Please Help!--- Fondant Dragon
Hi there, I am making a 3 tiered medieval castle cake for my mother in law's birthday and want to make a large fondant dragon to curl around the cake from the bottom to the top. This means that the dragon will be quite large. I want to make the dragon in advance but am not sure how long the fondant icing will keep and how I should store the dragon once made. Does anyone know a way that I can keep the dragon for a few weeks? (I don't think the dragon will be eaten, it is really just for show). Hope someone can help me, thanks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Eileen S on
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Alison - as long as the dragon is just fondant, you can keep in at room temperature in a dry place for a long time. (I currently have a little girl figure I made in November of 2010 - yes, over a year ago! - in a cupboard and, aside from some fading on her pink dress, looks perfect still). It will dry out and harden, however, so if you are going to have it curl around your cake, you may want to wrap it around a styrofoam cake dummy that's been covered in plastic wrap that is the same size as your finished cake will be. Also - once it's dry, it may be difficult to maneuver into position on a frosted/fondanted cake. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Genevieve Sanchez (Love A Cake) on
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hi alison,
i hope this tip can help you, if you look at my tiered winter dragon new year' cake here, i made the head and feet in advance but not the body, i put the body which is made of rice krispies after i stacked my cake and then just covered it with impressioned cut-out in oval fondant. then attached the head and feet and backbone scale if you want, coz if you make the body in advance out fo fondant for sure it will dry up and harden and it might not fit into your cake and you will end up doing it again, so instead of spending time to do it again, just take your time doing it while your cake is already stacked and finished.
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Permalink Reply by Bonnie Culberson on
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Hi Alison, I made a dragon that was about 10 -12" high, sitting on top of a castle keep, on a castle cake a while back. I made it all out of rice crispie treats that you hold together with the melted chocolate bits. Than I covered it all in fondant. This was more than 3 months ago, and the lady still has the dragon under a clear dome to show people ??? It's harder than a rock now.. ha ha .. won't want to try and eat it at this point, that's for sure. I'll try to upload a photo, (I'm new here, just signed on and saw your post). Good luck, I sure had fun making the dragon. oh, and you may want to use some wood sticks like the ones for kabobs, to hold the neck and the wings. (I did make the wings out of the chocolate bits, as I had a mold for wings).
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Permalink Reply by Jay Murphy on
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Sounds like fun. Agree with the others make him in sections. Assemble the body parts on the cake Then apply a final "skin" layer once the cake is done. If you have dummies use them as a guide for the dragon. The cake may still be slightly different size than the dummies and not as sturdy. Keep this in mind the cake may not hold all the weight. have several brace points. Depending on the actual design plan on anchoring him maybe with a sturdy rowel to the base (I drill a screw thru the bottom into the dowel) or horizontal supports also.
Always remember staking into cake is delicate. Use just the minimum needed and vertical and horizontal only. If heavy item try to support to the base. It can be made and dried. If rice cereal is not sturdy enough use aluminum foil it forms well and holds shape.
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Thank you all so much for your fantastic ideas. I had never thought of making the body of the dragon from rice crispies! Do you simply mix rice crispies with chocolate or do you add anything else? You probably realise that I am very new to cake decorating on this scale; hopefully the dragon will end up looking something like a dragon (rather than a dinosaur!). I will post a photo of the cake once it is finished. Using a dummy is also a brilliant idea - thank you all xx
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Genevieve, you're New year's Dragon cake is absolutely beautiful! I am sure mine will not be anywhere near as good as I do not have your artistic flair. Thankyou so much for sharing the picture with me, you have inspired me!
Genevieve Sanchez said:hi alison,
i hope this tip can help you, if you look at my tiered winter dragon new year' cake here, i made the head and feet in advance but not the body, i put the body which is made of rice krispies after i stacked my cake and then just covered it with impressioned cut-out in oval fondant. then attached the head and feet and backbone scale if you want, coz if you make the body in advance out fo fondant for sure it will dry up and harden and it might not fit into your cake and you will end up doing it again, so instead of spending time to do it again, just take your time doing it while your cake is already stacked and finished.
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you make rice crispy treats with marshmallows,(just use your search for a recipe, very easy to make), while it's still warm you shape it the way you want, (grease your hands with crisco, it's very sticky). You can keep reheating it at like 30 second intervilles to keep it pliable.after you get it shaped the way you want or when adding more rct to the shape and it's not sticking to it's self, than you use the melted chocolate bits. Coat it with the chocolate when you're done sculpting, let it cool completely before adding the fondant. The fondant will stick to the chocolate. ( I did post a photo of the dragon if you're interested). Good luck and have fun !
Alison Dawson said:Thank you all so much for your fantastic ideas. I had never thought of making the body of the dragon from rice crispies! Do you simply mix rice crispies with chocolate or do you add anything else? You probably realise that I am very new to cake decorating on this scale; hopefully the dragon will end up looking something like a dragon (rather than a dinosaur!). I will post a photo of the cake once it is finished. Using a dummy is also a brilliant idea - thank you all xx
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Bonnie, your dragon is fantastic! Thank you for putting the photo on for me. I will look for a recipe for the crispie treats - I think this might be an American invention as I've never heard of it in England (although I have not been cake decorating for long).
