This cake was ordered days after I delivered the Hibiscus cake by another colleague for her Mum's 75th birthday. The brief was simply,"white Cymbidium orchids, make it look beautiful". I didn't really have clear idea in my head how I wanted the cake to look, but I started out by making the orchids. I took my time, making lots more than I needed so that I could pick and choose the best ones for the cake. Once the orchids were complete, everything sort of evolved by itself from there. I decided that a very, very pale ruby colour should be used to cover the cake. Then I realised I needed something in a soft, delicate green and the next thing I knew I was making eucalyptus leaves. My next idea was to add some tiny filler flowers, such as jasmine or stephanotis, but as usual, I ran out of time.
It always amazes me just how much time making something as simple as leaves can take. Each leaf needs to be individually wire, veined and dusted before they can be wired together to form a stem. It also took ages for me to figure out how to wire the flowers and leaves together to make an attractive spray for the cake. Alan Dunn makes it look so simple, but trust me, it isn't!!!
All in all I was extremely pleased with the way this cake came out. Hard and time consuming as they are to make, I must say that flowers give me the most pleasure to make. There is something so unbelievably beautiful in even the simplest flowers. For me it is such a thrill to be able to even vaguely reproduce that beauty.
In closing I can't resist adding that the recipient was so delighted with this cake that she refused to let anyone cut it! She has put it on display for all to see and no amount of pleading can make her eat this one! Luckily it is a sacher torte which keeps very well for longer periods. Even so, perhaps I should have made it out of styrofoam........
Thanks for stopping by!
