How To Make A Bridal Gown Cake and Cupcakes

Did you know that there are over 2,000,000 weddings in America every year? With numbers like that you wouldn't be surprised that the wedding industry is one of the fastest growing industries today. As a budding cake decorator, I usually prefer to make cakes for children or family members. There is not as much pressure and I have much more creative freedom. Children are notoriously easy to please and family members like the deep discounts. So when I received a request to make a bridal shower cake for a friend of the family, my anxiety level increased a tad. Brides are very particular about their weddings and showers and this scared me a bit. Well, I am here to let you know, it's doable and easier than you may think. Have you ever seen the Barbie doll cakes that are made in pyrex bowls? They basically have the torso of a doll stuck in the center of a cake. I decided to make a bridal gown cake using this technique. It was so easy to make although it is a bit time consuming. Here's how I did it.

• One 2 quart glass Pyrex mixing bowl
• 1 package of cake mix prepared mixed according to instructions
• 2 tubs of icing or homemade recipe
• 1 Wilton Doll pick or Barbie with head removed
• 2 oz. of Black Fondant/ Modeling Chocolate
• 1.5 lb box of White Fondant/ Modeling Chocolate
• Black Sugar Pearls
• rolling pin
• Petal cookie/ fondant cutter
• Karo syrup
• rolling ball tool

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour Pyrex bowl.
2. Prepare batter according to directions on box. Pour prepared batter into greased bowl.
3. Bake for 50- 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely.
4. Remove cake from bowl and invert onto a cake board.
5. Cover doll pick with karo syrup and apply black fondant over pick.
6. Roll out a small amount of white fondant and gather some over black fondant to cover part of torso. Be creative and design neckline however you like. I went the simple route and folded it over.
7. Stick doll pick in center of inverted cake
8. Cover cake with icing.

1. Roll white fondant out to 1/8 inch.
2. Press petal cutter onto fondant to make a petal. Make about 100 at a time. Place all fondant under plastic wrap while working, so the fondant will not dry out.
3. Use a ball tool to ruffle each petal.
4. Begin applying ruffled petals to iced cake. Start at bottom of cake and work your way up. These ruffles are very forgiving. Just place them evenly apart at your own discretion.
5. Cover entire cake with ruffled petals.
6. Embelish neckline of doll pick with sugar pearls etc.
7. You're done! Admire your work!

Fondant has had a bad rep in the past. Many people describe the taste as chalky or bland.
Fondant has evolved and can be found in may different flavors today. They range from Tutti Frutti to Dark Chocolate and beyond. I have found the Satin Ice brand to taste the best. If you have an absolute aversion to fondant, you may want to try modeling chocolate. Chocolate or candy melts can be melted down and combined with Karo syrup to make a roll-able, malleable clay like substance. It is so easy to make and absolutely delicious. As you may imagine, modeling chocolate can not withstand high heat, so you should take that into consideration when deciding on a decorating medium.

I must admit, I did NOT use the easiest technique for these cupcake toppers. I hand cut the fondant and it was quite tedious. The dresses were free formed and I used fondant plungers for the flowers. Since then I have found cookie cutters that do the job much better. They even add the detail with a stencil. If I had known about this option, I definitely would have gone this route. Please spare yourself the heartache and use a cutter and stencil. The results will be much cleaner and uniform. I still think I did a good job, considering I made them by hand.