The Phone rings and it is my grandma, she has seen a wonderful idea on TV
a terrarium made out of cake; "I have written down the creator and the show so you can find it". Which then takes me to a google search to find Juliet Sear, terrarium creator, who's book I actually already have; I must confess this cake decorating book is not vegan, however, its great for how to do's then I just make it vegan friendly.
This has been one of my favourites so far, a fish bowl filled with layers of cake goodies that closely resemble a terrarium, and what a creative idea also! A cake fish bowl, a cake centre piece, but I will come back to that in a moment.
So the terrarium. I decided not to use a glass fish bowl as these are generally larger, heavier and not to mention fragile and I am definitely one for accidentally smashing glasses. So I purchased a smaller plastic fish bowl, in this case size is important as I wanted the terrarium to look full of greenery so didn't want to be overwhelmed with space. Fortunately I was making cupcakes the same day so used the left over batter to make the base, added dark cocoa powder and cooked that in the smallest pan I could find, it doesn't matter what you bake it in as your break it apart to make the first layer of dirt. Sand was then created by crushed up digestives (always check ingredients to check as some brands aren't vegan). Then the fun part; Cacti made out of buttercream, tiny rocks made of honey comb, rocks and flowers created with fondant. Plants out of buttercream was a new challenge, tutorials online are lacking on these so I did have to do a little trial and error with different tips and techniques, and even though I love it, I still think the current plants could use more work. I added different shades of buttercream to create texture to the plants and topped some of them with little fondant flowers in pinks, oranges and reds. In the future I would like to attempt actual cacti made out of green fondant icing, but that is something to look forward to. The overall look is lovely and this has also inspired me to do new creations. Brain storming with friends has created ideas such as a beach theme, shells scattered on the sand with the buttercream tide coming in from one side, a note in a bottle washed up on the shore. Or a garden based with dirt and grass with separate plant pot themed cupcakes topped with buttercream fondant flowers - the possibilities are endless and exciting!
What are your thoughts on cake centre pieces at weddings and other special occasions? Creative ideas in theme of the occasion that are also suitable to eat? Anyway, until my next cake venture, drink tea, eat cake and always be kind.
NEXT TIME
Cake Jars; yay or nay?
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