I have been asked to do this cake, I think the ribbon and bow are fondant/gumpaste but not sure how the design on them are done. Any ideas would be appreciated.

could it be like a patterned chocolate transfer or edible paper print?

p.s OMG those corners are sooo crisp! Is that pic of real cake, dummy or graphic? Looks too perfect!

This cake looks sooooo familiar. Do you know where your client got the picture? I agree with the pp could be edible image or transfer sheet.

see row 16 on this page: (very similar)
http://www.americanchocolatedesigns.com/

Thats a wilton design. I know i have seen it in the last year or two. The pattern is one of there fondant mats.

Yearbook 2009 page 76. "using tip 1 and thinned royal icing tinted brown, outline and fill in imprints on side strips and bow"

I don't think i would thin the icing down too much or it would be running down the side of the cake.

The mat is called floral fantasy fondant imprint mat.

I don't know where she got the picture and she can't remember. I didn't think of chocolate transfer sheets. Thanks Doug for the link. The corners are really crisp maybe it's a dummy cake She wants me to do the ribbon/bow in silver with burgundy. I have never used the transfer sheets, are they difficult to use? How well do transfer sheets ship ... I would have to order and have shipped to Canada.
When we met her design was 3 tier square offset with alternating silver and burgundy ribbon on tiers! This is a big jump in design.

Thanks peg818 I will look on the wilton site for instructions!

this page has lots of info on transfer sheets, including a link to a video showing how to use them.

they should ship with no problem.

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/whatshot/transfersheets.aspx

If I take this on how would I get silver for the main colour? Would I have to dust the whole thing first then paint the design in burgundy, not the easiest colours to achieve.

Great cake and links thanks for this thread!

Don't forget, many photos for cake magazines are touched up for perfection. My WMI instructor complianed to us that it gives students a feeling of incompetence because they can't get their cakes, flowers, etc. to look like those in the instruction book. I bet that's what was done to this cake - the corners were touched up to look sharp enough to cut paper with. But it's still gorgeous!

I'm pretty sure I saw this in a Wilton Wedding Cake Book that I have. I will look when I get home this evening. If it's where I'm thinking, the instructions to it are in the book. And, if I'm remembering correctly, it was fondant with cutouts but I'll check and update you when I can.

I tried to find instructions on wilton site but couldn't get them. If anyone has the 2009 yearbook and is willing to email the instructions that would be awesome Thank you everyone for your help.

Pans are 8, 12, and 16 square

Wilton used their Floral Fantasy impression mat. The floral part was filled in with royal icing using tip 1 and the bead border is done with tip 5.

The floral strips are ivory and should measure as follows: 2 4-1/2 X 20 in and 2 4-1/2 X 23 in. The white strips are 1/2 X 20 in placed 1/4 in away from the ivory strips.

Thank you myslady for the info

THis is a project from the wilton 2009 yearbook in a page 76 Pans: 8,12,16 square. Tips 1,5. Colors Brown, Ivory, Black, red red. Combine broun red red and black for the brown shown. serves 200. Floral fantasy fondant imprint mat. if you don't have the book let me know any questions because in there are all the instruction to do this cake.

I highly recommend buying the chocolate fondant if you are able to. Yummy and WAY less work than trying to make your own!

ETA: I LOVE this cake! I wish that I had a need to make it. Into my faves for sure!

I am glad I ran across this post today, that is a beautiful cake. And lots of good answers!

I was going to do this same cake (only smaller) last weekend for a family reunion to celebrate for aunt's 70th birthday (was actually 2 weeks ago). I was going to try to use chocolate candy melts to pipe in the details on the ribbon. I made two other cakes for the reunion, so I ran out of time. And since this particular aunt didn't even recognize the birth of my daughter and then proceeded to make a big deal out of the birth of my brothers son and give him a gift in front of me, know what I did? I bought the crappiest sam's cake I could find and stuck it out for her! I loved the look on her face as I was setting up the two cakes I made for other people's celebration then she saw hers and asked if it was a sam's cake. Yeah its a sam's cake lady! Ironically I had bought the impression mat for this cake for her the day she p*ssed me off. Too bad I was looking forward to making this particular design.