Weddings
- One of the popular cake mastic recipes
- Decorating a wedding cake with fondant
- Fondant wedding cake ideas
- What filling to choose for a wedding cake?
A wedding cake is a work of art that should not only surprise the guests gathered at the celebration, but also emphasize the style and theme of the wedding. Of course, every bride dreams of a cake that no one has ever had before and will never have again. So what can we come up with? How to decorate a cake and what filling to choose for it?
Photo of a wedding cake made from mastic
What is dessert for?
Wedding cakes made from mastic are served at the end of the banquet so that guests can take a break from congratulations, presenting gifts and participating in competitions. After tea, friends and relatives gradually go home, and the most persistent remain to once again wish all the best to the newlyweds and dance a few more dances.
The cake is served and cut to the accompaniment of solemn music, each guest receives an equal piece. If there is any surplus left, the bride and groom decide for themselves what to do with it - leave it for a quiet tea party upon returning home, save it for those who could not come to the wedding, or distribute it to guests who have children at home.
The tradition of treating friends and relatives to a wedding cake dates back to the 17th century, when an unknown pastry chef presented a masterpiece of candied marzipan to the court instead of the usual wedding cakes. Since then, couples in love have been trying to amaze their guests with a delicious end to the banquet, and culinary masters show all their imagination and creativity.
Professionally decorated two-tier and three-tier fondant wedding cakes become not only the main decoration of the evening, but also participants in the auction. Before cutting the dessert, the toastmaster invites those present to bid for the first piece - it is, of course, the most delicious. The amount received is sent to the common treasury of the newlyweds.
If the wedding is decorated in a specific theme, then stylized attributes are used to decorate the cake. For example, delicate flowers, beads and lace are suitable for European concepts, images of a piano, guitar and other instruments are suitable for musical ones, and corresponding fruits are suitable for fruit or berry concepts.
Interesting! Consider also options for desserts made from cream and others without using mastic.
Peculiarities
If you are going to make a wedding cake from mastic with your own hands, keep in mind that it can be used to model flat or three-dimensional images, and the rolled out layer covers the whole confectionery product. The result is a smooth matte surface with decorations of the artist's choice.
There are different recipes for mastic, but the simplest one involves using only water, gelatin and powdered sugar. If desired, add lemon juice, as well as oil and glycerin, so that the finished paste does not dry out so quickly. If everything is done correctly, you will get a plastic lump that is convenient to work with.
Before covering the cake, it is necessary to prepare it. To do this, they are soaked in a small amount of syrup or condensed milk and alternated with layers of filling. When the structure is assembled, the edges are trimmed so that there are no noticeable errors anywhere. At the final stage of preparation, the resulting stack of cakes is coated on all sides with a thin layer of cream to obtain the most even surface possible, and is sent to the refrigerator.
When the cream has set, the future cake is taken out of the refrigerator and covered with a thin layer of mastic. The edges are smoothed so that there are no folds, creases or bubbles anywhere.
If the dessert is multi-tiered, then other parts of it are made by analogy, which are then assembled together. Flat decorations are made from mastic using a silicone mold or three-dimensional figures are sculpted. All elements are fixed on the cake in a pre-thought-out composition, after which the dessert is ready for transportation. You can decorate such a dessert not only with mastic, but also with butter cream.
As for taste, future newlyweds can choose it at their own discretion, since it will still not be possible to please absolutely everyone. It is better to choose common options, since exoticism is often perceived as a meaningless fad.
First you need to choose the type of cakes. Shortbread, waffle and curd cakes are not suitable for weddings, since a massive cake will spoil due to its own weight. The best option is a sponge cake; it can be classic, vanilla, citrus, chocolate or honey. You need to take into account not only the taste of the cakes, but also possible allergies among guests.
There are dozens of cake fillings in the assortment of pastry shops, but not all are suitable for a mastic dessert. Too tender, liquid and wet will melt the paste, and it will flow, ruining the entire appearance of the masterpiece. It is better to choose a cream with a thick consistency, preferably based on butter, chocolate or protein. Many people like yogurt filling with a delicate fruit or berry taste.
