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Hi, so I’ve been asked at the last minute to make a rugby ball cake for a friends dad for Friday night. Am quite confident about carving the shape and covering it with the fondant, but am unsure if I should make the points on either end of the ball from the sponge or whether to square the ends off and make them from fondant. The cake is going to be a basic vanilla jam cream sponge, which is what the have asked for, and obviously this is not the most stable of sponges.
Help and advice appreciated x

Hi Nind81

I’ve never carved a rugby ball cake but if I was doing it I would bake two cakes in pudding basins, cut each cake in half and fill, leave the pointed parts alone,and stick the two flat ends together. You’d get the curved middle part then just have to shave a little off the ends to a point. A dense sponge like madeira would be better than a Victoria sandwich but if you use a little white chocolate ganache for the crumb coat it would make a better shape and also strengthen it. Ganache would also make a smoother surface to lay the fondant on. Additionally, there are lots of images of rugby ball cakes in google and I think a couple of techniques on youtube. Hope this helps.

Hi, just to say thank you! I followed your advice to the T and it turned out very well and friends dad was very pleased! Thanks again!!

Hi Nind81

Thank you so much for your feed back, I’m happy it turned out well for you. x