I saw this cake by LVcreations on Cake Central and would love for the maker to explain how he/she created this effect. (picture below, or try this cake central link)

Specifically:

- Are the wraps made of fondant? gumpaste? modeling chocolate or some combination of those materials?

- How many tiers of cake are under there?

- How do you prepare and apply the ombre wraps?

If anyone else has created a similar cake, or if has some idea, please weigh in as well.

Thanks!

ACan't speak for the creator, but just from a quick glance, this is how I'd approach it. Looks like two tiers of cake to me. Several shades of blue, probably one base color, and just different strengths of it for the different pieces. Fondant maybe with some tylose powder added for extra strength (some might use modeling chocolate instead, I just don't have much experience with it, so I would use fondant).

Rolled out pieces of the fondant, cut into wavy pattern with a pizza cutter. Start at top, work down, applying the strips. The edges would have piped royal icing for the snowy effect. Piped snowflakes and dots.

The fondant pieces could possibly be airbrushed as well, doing that before the next layer of strips are applied.

AI would use a 50/50 fondant/gum paste mix, coloured in the different shades you need.

It looks like the ruffles are placed on two tall cake tiers.

Roll out a piece of your mixture, cut a straight base and a wavy top, then use water to apply to your cake, starting at the top. For each darker coloured ruffle, start about 1 inch lower on the cake. You can even see the vague bulges of the straight base of the higher ruffles beneath the lower ruffles. You can shape the pieces once they are on the cake to give the amount of wave/ruffle you want.

Then it looks like the ruffles have been trimmed with royal icing along the edges (and the base) with tiny RI icicles too and piped snowflakes on the faces of the ruffles.

Thank you! That's exactly how I envisioned it going. I'm going to try 50-50 fondant / modeling chocolate and see how that works (although I fondant / gumpaste would also typically be my first choice.)

One more thing I'm grappling with - should I cover the cakes with fondant first, or just start applying the wavy strips directly onto the frosting?

I live in a warm climate and am concerned about sagging / drooping, so my "cake sense" says cover it first. But I'd love to save a step and use less fondant if you don't think it's necessary.

Thoughts?

I don't think you have to cover the cakes with fondant first. Maybe just a round piece for the top as that will be the only visible 'naked' part.