Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Ava’s 18th Birthday: An Alice in Wonderland/Steam Punk/Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Whenever Bec comes to me with a theme for her family’s birthday parties, I know that I am gifted the opportunity to create a visual and delicious centrepiece for everyone to enjoy.
Ava’s 18th birthday was our most elaborate collaboration yet.
Ava definitely wanted the Mad Hatter’s Hat as her cake. We tossed ideas about whether to incorporate the colours and design aspects from Ava’s handmade costume or use more traditional colours. In the end, we decided the hat would be green with varying colours of gold for the vintage/steam punk look. Bec provided the feathers, card, key, keyhole and “eat me” sign and made the fondant cogs for me to paint and incorporate into the design.
Creating a hat cake is actually incredibly challenging. It looks simple but it requires logistics, structure, technique and patience to make. Having the brim defy gravity is the hardest part. It needs plenty of time to dry but it works best when it is shaped after moulding and covering the cake. Patience is definitely a virtue here.
I used two images of hats as inspiration to create the details with cake lace and sugar shaping tools then airbrushed the cake twice with two varying shades of green and then a gold sheen to create a velvety texture appearance. The colour had to dry before applying two layers of handmade edible fabric as the ribbon behind a piece of actual ribbon that Bec asked me to use.
The finishing touches were added on the day before delivery. The look on everyone’s faces when I unveiled the cake was incredible! Jaws dropped and they proclaimed that it looked like a real hat and they wanted to put it on!
The house looked amazing! Wonderland and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party brought to life. We set it up on the main table as the centrepiece but then decided that it would be safer on a table of its own with a very special cake stand made from a lazy susan and a smaller stand in the middle with teacups and candles on the bottom level. Such a great idea! Bec added a “Please do not touch the cake” sign, which added to the humour and displays already in place.
The cake was Medium Density Chocolate Cake layered and covered with Ganache then covered in fondant and decorated. Sculpted and fondant covered cakes require a firmer cake and ganache for structural support. It is still delicious but not as light and luscious as a dessert cake.
You are welcome to order cake centrepieces for your special events or I do also supply Dessert Table Options and some savoury items to make life easier for you. For more inspiration for your future special occasions, you may like to download the Information Guide here, read about Elena and Aaron’s Wedding, tune in for more blogs and you are always welcome to book a Cake Consultation here to discuss in person.