A white fondant wedding cake can be made for any style of celebration, there are no restrictions. To ensure that the design matches the chosen theme, characteristic details are made, and the mastic itself is selected in a suitable shade. This dessert is also suitable for a classic wedding, but to simplify the work, mastic is used only for covering, and the decor is made cream. If you wish, you can purchase ready-made themed figurines at a candy store.
Options with flowers and more
Floral decoration is considered classic for a wedding dessert. With the help of a pastry bag and cream it was always possible to create an attractive decoration with roses and green leaves. Mastic allows you to improve this design option - flowers are made up of individual petals, which are then collected into a bud. The result is a realistic decoration that is indistinguishable from living plants. The most popular among newlyweds is a wedding cake with roses made from mastic.
Beautiful cake for round dates
After the most exciting day comes a happy time. The couple tries to celebrate every date in a special way every year. Some people prefer to retire, or gather a whole house of guests. Some choose cafes, others choose outdoor gatherings. In many cases, it is impossible to celebrate an anniversary without a beautifully decorated cake.
The scale of the cake depends on the number of guests. The decoration of sweets depends on the “name of the anniversary”.
For a golden wedding, it is most logical to completely cover the cake with this metal. They look elegant and chic, as if there is a real bar of gold on the table. Only a true professional can make such mastic, so such an important task should be entrusted to skillful hands.
When choosing a design for a cake, you should choose less bright shades; in this case, they are inappropriate. Often the inscription 50 is executed, that says it all. The heroes of the occasion will appreciate a decorated cake with their image. This could be a photo from their wedding, from that big day. Or a photo with the whole family, showing the significance and importance of the spouses.
Editor's choice: How to look younger at 35 and remain yourself
For a silver wedding, just like a gold one, the color of the mastic is selected based on the name of the celebration. An elegant cake covered with silver fondant, decorated with a thousand small beads and mesmerizing flowers will drive everyone crazy. The inscription “Love” would look good on this occasion. You can also decorate a cake with a comic shape, unusual and funny.
Brother of the bride
Order a mini-copy of your future mastic cake from the pastry chef in advance. This way you can adjust the color of the cake in advance and change the taste of the filling. Kirill Obertman
If the dessert is single-tiered, then the buds are located on the top, for example, in the center, along the contour of the cakes or across the entire surface. If the cake is multi-tiered, then it is possible to create more interesting compositions. Most often, a smooth, winding line of roses stretches from the top element to the bottom along the side.
Interesting! We wrote about how to determine the optimal weight of a wedding dessert in this article.
A wedding cake with orchids made from mastic is more delicate. Since the flower does not have as many petals as a rose, it will take less time to realize the idea. Most often, the orchid is made together with a twig, and in some areas of the cake individual “torn off” petals are placed.
Another popular option for decorating a mastic dessert is edible lace.
If you make them in a contrasting shade, you will get an unusual decor that all guests at the wedding will appreciate. You can buy lace at a confectionery store or make it yourself using a special silicone mat. In most cases, no other decorations will be required besides the openwork pattern; you can only add a couple of mastic buds.
Beautiful wedding cakes made from mastic can be either single-tiered or multi-tiered. In the latter case, you need to carefully consider the choice of filling, since something too airy will not be suitable for the lower tiers. If desired, you can make several different fillings, one for each element of the confectionery product. The top of a multi-tiered mastic dessert is usually richly decorated with figures, flowers or flat images.
Paste flowers for beginners
The presented method does not require skill honed over years and special kitchen utensils. Everything that is found in the everyday life of every housewife is used.
So, we will sculpt voluminous daisies.
To do this, we need blue and yellow paste, a tube 15-20 centimeters long and 2-3 in diameter (maybe, for example, the handle of a rolling pin or some small case), a roller for rolling (a smooth glass or a flat bottle is often used), sharp knife, ruler, deep plate, plastic bottle cap), gauze.
Stage 1
1Roll out both pastas to a thickness of 3 millimeters, maybe a little thinner. Cover the yellow mastic with gauze and press it on top over the entire surface with a roller. We remove the gauze and get a relief surface.
