A Closer Look at Nancy Lagerwaard's Textile Wedding Cake

In the Textile Wedding Cake issue of Cake Central Magazine (Volume 7, Issue 1), we asked cakemakers to create wedding cakes that combined traditional William Morris tapestries with modern techniques. The luscious color palette on Nancy Lagerwaard’s (Op en Top Taart) cake is rich and inviting, and we felt it deserved a second look! Read on to learn about Nancy’s design process.

"I love the pattern, [it's] not something I usually work with but it's beautiful, classic. I love the natural elements and colors used by William Morris.

I wanted to use a special color for the cake, something you would not see on a cake every day and to make sure it would come together with the pattern. I decided to use gold details and highlight the golden parts of the pattern.

I sketch most wedding cakes I make. Sometimes I have an idea but can't get a clear picture of the end result, making a sketch gives me the confirmation that my idea will look good on the actual cake.

[My final design didn't differ much from my original plan] I only switched the belt on top from the right to the left, otherwise it would be hidden behind the flower."

"The flower [is my favorite thing about this cake], next to the pattern it is a real eye-catcher on the cake. I have worked with wafer paper before but this was the first time I made a wired flower with it like this.

I wanted each element to compliment the pattern and because the pattern is originally on textile, I used elements related to fabric, the skirt-like ruffles and belts with buckles. I added pearl borders to enhance the classic look and the flower and branches as an eye-catcher to compliment the organic flowers on the pattern.

I loved making this cake with this exceptional inspiration, it made me look at designing a cake from a whole different angle."

Nancy, from The Netherlands, used to be a goldsmith before she began decorating cakes in 2012. To see more of Nancy's work visit her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpenTopTaart/