My First Wedding Cake

My sister-in-law Hollie has thanked me multiple times for making her a wedding cake.  She said it was exactly what she wanted and tasted great.  I feel like I should be the one thanking her....for taking a chance with a new baker for something this important! 

Her theme was butterflies, and the colors were purple and silver.  After perusing the internet for many pretty cakes, and testing out some styles and colors on other projects (My Wilton Course 1 cake was a wedding cake experiment we decided on together!), she found a pretty & simple cake design.  The inspiration came from Pink Cake Box blog.  There is a 3-tier wedding cake that is decorated with butterflies and orchids, just as she wished to decorate hers. 

Hollie's Wedding Cake:



3-tier wedding cake with butterflies and orchids.

So here it is!  It was such an experience from start to finish.  I will never forget the nerve-racking car ride from home to the reception hall....watching the top tier wiggle from the rearview mirror.  And then, carefully and s-l-o-w-l-y carrying it across the street in my arms.   But the cake survived and stayed in tact.  I will be sure to transport a cake this big dissambled next time (if there ever is)   and devoting the extra time on-site to finishing the tiers. 

Logistics:
The flowers are real, wrapped with floral tape and inserted into protective plastic sleeves so that the stems don't come into contact with the cake.  
The ribbon wrapped around each base is held in place with piping gel, which worked fantastic.  It held very firmly, was easy to remove, and best of all, didn't bleed through the ribbon.  It really helped maintain that clean look we were going for!  I recommend testing your ribbon with the piping gel before applying it.  I used  synthetic/plastic-y feeling fabric ribbon.  I think if I had used a more expensive satin, the gel or even butter oils from the icing may have bled through it.  Before serving, I just peeled off the ribbon and started cutting!

The Layers:
Base:  12" 3-layer white cake
Middle:  9"  3-layer chocolate cake
Top:  6:  3-layer spice cake
I'm pretty sure this cake weighed around 50 pounds!