I have never ever done more than butter icing for my cakes...and even then .. it was just splattered on top....My mom on the other hand was an expert ...well..it was 25 years ago...she in fact won the all island cake decorating prize...she did a beautiful merry-go-round...which actually worked! she also did cakes which lighted....unfortunate she stopped all that....and is now an excellent seamstress :-D
When this contest came on...i thought how hard can it be?? piece of cake huh? Wrong!!
Oh i started with wild ideas...so far fetched...and ended up with these 3...after so many trials and errors in half a day...yes...i nearly gave up!
So yeah....I'm a beginner when it comes to decorating a cake...hence the Title!

Step 1: The Basic Cake

Make your basic cakes...i made yummy moist butter cake.
I wanted lot's of small cakes...you know....preparing for disasters..so i got cereal tins and tuna fish tins. cut them to sizes and baked my cake.
Next i sliced my cakes..and applied mock cream in between...i wanted my cakes to be tasty!...even on the off chance they turn out to be ugly! cant waste right??
Next i slapped on the butter icing...
Now i wanted a smooth top...you know....like those wonderful wedding cakes...how do they do that??
called mom....marshmallow icing was the answer...or more like pouring marshmallow icing....hmmm well let me say...that was a total disaster....you ask why? well...i didn't know that gelatine had to be kept in airtight containers....i used some which was bought i don't know when....and it was not in an air tight container.
I thought....not going that way again...went and bought new gelatine...and thought...lets try gum paste icing...surfed the net....what in the world is Tylose ... nope couldn't find it in the super market...guess not available in Asia...
called mom...got her recipe..
well...i didn't ask the total recipe...as she was kind of busy...so...hence..the next...almost disaster... I nearly gave up now...thought to make toffee ...but then i was stubborn in wanting to try...and not waste the syrupy thing ......and it turned out pretty great!
well...to make gum paste icing...you are supposed to melt only the water, cram of tartar and gelatine mixture...then take it off the fire... and then knead in the icing sugar and cornflour...well ...i cooked the the icing sugar ...since it wasn't becoming a dough...i figured...this is not the way...oh dear...give up?? well..cant waste....there are so many people starving! let's try and save it....i just added more icing sugar and then heaped in cornflour too... (after taking off fire of course!)....guess what...it tasted good...not too sweet...just right...like marzipan. My son loved it...he was trying to eat my icing...i told ....sure...after i finish and take pictures...you can do what ever you want with it!

Step 2: The Mini Tiered Cake

I wanted to make a wedding cake...like the Tiered Cakes...I wanted to make lovely natural flowers... obviously that was farfetched... so thought to stick to simple ribbon roses, and buds
Stack up your 3 sized cakes...before stacking up the last...insert barbecue sticks and cut them to size....then add the final cake.
Roll out your gum paste icing...cut a circle bigger than the top cake...drape it over the cake and gently press around.
now cut strips about 0.5 or 0.75 inches wide...and sort of flatten the edges...with your fingers or a tool...slowly ruffle up and wrap around the cake...this covers up your imperfections in butter icing :-)
make your ribbon roses...cut strips off the icing...and fold a triangle...then roll..cut the ends at an angle and finish off...check pictures
for the bud...just flatten a circle with your fingers and roll it in to a bud....i'm sure you would have done this when you played with clay :-D
Cover the top with roses... and in between the ruffles...insert little rose buds.
dip your paint brush in edible silver dust and brush on the edges of the ruffles lightly.
brush slightly on the rose which are on the top of the cake.
Isn't that cute? My husband was surprised...my kids were thrilled! yeah...they are having it for school tomorrow. :-D

Step 3: Marbled Cake Decoration

Okay...now i had lots of icing remaining....what do i do?
Shall we play clay??? Lets!
I made 4 different colored balls with the icing and rolled them in to lines and then rolled them into a swirl and then pressed them together and rolled them out...now you get a marbled look.
drape over the cake...shape it and cut
make ribbon roses out of the same marbled icing and place on cake.
done!...well...aren't we becoming quick?? :-)

Step 4: Sptty Dotty Cake

yes...i still had some icing remaining...and i was getting the hang of it..yippee
roll up your white icing and drape...like in previous steps....simple huh?
I used a pen nib and bottle caps and medicine measuring lid for the 3 sizes.
So it's pretty basic....cut circles and paste! walla...you are done!

Conclusion : If i can do it....so can everyone of you...go ahead and make your own wedding and birthday cakes... show off your skills!

hey....if you like this...please rate and vote...Thanks!