I had an absolute BLAST making this Alice in Wonderland themed cake for a beloved cake client this past weekend. A lot of customers that happened to be in the bakery picking up sweets got to see me work on this. Many of them asked me questions about the cake so I thought it would be a great topic to share with any aspiring cake decorators out there.
How long does it take you to make a cake?
I often get asked this question and it really just depends on the design. I can tell you that I spent a little over 16 hours on this Alice in Wonderland cake from start to finish (not counting baking time). I spent 2 days prepping and making all of the pieces earlier in the week totaling about 8 hours (not so bad at all) and 8 hours on Friday putting the whole cake together: covering the cake board, leveling the cake, crumb coating, covering it in fondant, stacking, and decorating.
It’s tedious work but covering a cake board with fondant adds that extra wow-factor to any custom cake
How do I know what to do first?
Being a good cake designer means you have to be able to think in advance and figure out what needs to be completed first to make the end task easier. It doesn’t mean that if you forgot to do something that it cannot be accomplished later. It just means that it will make decorating the cake a bit more difficult and additionally, you have to worry about it possibly falling apart. A good tip for novice designers is to make a checklist of everything that needs to be done for the cake and to visualize the entire process. This will help you figure out what needs to be done ahead of time so that you can concentrate on putting the cake together later.
What’s the teacup made of?
When it comes to sugar pieces that are free standing, it is always good to do them in advance to give them proper drying time. This is crucial since the pieces will have to stand on its own, survive transportation and last until the cake is being cut. I like to use pure gum paste for my pieces which is what I used for the teacup for this Alice In Wonderland cake. Gum paste will dry hard so you have to be very careful handling it. It will shatter very easily, and you will cry, like I do, when this happens.
Why are there plastic tubes in my cake?
The structure of a cake is especially crucial for a cake like this. It would be a shame for the cake to fall or crush itself after all of the time you put into it. I like to add a wooden dowel through the middle of the whole cake anytime the cake is higher than two tiers. This will help minimize movement during transportation. My advice for the support dowels is don’t skimp on the number you use for each tier. I typically use plastic dowels but occasionally use the wooden ones for support of smaller things like a cake topper. To support a 6” cake tier, I would use five plastic dowels. And for every tier larger than that, I would add 2 additional dowels to it, i.e. 8″ tier = 7 dowels, 10″ tier = 9 dowels, and so on. After stacking each tier, check and make sure that your cake is level. I use a small 6″ level that you can get at your hardware store. Stacking tiers upon tiers on an unleveled base will result in cake catastrophe.
These cake decorating tips were some of the things that I had to figure out on my own when I first started. I hope that these few simple tips will be helpful for your cake decorating projects. Creating an awesome cake makes any occasion sweeter!
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This is exactly what I what got my daughter’s first birthday with big and small cookies for the guest to get saying eat me what a fantastic cake if yall have anymore ideas/pictures with the same theme let me know
Hi Wendy, I actually made Alice in Wonderland cake pops to go with this cake. You can see a pic of them on our Facebook page. You can also follow me on Pinterest (Christine the baker). I have lots of Alice in Wonderland ideas pinned.
I love your delicious treats. I think your creations are wonderful and magical. Oh so yummy!
Thank you, Elva!
Loooove this! Very talented
Thank you, Machelle!
This cake is amazing!! You are so talented!!
Thank you, Marisol!
My wife and I absolutely love Alice in Wonderland and love the cake idea all together!
Wow! The cake looks so whimsical and fantastic! You have such an amazing talent! Keep them coming!
~Aswathi Thomas
I miss your cupcakes so much
I always make sure to stop by whenever I’m back home in Sugar Land <3
That’s so sweet, Janna. I hope we will see you soon at the bakery.