Asian Dogwood Blossom Bridal Shower Cake

Whether you are a hobbyist decorator or a professional decorator, you know that sometimes you have instructions for a design where the gap between the instructions you receive and the actual design allows for an endless number of artistic possibilities. This was one of those cakes. I was given the invitation to the shower and told to go with Asian Dogwood Blossoms in a light burgundy, green leaves, and a white background.

So this was the perfect opportunity to try a design I've been wanting to try for a long time. The pleated effect! I iced the cake and then chilled it. While it was chilling I rolled out the white fondant, took a ruler and cut strips about 1" wide. I then placed them in an overlapping fashion all the way around the cake. I really love how this effect looks. In fact, I loved it before I even got to put any details on the cake. It's so clean and yet not at all boring.

The Asian Dogwood Blossoms were made using the Asian Dogwood Cutter and Vainer from Sunflower Sugar Art. Here's the LINK. I went ahead and colored the gum paste before I cut it but I couldn't get the color dark enough. So I also used some dust and then airbrushed some more burgundy when they were finished. The centers are piped with royal icing and then I added a little sage dust.

Stats: Marble Cake with Chocolate Ganache Filling. Iced in buttercream and covered in fondant strips. Decorated with gum paste flowers. Tiers are trimmed with burgundy ribbon.