The simple geometry of this wedding cake, capped with a fondant button, was inspired by Martha's first Weddings book. Variegated stripes of royal icing accentuate the verticality of the cake. The tiny dots are whipped chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
1 each 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-inch-diameter cake tiers, each trimmed, split, filled, and leveled to a 3-inch height, set on corresponding-size 3/16-inch thick foam board
1 twelve-inch-diameter cake tier, trimmed, split, and filled to a 4-inch height, set on corresponding-size 3/16-inch-thick foam board
Cornstarch, for dusting
10 pounds rolled fondant
1 one-ounce container pink food color paste
1 recipe Royal Icing
1 eighteen-inch-diameter-by-1-inch thick cake board, painted white
9 4 1/8-inch-long 1/4-inch-diameter wooden dowels
14 3 1/8-inch-long 1/2-inch-diameter wooden dowels
2 recipes Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Fondant Amounts: 4-inch tier, 3/4 pound; 6-inch tier, 1 1/4 pounds; 8-inch tier, 1 3/4 pounds; 10-inch tier, 2 1/4 pounds; 12-inch tier, 4 pounds.
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Directions
- Prepare tiers: Coat each tier with a thin layer of frosting to seal in any crumbs. Transfer tiers to refrigerator.
- Cover tiers: On a clean work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch, roll enough fondant to cover the respective tiers (see fondant amounts, above). The fondant should be rolled into a large disk about 1/8-inch thick. Working quickly, lift the fondant, center it over tier, and gently lay it on cake. Starting from the center, smooth it onto the cake with your hands.
- Neatly trim excess fondant from bottom edges using a pizza wheel. (Excess fondant may be rerolled as long as it is free of crumbs, filling, or icing.) Repeat for all tiers. Tint a small amount of leftover fondant light pink, roll it 1/8-inch thick, and use a 1/4-inch-diameter round cutter to cut "button" for cake top; set aside.
- Stack tiers: Smear 1 tablespoon of royal icing in the center of the cake board. Place 12-inch tier, centered, on top. Insert eight 4 1/8-inch dowels in a circle 4 inches from the center, and one 4 1/8-inch dowel in the center. Smear 1 tablespoon of royal icing in center of the 12-inch tier.
- Place 10-inch tier, centered, on top. Insert six 3 1/8-inch dowels in a circle 3 inches from the center. Smear 1 tablespoon of royal icing in center of the 10-inch tier. Place 8-inch tier, centered, on top. Insert four 3 1/8-inch dowels in a circle 2 inches from center.
- Smear 1 tablespoon of royal icing in center of the 8-inch tier. Place 6- inch tier, centered, on top. Insert four 3 1/8-inch dowels in a circle 2 inches from center. Smear 1 tablespoon of royal icing in center of the 6-inch tier. Place 4-inch tier, centered, on top.
- Decorate tiers: Add food color, a little at a time, to 1 cup of royal icing until it is the same light pink as the fondant button. Fit a pastry bag with a coupler and a basket-weave tip (Ateco #46), and fill with pink royal icing. Fit another pastry bag with a plain round tip (Ateco #3), and fill with white royal icing.
- Fit a third pastry bag with an Ateco plain round tip (Ateco #3), and fill with whipped ganache. Pipe lines and dots pattern around each tier. Fit a pastry bag with a plain round tip (Ateco #8), and fill with white royal icing.
- Pipe a dot border around the bottom of each tier. Using a small amount of pink royal icing, attach the pink fondant button, centered, on top of the 4-inch tier. Pipe chocolate dots on the side of the fondant button.
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