Blossoms and Branches

Considering that it still feels like the middle of Winter out here, it was really nice to make a cake that represented the hope of Spring. Well, it was actually a birthday cake...but it represented "Spring" to me as I was making it! (There was even a blizzard the night this cake was picked up. Seriously...Winter needs to be over!)

I really enjoyed making this cake. From a design standpoint it wasn't too difficult. The only thing that took a lot of time were the fondant blossoms since each had to be done by hand. I didn't count how many blossoms made it on the cake but I'm sure I made upwards of 50 fondant blossoms. After letting the blossoms dry for a day or two I brushed them with white pearl dust to give them a bit of dimension. Otherwise they kind of looked like fabric...neat, but not what I was going for. The only unfortunate thing about these blossoms is that they are so very delicate. I dropped more than my share in the process of making this cake, and they just shattered as they hit the floor. I really hope the cake made it to the party with all blossoms in tact!

In the end I was a little sad to see this cake walk out the door. I really liked how pretty it looked sitting in my kitchen. Glad that so many others got to enjoy it, though! And now to start thinking about next week's cake...