Once again, I'm coming back to the Superman Bursting out a Cake {Exploding Cake Tutorial}. This will be the last installment of this series of tutorials. Are you ready? How to Put Stars on Wires for Cakes... let's go!
If you missed previous ones, here are the first 3:
So today, I'm going to show you this simple tutorial on how to put stars on wires on a cake. This tutorial would also work for other shapes. I've done music notes on wires before.. and balloons on wires for this Hello Kitty Cake!
The supplies you'll need are:
- Rolling Pin
- Mat or smooth surface
- Cutters
- Fondant/Gum Paste
- Wires (I usually use 22 gauge, 6" long)... I also buy them here.)
- Sugar glue (made with tylose) or just water (read more about this here), or even melted chocolate works perfectly!
- Paint brush
- Shortening and/or corn starch (to prevent sticking)
So, to start, you're going to roll out your fondant. You'll want it pretty thin and if you want the fondant to dry a little stiff, be sure to mix some tylose in (or use gum paste). Be sure to coat your surface with shortening or corn starch to prevent sticking (not necessary if using a seasoned mat).
I use The Mat to roll out all of my fondant and it's probably one of the best investments I've made in my arsenal of cake supplies. Granted it's less than $20 - so it's not a huge investment, but worth every penny!
Next you'll cut out the stars (or other shape). Cut out twice as many as you want of the finished product (if you need 10 stars, cut out 20).
Then paint one side of the stars (the side you don't want to show) with sugar glue or water. If you use water, be sure to use a very, very thin coat so it doesn't run or drip out.
Then lay a wire in the center of the star...
and sandwich another on top of it.
Now you could go ahead and use them right away, but you risk them maybe sagging or sliding down the wire. It's best to let them dry at least overnight!
But when you are ready to use them, here's how I do it. While you could stick them directly into the cake, that might not be "food safe" and they may lean over or sag.
So when I get them all done, I put several of them together (I can usually squeeze 4 or 5 in at once) and slide them into a coffee straw. Then I bend them to spread them out! Just FYI, I buy my coffee straws at Walmart, on the aisle with the paper products (paper plates, plastic wrap, regular straws, foil, etc.).
And insert the straw into the cake! If you have or want lots more, just use more than one coffee straw and insert them right next to each other in the cake! I used two on this cake.
And that's that... a finished Superman cake!
Yaneri -Sweet Baker
Awesome Rose!!! Thank U!!! Love tutorials like these!! U make them so much fun to read!!! I learn so much from you!!!
Yaneri 🙂
Rose
You're very welcome Yaneri.. and thanks for always leaving me comments! It makes my day 🙂
Julie Farris
Thank you Rose for sharing all of your recipes, tutorials, and tips! They are so helpful and greatly appreciated!
Rose
Aww, thanks Julie! I love what I do and am SUPER happy to know it's helping!
jamie
Where do you purchase the wire from?
Rose
I either buy it on Amazon (here) or from Country Kitchen SweetArt.
jamie
Thank you. Im making a cake and cupcakes with stars shooting out of them this weekend. I bought the wires that Duff sells at Michael craft store. Becuase the fondant s so heavy the wire tend to move out of the position I placed them. I was hoping I could buy what you used at a local store. Thanks for your help!
Rose
I included your question in my reader Q&A post today! http://rosebakes.com/reader-qa-zebra-stripes-with-frilly-bow-cake-stars-on-wires/
sally
I am making a 1st birthday cake for my Grandson which is on Sat 16th March. I would love to make the bursting stars, but just wondered if I could just use the fondant instead of adding tylose. I would like them to be edible.
I have never attempted a big task like this..... normally just cupcakes and banana cake, lol.
thanking you in advance for any useful tips.
sally x
Rose
You could try it with plain fondant, you may just have to let them dry longer (maybe a day or two longer). And the Tylose doesn't make them inedible - they're just dry harder!
sally
Thank you x
I shall have a bash at making some today & hope they don't snap when adding them to the cake (last minute of course).
sally x
kathleen smallman
hi this is a fabulous cake but where can i get superman candles in the uk the only one i can find is £17 but i think that is a stupid price for a candle do you have any ideas regards kath
Rose
Oh wow - that's crazy! I have only ordered them from Amazon, so I'm not sure where else you might could get one! Sorry!
Angie
Me gusto el tutorial, me podrias ayudar como se hace la apertura para no dañar el fondant en donde se pone la vela, gracias saludos desde Ecuador.
Rose
No hay de qué! 🙂
Angie
Creo que la traduccion no es la correcta.
quise decir como hacer el hueco en el fondant donde va superman en el centro, como se hace para no dañar la torta.
blizzy
How can I make the wires? Nice job u r good
Sandra
We ordered a special 9" cake from a very highly esteemed bakery for my granddaughter's 7th birthday. We had enquired about a "fairy" or "butterfly" -decorated cake and were told that they would make a cake with a "forest" and flowers so that we could put a fairy in the middle of the forest, but they would not supply the fairy. We accordingly bought a inedible "flower fairy"chosen by our granddaughter to place on top of the cake. To my horror, when we picked up the cake just before the party we saw only some kind of flowers arranged around the cake sides, with only the "Happy Birthday --" written on top; we were warned that the flowers were inedible. Later I discovered that every leaf and flower and bud were attached to the iced cake with separate wires stuck in the side! We had to remove all the decorations before we could serve the cake to the children.
