Wedding Cakes, Wedding Cakes and More Wedding Cakes!!!

At Christmas time my good friend Jen got engaged!  I was so happy for her.  She asked me if I wanted to make her wedding cakes.  I was kind of taken aback, I had made many a cake but never a wedding cake!  I think I even tried to talk her out of it, are you sure? I’ve never done a wedding cake before.  She told me she had complete confidence in me and wasn’t worried at all,  I’m glad someone wasn’t because I was terrified.   So after I agreed to take on the challenge I questioned the “Wedding Cakes”? Thought maybe she made a mistake or perhaps there was going to be a grooms cake.  Nope! She wanted 14 wedding cakes, that were also doubling as centre pieces on each table.  I thought it was a really nice idea, had never heard of doing that before.

After many ideas, including a few really bad ones (we won’t mention those) Jen decided she wanted 2 layer round, red velvet, fondant covered cakes with simple red calla lilies and a few leaves.  A simple elegant look.

This is the picture she sent me for inspiration, she wanted it to look like just the top layer.

The Tale of Jens Wedding Cake

First off I must apologize to everyone, I was a bit obsessed with this project and its pretty much all I have talked about for the past month, so for that I’M SORRY.  I know it would bore more people but it was exciting to me.

The flowers

I needed to make 75 flowers, really only needed 65 but made extra just in case, and I am glad I did, a few didn’t make it.

It started here, 3 bags of gum paste and 3 jars of red die

I didn’t feel the need to purchase expensive tools that are made for this project so I got creative!  I made 75 cones out of note pad paper.  In order to get the angle on the flower I could not just sent them down to try, they had to hang on a slant.  It took me a half hour (yes, I know how sad is that) of searching around the house for a way to dry them. My solution, knitting needles in glasses.  It worked perfectly!! Once they set I was able to set them down flat

The flowers centres

Put together

Now onto the baking of the cakes…

I really didn’t think it was going to be as big of a job as it was.  After the 4th cake I had the recipe memorized, I’m pretty sure I will never forget it.  It took 20 hours but the cakes were baked! Now where do I put them?  Wrapped tightly in the living room was the only place I had room.

In between each cake while they were baking I made 10 batches of butter cream icing and 5 batches of marshmallow fondant so they would be ready to assemble the next day.

Assembly

The cakes had to be leveled.  I am left with something that reminds me of a Seinfeld episode lol

Iced

Forgot to take a picture of them all fondanted

Final product ready for the ride to the wedding

Cakes on all the tables

Approximately 60 hours and an astronomical amount of ingredients later my job was done, cakes were delivered and places on the tables

The table Jen and Martin sat at had their cake topper on top.  It suited them so well.  Him on the phone and her cheering on her sports teams

All other tables

Destroyed in seconds…

The cakes were a hit.  Got many complements and everyone said they tasted great…relief!

What an amazing experience!  A lot more work then I thought but would do it again in a heart beat! I was honored to be part of Jen and Martins day and wish them a lifetime of love and happiness.

Thanks Jen 🙂