Wedding Cake with Lilac-Coloured Cascading Flowers

This summer, I made a wedding cake that had a bright and cheery feel with its lilac-coloured flowers that cascaded down a white, three-tier wedding cake. Below is a photo-guide as to how I decorated this cake, to give you ideas and instruction on how to make a similar cake.

What's inside?  The top two tiers had milk chocolate chunks sprinkled on a rich peanut butter buttercream icing between layers of moist chocolate cake.  The bottom tier had five layers of vanilla cake layered with a real-butter and naturally flavoured raspberry buttercream icing.

The chocolate and vanilla cupcakes were topped with a rich vanilla buttercream icing. For the icing recipe, click here.

So how did this cake come together?  Here is the visual guide:

Start with baking and layering the 14" Bottom Tier - and don't forget the vanilla crumb-coat!Vanilla Cake

Next up - layer and crumb coat (thin layer of icing refrigerated until hard, before adding an outer layer of vanilla icing and then finally covering in fondant) the 10" second tier.

Finally layer and crumb coat the top 6" tier.

Cover each tier separately in rolled fondant (also called 'decorice' icing).  Seal the tiers together with royal icing.

Smooth the royal icing seal with a spatula or gloved finger to get a flat look (so your ribbon will be smooth and flat).

Add straws or wooden dowels to the bottom and second tier to support the top two tiers of the cake.  Distribute evenly so the top tiers don't tip. The refrigerate the cake for two hours or more while you make the flowers to harden up the icing before adding the ribbon and flowers.

Be sure to have your gum paste on hand at room temperature. Use colour gels to get the right shade.

The Wilton Gum Paste Flower set will give you a lot of options for flower types, including roses and Calla Lilies. 

Wire for gum paste flowers makes it easier to add stems and hand your flowers upside-down to dry.

Once you have made your flowers, hang them to dry.  Don't have a drying rack?  Get creative and use knobs or hang a string across your kitchen to hang them off of.

Cut a variety of flowers to fill in open and empty spaces.

Make a variety of roses and flowers and vary the colour slightly to add a more appealing visual effect.
Let them dry and harden overnight.

Add the ribbon by wetting the entire piece (wetting the whole thing gives it a consistent colour) and then smoothing it onto the cake with a brush.  Be sure to have the seam at the back of the cake or where your cascading flowers will cover it.

Start to add the flowers. You can use yellow food colouring and a paint brush to colour in the  centre of daisies.

Attach your flowers with stiff white royal icing.

Let the royal icing harden in the fridge overnight to ensure the flowers do not fall off!

Bring along extra gumpaste flowers to lay on the table during set-up to extend your cascade.