Attention all scroller-bakers: the wedding cake!

[handibunny]

As you probably know, l made the wedding cake for my son Jon's wedding last Sunday. Joe helped me make videos of the process, starting with the cake board, for which I used my scroll saw to good advantage.

If you've ever wondered how one of these creations is put together, this should answer some of your questions. It was fun to do, but the responsibility was enormous.

And I did NOT wear a dress during this process--you'll recognize my familiar attire, LL Bean all the way!

Making an Elegant Cake Board - YouTube
Making a Wedding Cake, Part 1: Advance Preparation - YouTube
Making a Wedding Cake, Part 2: Baking and Filling the Layers - YouTube
Making a Wedding Cake, Part 3: Covering and Decorating - YouTube

[Wood Dog]

Ho Lee Cow.......that is one fine project with a lot of work, but I'm sure it was a labor of love for you. Beautiful job talented lady. Had a good chuckle seeing you up on the step stool with that huge rolling pin.
Guess there was no way talking your daughter-in-law into wooden cup cakes instead of a cake. Thanks for posting your videos....... well done.

[Scrolling Days]

You're a true artist, Carole! That is some cake! I'm sure it will taste wonderful and will be a real hit at the wedding.

[rippersmom]

Your videos were great! I watched them all and enjoyed them very much. Your talents are amazing.

Nancy in AZ

[handibunny]

Thanks Gloria, Shawn and Nancy.

It was an amazing amount of work, but worth every moment. I used to joke that I was saving my cake decorating stuff to make my sons' wedding cakes, and the fact that I actually did that was truly wonderful.

Now I'm anticipating that my new DIL, who is a Johnson & Wales trained pastry chef, will inherit all the wonderful books and equipment that I accumulated over the past 30 years.

There should be no doubt in anyone's mind why I had to have a chapter in the new book called "fun with food". It's so cool to bring one passion right into another.

Thanks for sharing in my pleasure and fun!

[Cutting Cathy]

Wow Carole that is very impressive and very cool!!!! Like Wood Dog I had to chuckle during the step stool scene. I think I will stick to scrolling though. That looks way to tedious for me!!! Thanks for sharing another of your talents with us!!!

[Powakee]

Carole
I can only echo what others have said "WOW" - both to the time & effort and to the final result. The cake is beautiful!!!

I noted that you either did a lot of editing or a lot of turning on and off the camera. Was the camera running the whole time? How many hours did you spend on the last part - part 3 of the video??? I would say I have learned a whole new level of defining 'patience.'

Thanks for posting this. You are incredibly talented.

John

[handibunny]

Cathy, I had a lot of fun doing this cake, but the amount of continuous effort was extraordinary. I think I'm finally starting to recover after a week. Given that I'm only 4'11", the standard height countertop is too high for me--that's why I really needed the step stool to exert the downward pressure necessary. I wasn't sure my right shoulder was up to all that piping, but the old body held up pretty well, and I still had energy to dance at the wedding. That's what happens when you have your kids on the later side.

John, doing the video was an interesting experience. Usually when I do a video, the video takes priority over the project itself. However, in this case, it was a matter of working the video around doing the cake. That's why I totally forgot to show how I put the flowers into the cake. By the end of part 3, I was really wearing down, and glad to get finished before I collapsed.

The day of baking, filling, and crumb coating was a good 12 hours, counting the extra layer I had to bake after losing one of the toothpicks in what was supposed to be the final layer. (That's why the red warning about the toothpicks!) The day of covering and decorating was less time consuming, but because of drying times, covered most of the day. I haven't done this in a while, so everything had to be done carefully so that I didn't miss a critical step. We just tried to shoot a sample of each step, and did get most of them. Glad you liked the finished result--I was really pleased with the way it came out.

And I figured that the videos would be a nice way to commemorate the event, as well as a way to share the experience.

[Hawaiilad]

Carole, I wanted to thank you for making these videos. Janet (my wife) does not watch the wood working videos, but she was happy to set and watch this one. She really enjoyed watching I could tell. She will be making a wedding cake for us in a couple weeks as we are getting remarried with about 100 + friends attending.

[campasano]

Carole, you did a very professional job on that cake it looks splendid. You are as good and proficient in your cake baking as well as your woodworking. Thanks for sharing.

Mike

[Ghornet54]

Oh boy, Carole, that was amazing! What a labor of love! You're a very talented lady.

Charles

[jim_mex]

Hi Carole - Joe and yourself have put together a fantastic set of videos, not only educational but extremely professionally made. Fascinating viewing!

Like others I couldn't help but chuckle at your aerial rolling out position for the fondant icing but seeing you with that 'lethal weapon' in your hand I'm pleased I was only chuckling at the laptop monitor and not with you in the kitchen within striking range, although I'm sure that would also be an amazing experience - watching you work I mean, not being struck by the rolling pin - LOL!.

I'm sure you felt really proud seeing your creation in prime position at the wedding reception and well you should have been.

Congratulations for a job magnificently well done and thanks again for sharing your talents with us. Kudos also to Joe for his behind the camera and video editing work too. You make a great couple!

[handibunny]

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words--they just made me grin from ear to ear. It's a pleasure to share with such a warm and caring group of folks.

Larry, congratulations on your remarry ceremony, and how nice that Janet will be making the cake for it. Is there a story behind this? If so, please share!

Mike, I was a cake decorator long before I became a woodworker. In fact, I started working on a cake decorating book, years ago, but never managed to get it going. I always regarded the bowl book as the cake decorating book I never wrote--somehow, for reasons I'll never understand, the time was right.

Thanks, Charles. It was indeed a labor of love. It's interesting to sculpt people you know out of sugar paste. And very important that they not look fat or ugly! My son even specified that his hair needed to be short. It's also pretty cool to go behind the scenes at catering places and pretend that you really belong there.

Jim, with your varied background, I was curious to hear your reaction,and glad you liked the videos. I know you're familiar with sugar paste and all that stuff we borrowed from the Brits. I was always impressed with how seriously they took their decorating, and remember reading about something that was called, I think, "Cities and Guilds", referring to standards that had to be met by decorators.

I could not have done the videos, and the cakes, without Joe's help. He's getting into videos more and more, and I look forward to getting back to the woodworking ones. It's such a great way to share ideas and techniques--I really feel like I'm doing a personal demo for my kids or my friends. Amazing what you can do with a cheap little Flip camera!