Today, we have a real treat (pun intended!) – Clara of Clara’s Designer Cakes is here to share her ideas behind her incredible cakes. They are almost too beautiful to cut into and eat! Without further ado…
How far in advance do you first meet with a couple who is interested in your cake design services?
I typically meet with couples anywhere from six months to a year or more in advance of their wedding date.
My business specializes in custom couture cakes, so we limit the number of orders we take on. I believe this is the best way to be able to continue to offer the highest level of quality and service we are known for. The sooner couples schedule a tasting appointment, the better chance they have of securing their date.
I have done our share of last minute orders, though, especially for military personnel. Schedule permitting, I will always do my best accommodate last minute orders.
Photos: Lidia Miller Photography
Can you tell us more about the planning, designing, and execution of making one of your masterpiece cakes?
Creating a ‘masterpiece’ cake involves a great deal of planning and meticulous attention to detail. I draw inspiration from just about anything around me. I am always finding new ways to incorporate ideas and design elements into my next cake project.
The best part of my work is taking on the challenges that are presented to me by my clients. They have usually called several bakers and have been unable to find someone to create a difficult or unusual cake. Non-standard cake designs can require spending a significant amount of time doing research and creating templates to ensure accurate dimensions.
I strongly believe that everything on a cake should be edible and emphasize this to my clients. Sugar flowers are often indistinguishable from real flowers.
They are made by hand and must be created weeks in advance to allow for proper drying time. Once dry, each petal is hand painted, and carefully assembled, petal by petal, into a realistic looking flower. It can be a very time consuming process, but definitely worth it.
Other than edible flowers and custom sugar pieces, the cake itself is baked and decorated no more than 72 hours prior to the wedding. Once the cake is baked, filled and iced, the fondant covering is applied and the decorating process begins.
When decorating the cake, I work directly from the sketch that I created during the wedding consultation with the bride and groom. Very large and elaborate cakes can take several decorators, working simultaneously, up to two days to decorate.
What information can a client provide that helps you bring their vision to life? How do you incorporate a couple’s wedding theme into their cake?
Planning a wedding cake begins with the couple’s description of their dream cake. Some couples know exactly what they want and provide pictures or magazine clippings. Others are not so sure and are counting on my experience to help them design their cake.
It is very helpful for me to have as much as information as possible. Some of the items and information that I recommend couples bring to their cake consultation include: Wedding invitations, pictures of inspiration cakes or design elements that appeal to them, fabric swatches or paint chips, reception and venue details (reception time, number of guests), lighting, preferred cake placement, wedding theme, if applicable.
I use a variety of techniques to incorporate the couple’s theme into their dream wedding cake. Most couples are inspired by the details and colors of the wedding décor. Here are some examples of how I incorporate these ideas into the cake:
• Invitation Design: Custom stencils can be made to transfer the exact design onto the cake
• Textured Fabric: Embossing tools are great for creating texture on fondant
• Bride’s Bouquet and Floral Arrangements: The same flowers can be made out of sugar to adorn the cake or as a floral topper for the top tier
• Satin Ribbons: Fondant bands can be painted with edible pearl sheen
• Delicate Beading: Edible pearls, dragées and intricate piping can be used to create the beaded design on a bridal gown
• Painted Designs: Gel pastes and food colors are applied with a brush to hand paint a design onto a fondant ‘canvas’
Once I have an idea of what the couple wants, I create a sketch during the consultation. The couple can see their vision come to life on paper. We discuss each design element in detail until they are satisfied with the overall design of the cake.
Photos: Lidia Miller Photography
Have you ever had a cake mishap or kitchen disaster that you had to fix last minute?
One summer, I was delivering a cake on the hottest day of the year. I was cut off by another driver and had to break unexpectedly to avoid a collision. I think I aged 20 years when I looked in the rear view mirror and didn’t see the cake – It had toppled over!
Luckily, I always deliver my cakes ahead of schedule. I returned to the kitchen to assess the damage. While the cake itself was intact, the fondant exterior was not. I have never worked faster.
To start, I had to made several pounds of fresh icing. I re-iced the cake, covered it with fresh fondant and then decorated it. Thank goodness, it was a relatively simple design. The cake was delivered on time and the bride never knew of my horrifying experience.
That same evening, I sat down and created a unique ‘disaster’ back-up plan. I wanted to make sure that my clients would have a wedding cake available to them at any cost, even when the unimaginable happens.
I now discuss my emergency back-up plan with all my clients during their consultation. To date, I have not had to execute it, but it is there if I need it.
Thank you so much to Clara for stopping by today – she has so much to share – I certainly cannot hear enough from her – so please leave comments and questions so that we may keep the conversation going!
Clara’s Designer Cakes is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Clara invites couples to make an appointment for an initial consultation (301-624-0027).
