Hello Everyone!

My sister has her heart set on this cake which I also love but I am struggling to think of how the middle tier is done.  It looks like very very thin sugarpaste/flower paste mix but does anyone have an idea of where to  start applying it or is there a tutorial?  Also what size would you say the tiers are?  Bottom tier is going to be double iced with fondant so one layer (gold painted) can be peeled off if preferred by whoever eats it, middle tier needs to be small enough to have all of that ruffle on it lol.... I just want it to be perfect.  She knows it will not look exactly like that one but she loves the soft appearance of the mid tier.

Thanks so much in advance

That just looks like pieces of fondant or gumpaste or a mix of the two rolled out thin,, cut into strips, then crumpled up and stuck to the cake. Nothing scientific or precise about it. Just start in one section and add more pieces as you work your way around the tier.

this is a gorgeous cake and i'm not taking anything away from that -- i just have an observation -- if you cut it in half from top to bottom you can see a bit of a difference in the application of the pleaty things on the middle tier -- on the left they are tight, sturdy, petite and plentiful on the right they are different -- wider and flatter, more of a plus size -- neither is right or wrong but i see the hand of perhaps a weary decorator or one who caught on to the application after getting underway -- starting out one way and finishing the other -- i've certainly been there many times where the place i started doesn't look like the same decor as where i've finished :) and i've even accidentally put the 'back' of the cake in the front too -- dang it!

so idk -- just a random observation of a truly stunning cake -- and it could just be the angle of the camera -- 

It looks like randomly cut up pieces of fondant. I wouldn't use gumpaste as that would be near impossible to cut the cake after. But definitely you would need to treat the fondant with tylose or cmc powder or combine fondant with gumpaste. I looked for tutorials but couldn't find any exactly like that cake but here's one that might give you a bit of a guide.

 https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.532041920160288.123226.148941125137038&type=3&_rdr#_=_

She starts from the bottom of the tier and works her way up all around. She also mentions allowing the pieces to dry slightly before applying to the cake. This might be why you see some drooping to the pieces on the right side of the cake. Maybe she was running out of time? Maybe she wanted it that way who knows. 

I'd say the tier sizes are 6", 8" and 12" bottom.  I say 12" on the bottom because it looks like a difference of about 2 inches on each side of the cake compared to the middle tier. It could possible be a 4", 6" and 10" as well. But definitely there is more of a difference between the bottom and middle tiers than there are between the top and middle tiers. The ruffles add about an inch of extra width to the cake once applied also.  Hope some of this helps. Good luck! 

I see what K8 is referring to but...........I think it's more from the angle of the camera and a tired decorator :)