Grrr!!! Help!!!

[Amanda]

I'm working on my son's birthday cake (2 tomorrow!). I didn't get to start until yesterday because I'd been visiting family 4 hours away until Tuesday. No biggie, though. I can do it!
I am trying to make the cake that is the album cover for cc's birthday cakes. I'd post it to show you, but I can't find it other than as the album cover. Anyway, it's 3 tiers, blue with stripes, diamonds and circles. Really cute, and would work well with Blues Clues and Elmo, which are the current loves of his life. It's challenging to me, but not beyond my skill level (close though!!).
So, last night I bake, this morning I carve, fill and crumbcoat. First of all the carving goes badly. I made the angle too steep on the bottom layer. Middle layer looks great and the top layer falls apart and looks like crap. I decide that I have to use my bottom tier anyway because I don't have enough time to make another one.
I crumb coat bottom and middle layer and put in the fridge. I get out my fondant and I may have just barely enough. grrr..... I color it, and roll it out and get it on the bottom tier. I'm trying to use the fondant sparingly and cut off as much as I can so that I'll have enough left over to do the middle tier. I'm pretty sure that I'm just going to have to forego the top tier. Fine, no big deal. I get it on the bottom tier, and it looks pretty mediocre. I'm rushing to get it done and not doing my best work. I look at my left overs. Not alot, but maybe I can make it work. I grab the left over fondant to start on the middle tier and realize as soon as I pick it up that I had put all that left over fondant on top of a pile of cake crumbs. It's ruined, and I don't have any more fondant.
So now I am stuck with one mediocrely covered blue round tier, a crumb caoted cake in the fridge and no extra fondant. Any suggestions as to what I can do with this?? I wanted so badly to make this a special cake...
Thanks

[hopekisa]

sorry to hear that, I hate when something like that happens at the last minute and there is no way to fix. How about using just frosting to cover the top tier?? Maybe color it too?

[mona1949]

What about rolled buttercream since you have no fondant?

[2sdae]

Originally Posted by mona1949

What about rolled buttercream since you have no fondant?

Exactly what I was gonna suggest too!

[Amanda]

I've never done rolled buttercream. Is it difficult?

[jeri]

Do you have a Michael's close by? I don't like the wilton fondant but in a crunch you could use it

[2sdae]

It's not too bad. Just have to roll thicker than fondant but other than that I love to use it.
Rolled Butter cream Icing Recipe

Posted April24th, 2008 at 07:24 PM by 2sdae
Rolled Buttercream Icing Recipe
Serves/Yields: 1 -9x13-inch cake's frosting.
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time:
Category: Frostings
Difficulty: Easy

Introduction
This recipe is a fantastic alternative to fondant! It's buttercream icing that you can mold!
Ingredients
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup clear corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon colorless butter flavoring
1 teaspoon colorless vanilla flavoring
1/2 teaspoon popcorn salt (fine grain salt)-
(I use regular salt and grind it in my
morter and pestal)
7-8 cups (approx. 2lbs.) powdered sugar
Directions
This recipe should be made with a heavy-duty
mixer. The paddle, not the wire whip,
should be used.

1. Place the shortening and corn syrup in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy.

2. Add flavorings and salt and beat until blended.

3. Mix in powdered sugar, pouring it in the bowl over about a 30 second period, and blend thoroughly, approx. 30 seconds to one minute after the last bit of sugar is added.

4. Turn incing onto your work surface and knead until smooth and well blended.

5. Store icing in sealed plastic bag then place bag in airtight container let sit for about 30 minutes.

Icing can be refigerated for several weeks or frozen for several months. Let icing come to room temperature before using.)

To test for readiness: Pull the icing apart. If it stretches when pulled apart the icing is too soft*. When you are sure that icing is not too soft, gently stroke a portion of the icing with the palm of your
hand. If all cracks and marks disappear and the surface appears shiny, it is ready to use. If the cracks do not disappear, the icing is too firm**.

*If the icing is too soft and sticky and
stretches when pulled apart, knead in
additional powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

**If the icing is too firm and cracks and
marks will not disappear, knead in a few
drops of water until the proper consistency
is achieved.

To color the ENTIRE batch of Icing: Mix the color with the shortening and corn syrup mixture BEFORE adding the powdered sugar.

To color samll portions of Icing:Mix the color to the center of a ball of icing.
Knead the color in until well blended. If the color softens the icing, knead in more powdered sugar.

[LadyDZA]

I've never done the rolled buttercream (never heard of it before this actually) but I make my own marshmallow fondant all the time and it's really really easy, if you have access to an open store with a bag of powdered sugar and mini marshmallows.

I just take a really big tupperware container and put in a bag of mini marshmallows and a couple handfuls of water, microwave it til the marshmallows melt. Then I pour a 2-lb bag of confectioners sugar into that and knead it until it becomes fondant. If you want to color it, stir it when the marshmallows are melted and before you add the sugar. I always put in a little more color than I think I'm gonna need so that when I add in the sugar it doesnt wash it out too much.

[hopekisa]

Amanda, tell us how you ended up decorating?
Is that a cake u posted und "Fondarific" thread??
You eneded up just with the bottom tier?