This week was final assignment week for the third module: creating, filling and decorating a two-tiered cake. I chose to bake both cake layers myself, then fill and decorate them in class. As often happens in a busy kitchen, timing didn’t go entirely to plan. By the time I reached the filling stage, we had run out of ready-made buttercream and had to make a fresh batch. That set me back, and when it came to decorating my cake most of the group was already well underway. With less time to work, I adjusted my original design to fit the time available.
The process began with icing the filled cakes and covering them with fondant. At the same time, we prepared royal icing for the decorative work. I covered both tiers in smooth white fondant and added a small green topper to the smaller top tier for contrast. To keep the design manageable given the time constraints, I kept the decorations simple: a few small Santas and Christmas trees, finished with some delicate decorative piping to tie the elements together.
I’m very pleased with how the cake turned out. Although I would have liked to experiment with additional techniques if I’d had more time, the final result is tidy and festive. The restrained decoration works well with the clean fondant finish and creates a charming holiday feel without looking overdone.
I’m curious to see what the next module will cover. There won’t be any new lessons for the next two weeks, so we’ll resume the following year with whatever comes next in the course.