Delicate ombre gumpaste ruffles

I am so excited to finally be able to share this cake!  Its from a Fall inspiration wedding shoot I did with Chelsea Peterson Photography and was just featured on Utah Bride and Groom.  The whole shoot is so lovely, rustic and charming. It was so fun to set up and turned out just lovely.

I couldn’t wait to make this cake.  I knew I wanted to make a chocolate cake, staying with the warm tones.  I decided to go with ivory ruffle for the bottom two tiers with a powdery, velvet suede chocolate for the top three tiers.  I wasn’t originally going to do ombre but as I was creating the layers it just came to me and I LOVE how it turned out.

The ruffles are so thin and delicate I love the way it turned out.  It is simple BUT it is time consuming so start these tiers earlier than you think.  Frost your cake with ganache (it keeps your cake from drying out and holds it’s shape great without needing to be refrigerated).  Then cover it with a light ivory fondant.

I like to do a 50/50 mix of gumpaste and fondant, so you can still get it thin, but its also not too stiff.  I use a pasta roller to get it as this as possible.  I go down to the thinnest or second thinnest setting then used a 3 1/2 inch circle cutter to cute 1-3 circles at a time (work in small batches, the gumpaste dries quickly).

Dab a SMALL bit of clear vanilla or vodka in the center of the circle.  Fold a small paper towel square and place over half of the circle (but not touching the damp center) and fold the circle in half (but not PERFECTLY in half it will leave it more layer-y looking that way).

Again dab a SMALL amt of the alcohol (clear vanilla or vodka) in the center of the fold.  Place another small folded paper towel on one side, fold the circle in half again (but again not PERFECTLY in half, slightly off so it creates loose layers).  You now have a 1/4 of a circle with paper towels sticking out of it.  Paint the corner with the alcohol and press it against the cake, hold it for a few seconds so it won’t slide down.  I had the first layer long enough that it brushed over the board.

Work your way around the first tier completely (keeping an eye on your spacing so you end evenly).  Then start the next round!  I also add some paper towels between each round to keep a slight separation.  The closer you do each round the longer it’s going to take, but it looks amazing.

I moved down to a 2 1/2 inch circle when I started on the second, smaller tier.  For the ombre look I added just a BIT of the chocolate fondant every 3 rounds.

I had the ombre get stronger as I got closer to the top (as you add more chocolate you my need to add more gumpaste to keep it strong).  The lower 12 rounds are VERY close in color, being more subtle.  I love how it turned out.  What do you think? Would you have kept it all ivory? or do you think the ombre was the right choice?

I actually made about 6 gumpaste flowers as well as gumpaste leaves, berries and more.  BUT when I arrived on site I wasn’t feeling it, it was too much and just didn’t look right.  SO I used real branches and added some cotton from the shoot and I LOVE what a simple touch it was.   I love how it adds to the rustic, but still elegant, look to the cake.  What do you think?