Bonnie Culberson said:you make rice crispy treats with marshmallows,(just use your search for a recipe, very easy to make), while it's still warm you shape it the way you want, (grease your hands with crisco, it's very sticky). You can keep reheating it at like 30 second intervilles to keep it pliable.after you get it shaped the way you want or when adding more rct to the shape and it's not sticking to it's self, than you use the melted chocolate bits. Coat it with the chocolate when you're done sculpting, let it cool completely before adding the fondant. The fondant will stick to the chocolate. ( I did post a photo of the dragon if you're interested). Good luck and have fun !
Alison Dawson said:Thank you all so much for your fantastic ideas. I had never thought of making the body of the dragon from rice crispies! Do you simply mix rice crispies with chocolate or do you add anything else? You probably realise that I am very new to cake decorating on this scale; hopefully the dragon will end up looking something like a dragon (rather than a dinosaur!). I will post a photo of the cake once it is finished. Using a dummy is also a brilliant idea - thank you all xx
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Permalink Reply by Tracy Deadman on
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HI Alison,
a fellow UK-er here. If you don't know what a rice crispie treat should be like just have a look in Tesco and in the cereal aisle where the oat bars are you will find some in a bright blue pack made by Kellogs. Proper snap, crackle and pop ones :) This will give you an idea of the consistancy your home made version will need to be. It molds really easily. Can't wait to see your dragon.
Best wishes, Tracy
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Hi Tracy,
Thank you for the Tesco suggestion, I'll get some after work (trying to diet though so will have to avoid eating them!). :0)
Tracy Deadman said:HI Alison,
a fellow UK-er here. If you don't know what a rice crispie treat should be like just have a look in Tesco and in the cereal aisle where the oat bars are you will find some in a bright blue pack made by Kellogs. Proper snap, crackle and pop ones :) This will give you an idea of the consistancy your home made version will need to be. It molds really easily. Can't wait to see your dragon.
Best wishes, Tracy
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thanx for the compliment too alison, if me can do why can't you right?, i am new to cake decorating too and not even a licensed one, it's just a hobby for me and a self taught coz i don't have enough time and money to take lessons with three young kids almost everything for me is very expensive LOL!, i just always wait if one of family and friends got a special occassion and have chance to do cake, it will be another chance for me to learn more and get better :)
Alison Dawson said:Genevieve, you're New year's Dragon cake is absolutely beautiful! I am sure mine will not be anywhere near as good as I do not have your artistic flair. Thankyou so much for sharing the picture with me, you have inspired me!
Genevieve Sanchez said:hi alison,
i hope this tip can help you, if you look at my tiered winter dragon new year' cake here, i made the head and feet in advance but not the body, i put the body which is made of rice krispies after i stacked my cake and then just covered it with impressioned cut-out in oval fondant. then attached the head and feet and backbone scale if you want, coz if you make the body in advance out fo fondant for sure it will dry up and harden and it might not fit into your cake and you will end up doing it again, so instead of spending time to do it again, just take your time doing it while your cake is already stacked and finished.
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Thanks Alison, glad you like the dragon. I almost didn't want to part with him, he was so fun to make ! ; ) I'm also new at cake decor, just started doing cake sculpting last Spring. I enjoy it so much. If you have any questions at all on how I did something, please ask, I would be proud to help. ( I did use white chocolate bits to cover him before I put the fondant on. Than I used "luster" and "pearl" dusts to color him after he was all put togetherand marked ). To make him look like he had "scales", I ued a straw, cut the tip in half to make it look like a "smile" or a "C", than went all over the fondant gently pushing the straw in to make the marks of scales. Have fun !
Alison Dawson said:Bonnie, your dragon is fantastic! Thank you for putting the photo on for me. I will look for a recipe for the crispie treats - I think this might be an American invention as I've never heard of it in England (although I have not been cake decorating for long).
Bonnie Culberson said:you make rice crispy treats with marshmallows,(just use your search for a recipe, very easy to make), while it's still warm you shape it the way you want, (grease your hands with crisco, it's very sticky). You can keep reheating it at like 30 second intervilles to keep it pliable.after you get it shaped the way you want or when adding more rct to the shape and it's not sticking to it's self, than you use the melted chocolate bits. Coat it with the chocolate when you're done sculpting, let it cool completely before adding the fondant. The fondant will stick to the chocolate. ( I did post a photo of the dragon if you're interested). Good luck and have fun !
Alison Dawson said:Thank you all so much for your fantastic ideas. I had never thought of making the body of the dragon from rice crispies! Do you simply mix rice crispies with chocolate or do you add anything else? You probably realise that I am very new to cake decorating on this scale; hopefully the dragon will end up looking something like a dragon (rather than a dinosaur!). I will post a photo of the cake once it is finished. Using a dummy is also a brilliant idea - thank you all xx
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