A sheet cake with chocolate icing! No flowers, no bows, no dots, no strawberries just a monogram in the middle in beige. How do I do this and make it look good?

It is a 2nd wedding for both the bride and groom and it's a pretty informal wedding. SHe is a dear friend of mine and I want to give her what she wants but I don't want her to be disppointed if it looks too plain.

Any ideas would be appreciated. TIA!

Ummm...you could add a 6 inch cake on the top of the sheet cake with the monogram, if she doesn't mind.

Or maybe make an oval in the middle of the cake with some sort of piping with the monogram in the middle.

Im not great for ideas tonight...sorry I couldn't be more help.

good luck

It sounds like she wants something that looks more like a traditional groom's cake, rather than a wedding cake. Not surprising for a second wedding with a small, intimate reception.

Does it have to be a big, flat sheet cake? Or can it be a double layer, large rectangle, maybe 12 x 18, which would give it some height?

You could cover it with a really smooth chocolate frosting and then, if she agrees, cover it in chocolate fondant. BTW - my current favorite chocolate frosting is the recipe on the back of the Ghirardelli Powdered Chocolate can.

Then, create a really nice ivory-colored fondant or gum paste, oval plaque for the center. Surround the edge of the plaque with pearls of the same color and then pipe a really elegant monogram in the same ivory color. You could even decorate the edges with a diamond cutter if you have one.

What I'm describing is cake with elements similar to the blue baptism cake in my photos. Imagine it oblong and chocolate. I think you could pull it off.

Good luck!

I think a really simple clean design could really work out nicely.

lindambc: looks like we were typing at the same time!

I had a bride ask for just a sheet cake too! I tried to make it a little more interesting though by trimming back the top and adding the small tier on top.

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1100103

I agree with MaisieBake, just do what they request.

Jibbies

Kim, lindambc and dinas27--thanks for the ideas and the pics. Ya'lls cakes are so pretty. I like the idea of the monogram on a plaque.

Jibbies and Maisiebake: I'm going to give them what they asked for. I'm not trying to change their mind about what they want, I just need some ideas to make it look nice.

If you look in my pix I have a sheetcake with a heart cake on top with a gilded monogram. Maybe that would give you some ideas!

If you have time, bake a 9x13 ice it chocolate put a top and bottom border on it and a beige monogram and ask them if that is what they want. she may say yes! or she may see that its paliner than what she envisioned and then you can jazz it up.

Jibbies

what about something like this?

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=199853

Give her some ideas, but ultimately you are going to have to make the cake she wants.

http://cakecentral.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10037/thumb_freizen_full_sheet_exposure.jpg

This would look good in chocolate w/the letters in the center.

Maybe you could do a quilted pattern and then use a fondant oval in the center and put the monogram in that. Dots or dragees at intersections of the quilting and in the borders.

ummm...cut a wax paper oval& place in the center, then do a criss-cross chocolate drizzle. border around oval edges with monogram in middle? Could even do the monogram with raised fondant letters pressed from a mold, then paint them gold or silver or something.

simple but not plain.

If she is all about the simple... make a big oval cookie push it to the center of the cake then mix royal icing and just a touch of brown and get your beige after that add some luster dust to a bit of your royal ... then pipe the monogram in a darker icing in the same shade just to give it depth... the trick would be to cover the whole cookie with the royal icing... this would give it a 3d effect without adding servings to the cake.

sheet cake with chocolate icing (the sheen and fluid look of ganache would add a bit of an upscale touch to it...IMHO), no borders, no dots, no nothing. make the monogram elaborate though...draw out the letter(s) she wants and either duplicate them with white chocolate, fondant/gumpaste in ivory...set inside an ornate frame of the same stuff. Similar to this one...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artofdessert/3009184925/ or this

http://www.classicconfectioncakes.com/images/2008_weddings/20080629_lightblue_white_monogram.jpg

I would embellish the heck out of the frame or plaque and the monogram!


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.engravedmoments.com/art/frame9T.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.engravedmoments.com/engravedmomentsframedesigns.aspx&usg=__4x6gR_g0O155JdgZle7C4Sv7CEk=&h=160&w=150&sz=6&hl=en&start=14&um=1&tbnid=vnDNxRSjDr9oqM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvictorian%2B%2Bframes%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4SUNA_enUS310US227%26sa%3DN

All the emphasis would be on the monogram

Thank you all for the input and suggestions. I knew I could count on CCer's.

I would love to do something with ganache but have never worked with it.

The cookie idea is cool as is making the monogram the focal point of the cake.

All these ideas are great!!