Today I tried having a 1/2 sheet cake thrown at me as close range, a la Steve Aoki. I bought it off the shelf at Walmart and kept it refrigerated until an hour before we used it. I didn't do anything to it other than adding a message written in icing. It was thrown at me from less than 5 feet away.
Though it was a direct hit, pretty much none of the cake stuck to me, and it didn't splatter. It basically slammed into my face and fell at my feet. Maybe the refrigeration made it too solid.
I'm pretty good with pies, but have no expertise when it comes to cakes. So does anyone here have any experience *tossing* cakes (not smashing or rubbing) where the results turned out well? I'm thinking full coverage, splatter goes flying everywhere... something like this (CW: female): https://www.instagram.com/p/7GqWAkx5zo/
Do I need to bake it myself, so that I can make it with less dough and more frosting? Does it need to be refrigerated for less time? Should I use a smaller cake? With 1/2 sheet cakes going for $30 each, experimenting is really expensive, so any advice is helpful!
Always been largely disappointed when using cakes in shoots/sessions but the only advice I could give is to leave them out on the counter, like overnight if possible so they are as soft as possible. Good luck man!
I've tried the cake route a few times with Mrs.Bee, usually with less than stellar results. But Rich has apparently cracked the "cake code". I know he's given his advice prior, but for me, those pics of his with his caked models always kick the mess up to 11.
The good (and terrible) thing about cakes is the complete inconsistency in results. Just as an example, I used this random Wal-Mart cake once, with Samantha, and HOLY CRAP. (See pic.) So I started using that particular cake all the time.... Did everything the same.... Got good results but nothing QUITE that good.
So it's always a crapshoot. (Plus, Wal-Mart stopped making that cake variety in 2020.)
But if you're gonna be throwing, then you want the cake to be really soft, so take it out of the refrigerator earlier. And you need to "overfrost" it. That's Rule 1, always. The basic frosting from a store-bought cake often won't cut it for what you want. Gotta add extra frosting in the "impact area" for sure.
Oh, and make sure it's not the cake with whipped frosting from Wal-Mart, which are great for other coverage, but I've had a model "throw" herself into them and the thing just explodes rather than covering her. (At least it doesn't bounce off.) On the flipside, Moho's profile pic for a custom I did for him.... is a 1/4 sheet cake that was "dropped" on a model. Heavier cake and that worked great. So tossing it should produce similar results.
I personally wouldn't recommend using a store-bought cake w/store applied icing. The big box stores use a lot of vegetable fats in the frosting, that keep them solid w/even the slightest chill. This is so customers/cashiers/etc can jostle them and by the time they get home, they are still pristine. If you want to have a sheet cake tossed at you, I would also recommend cutting them into smaller, more pie-sized pieces. Unlike a pie, which has cream, pudding, etc that can splat, a cake's frosting is much harder to stick to a surface (your face) and before it has time to cling, gravity takes over the and whole thing falls off as one piece.
Take a quarter sheet cake, scrape off the store bought icing, which if cold, should peel off super easy. Then cut it into two squares of equal size. If you want to then refrost with whipped cream or cool whip, go for it. If you insist on using frosting, buy a few tubs of store BC/DH brand buttercream style icing. Then use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment and whip for a few minutes until it's light and fluffy. Then use it to decorate your cakes, write your message, and have fun!
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