This year, my daughter wanted a 2-tier cake with a balloon theme. After a short search, we both found a beautiful cake. Read here how we got on:
Instructions for a 2-tier balloon cake with fondant
Ingredients:
- 2 kg white Fondant (we used the rolled fondant from allestorte.at: Rolled fondant)
- Gel colors (we used the gel colors from allestorte.at: Gel color set)
- 2 cakes (e.g., a Cup cake)
- Any ganache, I made the recipe for milk chocolate
- large work mat/fondant mat
- rolling pin for the fondant
- Fondant modeling tools (smoother and pointed pen)
- cake pan: round, diameter 24 cm and round, diameter 18 cm
- letter cutters
- Cake pop sticks
Instructions:
We decided on a chocolate Cup cake and baked it in the morning. Only after it had cooled down well did we start decorating in the afternoon. For this, the ganache and let it cool down or harden a little. It is best to spread the ganache on the cake with a dough scraper. Also let the ganache dry slightly.
Then we rolled out a large piece of white fondant (approx. 800 g white fondant) on the large work mat using a fondant rolling pin.
Caution: The fondant should not be rolled out too thin so that it does not tear.
With the help of the rolling pin and my daughter, we placed the fondant on the cake and pressed it down well with the smoother. Carefully cut off the bottom edge that sticks out with a knife. Clean parts of the fondant can still be used for further decoration.
For the 2nd tier, do the same with less fondant (approx. 500 g), roll it out again, and spread it over the cake.
Extra info: With 2 tiers using a Sacher cake base, the tier is no problem and won't be compressed. If it contains cream, you must insert straws into the bottom cake; 3 pieces are enough. Cut these to the height of the cake and simply insert them into the cake. Use a cut-to-size piece of cardboard for the top cake – this can be wrapped in cling film. Place the top cake on this and position it on the bottom cake. I didn't want to use straws since we only made a chocolate base. But since Lara is the pro thanks to Sally, we inserted 3 straws and it held up perfectly.
Then it was time for the colorful decoration of the cake. For this, we colored the white fondant with the gel colors from the Gel color set colored.
Extra tip: start with the light colors and slowly get darker, making sure the work mat stays nice and clean, otherwise it will additionally stain the fondant.
For coloring, take a desired amount of white fondant in your hand and use a toothpick or small spoon to take only a little of the colors. The gel colors really color very well. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, use plastic bags or disposable gloves for coloring.
We first colored yellow, then orange, red, green, and blue, as well as some purple. We wanted to make the stripes on the cake first. To do this, take a piece of colored fondant in the desired size, roll it into a roll, and smooth it with the rolling pin. Cut the ends nicely with a knife and attach the strip to the cake. It held very well for us; if not, you can use a little water, but be careful with colored fondant, as it leaves marks once applied.
For the bow, roll out a blue fondant into a wide strip, cut both ends nicely, and fold them towards the center. It is best to fill the cavities with, for example, a pen and let them harden in the fridge. Wrap another strip of blue fondant nicely around the center of the bow. For the 'ribbon' of the bow, roll a long strip of blue fondant into a roll and smooth it with the rolling pin. Attach the strip to the cake, press firmly, and cut the ends nicely and press them on as well.
First, we made the lollipops: To do this, roll 2 colors into thin rolls and twist them together. Lay the twisted strands into a circle and stick them onto the cake pop stick. It is best to put the lollipops in the fridge for a while to harden, then they hold better. Do not make the strands too thick here, otherwise, it will be too heavy for the sticks.
The next step was the balloons: To do this, roll and shape the colored fondant into oval balloons. Stick the finished balloons onto the cake pop sticks and it is best to let them harden a bit in the fridge again, then they hold better on the stick.
To give the bottom edge of the cake a nice finish, we shaped colored fondant in yellow, red, orange, and green into balls and placed them around the cake.
Extra tip: To ensure the cake doesn't get too hard, wrap it carefully with cling film and keep it cool. Only insert the lollipops into the cake shortly before serving.
I must say, I really liked the cake myself; it was a lovely idea from my daughter and was not that hard to make at all. The children at the birthday party were also thrilled – every child wanted their own lollipop or balloon, which is something you might want to keep in mind.
For the pros: You can surely see it, unfortunately, in all the excitement about the 2 tiers, I forgot the ganache. So I would have tried that too, and I must say, it worked out well anyway; the fondant held up well, only you can naturally see that the cake is uneven. The children enjoyed it anyway.
Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Read also: Instructions for a judo cake
