For my 21st birthday last June, I decided that I wanted a party, and also that I wanted to make the cake! I’ve always wanted to try my hand at cake decoration, and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to develop a new skill that would not only look good but be utterly delicious at the same time.
One of my birthday presents was a book called Cake Masterclass by Mich Turner, which I used for all of my experiments, and also for the tutorials of how to make the decorations. If you haven’t heard of Mich, she is the sugar paste genius behind the Little Venice Cake Company. To look at her fabulous creations and drool just a little bit, follow this link to her website.
http://www.lvcc.co.uk/
Unfortunately, time did not allow me to make all of the cakes before the party, so I took my ideas to a local bakery, The Pudding Parlour in Yardley Hastings. Based in a beautiful rural location, not only is The Pudding Parlour a joy to visit, but the cakes, puddings and pastries made my Denise and her team are simply delicious. For pure decadence try one of her cupcakes, loaded with chocolate butter icing, sprinkles, glitter and the odd chocolate bar, or her amazing brownies in many different flavours such as Smarties, Oreo and After Eight mint. For more information on The Pudding Parlour, follow this link to the website.
http://www.thepuddingparlour.co.uk/Main_Page.html
After a consultation with Denise, we decided that she and I would both make 20 decorated cupcakes, and she would also make me a plain iced chocolate cake that I would then decorate. Enthused and excited I set about baking and decorating my first ever batch of cupcakes, and as you may agree from the images below, I think they turned out rather well!
The Icing Decorations Drying
Top Tip: Let the pieces dry on a foam sheet, as this allows the air to circulate and dry them thoroughly.
The Assembly of the Decorations
Top Tip: Draw out your designs first, so you know exactly how many pieces you will need.
The First Finished Design
The Second Finished Design
All 20 Finished Cupcakes
Top Tip: Do not store cupcakes in a completely airtight container. As the moisture from the cake itself escapes, it has nowhere else to go but into your icing decorations, and this will make them soft and fall apart.
Decorating the Main Cake
Top Tip: Place the Cake on a cake stand and try and get down to eye level when piping, as this will make it easier to turn and see your design developing.
The Finished Main Cake with its Ribbon and Lace band
The Cakes at the Party Venue
A Close-up of the cupcakes, showing a mixture of my designs and the cakes from the Pudding Parlour.
Top Tip: An eclectic mix of cake stands and plates makes a gorgeous vintage-style display.
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