Not just any cake, but a popsicle shaped caked that I found in the book "Planet Cake." Being overly ambitious and somewhat arrogant, I decided to skip the "easier" cakes of circles and squares and go straight to the "advanced" shaped cakes. This was my first mistake of many.
Although I have worked with fondant before, and at times with more odd cakes, I had never attempted a shaped cake. Shaped meaning it is not just smooth or flat edges. Shaped meaning ADVANCED. But again, my mind is a dreamer so I felt this would be no problem.
I am posting a series of step-by-step pictures of my popsicle cake, along with what it was supposed to look like. I enlisted the help of my excited toddler and impatient husband. My second mistake.
I did not follow the directions in the book (again, arrogance). I did not do ANYTHING right! Did I mention I had a toddler and impatient husband as my "assistants?" By the end of my week long process to bake 2 cakes, make and set ganache, shape the cake, ganache the cake, color the fondant, roll the fondant, cover the cake, and attempt to add the last detail of the second layer of fondant (the dripping chocolate coating, which I didn't have enough brown coloring for), I was just done with the stupid thing. I realized it was far too advanced, no matter how "easy it looked."
If I had proper tools and had more time to sit down and smooth out the ganache, and work with the fondant a little more, I would've been much happier with the results. But being a perfectionist and detail-oriented, I just wasn't having this lumpy cake. It definitely isn't smooth and crisp like the book's!
CURSES!
The tiny popsicle stick was added for comedic effect :)
