Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi
Just doing my first carved cake for an 18th birthday. Fortunately it’s a football shirt so a nice easy shape to start with. I have carved and filled with buttercream. I am now going to have my first go at ganaching the cake.
Once I have finished adding the ganache do I put it in the fridge to set before adding the sugarpaste. Saw Paul do this on the jimmy choo tutorial and then add the sugarpaste to the top.

My worries are if the ganache has set how does the sugarpaste stick to it? Usually I have used buttercream as a coating which the sugarpaste sticks to or wet the marzipan when doing a fruit cake.

Thanks for any help x

Hello jb1958

Pop the cake in the fridge for the ganache to set, it should be fine just to put the fondant straight onto the ganache. You can, if you want, very slightly dampen the ganache with water, use a brush like Paul does. You’ll find it’s much easier than icing on buttercream! x

Thank you
Have now got a ganached cake in the fridge x not as easy as Paul makes it look lol but pleased with my first attempt. Managed to eventually get it nice and smooth x
Will leave in fridge tonight then cover and decorate it tomoz x thanks for your advice miwl x

If the cake is staying in the fridge overnight it may be better in a box. Sometimes if the fridge is too cold the ganache can crack and can be difficult to smooth it out. If you haven’t got a box, don’t have the the temperature setting too cold. G’d luck with it tomorrow. x Post with results x

Okay here’s what happened

Didn’t leave the cake in fridge overnight (thanks miwl for the advice).

Covered in red sugarpaste then cut it and did sleeves in white (Arsenal shirt)
Had a bit of a nightmare with the red sugarpaste lots of work to get it smooth but got there eventually.
Put a Nike logo, name and 18 on which I had to cut freehand which took a bit of time to get right. Then put blue and red stripes on the sleeves.

Really pleased with it but now have the Arsenal badge to put on tomoz which I’m a bit worried about. It’s printed cupcake size onto paper. Was told to put in freezer for 10 mins before removing from paper. Not really sure how to do this but fingers crossed hopefully it will be ok.

Well looks like you got it all sewn up! or is baked up and dec’d up? I think the idea of placing the badge in the fridge is so it stays fairly rigid when you’re peeling the back of it off. x

The badge worked x don’t know what I was worrying about lol x

Great when a plan comes together!! xx I have to admit I stress out when I think things are not going to plan. I remember in one of the tutorials Paul says not to stress because it shows in the decorating, that’s such sound advice. x

Glad I read through all this. Going to try the ganache crumb coat for the first time tomorrow.