How hard will it be to do this Darth Vader cake?

[PAfirsttimemom]

http://www.partycity.com/product/star+wars+cake+pan.do?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=ProductSearch&utm_campaign=GoogleMerchant&extcmp=GoogleMerchant&utm_term=Star%20Wars%20Darth%20Vader%20Cake%20Pan% 2012in&gclid=CLuvg5j5jbYCFcme4AodNWYAig

I bought this pan, and I think it would make such a cool-looking cake for my son's Star Wars party this weekend. But I am having second-thoughts about whether I can pull this off. I have never decorated a cake with details this intricate. Plus I don't have all the gear and would have to buy the special icing bags, tips, cake board, etc. Am I biting off more than I can chew? Our local grocery store offers a traditional sheet cake with the novelty plastic kit with Darth battling Luke. I could just order that and have less stress. So bakers out there, how tough is it to make a cake like the Darth cake pictured, and how much time is involved? Would I be able to do it a day ahead? Thanks!

[khalloc]

I was considering this cake too. But I've made Wilton cakes before and let me tell you, the gel they tell you to use to make black frosting tastes horrible! I made a CARS cake a few years ago and the wheels used black frosting and it was gross. So I decided not to make the Darth Vader cake.

To do the little stars on the top takes alot of time and patience. Your hand and wrist will get tired, so if you decide to go ahead and do it, plan alot of time for covering the cake with the little stars of frosting.

I wanted to add that I've spent a load of money on the little frosting bags and all the stuff you need. its a PITA. I am always up all night long baking and mixing frosting (although this one could be easier since you only need black frosting). But like I said the black frosting I made using the Wilton gel coloring was really gross.

[icunurse]

I made a very similar cake using a Wilton pan from the early 80's(?). It was pretty easy as long as you had the right tips. I decorate cakes, so i have a lot of the stuff already. You just follow the lines and then fill in as instructed. even if you make a mistake, it typically isnt very noticeable. The one that I made did not use any gel in the decorating, just black and gray frosting.

In case the instructions didn't tell you, it is easier to make black frosting when you start with chocolate and add in black vs starting with white frosting....you will be adding tons and tons of food dye.

[lec]

I haven't made the Darth Vader - but I did the Elmo Wilton one for DD1's 2nd birthday - my first time decorating something intricate like that. As long as you have the right tips - I found it to be pretty easy to do following their instructions.

It was a little time consuming, but it turned out exactly like the picture. I think I spent about an hour icing the cake. I made the cake the night before so it had plenty of time to cool off. For the black parts - start with chocolate icing that way you don't have to add a ton of black gel and it won't ruin the flavor. My only issue was from holding the icing bag and doing the little stars, my hands kept making the icing really soft and I had to keep putting it back in the fridge for a few mins. Next time I ice a cake like that I will keep two bags and rotate them so I don't waste time waiting for the icing to chill in the fridge.

[PAfirsttimemom]

I was considering this cake too. But I've made Wilton cakes before and let me tell you, the gel they tell you to use to make black frosting tastes horrible! I made a CARS cake a few years ago and the wheels used black frosting and it was gross. So I decided not to make the Darth Vader cake.

To do the little stars on the top takes alot of time and patience. Your hand and wrist will get tired, so if you decide to go ahead and do it, plan alot of time for covering the cake with the little stars of frosting.

I wanted to add that I've spent a load of money on the little frosting bags and all the stuff you need. its a PITA. I am always up all night long baking and mixing frosting (although this one could be easier since you only need black frosting). But like I said the black frosting I made using the Wilton gel coloring was really gross.

The instructions say you need "Wilton Icing Color in Black." Is this the "gel" you are talking about? I definitely don't want to end up with a cake that tastes gross. Could I just buy black food coloring and add it to chocolate icing to make it darker? Someone told me recently that too much food coloring can give an off taste, too, though.

Is there any way I could frost this cake without having to buy the special piping bag and tips and all of that?

[PAfirsttimemom]

I haven't made the Darth Vader - but I did the Elmo Wilton one for DD1's 2nd birthday - my first time decorating something intricate like that. As long as you have the right tips - I found it to be pretty easy to do following their instructions.

It was a little time consuming, but it turned out exactly like the picture. I think I spent about an hour icing the cake. I made the cake the night before so it had plenty of time to cool off. For the black parts - start with chocolate icing that way you don't have to add a ton of black gel and it won't ruin the flavor. My only issue was from holding the icing bag and doing the little stars, my hands kept making the icing really soft and I had to keep putting it back in the fridge for a few mins. Next time I ice a cake like that I will keep two bags and rotate them so I don't waste time waiting for the icing to chill in the fridge.

Thanks for the tips! I posted my last response before reading this. You've answered some of my questions.

[khalloc]

There you go. I started with White frosting since I made it from scratch and I had to color a boatload of the frosting red. They never said to start with chocolate! Next time I will do that.

Do you make the chocolate Wilton buttercream? Or did you buy chocolate icing in a can and add the coloring to that?

[Binkandabee]

A single color cake like that really isn't difficult. I don't cook or bake and I manage once a year to make cakes like this for both my girls.

I think you do need at least one star tip and and two bags, though. When you're piping on the stars, the frosting tends to get warm from your hand, so keep one bag in the fridge and use one. That way there is always a bag of frosting ready to go.

[Blue Hydrangea]

Yes, you can make chocolate buttercream- and if you make it with dark cocoa (hershey's makes one), the chocolate frosting comes out so dark it's almost black- think the brown/black of an oreo, so it wouldn't take much more to make it black with a little food coloring gel. The gel colors are often sold in little pots with cake decorating supplies. But honestly, try making a buttercream with dark cocoa and see if it will be dark enough as is. You might be surpised!

