This wedding cake, fit for a midsummer night’s dream, is finished in chocolate buttercream and draped with petal-thin faerie flowers crafted in rolled modeling chocolate.

It was served at an Irish wedding that took place in a traditional Irish pub in San Diego, CA. The bride and groom asked that I design their cake around the whimsical ceramic topper of a faerie princess being kissed by a prince.

The topper is a Jacqueline Collen-Tarrolly collectible called “Frog Once Loved a Turtle.”

Buttercream Finish

As I applied the final coat of frosting, I blended chocolate and vanilla buttercream together with a bench scraper. Then I piped vines on the cake. For the small vines, I used a parchment paper cone. For the large vines, I used a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

I used these recipes: Smooth Buttercream Cake Frosting

Items Needed to Make the Fairy Flowers

• White and dark blue modeling chocolate
• Rolled modeling chocolate equipment
• Small blossom plunger cutter
• Double-ended ball tool from this great kit
• Foam shaping mat
• 3” (76 mm) diameter daisy cutter
• Small silicone cell formers
• Large plastic cell formers
• Small paint brush
• Super pearl dust
• Charcoal black petal dust
• 1 rubber glove
• Parchment paper cone (or piping bag with small round tip) filled with buttercream frosting

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Combine the white and blue modeling chocolate to create four different hues ranging from a light aqua to a rich royal blue.

2. Roll the modeling chocolate out to 1/16” (1.6 mm) thickness.

3. Cut small buds from each color using the basic 3D buds method. Store them in small silicone formers for at least one hour or ideally, overnight.

4. Once firm, dust the outside edges of the petals with charcoal black petal dust to cast a midnight shadow. Wear a rubber glove to protect fingers from dye.

5. Next, using a blush brush, dust the petals with pearl dust for sheen.

6. Repeat the same steps using the 3″ (76 mm) daisy cutter.  Store the flowers buds on large plastic cell formers until they are ready to use (I normally recommend silicone molds for modeling chocolate but these old Wilton formers work best for this particular technique). Drape the edges of the petals over the sides of the cups.

7. To create uniform-sized centers for the large flowers, roll out a rope of white modeling chocolate and slice it into thick, uniform-sized coins.

8. Roll each coin into a ball.

9. Flatten each ball into a convex disk using the curved palm of a hand. Rub the tops with a fingertip to achieve a smooth and shiny finish.

10. Using a blush brush, dust the tops of the centers generously with pearl dust for sheen.

11. Affix the centers to the petals using a drop of water as glue if needed.

12. Store the flowers in cell formers in a cool place out of sunlight until ready to use. Flowers can be made a week or more in advance of use.

13. When it comes time to decorate the cake, place the large flowers first, draping them over edges and at corners. Position them strategically to conceal any flaws in the cake’s finish.

14. Next, add the small flowers. Pipe a dot of buttercream frosting onto the back of each one for glue then press them gently onto the cake. Once all the small flowers are on the cake, pipe small pearls of buttercream into the center of each one.

This is a bonus supplement to the tutorial within the book
Cake Decorating with Modeling Chocolate

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