Tutorial: Mini Wedding Cake

My friend Jaycee contacted me recently and asked if I could make a cake for his parents. He and his sister Lyn didn't get a chance to celebrate their parents' wedding anniversary earlier this year, so they wanted to surprise them with a mini wedding cake. Now, is that just the sweetest thing ever or what?

Jaycee hasn't tried my red velvet cake so of course I just had to recommend it, especially since it's the holidays. As far as the design of the cake, I asked him what he had in mind and he said, "I'll let you surprise me...You have complete creative control over this two-tiered cake." Oooooh...I like that! So with my mind all aflutter with ideas, I pulled out my sketchbook and started to draw.

What I came up with was a two-tiered wedding cake with a scrollwork band and floral medallions. Jaycee asked if I could incorporate some yellow into design since it's his mother's favorite color. I went ahead and used it as the main color of the cake and accented it with brown and gold.



After I covered the cake in rolled fondant, I mixed yellow food color gel with some vodka. I took a paper towel and dabbed the color onto the fondant, creating a beautiful textured effect on the cake. When it dried, I mixed gold luster dust with some vodka and dabbed it over the yellow color. If anyone's wondering, I use vodka (or lemon extract) with food coloring to paint the cake because it dries much faster than water. And don't worry, the alcohol evaporates so it will not make anyone intoxicated.



To make the scrollwork band, I used some rolled fondant and an FMM textured lace set. I cut the band into individual pieces because I thought it would be easier to attach to the cake. I let them dry a little bit so it will hold the color better. I made some brown paint by mixing together cocoa powder and vodka. I used a stiff paint brush (like a stencil brush) to gently tap the color onto the scrollwork pieces. When it dried, I painted it with gold luster to highlight the details.



I attached the scrollwork pieces onto the cake by brushing a little bit of vodka on the back of each piece and gently pressing it onto the cake.



For the floral decorations, I used a small flower cutter and rolled fondant. I attached a tiny piece of rolled fondant in the center and painted the flower gold.



The finished cake was absolutely breathtaking, even in its miniature scale. I really fell in love with it and I'm pretty sure Jaycee's parents did too.