On the last day of 2016 I made a wedding cake for a dear girl who I have known since she was in elementary school. Months earlier, Rachel chose a Gold Leaf wedding cake and I began searching on Pinterest, Amazon, and Youtube for ideas and supplies.
Two days before the wedding I baked three 8 inch cakes and two (6X3) inch cakes.
Boxed White Cake Mix (made much better)
- buttermilk instead of water
- an extra egg (4)
- melted butter instead of oil
- a heaping teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
- sugar for sprinkling on top of the cake before baking
- I used three boxes in total and had an extra cake that I didn't use for this cake. Mix up the cake as per instructions on the box.
- Spray pans well with cooking spray and then line bottoms with parchment paper and spray again.
- Sprinkle enough sugar over the top of the cake to give it a thin layer before baking. This will help the cakes from rising too much and it also helps to keep the top level.
When the cakes have cooled enough to handle, wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze overnight or until you are ready to decorate.
- Edible 23 K Gold Leaf
- bubble straws
- a scraper that is at least as tall as your cake is
- floral tape
- flowers and greenery
- turntable
- cardboard cake rounds covered with foil
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- 1 pound butter, room temperature
- 2 pounds / 1 kg powdered or icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 - 2 tablespoons of cream or baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
- Beat butter in a stand mixer until it is fluffy, and cream colored. (about 5 minutes)
- Gradually add in the bag of icing sugar and vanilla bean paste and continue to beat about 5 minutes. You will not really need any liquid but can add in liqueur or heavy cream.
- Keep covering the buttercream with plastic wrap while you work as it will begin to crust when exposed to air.
To assemble the cake, put a bit of buttercream under the cardboard or plate to help it stick to the turntable. Place a smear of buttercream on the foil covered round and place the first cake layer on top. Don't worry about making the cakes perfectly flat on top. The space between the edges allows for more buttercream, giving the illusion of thick layer.
Repeat with all the layers of the base size and then apply buttercream to the top and sides.
Using a straight edge, scrape and turn the cake adding more buttercream and scraping it off until you are happy with how smooth you have it.
Measure bubble tea straws the exact height of the cake, cut them and press down into the cake as shown above to provide stability for the next layers. Make sure that where you insert the straws will be underneath the next layers.
To apply gold leaf randomly as I did, use the tissue paper that it comes in as a guide to where you want it placed, ripping off sections randomly. If the buttercream is damp, the gold leaf will adhere to the cake. The gold leaf is edible and really has no taste.
To add flowers, create little bouquets, starting with a bit of greenery at the back, and then adding in a rose at the front. Cut the stems to about 1 1/2 inches. Wrap white floral tape around from the base to the tip, completely covering the stems. Cut a piece of bubble tea straw a bit longer than the stems, insert the stems and press the straw down into the cake. The last little bit of the straw you might have to use a scissor to press it down so it doesn't show. Each flower has it's own little bouquet and straw.
And when you know that fiddling with it anymore will just be one fiddle too much,
stop.
The last step is to deliver it to the venue, place it on the cake plate, and finally, add a topper.
It turned out lovely!
ReplyDeleteThat is just beautiful!!! Truly a gift made with much love.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful creation! and it was fun to see how you created it.
ReplyDeleteWas the theme to be of the 1950.s it reminds me of the days I decorated back then .. only i made roses from icing ,, a few hints I could of used .. I find interesting ,,
ReplyDeleteStunning
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful cake...elegant in every way. Equally important is that it sounds absolutely delicious.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cake!! And you taught me something new--I have been cooking for decades but I've never heard of bubble tea straws. I wonder where one would find them? (in Canada) I love your website--it always brightens my day :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words! I found the bubble tea straws at Bath Bed and Beyond. I am sure most kitchen style stores would carry them.
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