Anyone do cake decorating?

[choc]

I am making a cake for Aidans birthday soon and am not really sure what I am doing! I want to use ready to roll yellow icing to cover it, (its going to look like mr tumbles bag) do I need to put something between the icing and the cake? I have read about marzipan (which I am keen to avoid!) or apricot jam? Or is that used for something totally different?! I am putting spots on the cake also made from ready to roll icing, do they need jam or something to be stuck on?

Still haven't decided what sort of cake to cook either, but thats another story!

 

[Sarahwoo]

If its a sponge just use a butter cream to stick the icing to the cake. There are lots of tutorials on you tube

 

[choc]

Thanks, I thought of you tube but didn't really know what I was looking for! There are different names and types of icing etc!
So make buttercream icing, spread it over, then place the ready to roll over the top?

 

[AP]

^yep
You could use jam too in theory, it's just personal choice

 

[Sarahwoo]

Yep that's it to stick icing to icing I think you would use a tiny bit of water? I'm not sure though lol!

 

[beth_terri]

Roll out the icing (make sure you put icing sugar on the work surface and over the rolling pin or else it will stick), smother the cake with a layer of butter icing and or a jam of your choice (I like to use both if there isn't a layer through the cake, but if there's jam and butter icing through the cake I will just use butter icing), then lay the icing over the rolling pin, I find it much easier this way as the rolling pin holds the icing so is easier to lay it over the cake. And then just smooth the icing xx
Hope that makes sense haha xx

 

[beth_terri]

Oh and the spots, either jam, water or icing sugar mixed with water to make a glue xx

 

[choc]

Ah thank you so much girls! You are brilliant x

 

[FlowerFairy]

Only a couple of things i do ever so slightly differently. Once you "crumb coat" the cake - that's covering in butter cream pop it in the fridge to set. When you roll out your icing use corn flower instead of icing sugar. It seems to work better
You can buy edible glue, but like the girls said a bit of butter cream will do x

 

[choc]

Thanks x