A pandemic is a memorable event all on its own, but having a birthday or wedding during one is definitely something to remember. So why not mark the occasion with a cake that will blow the socks off anything you’ve seen before. Yup, it’s time to toss the sprinkles and get out the big guns. You are going to elevate that celebratory cake by personalizing it with some handmade art. And the best part is, everyone can participate. Well, maybe not the dog. No, definitely not the dog.
This is what you’ll need:
- Commercial cake mix (or you can make your own cake from scratch)
- A container of ready-made white fondant
- Rolling pin
- Food coloring
- Foodwriter edible coloured markers
Instructions:
Mix and bake your cake in the size you desire. It doesn’t have to be a bakery-approved cake; boxed cake mixes work fine. And chocolate cake provides contrast with the white fondant.
Once the cake has cooled (DO NOT put fondant on a warm cake; it will melt), roll out your white fondant. The fondant is the base for your edible canvas so you’ll need to roll out enough to cover the entire cake. Make sure the layer of fondant is not too thick as it must be pliable. You can find fondant online at Michaels in both Canada and the US (curbside pickup is available in most locations in Canada). It is not expensive and it covers quite a large expanse.
Once you’ve rolled out the fondant, wrap it around a rolling pin and lay it over your cake, making sure to cover the entire cake. Gently press fondant all the way around the cake so it adheres. Cut off any extra fondant, wrap and set aside.
The next step is to decide what you’d like to do with your cake (if you haven’t already). If you are creating a birthday cake for a young child and you’d like to get the whole family involved, you could use the Wilton Foodwriter Edible Color markers (also available at Michaels) and create something like this. The children will love using the cake as their canvas.
If the cake is for an adolescent, you can keep the top white (or write some birthday wishes) and add a grid and coloured geometric designs on the sides.
If you’d like to do something more complex, you could do an M & M-themed birthday cake by using coloured fondant and cookie cutters to create the face.
A wedding or wedding-anniversary cake could look like this:
This cake is covered in coloured fondant. It’s made by adding food colouring to white fondant or by mixing two fondant colours. Watch the how-to video here. For videos on how to create fondant flowers and birds, etc. click here.
Whether you draw on your cake or create an artful masterpiece, you and your family will have a beautiful memory from your time in lockdown, proving you CAN have your cake and eat it too! •
