This is by far the largest cake I’ve made, enough to feed 250. A Black and White Damask cake to go with the invitations.

The Stencil

Airbrushing can sometimes cheapen the look of a cake but when sticking to one solid colour in a minimalist pattern and paired with velour ribbon, it can transform a plain confection into one with class.

Boxed Up and Ready To Go

Use more buttercream than you think is required and bench scrape the tiers smooth and perfectly symmetrical before covering in fondant.

Pins, we were told by the pastry chef of the hotel, are a major faux pas

Stretchy Velvet Ribbon

Use the thickest fondant covering you can.
Shortening doesn’t work so stop using it.

All The Cakes

Dany is an airbrush pro!

The Zig Zag (matches the invitation)

Always buy extra ribbon. Also… double check to make sure the venue accepts cakes from other bakers. When I arrived with the cake boxes the man in charge refused to let me in. He said the last time they let an external baker deliver the baker’s dog had fallen against the cake in the truck and the baker tried to blame the damage on the venue. So no more outside cakes. Needless to say I threw a fit right there on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. It wasn’t long before we moved our argument indoors out of sight of customers. I calmly (yeah right) explained that I was a cousin and baked the cake in my home and that I would take plenty of photos of its condition where I left it in the reception hall to prove the state it was left in. He agreed. Then the gentleman decided to turn the AC off in the room the cake was left in so that by the time it made it out to the sweets table (the hotel wedding cake was served as dessert instead…) well my cake had begun to bulge where the buttercream had melted. I was in total despair. It was a lovely wedding nonetheless.

Cake Cutting Guide

The 12 inch square fits exactly two Guinness cake recipes.

This cake took 8 cans of beer. Mmm. Beer.

The Ainsley and Roger Cake

Oh wait – the 8th beer was for the Groom’s Cake…

The Soccer Ball Cake