In order to get the details of the cake, I think your best option is to use a piping bag and star tip. You can get a beginner decorating kit that would include the piping bag, coupler, and and few basic tips at Walmart for somewhere between $5-$7. You might even be able to get a generic kit with plastic decorating tips (instead of the metal tips that Wilton makes available at Walmart) at a doller store, although I'm not sure, as I don't have one near me.

ETA: You can make a cake board with just a piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil, so there wouldn't be any extra expense for that.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Yes, you can make chocolate buttercream- and if you make it with dark cocoa (hershey's makes one), the chocolate frosting comes out so dark it's almost black- think the brown/black of an oreo, so it wouldn't take much more to make it black with a little food coloring gel. The gel colors are often sold in little pots with cake decorating supplies. But honestly, try making a buttercream with dark cocoa and see if it will be dark enough as is. You might be surpised!

In order to get the details of the cake, I think your best option is to use a piping bag and star tip. You can get a beginner decorating kit that would include the piping bag, coupler, and and few basic tips at Walmart for somewhere between $5-$7. You might even be able to get a generic kit with plastic decorating tips (instead of the metal tips that Wilton makes available at Walmart) at a doller store, although I'm not sure, as I don't have one near me.

ETA: You can make a cake board with just a piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil, so there wouldn't be any extra expense for that.

Thank you so much for the great tips! The cocoa I have is Hershey's Special Dark, so perfect. I may just have to give this a try. DH will think I'm nuts. He would say go buy a cake!

Will you explain exactly how to make the cake board with cardboard and foil? Do I have to spray the foil or anything so the cake won't stick?

[khalloc]

Now I might make this cake too. LOL. My son's party will be April 6th so I guess I need to get this cake pan!

[lec]

I just took a piece of cardboard and covered in foil. I didn't spray the foil and the cake didn't stick - although I did put it on the cake board until I was ready to ice. Then I added wax paper around the edges of the cake so that if I spilled or dropped icing it wouldn't be on the foil and removed the wax when I was done.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Now I might make this cake too. LOL. My son's party will be April 6th so I guess I need to get this cake pan!

LOL. It was on sale for 30% off at Michael's the other day (final cost: $11.19 + tax), FYI.

[Blue Hydrangea]

Will you explain exactly how to make the cake board with cardboard and foil? Do I have to spray the foil or anything so the cake won't stick?

Sure, nothing special is needed. Just cut a piece of sturdy carboard (anything, even the side of a shipping box works) that will fit the cake with a little area around it to be safe, and then cover with aluminum foil. If your cardboard is bigger than your foil, just overlap the foil pieces to cover it. When you fold it around the edges of the board, the folded edges in the foil will keep it where it is. Just the top of the cardboard just needs to be covered, so it's super quick and cheap.

And I use Hershey's Special Dark cocoa whenever I need "black". The color is dark enough to look black for me, no food coloring involved, and it tastes so good!

[larig]

Thank you so much for the great tips! The cocoa I have is Hershey's Special Dark, so perfect. I may just have to give this a try. DH will think I'm nuts. He would say go buy a cake!

Will you explain exactly how to make the cake board with cardboard and foil? Do I have to spray the foil or anything so the cake won't stick?

When I decorated cakes we covered the board with freezer paper (shiny side up). I'd double or triple the cardboard or use a piece of plywood to cover.

You need 2 bags, 2 couplers, 1 star tip (#18) and piping tip (#5) they specify. The actual instructions that wilton has just call for brown frosting, so that dark cocoa would probably be fine. have some cornstarch on hand--you'll pipe lines of frosting in close for the eyes and dip your finger in cornstarch to smooth it over. You can do it days early and put it in the freezer. you can practice making stars in icing on a plate, and then scrape them off the plate and put it back in the back to use on the cake.

[PAfirsttimemom]

When I decorated cakes we covered the board with freezer paper (shiny side up). I'd double or triple the cardboard or use a piece of plywood to cover.

You need 2 bags, 2 couplers, 1 star tip (#18) and piping tip (#5) they specify. The actual instructions that wilton has just call for brown frosting, so that dark cocoa would probably be fine. have some cornstarch on hand--you'll pipe lines of frosting in close for the eyes and dip your finger in cornstarch to smooth it over. You can do it days early and put it in the freezer. you can practice making stars in icing on a plate, and then scrape them off the plate and put it back in the back to use on the cake.

Thanks! How did you keep the freezer paper in place on the cardboard? Did you tape it?

Where did you find your instructions? The ones I have call for 5 different tips (1, 2, 3, 5, 16). I wonder if I could get away with fewer.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Sure, nothing special is needed. Just cut a piece of sturdy carboard (anything, even the side of a shipping box works) that will fit the cake with a little area around it to be safe, and then cover with aluminum foil. If your cardboard is bigger than your foil, just overlap the foil pieces to cover it. When you fold it around the edges of the board, the folded edges in the foil will keep it where it is. Just the top of the cardboard just needs to be covered, so it's super quick and cheap.

And I use Hershey's Special Dark cocoa whenever I need "black". The color is dark enough to look black for me, no food coloring involved, and it tastes so good!

Thanks! Good to know that the dark cocoa comes out pretty dark. Dark enough for Vader, you think? ;-) Do you need to spray the foil at all to keep it from sticking to the cake?

[kdeunc]

There is also a larger tip that has three star tips in one so it makes for quicker work of the cake when you have lots of stars! Good luck!