Cowboy Hat Tutorial

I recently made this groom's cake for a cowboy who was also a bull rider in the rodeo. Thought I'd share how the hat was done:

Start with three 6" round cakes then carve the top layer to look like the peaks of a cowboy hat.

Crumb coat and frost the cake, then cover it with fondant.

Use a real cowboy hat to make a pattern for the brim. Put the hat on a piece of paper.

Hold the edges of the brim down and trace around it with a pen.

Cut out the circle you traced and use it as a pattern and for the brim.

Cover the underside of the hat with plastic wrap.

I used glue dots to help hold the plastic wrap in place.

I forgot to take a picture... but the next step is to use the pattern and cut a circle out of fondant for the brim. The fondant used for the brim needs to be a little stronger. You can make it stronger by kneading gum paste or a little tylose together with it. (Using a 50/50 mixture of gum paste + fondant not only strengthens it, but it also shortens the drying time.) Place the fondant circle over the plastic covered brim of the real hat and let it dry for 5 to 7 days. The fondant needs to be completely dry before you remove it or the brim might crack and break. Once it's dry, put the cake on top of the brim and decorate the hat as desired.

After I finished setting up the cake, everyone thought it was a real hat! I was very pleased with the reactions. The client was so afraid that little kids might walk by and try to pick it up, that they put a sign by the cake that read... "Don't touch, grooms cake." Now I'd call that a success! :)