Crane/floral Show Cake- Info & Pictures
Decorating By KimAZ Updated 24 Jul 2013 , 11:49pm by kristiemarie
Hi,
I got so many lovely comments on my cake that I wanted to share several other views of it so those who asked could see what the back look liked too.
This was one of my entries in the Cake & Sugar Art Show of Arizona last weekend. I placed 2nd in the semi pro division with this one! 
The inspiration came from a Japanese kimono I saw and thought it was beautiful. The cake is 8-10-12-14" round stryofoam dummies covered in marshmallow fondant ( MMF). I only do buttercream on real cakes so this is only my 5th or 6th time doing fondant on a dummy cake.
I can't draw worth a darn so I used the pin prick method to transfer the pattern onto the cake. It was not easy and in fact was quite messy with all the poke holes and hard to see the lines when the paper was lifted off the cake. So I'm sure there must be another way but it worked in the end.
Next, I piped royal icing with tip #3 over every line to outline the whole pattern all the way around the cake. (hours and hours!) I mixed various luster dusts ( cranberry, violet, pearl and cotton candy colors) with lemon oil to make the paint to fill in the design. Again, hours and hours of time to carefully paint it. The lines were then painted with pearl dust to highlight as was the bottom border.
The flowers are top are what I'd call fantasy flowers as they are not really a rose, nor a peony although they're suppose to represent the hot pink flowers on the sides of the cake. I used the 5 petal rose cutter and tried to ruffle the edges, then added multiple stamens in the center. Each flower was painted with cranberry luster dust.
On a little side story, I really like Japanese themes and my Grandmother who passed away 4 yrs ago was very much into the art of Japanese flower arranging. And butterflys have come to remind me of and represent her too. So when I made this cake I thought of her. The day before the cake show, I was at the event location helping set up the room. I was walking back and forth to my car to get things and a butterfly flew right up into my face which scared me at first. But, in that instant I knew it was my Grandma coming to tell me I'd do well.
And what's so cool about it, is that this has happened twice before. Once, the year she died, with a cake I dedicated to her which was a hat box cake and had pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness and the very first time I'd ever entered in any competition. And again, last year when I made a wedding gown themed cake for the cake show. I won with both cakes and both times butterflies literally flew right into my face shortly before the shows. It's gotta mean something! ( and makes me cry everytime!)
Anyway, thank you all for the lovely compliments! I hope you all get the chance to enter a cake show sometime. It's so much fun!
KimAZ
WOW! Your cake is absolutely gorgeous--perfect, actually.
I also liked that you shared the story of your Grandmother and butterflies--I believe our dearly departed send us signs to let us know they are watching over us!
Again, absolutely stunning cake!
Sheryl
Your cake is just stunning and I love your choice of colors. The outlined flowers are just beautiful. And the shimmery effect of the cranes is amazing it is sort of like sometimes you almost don't see them and then you move a little farther to one side or the other and they appear. So very beautiful.
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