After what feels like years of threatening to make a cake, cookie, or something from our products, Shey called my bluff and dropped a sheet cake in my lap and said "Well, let's see it mister."
So Friday night at the office after everyone left and printers were loaded up, I pulled it out of the fridge and gave it a go.
I had already printed our 15" Meat Cleaver Cookie, or in this case, Cake Cutter because who doesn't need one of those as we get closer to Halloween. So I grabbed the cutter, the sheet cake and some miscellaneous things around the office and started on my first cake.
I didn't really know (still don't) what I was doing. First I cut two cleavers out of the cake. Yes, two because Shey wanted a two layer cake. Next, I tried to use some frosting to put them together. As I put the spatula into the frosting container, I realize my first mistake.
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Now either the frosting that was in the fridge was either made out of cement or it was pretty close to frozen. I turned to Alexa, "Alexa, defrost my icing.". Well evidently the microwave doesn't have a setting for that and I had to guess.
Fast forward 6 minutes on low and we have something that resembles icing and I get the two pieces of cake together. At this point, I sent Shey a pick and said "I am doing it!!!"
I am glad I sent that text, as she told me something I wasn't going to do. Thinly ice the cake before putting the fondant on. I start icing the cake and things take a turn. The cake starts calving like the glaciers in the in the Artic. Panic starts to set in. Screw it, I have gloves on I will use my hands to fix this. In the end I get some thing of an iced cake, though, thinly is definitely not a word I would use to describe it.
Fondant, I have seen people do this on TV, it doesn't look that hard. I read the package and it says to make sure you have everything you need and work quickly.
Fondust? Check. Rolling pin? Check. Knife? Ummm, my pocket knife will have to do, check.
I grab what can only be described as an ridiculous amount of this stuff that is clay made out of sugar and dump WAY to much Super Black Fondust in the middle of it. I start to work the fondant only to realize every time I fold it back on itself it is blowing out the dust like an Arizona dust storm. With one hand I mix with the other I clean up my mess chanting in my head "Work quickly, work quickly". After a bit, I fear I am going to over work the fondant or dry it out. So I stop with a marble look. We are calling that look Damascus for the this knife, I mean that is what all the guys on Forged in Fire make, so its a win right?
I get the fondant on and trimmed. At this point, Shey sees a photo and calls. She informs me that "Work quickly" and my fears are garbage. Take my time and just keep mixing until it is completely worked in. OK then, on to the handle. Things go better. I am prepared for the coming dust storm and manage that better and I mix and I mix and I mix and finally it is brown. I get it on the cake and realize I need to cover the seams.
I think I am getting the hang of this fondant stuff. I run and grab a small circle cutter and some Gold Fondust. This time I use a more appropriate amount of fondant and mix that gold in. I cut a few circle for the pins of the handle and a strip to cover the seam.
With all the fondant done, time for the blood, I mean Red Cake Drip. "Alexa, heat up my cake drip.", again no setting. Amazon really needs to add some settings to this popcorn cooker.
With Shey on a video call she suggests I squirt it in my hand and grab the handle. Word of advice, cake drip just out of the microwave can be a little warm. Well on it goes and with a little tilt of the cardboard the cake is on, the blood drips go on.
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All in all, I am happy with the cake. More importantly I had fun and I want to do more. I will leave this post with one final thought.
If you want to do something but are afraid of screwing up or don't know where to start the answer is by opening the fridge and taking out the sheet cake. Time is going to pass whether you do it or not. So fill that time with action and not in action, you will be glad you did.