Here is a Paris inspired cake I made recently. It is supposed to represent the shops and sights of Paris. There is a dress shop, a shoe store, and a bakery. There is a wedding shop, and outdoor café, a fancy house with potted plants and a snooty poodle. There are picture frames to represent the museums, a scooter, and plants and greenery for the parks. There are macarons, and roses, and lots and lots of lamp posts.
And that wimpy paper Eiffel Tower?? That was replaced by a nice metal 3D version once the cake arrived at the venue. But sadly my picture didn't come out very good - too much light in the room.
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Construction of the cake started with the bottom tier. I used a mold to make the rosette ruffle. It was easy but a little time consuming. It took me about and hour and a half to cover the 10" cake base. First I had to tint the fondant a soft pink color. Then, per the instructions on the mold, I mixed the fondant with a little Tylose powder (aka Gum-Tex and CMC). I dusted the mold with LOTS of corn starch, and then I just pressed the fondant into the mold to form the rose rosettes.
Then it was just a matter of placing the rosette panels on the cake and joining the panels together. If you look close you can see where the panels where joined, and at the back of the cake (although there really isn't a back to the cake), I had to cut one of the panels to make it fit. I also made sure my base tier was 4" tall so it would match the height of the mold.
With the base finished, I added the second tier and started to place my "shops". I pretty much just cut random squares, rectangles, and arches to make the shops. I used Choco Pan Modeling Chocolate instead of fondant to make the cutouts. The modeling chocolate is stiff and holds its shape when you pick it up and transfer it to the side of the cake. The modeling chocolate doesn't need the yucky Tylose to stiffen it up, and it tastes good too (unlike most fondant).
Sorry, I forgot to take pictures as I was working on the top tier. I've been doing that a lot. I just get into the groove and forget to take step-by-step photos. Once I got all the "shops" in place I added the final touches. I used a mold for the dress, purse, and shoes. Another mold for the picture frames. For the items in the bridal shop window. For the roses and butterflies.
Happy Decorating,
Carol
