A wedding is such a joyous occasion for the bride and groom where the happy couple embarks on a lifelong journey together. These days, weddings have become an extravagant affair with excellent décor, mouth-watering cuisine and obviously an incredible wedding cake. Cutting the wedding cake is considered to be one the highlights in a ceremony. Many people believe that a wedding cake is more than just a “pretty dessert” and when a couple cuts the cake and shares a slice, it represents togetherness and their commitment for one another for eternity.

The most extravagant cakes I have ever seen are the royal wedding cakes. With the royal wedding just around the corner, I am sure it would be a breathtaking wedding cake. Do a Google search and check out some of the beautiful cakes from past royal weddings. It’s hard to pick a favorite since they are all so elegant and unique.

When I first offered to make a royal wedding cake for this month’s issue, my mind was erupting with ideas and it was over-whelming. So, I broke down the process into three stages which helped me organize my thoughts:

Stage 1: Research & Sketching

Before you even touch your cake or icing, the first thing you need to do is research. Check out pictures of past royal cakes and gain inspiration from them. While going through pictures, I noticed that the cakes were white or cream in color with colorful floral elements. There was a lot of Victorian designs and scroll work made with royal icing. There were multiple tiers and these cakes were very TALL! I like simple and elegant cakes with a modern touch and I am not too fond of traditional scroll work. I find it slightly boring. So, I used all this research and my ideas to make these sketches. This was my first one. Halfway through, I realized, I didn’t like it and it didn’t look “royal” enough to me.

So, I made this sketch. I like this better but I felt the bottom tier could use more work...

And finally, I made this sketch. I loved it. I slept on it and woke up the next morning, looked at it and still loved it. That’s how I knew this was my royal cake design.

This cake would have white and silver tones. It will be tall with 6 tiers separated by stylish champagne glasses (I didn’t want to use traditional, boring cake separators).Each tier would alternate between a square and a circle shape. There would be a different design on each tier made with different cutters. A vase made from fondant/gum paste would sit on the top tier and filled with fresh roses to brighten things up. The top tier would also have a crown to represent the royal lineage.

Stage 2: Preparing & Basic Work

I don’t think making a wedding cake is a “one-day job.” You need quite a bit of time so that you don’t get exhausted. Get your supplies and ingredients. The last thing you need is a panic attack when you realize you are missing something at the last moment. Make your cakes. Use a recipe you are familiar with. Or if this is a sample wedding cake (like the one I made), order cake dummies. I get mine from the site, The Foam Studio. Most of the cake decorating supplies can be bought from Michaels or Hobby Lobby and there are many sites which sell these supplies as well. For fondant, I used marshmallow fondant and I like the way it tastes. [project:royal-wedding-cake]

Stage 3: Decorating & Presenting

Now, it’s time to finally focus on the intricate details of this cake. Each tier had to be individually decorated. A crown had to be made and a vase had to be made as well. I made the crown first so that it got some time to dry. It was actually not as difficult as it looks. You just need a steady hand to do all the gold and silver painting.

Check out the final product! I am very pleased with how it turned out. And here are some close- ups of the cake.

Like I said earlier, it’s the little details that matter. Hope you found this tutorial helpful and will make a wedding cake too. I would like to end off by giving my heartiest congratulations to the royal couple and wish them a wonderful life ahead of them.

Check out more fantastic cakes and recipes from Cake Whiz.