This week’s project has been really fun but took a bit of forethought to avoid my usual frak-ups & even then I encountered more than I expected.

I was always a bit clueless on how people got those professional cakes looking so smooth, the intricate designs etc, until I learnt about marzipan. I researched a few creative cake sites that gave me some ideas, a few tips on technique & I was ready to give it a go. To avoid my usual “jump in & experiment” tendencies I decided to plan it out-

First I had to buy some new gear. I was in desperate need of more kitchen-toys.
I needed some new cake tins (& ended up collecting a nice range from online auctions), some new sculpting tools, & I got a Wilton decorating set from cakeshop.co.nz, with piping bags, tips & a set of 4 gel colours to start me off.
I got a sexy chrome rolling pin too from Applewood (can you believe it is actually the first rolling pin I’ve owned?!) & a nice new workboard/cuttingboard. Then of course I went & bought a slab of white marzipan!

My wallet hates me.

So I got excited when my gel colours arrived in the mail & got straight into dying my marzipan. Already my “jump in & experiment” nature took over. So without really thinking through the quantities (I’ve got no idea how far it goes anyway since I’m a marzipan-virgin), I made a blue batch & then a pink batch. I didn’t really like the shade of pink so I added some blue to it & went with a purple instead.

I actually wanted a black as well. I’d seen examples of black marzipan on other sites & loved the dramatic look it gave. .. I forgot to order the dye though.

So, moving on-
A few days later my cake tins arrived in the mail too. I decided on using a white chocolate mudcake as my base. I wanted to make sure I had a firm cake to work with; nothing too springy or something that might sink under weight.

(take note: position of sun)

So, I make the cake (just a simple square shape for my first attempt) & ice it with a thin layer of white ganache once it’s cooled. I saw the ganache tip in a few places online & I’m not entirely sure what purpose it has. It’s either to keep the cake fresher over the days of decorating or to help the marzipan layer stick, or both. I like the idea that it’ll provide a bit more of that rich chocolately flavour too (as marzipan isn’t the most exciting flavour on its own), just don’t add any sugar to the ganache or you’ll have sugar-overload.

Also watch out your ganache isn’t runny ..

. .. Mine was.. ..

After that it’s onto the fun part, the decorating.

There were a few techniques that I wanted to experiment with. I wanted the cake to feature horizontal stripes, alternating colours, some cut-out layers or try some different textures.

(I wouldn’t do it this way again. Next time I will try one giant mat that does the top & sides at once. It was really awkward trying to attach the walls to the top. Here is also the point where I realized my ganache was way to soft. )

I was surprised how fast the marzipan dries. If it’s not covered in plastic you really have to work fast.. & I’m still undecided what kind of design I want to do on top *eek*.

I didn’t end up getting too creative, obviously. I’d had enough by this stage. I was tired & done all the marzipan experimentation I could see myself doing that day. I had enough problems just making it look smooth-ish. The runny ganache was trying to seep out the joins & I didn’t want to upset it further. So that’s it. *sigh*

Still, it tastes pretty decent. It’s a little sickly sweet though & I was glad that I didn’t do any more layers or designs on top. You don’t really want to be eating too much of that stuff.

Well that’s a whole afternoon gone obviously. I learnt a few lessons & would try it again another day when I have a day to kill. I’m especially keen to try a 3 tiered lopsided cake that I keep seeing around online. It looks especially awesome.