Wedding Blog

Previously..

Cake Test
The Backup Cake

I survived making my own wedding cake and ended up with some pleasing results. The fondant didn’t work as perfectly as I would have liked, but we managed to hide most of the flaws by rotating them to the back.

Most of the cake was made late at night the Friday before our Sunday wedding. Our Maid of Honor, Maid of Awesomeness (a title earned through months of selfless service toward our wedding), and our Magic Wedding Elf, Frances, stirred big cauldrons of Rice Krispies and molten marshmallow. All involved did an expert job of measuring out huge quantities of ingredients and getting the proportions just right.

My job was to pour, level and ice each layer. Each tier has two layers glued together with Wilton icing purchased in gallon buckets from the craft store. Despite being mostly shortening, it had ideal qualities that made it a good choice. First, it didn’t discolor or make the cake soggy even after two days of waiting to be consumed. Next, it worked well when we needed it as a glue. All of our layers and tiers stayed firmly in place, it kept the fondant exactly where it needed to be, and it managed to keep the penguins and flowers attached despite being moved three times.

Most importantly, the Groom really liked the taste of the icing, which is the most important thing. The Rice Krispy cake was really for him, as he doesn’t care for regular cake. The icing taste was very similar to Twinkie filling. To me, it is better in small quantities, but Mr. Lollipop couldn’t get enough.

The outer layer of the cake was made of plain pre-made Wilton fondant purchased in five-pound boxes from the same craft store as the icing. The fondant tasted like it was made of fresh Lucky Charms marshmallows, but it could easily be peeled off for those who couldn’t stand the sweetness. The fondant was one of the harder parts to get right, especially for our 14 inch bottom layer. I discovered a too late that the ideal thickness is a little less than 1/4 inch. It is the best thickness to remain pliable, yet hide flaws.

As I said before, we glued the penguins and flowers on the cake using frosting that we dispensed from a pastry bag. For those who missed my earlier entries, the penguins were made of Fimo clay and are inedible, although that didn’t stop guests from trying.

Our cake didn’t taste all that bad considering that it was made of two-day-old Rice Krispy Treats. We also served two sheet cakes purchased through a local restaurant with delivery service, a Middle Eastern restaurant called Aladdin’s Eatery. We managed to get two awesome cakes, an Oreo flavored one and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup one, for less than $2 a slice, including delivery costs. Both supplementary cakes were a big hit and saved me worry about serving stale, be-fondanted non-cake to guests.

The cake itself is sitting on an overturned piece of wooden butcher-block counter top left over from a remodeling project. Mr. Lollipop fashioned it into a an ideal cake board by adding some snazzy handles. The cake board was absolutely indispensable for moving the cake from place to place without damaging it. Keep that is mind if you plan on making your own DIY cake.