sea cake

I am working on a cake for a wedding magazine, to be published this summer. So while I cant show the finished cake just yet--I did want to share some of the steps in making it happen.

I usually stray from royal icing- a thick frosting that hardens when exposed to air- because it has to be piped, and usually is flat, rather than sculptural. But from time to time its always good to try something new and shake up ideas in a new format.




Look how thick and gorgeous this is, only a few minutes into beating. The cake for summer is beach-inspired, and I am looking for a less sculpted and more carefree look- perfect for royal icing.
I keep the royal icing on the thick side, so that it will hold ridges and details from the tips.

A piece of white seaweed, dried. I used pastry tip #104, commonly used for rose petals. I like how dimensional this feels, even though the back is flat.

My favorite nature inspiration book, 'Art Forms in Nature' by Ernst Haekels. I've used this book for jewelry design, and look at it from time to time to get excited by his beautiful drawings.


While piping away, I used my book and a dried seahorse that I bought at a medicinal shop in China to feel beach-inspiration. Hard to do when it snows the first day of Spring.


For ultimate beach feel, I made seaglass out of gelatin in my jewel shaped plastic mold. (I bought them and used them once before; for a jeweled cake inspired by Marc Jacob shoes.)



So far I am really happy about the result, will post the cake when it comes out in a few months...until then think sunscreen, sand, and sweetness.