Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

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asked September 19th 2014

How to get sharp edges on a fruit cake

Hello all, I’m a newbie here and an amateur at home baker who has offered to make her friends wedding cake.
I have made and iced many sponge cakes with success but my friend has requested fruit cake.
Any tips on how to get nice sharp edges on a fruit cake?
Thanks in advance
Katie

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accepted

Hello kittywoods

Fruit cakes are definitely easier to get sharp edges on. I did one recently using Shawna Mcreevey’s upside down method as seen here
http://www.cakeflix.com/online-cake-decorating-courses/antique-pot/lesson-12-icing-the-cake
Paul has done this method too but I can’t find which tutorial it was in. Just follow Shawn and you won’t go wrong.
Before covering with marzipan fill any little holes in where the fruit has poked out. This is done with little tiny balls of marzipan and smoothed down level to the surface of the cake. Please don’t use corn flour for rolling out as this can cause fermentation between the cake and marzipan, icing sugar is better. Brush the cake with a little boiled apricot jam to help the marzipan adhere. Leave for a couple of days so the marzipan dries to a nice hard smooth surface, brush with either a little cooled boiled water or vodka to help the icing to adhere.
Google ‘how to ice a fruit cake’ to get the idea. There are lots of tutorials so take a look at a few. Use the flat underside of the cake when icing to avoid the bumpy bits on the top side. Hope some of this helps. x

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Hi, in answer to your question you ice the fruit cake the same as you would a sponge.
In fact personally I find fruit cakes easier to ice and get nice edges as with them being firmer they can stand more pressure and fiddling about with if you get my meaning. It comes out nice either way, wether you do it in panels or all in one go. The only thing I would suggest is if useing marzipan, try and make sure that it’s nice and smooth and all the same thickness, as then the fondant piecing goes on like a dream.
I hope this helps a little, and try not to stress I’m sure as you will see it will turn out fine for you and your friend will love it.
Best wishes for a great outcome, Sharlea. X

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