I am very upset about this since it seems to me that there was potential for harm if a child had put a tiny decoration in mouth, with wire unseen! I also had to pay an additional $20 for "decoration" when I ordered the cake; this kind of cake (lemon) they normally sell iced/frosted with sugar flowers on top, and name etc. for no extra change.
I will appreciate your comments, and what i should do. Thank you in advance.
Lisa
my goodness... that is too bad. It may be too late to get any satisfactory resolve from this as the event is over. Or, you might consider writing a well-meaning yet informative letter expressing your disappointment & take/mail to that bakery, including the important details as you've done on this site. It's possible that when your particular order was done, it wasn't handled by the owners, and/or someone in training. The other thought is they simply might not specialize in children's cakes, or anything considered "special order", etc.. and this is an opportunity for you to shed some light for them to make improvements in this business. Who knows, they might thank you for your time to bring this to their attention, give you a discount, refund, or another specialty item at no cost( the smart thing to keep a customer happy). Most people in a hard-working, honest business not only appreciate the feedback, but want it to make them better for other customers down the road. Simply ignoring the problem, yet telling everyone around you about your bad experience just sits there like the elephant in the room. Before long, that poor bakery could be losing business and wonder why. Hopefully you won't have that happen in the future, and yet I'm sure you enjoyed the child's party regardless of this glitch. Best wishes... Lisa
Lisa Klausman
I just tried to respond & something happened to my post, so here goes again 🙂
I'm sorry this happened to you, such memories of something special and then this, how frustrating. My thought is to write a letter to send/mail to the owners,explaining the details as worded on this site and how disappointed you were. Who know, they might appreciate your feedback, and when your order was done, it might have not been done by the owner, or someone in training, or simply due to the fact that they didn't know how to customize your order properly. Lack of training, ignorance, what have you. Most honest, hard-working businesses appreciate feedback so this doesn't happen to future customers. This is far more productive than doing nothing but telling everyone around you about the bad experience, like the elephant in the room. And, they might give you a refund, discount or another item at no charge( as most good companies would do to keep a customer happy). This creates an environment of better quality control and subsequently satisfies you. Hope that helps, all the best... Lisa K.
Sandra
Thank you. I gather from your reply that it is not the usual thing to use those pins on cakes for young children?
This bakery does special orders all the time; they showed me a picture of a cake for a child's birthday with big flowers and leaves made from sugar on the cake! I do plan to take the remnants of the flowers, pins etc. which were taken off the cake, and hope to get an explanation. I shall look at your website again.
Lisa Klausman
Hi Sandra, I'm just responding on this post, but I'm not Rose( owner of RoseBakes).. she had asked friends to jump in on this discussion of your dilemma. I'm not sure about the pins/wires on children's cakes, but I would assume from a liability standpoint, any of this kind of thing needs to easy to remove without destroying the initial design or causing a problem while handling. Rose, what do you suggest? Lisa K.
Deb Studstill
I love your tutorials & how hands on u r w/ ppl like me who need help from time to time - when i made the shooting stars I didn't double them up like u did, I tried 2 but for me they were too bulky - maybe I didn't roll out my fondant as much as u, I just wet it & stck it thru the middle of the star & let them dry then sprayed them the colors I need - lol thats all I wanted to say & thank you - I often visit your page for useful tips & info which have helped me, im no pro like u - as I am just teaching myself as I go - u are a big help thank you very much for putting your time in to help us 🙂 if u ever have time U can look thru my pics as well 🙂
Margie Fuller
Sandra, when you ask, what we suggest you do, are you meaning what you should do to the cake? or whether you should take this up with the baker?
Sandra
I think that I mean is "am I correct in saying that these pins/short wires should not be used in cakes made specifically for children"?
I have put all the pieces, washed, in a plastic bag, and plan to take them to the bakery and ask them to please never again use these for a children's cake.
I think I understand why they charged so much extra for a "special cake", since they must have bought all these flowers and leaves, and also arranged them. But it is not what I asked for.
Thank you for your comments.
Diani
Hi there, love the tutorial thank you!.I'm making these stars for my son's bday cake. Can I succesfully insert these on a buttercream cake instead of fondant cake? If so how? I'm afraid of the stars sinking in or falling if too heavy for buttercream but I haven't tried them yet just want to avoid that from happening. Any suggestions? Thanks
Rose
I can't say for sure because I haven't done it, but I think if you insert the coffee straws all the way into the cake and then put the wires in those, they'd do okay standing up on a cake. I would try it on the sides or at angles though!
ana
hi! thanks for the tutorial. i just started baking and this tutorial is very helpful coz i will be baking a cake for my nephew. he wants a supwrman cake 🙂 i just hope to make this as beautiful as yours..
