Some thoughts on cake

Yet another snow day has come and gone without me being able to get to the fabric store. I'm itching -- itching, I tell you! -- to buy the fabric and thread and other materials I need to get started on some sample fabric flowers. But, since I'm unable to get started on that, I decided to think about something else today. Cake!

"Oooooh, I love a bit of cake. Oooooh, cake. Oooooh, cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. I'm just one of these people. I come home and I need a piece of cake."

(*cough* I've been on a BritCom kick recently.)

The whole cake business is something that's been pretty much strictly DIY for us from the start. For one, we live in an area where there isn't enough business for bakeries to... well... work. I'm pretty sure that if I wanted to outsource this cake, I'd be spending a ton just to have it transported here. There's probably somewhere in Boone or Blowing Rock that would do it, but I guarantee you it would cost more than it will cost us to make... something. The question is, what kind of something?

I love this cake that I saw on Style Me Pretty -- I'm really drawn to the fabric flowers (who'da thought?) and the detail around the bottom of the layers that looks like... I can't figure out what, but I like it. Maybe like branches? Something pretty.

If we do a layered cake, I'd love to do something similar, but probably with simple ribbon around the bottom of each layer and buttercream instead of fondant. I know me and Mom. Buttercream = familiar and less stressful. Fondant = "what are we supposed to do with this?" But -- that's if we do a layered display cake. I think we're a lot more likely to have success with two or three smaller layered cakes (or one display cake and some sheet cakes) than a big ol' huge tiered thing.
I also love the idea of having multiple, smaller cakes. For one, it seems to go well with the idea of having a groom's cake (I would love to make a cake with the Horde insignia on it, or possibly his guild tabard, for Johnny's groom's cake. Picture a large hot pink cake with a purple scarecrow on it, if you will.) Also, that means you can do some nice-looking crafty stuff with multiple cake stands. Here are some on Etsy that are gorgeous, but I know enough people who do woodworking (or at least own a chainsaw) that I thiiiink I could coat them in polyurethane and make them myself.

Made by RoxyHeartVintage

That's if I want to get fancy about it, though. I don't have my heart set on anything like that, as cool as it looks -- but at least it did get me thinking about the fact that you do have to put a cake on something.
I love the way that cake tables with multiple small cakes on stands with different heights look, especially since I could nest this in the center...

So. My thoughts on DIY cake:

• Probably multiple pieces -- whether that means one display cake with extra sheet cakes or multiple small cakes.
• Buttercream all the way, baby!
• Simple decorations. Not a lot of flowers and piping and stuff. For DIY, easier is better :)
• Must be easy to transport - nothing too big or unstable
• Must not be so big or complicated that helper-folks who aren't pastry chefs can figure out how to cut 'em.
• Something we can make to scale in a practice round or two without going broke.

I also found some neat tutorials and reference entries on DIYing your own wedding cake at DIY Bride. They ran Cake Month entries recently:

• Is a DIY Wedding Cake for You?
• First Steps
• Slices: Size Matters
• Boxed Mix or Scratch Recipe?

Mom and I need to talk and figure out what flavors to do (Johnny already says he has no preference...), what recipes to use, and when to do our test runs. Rest assured that there will be a rundown when that happens!

At least our DIY cake will taste better than dust.