More Cakiness

I signed up for another cake decorating class, this one would teach me the basics of fondant and gumpaste.  Unfortunately, I was the only one to sign up for this class and was asked if I would like to move to the advanced gumpaste floral design class.  I agreed then spent the next 24 hours learning as much as I could about basics from the internet.  There is a wealth of information and tutorials available for anyone interested in "cake arts".  My two favorite sources were Cake Central and Edna De la Cruz.  Using what I learned on these sites I prepared a White Almond Sour Cream cake (WASC cake), crumb coated it with buttercream, covered it with home-made marshmallow fondant then decorated it with calla lilies.

This is the cake before the final sparkle sugar

 Step one - prepare the marshmallow fondant.  Knead, wrap and let cool.

Step two - wash the kitchen-aid.

Step three - prepare the cake.  Bake and let cool.

Step four - wash the kitchen-aid.

Step five - prepare the buttercream and set aside.

Step six - wash the kitchen-aid.

Step seven - Color gumpaste and make the pistol for the lilies,  brush with gumpaste glue and roll in sugar.  Set aside.

close up of the lilies. 

Step eight - Roll and cut gumpaste for the lily body.  Form over a cone.  Set aside to dry.

Step nine - insert pistol into the lily body, using a little gumpaste glue at the base.

Step ten - tint, roll and cut gumpaste for the sepal, attaching to the flower with a touch of gumpaste glue.

Step eleven - accent brush the flowers with green shimmer dust.

Step twelve - trim and fill the cake layers.

Step thirteen - crumb coat with buttercream and smooth, smooth, smooth.

Step fourteen - roll out the fondant to 1/16" thickness, transfer to the cake.

Step fifteen - ease the fondant down and around the cake, avoiding creating any creases or puckers at the base.  Trim excess.

Step sixteen - pipe some buttercream for a border and add some leaves on top for the lilies to set in.

Step seventeen - arrange the dried lilies on the top.

Step eighteen - add some more sparkle sugar for punch.

What I learned:
I found that trimming the sides of the cake is very important for a smooth look.  Next time I'm going to use the electric knife.  I did not achieve the sheer verticallity I wanted for the sides.  I also think the fondant drew up as it dried, so I will trim less off the bottom in the future.  Calla Lilies are a great flower to start with, they made me feel almost competent.  Everything is better with sparkle sugar.

Oh, I filled the cake with raspberry fruit spread.