I have said it before and I will say it again, I love making life easier for myself.
I see no reason to over complicate it and if there is an easier solution then why not make use of it? Baking and decorating a posh party cake doesn’t mean that you need to pull your hair out! There are many SMART short cuts and simple steps you can follow.
So, here is my short tutorial on decorating a posh party cake with readily available products from your local grocery store, one or two inspirational images from Pinterest and some stretch of imagination.
1-2-3 Posh Party Cake Decor
Step 1:
- Bake your favourite cake and once cooled, place covered in the fridge overnight. Chilling the cake makes it easier to handle.
- We love our red velvet cake, not only for its flavour but also for the deep red colour which presents well against the pure white of the marshmallow icing.
- Using a large knife, slice the dome shaped top off the cake so that you have a level surface to work on.
Step 2:
- Make your icing…
- Our preference for a posh party cake is marshmallow icing. It isn’t too sweet, it spreads easily and it sets which secures your cake layers.
Step 3:
- Make the chocolate ganache that will cover the cake.
- Allow the chocolate ganache to stand for a little after it has been made. I would say that it needs to be luke warm. You want it to be thick and fluid all at the same time so that it easily covers the cake.
- Once your ganache has set a little, choose the presentation side of the cake and place said cake on your desired serving vessel.
- You can now start decorating.
- Always have an image (thank you Pinterest) in mind of what you want your cake to end up looking like, it’s like having a visual plan.
Our edible (because every last bit of cake needs to be devoured) decorating kit has the following items in it:
- Chocolate balls and gold dusting powder – simply pour some of your gold dust into a bowl and roll the chocolate balls around. Only touch them when you know where you are going to place them
- Fresh berries – for colour
- A variety of chocolate truffles, different flavours, colours and textures
- Nut brittle – wrap the brittle in cling wrap so that when you are bashing it with a mallet the packaging doesn’t burst open.
- Chocolate shards
- Chocolate biscuits / straws for height
Always remember that happiness is homemade (even if there is a little cheating going on) and the secret ingredient to every baking escapade is love.
So party on Smart Folk, this decorating game isn’t rocket science just chocolate and imagination!
Written by Jill Nowers of Jack and Jill Food co. • Our in-house Culinary Creative
- Photography: Eye Poetry Photography
- Food & styling: Jill Nowers for Hello Smart Blog
- Location: Jack and Jill Food co. | Loch Logan Waterfront | Bloemfontein
