The One With The Carousel

I just adore bringing magical designs to life. Their life as a cake that is. And I couldn’t possibly run out of new designs to try. Now that’s just the loveliest thought.

When a customer gives me total artistic license, I can really immerse myself in the wonder of design. Each shade of pink, and touch of gold and structural must have only makes the cake more special.

In some way, the one with the carousel, is an utter labour of love. It requires time and care and patience … a lotta lotta patience.

To start a particularly tall cake like this, I lay out all of my materials and do a vocal checklist type thing. Structural must haves include a cling film roll, stiff card straws, round polystyrene dummy and polystyrene glue.

It’s essential the carousel horses, ponies, unicorns … whatever you like to call ‘em … are hard and dry by the time you’re assembling your cake. I made mine days in advance, using florist paste and a silicone horse mould. There is absolutely no shame in using a mould for something like this. After all, it’s essential those carousel ponies look as pretty as possible.

The clingfilm roll is inserted into the polystyrene and secured with non-edible glue. Now, the painted ponies on their straws are inserted into the polystyrene in the same way. It’s really important to remember things like decorating the cling film roll before the smaller parts are added around it.

I like to let this piece dry overnight and upside down. It’s just something that works for me. Once the big day comes around and everything comes together, it’s all about slow and steady. Do. Not. Rush.

Assemble your tiered cake as usual. I’ve decided the top tier of this cake should be no smaller than 6 inches. For carousel sizing purposes. The biggest deal is inserting the actual carousel piece into that top tier, as straight and sturdily as you possibly can. It’s ever so light in weight, so it is doable!

The next part is simply stunning. Adorning this two tier with pure girlyness and a whole lot of pretty is a cake maker’s dream. And again, I had full artistic license, so my girly creativeness just flowed through my fingers!

One thing I would say, is not to add too much too soon. I like to decorate a fair amount, and then walk away for 10 minutes. When I come back I’m in a fresher frame of mind to assess whether there’s room for more detail. And on this occasion … there was, just a little.

I made cake pops to match and spent some time preparing homemade labels for their little packages. This is something I’m always happy to do. I love working with paper and crafting away … it’s just another form of therapy for me. Not to mention the joy I feel from using my Kate Spade stamp.

After setting everything up for a photo or two, I had a sigh of total contentment. This cake has understated elegance. It may be pink, but it isn’t too pink. It’s just right. And I find myself thinking, this little lady that turned one and had this beautiful birthday cake, will oneday look back at a photo and hopefully treasure that memory of the one with the carousel.

I have treasured all of my birthday cakes - thank you Mum.

Bridie x