Like a real one, all fancy and sparkly and fondant covered!

And now, I just want to tell you allllll about it, the good, the bad, the stressful, the yummy!

It was a fun process filled with lots of researching, baking and decorating but I really feel I learned so much from the experience. Although I planned everything down to the last detail, it was not as smooth sailing as I had imagined to get to that final, beautiful cake but thankfully, well worth the effort. Because of all the trial and error that happened along the way, it seemed fitting to share my process and what all of my reading, video watching and experimenting lead to.

While I’ve baked plenty of cakes, built tiered cakes and even dabbled in fondant decorating before, this was the first time I attempted to combine the tiered and fondant decorated portions, so there was definitely a challenge ahead of me. I wanted it to be perfect from the cake flavors to the frosting to the actual décor…Pretty ambitious for a first attempt of a cake of this kind, but with this and the next few posts, I want to provide a little insight as to how I went about the whole thing through a post miniseries. I’m going to break it down and share what I found most helpful along the way, things to avoid and tips to make it all a tiny bit easier.

Some things I learned which I will elaborate on?

1. It is not as easy as the tutorials make it look. (But I think practice will get you there)
2. Buttercream!! Oh, the types of buttercreams!
3. Chocolate ganache is so delectable I can eat it by the spoonful. But if you know me, that’s no surprise.
4. Everything (including gum paste) can be made at home. That doesn’t mean you have to make everything  (including gum paste) at home.
5. Don’t expect to make a perfect gum paste peony the first time you ever work with the stuff.
6. I understand if you want to make your own fondant. I also understand if you want to color your own fondant. But please, when it comes to coloring fondant BLACK, just buy it pre-colored. Trust me.
7. It’s better to have more buttercream and fondant than you think you need…. you don’t want to run out mid-project.
8. I found my favorite fondant, but you’ll have to wait to find out which one it is!
9. Swiss Meringue is AH-MAZING. Swiss Meringue on its way to becoming Swiss Meringue Buttercream with some of the butter whipped in is absolutely  Heav.En.Ly!
10. The Cake Central and Wilton discussion forums have answers to EVERYTHING. (Even about coloring fondant black and how you should just buy it pre-colored!) TRUST THEM!
11. Don’t assume that because you watched 18,693 videos, you will end up with a perfectly fondanted cake on your first try.
12. If it is your first time, it’s probably a good idea to practice rolling and applying fondant to a cake before the night before the party….
13. Setting a schedule was probably one of the best ways I helped myself during the process.
14. Fresh flowers are a lifesaver when it comes to covering up imperfections ?.
15. Don’t be afraid of the cake.
16. Freezing your cake beforehand will lock in moisture and make the crumb coating process much easier.
17. Fondant rolling requires lots of counter space.
18. The right tools make your job so much easier but you don’t necessarily need all the fancy specialty tools. I will share which ones I found to be invaluable and what i replaced with normal tools you can find in your kitchen.

Seems like I learned more about what not to do along the way… Here are a few other things ill cover in the following posts:

Action Plan – How I chose the design, size of the cakes, the materials required, and what would be needed to support the structure of the cake.

The Cake – The cake flavors and recipes I used.

Creamy & Dreamy – The lowdown on the yummy.

Holding Down the Crumbs – The foundation of the cake.

Fighting with Fondant – What I used and learned about fondant.

The Final Stretch – Finishing up my masterpiece.

Timeline – Setting a timeline to make the job at hand a bit easier.

Stay tuned to find out how it all unfolds… You never know, maybe one day you’ll have the crazy idea to attempt such a feat and this can serve as a starting ground for your mini cake quest ;).

NOTE: I am in NO WAY a professional! Just sharing the struggles of my attempt 🙂