake completely cool. (I know, I know...but you'd be surprised to find just how many people don't know to wait and ruin their cakes).

Trim to desired size and completely cover cake in buttercream frosting, aka "crumb coating". *This is extremely important* Covering the cake allows for the fondant to be applied smoothly & also helps the cake from getting dried out as fondant cakes can not go in the refrigerator.

Prepping the fondant itself: Whether you're using a home recipe, or the pre-made stuff, it must be room temperature before you begin. Also, I recommend kneading it and rolling it out a few times before you actually roll it out for use.

To make my own fondant, I had searched on the internet for a quality fondant recipe, & what I found changed cake making for me forever. I do not know this woman personally, but if I did, I'm sure she would be my best friend. 

I swear by her MM Fondant recipe.

For this cake, I followed the directions precisely, and then I simply cut the fondant into smaller portions and added the different color dyes to each one. After completely mixing the color in, I wrapped each one first in a nice layer of shortening, and then into the fridge with plastic wrap to sit overnight. 

Side Note: You do not have to let the fondant sit overnight, you can simply apply it to your cake directly after making it. I just choose to let mine sit overnight when I add dye as to insure that the colors won't bleed.