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I did suggest Taupo sieved the raspberry jam after warming it Gastro, being aware of the fact that pips would be bad news!!

Two coats with an intermediate rest in the fridge is also an excellent idea.

Good luck!

I hope you have a lovely day and many to follow.

Thanks for all the advise. Will definately add that webiste to my FAVS Gastrosurf. Fingers crossed for 2 weeks time!

I have a lot of respect for raspberry jam Mary :-) - but it will need to be the smooth variety , i.e. no pips of bits, otherwise it will probably be more trouble than it's worth. But yes, using a jam to match the topping makes a lot of sense.

If Taupo feels jam may detract from the cake in some way (I feel sure it will not, but anyway) another way of tackling the task is to apply a thin foundation coat of ganache, then refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then apply the top coat. The secret is to not play around with it too much. If Taupo wants or needs to play around with it, then I would say go for the jam definitely - it will act as a glaze and a sealer.

i also, am not a cake baker, but i wonder if you spread the ganache while it was still slightly softer, rather than when it had cooled and set, if it would be easier to spread, and might pull less on the sponge base?

Taupo, I agree with Gastrosurf about putting heated jam on the cake before the ganache. With respect, Gastro, I would suggest melting some raspberry jam (as you are topping the cake with raspberries) and sieving it before brushing it on the cake.

Taupo, I am not a cake baker, but I do wonder if your sponge cake was too fresh? I sometimes think if you leave it for a day before decorating it gives the outside a chance to dry out a little so it doesn't crumb so much.

As I said, I am not a cake maker, so I could be totally wrong.

Good luck for the wedding and well done you for making your own cake!!

OOhhhhh gastrosurf, that is exactly the same picture as in the link I normally give, but a different company and yours are cheaper. Duly noted and put into favs for future reference.

Do you mean chocolate cigarellos:-

[link]

When decorating a cake and I want to stop the crumbs picking up, I heat up some apricot jam, and then having brushed the cake already to get rid of the loose crumbs, I paint the liquid jam on and then let it cool. It helps to seal the surface, and if using marzipan (I appreciate that you are not) it helps to form a bond. You might want to check the taste - I don't think it will be a problem, if it is, use a jam that is more compatible - buy one without bits in though, as it makes life easier.