Timeless elegance and classic details never go out of style; these classic cakes stand the test of time. Wendy Begy uses marvelous molds in the creation of this stunning silver and purple wedding cake tutorial.

Components:

• White Fondant
• Fondant rolling pin
• X-Acto Knife or Sharp Knife
• Balling tool
• Foam Pad
• Marvelous Molds Hydrangea mold(s) large & medium
• Marvelous Molds Pearl Paragon Mold
•  Silver luster dust
•  5mm Silver Dragées
• 6mm White pearl Dragées
• Vegetable Shortening
• Corn Starch for dusting
• Gold Leaf Company edible silver leaf sheets
• Extruder
• Air Brush & Air Brush Booth
• Vodka
• Small spatula
• Small paddle smoother – for adding the silver leaf
• Brush
• Royal Icing
• White Candy melts (optional)
• Cake Board
• Wooden Dowels – Straws – for Stacking/support
• White & lilac colored Satin Ribbon

Wendy uses the Pearl Paragon and Hydrangea molds from Marvelous Molds. The molds can be found at https://marvelousmolds.com/.

1: Cover tiers in advance with white fondant to prepare your cake canvas for decorating. Then make sure to stack and dowel your tiers in advance to avoid damaging the decoration during stacking.

2: Using a Marvelous Mold Hydrangea mold, prepare the mold for use by lightly dusting with cornstarch. Knead a small amount of gum paste until pliable and then roll to approximately 1/8th of an inch thickness.

3: Lay the gum paste over the prepared hydrangea mold and, using your fingertips, gently press the gum paste into the mold cavity to create the flower impression.
4: Next, gently but firmly use your fondant rolling pin to roll over the entire mold, back and forth, until the edge of the mold cuts the outside of each flower and releases the gum paste.

Wendy notes: Marvelous molds, self-trim just by rolling over them with your fondant pin.

5: Pull away the excess fondant, flip the mold upside down and then gently peel back to release the flowers.

6: Repeat the above steps to cut out several flowers and begin by laying each one flat against the bottom tier; adhere the hydrangea with shortening, gum glue, or water.

Wendy notes: Continue to cut and place the flowers until you have completely covered your tier with the hydrangea. I was able to add 3 even rows of hydrangea.

7:  Next, using the Marvelous Molds Hydrangea medium size mold, cut out the same number of flowers as you’ve laid flat against your bottom tier, however this time, we will shape the flowers by using the balling tool to thin and curl each edge.

8: Laying each petal on a foam pad, run the balling tool around the outside of the petal; make sure to add firm and even pressure to thin the edges and create a subtle curl.

9: Place the flowers in a forming tray or an unused egg carton to dry. This will create a beautiful cupped flower.

10: Once dry, gently adhere the hydrangea flowers directly over the center of the flat hydrangea. For continuity, be sure to off-set the petals.

11: Apply a pearl dragée to the center of each flower with a dab of Royal Icing.

To Apply the Edible Silver Leaf

12: Begin by preparing the fondant. I lightly brushed the surface of the tier with shortening, which created a tacky surface to adhere the silver leaf; you could also use water. Then gently lay one sheet, silver side to the cake, and lightly adhere using your fingers. Gently rub a smoother or a stiff brush against the paper to fully attach all the silver.

13: Slowly pull back the paper and continue until all sides of the tier are covered. Make sure the surface you wish to cover is tacky and be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Wendy notes: If you miss any areas you can simply go back in and apply more silver leaf.

Creating the Molded Details

I have used the Marvelous Molds Paragon mold in various applications to create a unique pattern throughout the cake. Many molds can be repurposed to create interesting patterns.

14: Lightly dust the mold with cornstarch, then take a small amount of kneaded gum paste and fill the mold cavity – be sure to push the gum paste into the mold to imprint the detail and trim away any excess.

15: Flip the mold over and gently turn out the applique.

Wendy notes: you can place the mold into the refrigerator to set the gum paste, which will help to retain the shape when you turn out the mold.

16: Repeat the above steps to create as many paragon pieces as you need.

17: To color the pieces, create a paint by mixing silver luster dust with clear alcohol.

Wendy notes: you could also use clear lemon extract in place of alcohol.

18: Paint the molded pieces with an airbrush for even coverage. Make sure to work in a well-ventilated space; I highly recommend working safely by using an airbrushing spray booth, such as the CakeSafe Airbrush Spray Booth.

19: Lay out the mold pieces on a flat surface to plan your pattern. Here I cut some of the paragon mold pieces to create small tier drop shapes, selecting interesting parts of the mold to create a unique pattern.  I then moved the pieces around until I was visually happy with the pattern.

20: Adhere the molded gum paste to your cake with melted white chocolate or royal icing. This will prevent the heavy decorations from sliding.

21: To create the fondant swags, knead a small amount of fondant until pliable and push through an extruder to create a long, thin rope. Attach to the cake with a small amount of gum glue to create a swag pattern.

22: Add the finishing touches by applying dragées, using a small amount of royal icing, to complete the finished pattern and add visual interest to the tier and finish the tiers with a neat border or a color coordinating ribbon. Use a small dab of royal icing to secure the ribbon to the cake.