It doesn't have to be huge

I get a lot of quote request inquiries with pictures of 3, 4 or 5 tier cakes.  If the inquiry doesn't specify, then I usually email the person back asking how many people the cake needs to feed.  Many times I get the response back of 15, 30, or maybe 50 folks, and I tell them that the cake they sent feeds way more people than they need it to and send them a quote for a smaller-scaled cake where tiers of cake will not be leftover.  Sometimes people are fine with that, but other times they still want the big cake.  

While I am happy to create a 5-tier cake for a party of 30, I don't think many people want to pay for it, and I am not starting off with a 2-inch top tier ( Icing anything smaller than 4 or 5" across is a huge pain in the butt.  The cake just moves too much and I don't want to deal with it.).  I also understand that people want the cake to be the centerpiece of the party.  So what does one suggest in these instances?  I suggest changing your train of thought.  It's not quantity... it's quality.  In my opinion, I think spending money on a well-executed, single-tier cake makes a better statement than spending the same amount on a 3-tier, crooked, sloppy one.    And who wants to have all that left over cake hanging around the house begging to be eaten?

The Creamsicle Effect

Do you have a lot of little bits of colored buttercream taking up room in your fridge or cabinet?  Not sure what to do with them?  This is something I always contemplated... usually I use the buttercream leftovers for tastings or donation cakes ... but one day... I decided to try something... and this is what I got..

I thought it was pretty cool... I am sure this is some sort of style of painting (and if it has a name please tell me), but I am going to call it the creamsicle effect or maybe the rainbow sherbet effect.  Regardless, I like it.

Now you may be asking yourself, "How on earth did she do something so complicated?"  It's crazy, but I put the icer tip in a big piping bag and threw blobs of different colored buttercreams inside.  I then piped it on the cake and smoothed with a bench scraper. Whew!  Crazy instructions!  Just remember the more you go over it with the bench scraper, the more your colors will meld.  Doing it too much may lead you to a not-so- pleasant color.

If that is too much color for you, try just two colors.  Off the top of my head blue and white would make a nice combination to give a lightly clouded sky or underwater effect... or for just a whimsical kind of look... pink and white.  With this cake, I added pink at the bottom or the bag and white at the top.  This gives more defined color areas.

So the next time you need to make a quick cake for a party, use up all those little leftovers and see what you get.  If you really don't like it, you can always cover it in fondant!