A Capri
can the same principle be used with letters?
Rose
If the letters are sturdy enough - yes!
Dolores
Thanks for great tutorial! I have plain silver wires from Michael's & florist tape. I have already cut stars & placed the wire (mine were a bit thicker, so I slid wire in the middle). My question is, how do I cover the wires? I don't have the straws you mention. I want to keep it "food safe". Thanks again! 🙂
Rose
You should be able to find the coffee straws at any grocery store or Walmart., but any straws should work to keep the wires from touching the cake - other than that, I'm not sure.
Brenda
How much gumpaste to you add to fondant to strengthen it?
Rose
I use 1-2 tsp. per pound.
Omotayo
Hi Rose, thanks for the tutorial. I only have 28 gauge wires and they're quite thin. Will this work or can I double them to make it sturdy enough for each star?
Rose
I haven't used 28 gauge before, but I'd make one as a test and stand it up on styrofoam to see if it'll hold . If not, maybe twist 2 together?
Connie
Hi Rose thank you for this tutorial. Just want to ask if it's safe to eat the sugar paste since we inserted the wire directly into it?! Thanks.
Marian
what type of wire do you use - is there any special kind of wire to use for these or normal flower making wires and what is the gauge size
Marian
Dear Rose
Thank you so much for the tutorial I was waiting to do this - would you mind telling me
what type of wire do you use - is there any special kind of wire to use for these or normal flower making wires and what is the gauge size?
regards
Marian
ziba
Hi Rose,
thanks for your great tutorials,
I've got a question, have you done this with chocolate instead of fondant? do you reckon that it is possible? I just sent you a photo in Facebook message, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
cheers,
Ziba
Tatiana
Hi Rose! Love this cake! Too cute! I can't see to well from the pics so my Q is, do u use white wires the way they are or do u peel and just use the wire. I've been searching for the wire with no covering but I can't find any. I'm just nervouse that the wire will show too much with the white. Thanks
Rose
I use the white wires just the way they are! They also sell them green, or you could use food markers to color the white.
Tatiana
Omg! What a great idea!!! I never thought of colouring them! But if u use white wires the way they are and your cakes look flawless, then I also feel confident enough to use it in white. Thanks for your blog! And for your good ideas!
sonya
this was super easy to follow.. I have been researching this for months and finally someone who could explain this with ease... THANKS!!!!
Rose
Awww, so glad to hear it!! xx
Pooja
Love the detailed tutorials Rose! All the pics definitely make it easier to recreate an elaborate cake like this. I'm looking forward to making this soon!
Brenda
Hi Rose
I am making the wedding cake for my son.
They want butterflies on their cake. They want 2 colours of butterflies coming together in the middle.
I was wondering how to get detail on butterflies wings. I have put a little glitter onto the Tylose paste but think that they need depth. I had wondered about putting a doylie down and rolling the paste on that.
Any suggestions?
Rose Atwater
There are actually butterfly plunger/cutters that have texture. Check them out here: http://amzn.to/1UAFfar
Julie
Rose thank you very much showing pictures as well as explaining how to do complex cakes such as the exploding cake and stars. This is a great website full of information and ideas.
Rose Atwater
You're very welcome! Thank you for reading!
Mariss
Hi maam Rose.. Thaaaank you so much for sharing your expertise.. Im only new in baking and I've learned so much from you... GOD BLESS YOU MAAM..
Susan at RoseBakes.com
Hi Mariss! Thanks for stopping by the blog and leaving such a sweet comment.
Robyn
How do i attach tooth picks to fondant flat animal shapes to stand up on cup cakes baby shower
Rose Atwater
Maybe melted candy melts?
Fiona
Hello!
I've just stumbled across your post and I'd love to get the affect you have of the centre of the cake almost exploding (the icing folded over).
How do you do this please?
Thank you so much
Rose
Here you go: http://rosebakes.com/superman-bursting-out-of-the-cake-exploding-cake-tutorial-part-1/ and http://rosebakes.com/superman-bursting-out-of-the-cake-exploding-cake-tutorial-part-2/
Kira Saunders
Hi rose
What a great tutorial i have just not long started out baking cake for friends and other family members, but i have a request from my children to make a beer cake for their dad for fathers day, but they want the beer can floating in mid air. I did go out yesterday and brought galvanised garden wire by mistake can i still use that please (i do have ordinary drinking straws aswell)? Thank u fir any responce to my question xx
Susan
Hi Kira, thanks for stopping by the blog. As long as the wire isn't actually touching the cake, that wire should be fine. The drinking straws will work, too. If they are moving around too much in the straw, you can fill it with chocolate or candy melts to keep it stable.
Kira Saunders
Aww brilliant thank u susan xx
SJ
What's the best gauge wire to use to attach fondant stars on to? Thank you, SJ
Susan
In this tutorial Rose uses 22 gauge wire. I have also used 18 and 20 gauge. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
jayne dodds
thank you for clear and concise instructions and with pictures. 🙂 I couldnt do this as I was using a single thicker fondant shape. can't wait to try again using your method.