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SWEDISH STYLE CAKE |
AUSTRALIAN LACE CAKES are covered in rolled fondant to give a satiny background for the delicate trims which include: fine lace patterns and
silken ribbons. The delicate gum-paste flowers with added ribbon and
tulle, regally compliment this pristine cake and serve as a lovely
keepsake corsage. Australian Lace is a specialty style of decorating. Each cake is
skillfully handcrafted and artfully finished and no two cakes are
exactly alike.
The flowers on an Australian Lace Cake are Gum Paste Flowers. They are made from a sugar mixture that becomes a pliable dough yet hardens firm. The sugar dough or "gum paste" is rolled out, cut and worked into shapes with fine tools. The flower shapes are then molded around wire and once firm, assembled into bouquets and dusted with colors as desired. The finished flowers take on a porcelain appearance which compliments the ornate and pristine style of Australian Lace. Silken ribbons are wrapped, woven, or cascaded on the cake. In the above picture, the Bride and Groom's preference was for black satin ribbon on bouquets only.
TRADITIONAL STYLE WEDDING CAKES... are decorated "white on white" with our soft buttercream icing. The dramatic drapes and trims are trademark of the traditional style of decorating. White roses on white icing can be accented with gold or silver leaves. Additional variations include colored drapes and trims, colored roses, and flowering cascades. A traditional style cake can also be complimented with royal icing flowers. Royal Icing is a mixture of sugar, egg whites, and glycerin which produce a thick liquid icing that dries to a smooth hard finish. Although these flowers are made
of sugar, and are created using an icing bag, they are not the soft flowers of buttercream frosting. The hardening characteristic of Royal Icing allows for the creation of lace like Lambeth scrolls (as on the cake to the right), the hanging icicles on a gingerbread house, and specialty flowers which stand erect and are easily cascaded and overlapped. Such specialty flowers include poinsettias, petunias, daisies, and sunflowers. Flowers on a cake, either traditional buttercream or royal icing, can be one color, an array of colors, or shades of a color (as in the "shades of pink" on the cake to the right)
Today's contemporary styles of decorating often forgo the trademark trims and drapes of the traditional style but often maintain the white on white design. Smoother edges and simpler decorations are often a preference. Silver, gold, or pearl dragees (the small edible confetti like balls on the cake to the left) are making a comeback. Though appearing on many contemporary cakes today, in the 1940's-1960's scattered silver dragees were a staple on a wedding cake, ...just proving that some things never go out of style.