2Next, take a cork from a plastic bottle and cut out twice as many circles from the resulting relief layer as there are planned flowers. Place the resulting elements on a separate surface, for example, a baking sheet.
Using gauze we get relief centers
Stage 2
3Roll out the blue paste to a similar thickness. We apply a ruler, cut the layer into even strips 0.5 centimeters wide and apply the middle of each strip to the tube, wrap it with the ends and glue it on the back side so that it looks like a balloon on a string.
Cut into thin strips
4 We fill the entire tube with such elements, let it dry a little and remove it, moving the mastic to the side. These will be the petals of our daisies and you will need a lot of them.
The ends of the strips must be glued well
Stage 3
5Now you need to connect the manufactured elements. To do this, place a cap from a plastic bottle in the middle of the recessed plate. Place a yellow mastic circle on top of it, with the relief surface facing down. Lightly moisten the top side with water.
Carefully attach the petals to the center
6If the petals have long tips, they must be cut to a length that is sufficient for the end of the petal to reach the center of the yellow circle.
The ends of the petals should not be long
7When pruning, make a sharp, triangular-shaped tip.
To obtain a three-dimensional flower, place the petals on the yellow center with the ribs up. So that the top view resembles a circle with rays.
8 It is recommended to attach the first four petals to the center on four sides. This method will allow you to produce an even flower. In this case, we glue the next 4 and 8 elements in the center of the already glued ones.
9 In order to make the flower double-sided, at the end we attach another center on the reverse side.
Ready-made daisies from mastic on a cake
10The finished flower must be dried for several hours and you can start decorating.
Useful video: master class on decoration
Two-tier beautiful wedding cakes made from mastic in photos of newlyweds are quite common. Each tier is assembled separately and soaked in the refrigerator, after which it is covered with mastic. The video tutorial shows how to decorate such a cake with a drapery of sugar mastic.
Think about how to make a wedding cake from mastic and how to decorate it before you start implementing your own idea. You can seek professional help. This will save valuable time before the wedding.
One of the popular cake mastic recipes
In order to satisfy all the whims of the customer and create their next creation, confectioners often resort to using mastic as a material for decorating desserts. However, some “who love to bake something” also very often use mastic in order to surprise their household members with not only a tasty, but also an incredibly beautiful dessert.
There are seven types of mastic:
- honey;
- sugar;
- dairy;
- chocolate;
- marshmallow (from marshmallows);
- from gelatin;
- from condensed milk.
Here is a recipe for mastic based on marshmallows (a type of marshmallow). To prepare, you need the marshmallow itself, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of butter and a little culinary skills.
Photo example of mastic cake design
Microwave the butter and marshmallows for a few seconds until all ingredients are melted. Next, stir the mixture until smooth, then gradually add powdered sugar and coloring if necessary. When the mass becomes like plasticine, it means everything is ready and you can start decorating your masterpiece.
Mastic is an excellent material for creating excellent decor for your wedding cake.
Additional Tips
Regardless of where the mastic cake will be made - at home or in a pastry shop, you need to think through some nuances.
- Delivery. If the dessert is multi-tiered, with complex decoration, and the road to the cafe is not the closest, it is better to bring each tier separately and assemble it on the spot.
- Tasting. Before ordering the main cake, you need to try a mini version, and both the groom and the bride must do this. This is necessary because not everyone likes the taste of mastic, and if the newlyweds do not eat the cake at the banquet, this will be a sign of bad taste. After tasting, it is not advisable to change the composition of the cakes or filling.
- Stand. If a multi-tiered cake is too heavy, the tiers are placed not on top of each other, but on a special stand. This will make the dessert easier to transport and the mastic decorations will not be damaged.
There are many options to make a cake original and unique, but mastic is the most optimal of them. Any pastry chef will willingly take on such work, and the result will be excellent. With a little practice, the future newlyweds themselves will be able to decorate the dessert for their wedding in the desired style, putting their soul into the process and surprising the guests.
Anastasia Belozerova
Wedding planner
Previous article
Wedding florist: choosing a “flower god”
Next article