From Design to Conception

I thought I would show how I come up with cake designs for different clients. I have two different bridal shower cakes to share. The first one was a surprise for the bride from the mother. The mom wanted me to incorporate the bridal invite into the cake, as well as the bridal shower theme of little black dress. I typically sketch several different designs for a client to get a gauge for what they like. From that point they can either pick a designed I had sketched or make changes to a design such as color or placement of scroll work, etc. Since the invite included a white wedding dress, and the theme was little black dress I thought it would be fun to have both represented in the cake. I decided to make a 3-D dress rack for the cake topper, which had both dresses hanging from the rack, and then replicate the scroll work from the invite on to the cake.

All of the scroll work I piped by hand with any stencils.

The dresses were hand cut and placed on wires to look like cloths hangers.

The MOB framed the invite so that everyone could see where the inspiration from the cake came from. I loved the way the cake the turned out. I thought the LBD theme was super cute for a bridal shower.

For the next cake I was again contacted by the parents to make the cake for their daughter's bridal shower. This time the information I was given was only that the parties color scheme was plum and gold. The parents basically gave me free range to do whatever I wanted with those colors (love those type of clients). I sent the client three sketches and they again they chose their favorite. Then they made some slight adjustments to the sketch such as making the border on the top and bottom tiers wider.

I have to say I was a little nervous while making this cake that it would not come out like I had pictured in my head. However, one the cake was stacked and put together it came out better then I had expected.

I really loved this cake and wished I could have kept it. I don't think the pictures really do it justice. It is hard to see all the details from the pictures. Oh well I can always recreate it later on if I want.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this look at how the process works.

How to make fondant ribbon roses

So this past weekend I had a wedding cake and cupcake order that needed 100+ ribbon roses for all of the cupcakes. I thought I would give a little tutorial on how to make a ribbon rose from fondant (or gumpaste). Its so easy and the flowers are fun and whimsical.

First start out by rolling your fondant or gumpaste to your desired thickness. I try not to make mine to thin because I like the look of a thicker ribbon rose. The longer you roll your gumpaste the larger your flower will be.

Then I cut off my ends so that they are straight.

Next, flip your fondant over and add a thin line of water towards the top of the fondant.

Then fold the fondant over on one side so that you no longer have a sharp edge.

After, I have folded the edge over I add a little bit more water so that when I make the rose the fondant will stick together.

Cut off your excess fondant on the bottom. Try to work quickly through each step so that your fondant does not dry out.

Then grab one end of the fondant and start to wrap it in on itself. I try to pinch the fondant a little to give the rose a little more definition.

Keep going until you are satisfied with the size of your rose. Then I take a pair of scissors and snip off the underside of the rose. Then let the rose dry so that it does not loose its nice shape. After it is dry you can dust with color to add shimmer and steam to lock in color. Store in a cool dry place until you are ready to use.

Here is a video I made showing you how to make the rose. Please ignore the loud TV in the background. I didn't even realize it was on until I watched the video.

I hope this little tutorial will help you when making ribbon roses. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Stay tuned for photos of the cake and cupcakes.