Bringing back the past – Cake Tutorial

I made this cake back in November last year for my then boyfriends 28th birthday. He had mentioned casually that he would like a guitar cake but was really just joking. I took him seriously and below is a bit of a tutorial on how I actually got from thinking about making a cake to eating it!

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How to make a cake!

Not just anycake… but the most awesome of all cakes!

A Guitar Hero II cake!

1. Freak out for about a month about how crazy you were to consider making the cake. Spend hours googling “decorating cakes”, “cake fillings” and “OMG AM I CRAZY”

2. Pick up bits and pieces for making the cake over the course of the month… spending over $100 just on “stuff”.

3. Cut out templates for the cake and start making the “extra” pieces by rolling out coloured icing and cutting to size. put these in an airtight container to harden.

4. Order the sheet cake from a bakery that doesnt know what you’re talking about so you have to speak to three people before they understand.

5. Look at the sheet cake and wonder how you will cut the pieces out, use wax paper to make templates (make sure you have right side up and wrong side up layers so you have a flat surface on the top) and then cut! put all the cut off pieces of cake in a bowl to snack on.

6. Cut cake board to fit into box that the actual guitar came in. put cake in box and go to bed.

7. Go to work, freak out some more about how this is all going to come together since you’re going to a gig and have a house guest for the weekend.

8. Before the gig, start making icing (white chocolate butter cream), filling (dark chocolate ganache) and drinking wine (brown brothers, dolchetto and syrah). the wine will relax you some what and make the nerves go away for an hour or so.

9. Put icing on the cake board and lay the first layer on the board with the right side up. you do not want the cake sliding off when you move it around.

10. Once the filling has cooled in the freezer to make it solid enough to spread without running down the edges cover the first layer liberally. dont go to close to the edges (it will discolour the outer icing if it bleeds out).

11. Stand back and marvel at the first layer being complete. then put the top layer on (right side down, so that the flat bottom of the cake is your flat top surface). wow! it looks like a guitar.

12. Brush away all the crumbs from the cake and using the icing which has also been cooled in the freezer cover entire cake in a thin layer. this is to seal in the crumbs as well as adding some moisture.

13. Now its time to get rolling! kneed the fondant icing till it is softened and then roll out, using the wax paper template to check the size. dont forget you need overhang to cover the sides.

14. FREAK OUT about how to get the massive flat icing onto the cake, request assistance from the “only hours to go till my birthday” boy.

15. Lay the icing flat on the cake and gently pull the sheet back without stretching the icing. Smooth the corners and press the icing to the cake firmly but not roughly. use a fondant smoother to remove finger marks and any weird lines. cut the excess icing from the board and press the icing under the cake, smoothing as you go.

16. Stand back and marvel some more at the icing being half way complete.

17. Kneed the black icing with 1/3 white icing to get a better consistancy to work with (it doesnt ruin the colour at all! thats how much colour is in the icing!) and cover the already covered cake with cling film to ensure you don’t stain it with the black icing.

18. Roll out the black icing, lay on cake and shape as for the white icing.

19. Stand back and let the “only hours to go till my birthday” boy rock out to the awesomeness that is the cake. put the cake away in its box and go see YOU AM I!

20. Wake up late the next day and then nap on the couch till about 11.30 then have people come over that cant see the cake before the party. wonder when you’ll be able to finish decorating cake. enjoy having people over anyway!

21. Once person that cant see the cake is gone, bend cable knitting needle to make wahwah wand and put icing on end to harden. cut out details from the hardened flats of icing you make earlier. put together on cake with royal icing.

22. Drizzle royal icing on the back of edging ribbon and press to the bottom edge of cake. hide joins in the join of icing.

23. Stand back and marvel in amazement at the finished cake!

24. Go to party, put candles in the cake, get proposed to then cut up cake and eat! ENJOY!

The entire set of photos are in my flickr.

edit: yes, i said yes!