Welcome to Wedding Cake blues!

Well here we were, down to the wire and it's cake baking day. Day one: bake the cake and put on what the professionals call 'the crumb' layer of icing.

Day Two: (the day before the wedding for me since it was to be a 'morning weddng, I would have NO time to decorate and do this, it had to be done the night before.)

This is for all those who are 'first time decorators'..so you can see the way I did it. Is it perfect? No.

Was it a good cake? Yes.

Did the decorations turn out ok? You decide. Here's the finished product.

Click on any picture for a closer view!

Let's begin at the beginning: Day One;

Using my dry 'kitchen only' brush to dust off the crumbs. A big plate of icing and a waiting cake.

Plop it on top and start spreading. This layer needs to be pretty thin, it's a simple coating that you will let sit overnight to get a 'crust' on the icing. It keeps the crumbs underneath so they don't mix with the final coat of frosting and gives you a good smooth surface to work on.

Both cakes with the crumb layer done. HINT HINT HINT: Both of these cakes were turned upside down before the icing began. It's a much more level surface, so ..start on the bottom!

Day Two;

Time for the final layer of icing and the decorations. This needs to be done on the plate you'll be servng it on (unless you trust yourself to move the entire cake after decorating..I did not!) So I used a cake cardboard, covered it in several layers of yellow tissue paper then added the gold foil doily. I used wax paper and made small sections that would cover the doily and keep it protected from the icing. Each piece was pulled out carefully after I had finished decorating.

I used a plastic storage bag, the coupler and a star tip only. Yep..I practiced on the plate a bunch before I started on the cake.

The cake was placed in the center of my 'cake plate' and the icing and decorating began. A bud vase added to the center as this was what I intended to use for the riser for the top layer.

Use a good bit of icing and add big dollops of it along the top. Start spreading trying to keep about 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer of icing under your spreader. Roll the extra icing to the top edge of the cake and down onto the sides, spreading it there as well. Add extra icing where you need it.

Get it as smooth as you can and as level as possible. Here's the fun part. If you want a 'smooth' look (without using a fondant) get a dry napkin or paper towel. No, I'm not joking. I seen this little hint on the net and couldnt' believe it, so I figured I'd try it. Very nervously I put the napkin on the top of the cake and smoothed it with my hand very lightly.

I pulled back the napkin to peek, expecting all the icing to come off with the napkin. WOW! IT didn't and look, it will smooth it out and leave a small print from the design on the napkin! HOW COOL IS THAT?? So I began, doing it with more confidence and pressure and down onto the sides.

And here's what I got. There were some uneven places, where I may have put more or less pressure, but wow, the cake was smooth and pretty level! I was impressed!

After playing with the technique for a bit, both cakes were done, both were as level as I was willing to 'play' with and well, I was happy with the results. I took my first breath in an hour, put everything aside for about 1/2 hour giving everything some breathing room, including me.

Next I started the piping, using the star tip I stayed around the top edge. Pulled out the wax paper, did the bottom edge and then added the stars to the center of the cake. Repeat for both cakes. I added the bride and groom, piped around their bottom and well, scroll back to the top and take a look.

Pretty good huh??

So there's some hints and tips for ya on how to do a wedding cake for yourself or your daughter or friends. Enjoy and I hope you have fun! Make one just to experiement!

See ya next time..down on the farm!

Sage