Springing Forward

Dear Friends,

I'm typing up this quickie post on the road, not because I really have time, but because it's just been too darn long since my last post. Luckily, I discovered today that I can use an app on my phone to do some mobile blogging! Does anyone really have time these days to sit down in front of a desktop computer other than at work? Anyways, the past few months have been a whirlwind, and I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that the end of December and most of January were tainted with tragic events that only close family and friends know. I spent much of February trying to recover my spirits despite the rain, and have been very thankful for the relative sunniness we've seen in March so far.

Fortunately, today is the day we "spring forward" our clocks and our hopes for better days ahead! Let's talk about this very spring-appropriate wedding dress cake I created for my friend Hetty's bridal shower.

For Hetty's special day, I made a two-tiered lemon cake with vanilla buttercream. For the top tier, I clothed it entirely in a blushing shade of pink, then used my spatula to make some playful texture marks in the buttercream. Then I piped the outline of a fantastically poufy ball gown and covered the skirt with buttercream ruffles cascading down the front of the cake. The bodice of the dress was graced by white sugar pearls, with pink sugar pearls forming a tiny sash. Next I piped a sweet little flower bouquet, then finished the tier with some buttercream hearts and a dainty bead border. The inspiration for this cake came from a lovely design I saw on mycakeschool.com, and the pretty gold cake topper came from Etsy.

The bottom tier was all about that classic, dreamy wedding cake look. It was slathered all over with the softest, creamiest vanilla buttercream. I had fun wielding the spatula to make rustic marks all over the buttercream; I almost felt like I was fencing with a very small, cute, blunt sword. A couple rows of pink shell borders finished off the look with sweet elegance.

We only sliced the bottom tier, which had three layers, but the top tier consisted of five layers. The abundance of bright lemon flavor came from a combination of lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract that were all mixed into the batter. I used buttermilk in the batter to create an airy, tender crumb, and soaked all the layers with simple syrup to ensure that moist texture which everyone craves in a lemon cake.

Multiple people came up to me to marvel at the frosting and ask what on earth that magical stuff was. Even former frosting-haters confessed that they had been converted. That, my friends, is swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC), and if you've never had it before, you have no idea what you're missing. Silky, fluffy, creamy, luxurious, I could go on and on describing it. SMBC is incredibly delicate and light on the tongue, and melts away in the mouth with a delightful combination of just-right gossamer sweetness and buttery decadence. And even though it can be a pain in the @#%$ to make, the rapturous reaction it evokes is the reason I continue going to the trouble of making it.

Here are just a few more shots of the cake and the gorgeous natural wood table in our hostess's dining room. Thanks again to our hostess Louisa for taking care of us so generously in your beautiful home!

I was sweating bullets trying to deliver the cake in one piece as I drove over hills and potholes in 90 degree weather, but it was all worth it in the end. The bride-to-be loved the cake, and everyone seemed to have a lovely time. There was food, white sangria, music, laughter, skimpy gifts to be opened in front of the future mother-in-law, and cake galore. It was a wonderful way to celebrate a very special couple.

To Hetty and James, if you're reading this, thanks for being dear friends to us, and especially to Philip. You've enriched our lives in many ways, and James I hope you know how honored Philip feels that he will stand beside you as your best man in May.

I'm happy that I had the opportunity to make this cake, as it helped turn my thoughts not only to love and romance, but also to the hope of a bright future that a wedding naturally brings. It's good to know that winter is behind us, and that we have warmer days and lots of cake to look forward to in the months ahead.

Thank you for sharing the sweet life with me.

Blessings,

Michelle ^_^

#bridalshowerbridalshowercakespringpinkandwhitecakeweddingdresscake