The Big Cake Project 2010, Part One

Today, cake decorating started on this year's big cake project. After some discussion we decided that instead of William Morris's Willow pattern, we're going to recreate his closely related Willow Boughs, a slightly more naturalistic image, and one I love.

Here's the wallpaper.




And here were the four bags of icing sugar I started with this morning, to make a large bowl of royal icing.

Once tinted to the green of choice, we put parchment over the wallpaper pattern to trace the outline of the leaves in icing. Two full sets are being made. Part of the second set will help decorate the board the cake sits on, and also it's good to have extras in case of breakage. There's always breakage!

Then we thinned the remaining tinted royal icing to flood the interior of the leaves. They don't look like much right now... but just you wait. It's amazing what a few more steps can do. The cake board is covered with tinted fondant, held in place by some piping gel brushed over the board.




And after all that, my pals headed home, and I headed back to Cherry Beach to clear my head. I love the appearance of buds... and the promise of spring.